The Island

So It Begins

January 31, 2020, CNN Philippines:

"Duterte orders travel ban from China province amid coronavirus scare."

The friends were enjoying too much to care, bantering and drinking until late. Their flights booked. The sulfur from Taal Volcano has subsided but still a hint of the gas in the air thus some held on to their surgical masks and a few with N95 masks with valve, but buzz around the block of this corona virus is still keeping many Filipinos holding on to their facemasks.

As days flown by, terms and wording change. From Chinese transmitting viruses through eating bats to corona virus.

It was in that day 31 January 2020, where Peter, the uncle of Jack have left Philippines upon visiting his nephew.

It was in that day, when Bea watched the movies "1917" and "Parasite" on the same night at Mall of Asia, in Pasay. The nail biting suspenseful scenes of World War 1 and the suspenseful scene of income disparity - got her to bite her nails, after all though Parasite was good reading subtitles made Bea bored.

Days prior the news have it, that the first Chinese who died outside China so happened in Pasay, Philippines. The proximity was not far from Peter's rental flat near Mall of Asia. Not far from where Bea writes her books and watches her nightly movies.

Most are still unaware, while many are cautious.

It wasn't long that Bea had developed a "bad cold" with fever - something new in her twenties, as she stopped getting fever with cold the moment she hit twenty seven. Though whether it was covid or not, remains debatable to this day.

After four days of over the counter: Paracetamol, Decongestant and Mucolytic. Bea was alive and kicking again, and days evolved so quickly.

More and more people were wearing facemasks, despite that the sulfuric smell of the air had passed. Facemasks have remained sold out across all stores in the Asian megalopolis.

Bea have remained cynical, and business as usual after her bad cold.  Jack has been reporting to work enjoying his investment returns in Philippines in the food industry. His uncle Peter have landed safely back in England. Their other friends were busy touring Manila, by this, it just meant enjoying their time trying out restaurants and drinking at the small red light district beside the corporate area.

The looming desperation of Bea returning home has led her to already pitch her idea, "Routine Flight," to the film producer who was once connected to Hollywood until he decided to go independent.

"Hello Eric, I want to pitch you a story." Bea called her producer.

"Sure, I'd like your comedic style, so how much for the spec?"

Conversations like this don't happen on a daily basis, it was after all Bea's first time. Eric guided her through the financial breakdown, just to help her get a start on the negotiation process of producing her script.

As Bea was concerned, she'd be a co-executive producer at an early of thirty. Through the week she polished the spec and the financial breakdown to give Eric the clearer idea possible.

The week brushed quickly, Bea was busy with her spec script whilst looking forward to returning home to the UK. Things have had become jaded in her life in Manila, the lack of friends and lack of family. The absence of lovelife, that she is trying to nourish from afar.

Throughout that week, Jack has done his part of the job opening a new restaurant that he financed. Having more free time than Bea, he had finalised the booking for the flights for he and his friends as well as their island to island transportation and their accommodation for the private island that they will rent for $200 - though not inclusive of food and sea transport, but still $200 split among friends is a good deal.

Two nights before the flight Bea had emailed Eric the financial breakdown and negotiation begun as she packed her things for the small tropical island escape.

Meanwhile Dario an Austrian and Emilia a Swede, have boarded the flight to Palawan as Easter is coming soon and they can do with some relaxation and romantic trip away from their hectic base in Manila. They have packed their camera and microphone, as well as their laptops for their YouTube vlogging of an amateur career that pays well. After a thirty minute boat ride to the private and somehow remote island, marketed as private island they've settled in to a small shack over looking the deep blue sea of clear water, white sand and corals of the coast - unknowingly that a group of English friends will also be on that island.