12-year-old Johnny Maxwell has been having a really odd life lately. His best mates, Wobbler, Bigmac and Yo-less think the Trying Times his parents are going through have gone to his head. He lives across town, now, with his Gran and Grandpa, so there’s not so much shouting, thus he’s not playing many video games, but his walk home from school takes him past the cemetery, and Johnny likes it. He’s really a dweeb. Or a nerd. Or whatever the cool word is this week. Johnny and his mates don’t really know much about cool.
See, the weird thing about the cemetery is, the City Council is talking about digging up the old caskets and turning the site into… a suite of office buildings. With a fountain, of course, and benches and things. It’d be classy. It’s too much money to maintain the old cemetery. Besides, there aren’t any really famous people there, right? And new office buildings would Create Jobs. It wouldn’t bother anyone.
Johnny’s not convinced. For one thing, he knows it would bother some folks. The dead. See, they’ve told him it would.
Another sly and funny Pratchett tale about Johnny Maxwell and his completely buddies, with some thoughts on the connection between the living and the dearly departed, and how it’s never too late to do what you want and have a great time – even if it’s after life is over.
