Ghost Friend
Summary: A teenage girl summons her best friend’s ghost every day after school, and the ghost realizes that her living friend is having trouble moving on.
Dana was 14 when her best friend, Alyssa, died. Alyssa was always the leader--she was tall, fearless, and had a biting wit. Without Alyssa there to be the cool kid to her awkward-rambling tendencies Dana was distraught, and so she learned how to summon the ghost of her friend and continue their friendship in secret. This arrangement isn’t healthy though, and Alyssa must convince Dana that she needs to continue to live her life and not spend all her time hiding in the attic talking to a ghost. She does this by reassuring her that being a dork is cute, and that the two of them can still talk on Thursday nights. Dana is relieved and emboldened, and goes downstairs to eat dinner with her mom.
Sample Pages
These are subject to change! I was mostly trying to get a feel for the characters and style. “Ghost Friend” is the working title.
Concept Art
Setting: A not-so-spooky suburban attic, filled with old board games and holiday decorations.
Alyssa and Dana
The story has two characters, Alyssa (a ghost) and Dana (a teenager who misses her friend and uses some home-brew magic to talk to her).
Alyssa is confident and poised, but also gives zero hecks about respecting authority.
Dana is shy, dorky, and has low self-confidence especially without Alyssa to hide behind.
Script
Page 1
[[The story opens with Dana lighting the last candle around the pentagram that she has drawn on her attic floor with sharpies and eyeshadow. We see closeups of the room and pentagram, and then a whoosh of magic light from the circle drawn on the floor.]]
Page 2
[[Alyssa’s ghost appears]]
Alyssa: UGH! DANA! I told you to STOP SUMMONING ME!
[[Dana ignores this outburst and proceeds to excitedly tell Alyssa a play-by-play of her school day. Her speech bubbles overlap Alyssa whenever the ghost-girl tries to talk]]
Dana: Alyssa! Alyssa! Oh my god, you won’t be-LEIVE what happened in history class. So the bell rings and everyone is like “where the heck is Mr Garth??” and Cassie is like “Maybe he finally ran off with Madame Leblanc”
Alyssa: You’re not even listening to me.
Dana: and finally he comes in with THE OLD TV CART--The antique one with the VHS tapes--
Page 3
Dana: and he pops in some Civil War Reenactment video that I’m pretty sure was made in St. James park behind the Target. So anyway, we’re watching these LARPers run around when--
[[From down the attic stairs we hear “Dana! Dinner!!”]]
Dana: Oh shoot--BE RIGHT THERE! [[then softer, to Alyssa]] I’ll B R B.
[[Dana snuffs the candle before Alyssa has a chance to respond, and then climbs down the attic ladder]].
[[A few moments later Dana returns with a plate of tacos and re-lights the candles.]]
Page 4
[[Alyssa pops back in and screams “LISTEN TO ME” in a scary poof of ghost energy, which spooks Dana enough to let Alyssa talk. Dana drops her taco.]]
Page 5
Alyssa: Dana, it’s been 6 months. We can’t keep doing this.
Dana: But--but we’re friends!
Alyssa: This isn’t a real friendship! I am trapped in a circle and summoned whenever you want!
Dana [[looks close to tears]]: But-- but I thought you wanted … I’m sorry-- I’ll let you go! I didn’t know you hated me--
Alyssa: No, Dana--stop. Listen to me. I love you. You know that.
Page 6
Alyssa: I’m sorry that I’m gone and things are different now, but I just… I don’t want your only friend to be a ghost. Like, you *love* history. Go talk to Mr. Garth about your extra-credit project idea. Ask Heather Chu out on a date.
Dana [[sputtering]]: Wh--what?? Heather?
Alyssa [[smiling]]: You know she’s your type.
Dana [[blushing]]: I have a type??
Alyssa [[smirking now]]: Duh, tall skinny brunettes.
Dana [[blushes more and looks at the ground]]: I just… I don’t know how to let you go.
Alyssa [[comes close to her, soothing]]: We can still be friends, you just have to live your life.
Page 7
Dana: High school is so… I don’t know how to talk to people like you did!! I’m such a dork!
Alyssa: Hey, being a dork is cute. People other than me will enjoy listening to you talk. Heather loves Mario Kart too.
Dana: What?? Oh my god have you been SPYING ON--
[[Alyssa smirks]]
[[Silent beat of the girls sitting on the floor next to each other.]]
Dana: Are you gonna be okay out there in uh… ghost world? How’s your dad?
Page 8
Alyssa: He’s good. He’s been writing a lot, which helps. He might finally finish a novel.
Dana: That’s great! Um. Alyssa? We can still talk, right?
Alyssa: Of course. [[Alyssa leans in as though they’re touching foreheads.]] How about… Thursday nights? When your mom is at badminton.
Dana [[nodding]]: Thursday nights. Okay.
Alyssa: Now go have dinner with your mom. But don't tell her I said hi, 'cause that would be weird for her.
Dana: Haha. Yeah. Okay, see you Thursday.
[[Dana blows out the candle]]