Transparent

By
Kathryn Herz

EXT. HAUNTING HEADQUARTERS

A quaint, wooden cabin sits on top of a fluffy, white cloud.
With a huge red sign that says, HAUNTING HEADQUARTERS.
INT. HAUNTING HEADQUARTERS HR OFFICE
LARRY, mid twenties wearing a white T-shirt and jeans,
anxious, but determined walks through the hallway while
passing the scare board to the Human Resources department.
As he opens the door to the office, DAVE, in his forties and
wearing suspenders with a bow tie, SCREAMS.
DAVE
Oh Jesus, Larry I didnt see you
there. You scared the daylights
out of me.
The scare board that was at #92 scares for the day flips to
#93. Larry shrugs and Dave walks behind his desk. Larry sits
down at the chair opposite of Dave.
DAVE
Larry...our number one scarer. I
must say impressive work last week.
You scared a record amount of
mortals. What can I help you with
today?
LARRY
I was wondering if I could find out
any information about filling out a
form of resignation.
DAVE
Resignation? Larry, we dont have
that here.
LARRY
What do you mean we dont have that
here? I am giving my two weeks
notice, I am quitting this job. I
dont want to haunt people anymore.
DAVE
Quitting is not an option. When you
died you were assigned to haunt
people on living earth. Its who
you are. When you were a human,
that was a different story. If you
quit, theres nothing after
this[U+0085]nothing that I know of
anyways, no one has ever quit
before.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.

Larry clenches his fists and BANGS them on the desk.

DAVE
Listen I have been here for over
300 years even though I dont look
a day over 40, I mean look at me.
Larry looks at him with a smirk for a quick second then
frowns.
DAVE
And there is nothing I can do to
help you with this.
LARRY
I just feel like...
Larrys watch starts BEEPING and flashing red.
LARRY
Hold on, a Ouija board is summoning
me.
Larry slowly fades and disappears out of the desk chair.
INT. HAUNTING HEADQUARTERS HR OFFICE
Larry reappears in the empty chair just as he left it and
QUIVERS.
LARRY
Sorry, Im stil not used to
teleporting into a haunting
situation like that.
DAVE
That was quick.
LARRY
Yeah, just a group of 13-year-old
girls at a sleepover. You know,
pretty standard.
Dave looks down at his lap and shakes his head.
DAVE
Those are the worst.
LARRY
Now, back to what we were
discussing before. You are going to
let me resign if its the last
thing I do.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

Dave lifts his eyebrow at Larry giving a quizzical look.

DAVE
Um, Larry there is no last thing
that you can do. Dont you get it?
This is the afterlife. Besides,
dont you want ten-year?
LARRY
Dave, that ten-year is long overdue
and I wouldnt want it anyways.
DAVE
What is wrong? Why dont you want
to haunt people anymore?
Larry stands up.
LARRY
I cant do this anymore! Its
monotonous. It is night after day,
day after night of haunting people.
Humans have it easy. They have
breaks. Sleeping and eating. Little
pleasures in life that they take
for granted. Like coming home to
their significant other or their
children or even their pet turtle.
Ghosts have nothing. When I get a
signal from the headquarters I have
no choice but to go. I disappear
into pure nothing. I am
transparent. In all senses.
Dave TAPS his fingers on the desk for a while as if he were
contemplating a decision.
DAVE
I guess if you really feel this
way, there is an option I didnt
tell you about before.
Dave pulls a remote out of his desk drawer. Larry sits back
in the chair, grips the edge of the table and leans over to
see what Dave is holding.
DAVE
Listen, I am not supposed to show
you this so do not tell anyone. I
am only doing this for you because
I once understood how you felt.
Larry nods and his eyes start to bulge with interest.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

DAVE
This remote has a red button. If
you press the button you will
immediately experience blackness.
You will have no identity,
perception...nothing. Just black.
You wont feel pain and you wont
feel joy. You will forget about
your life, being a ghost,
everything. So its up to you.
Blackness or transparency.
Larry puts his head in his hands.
DAVE
If you need more time, I will give
it to you. I am just letting you
know there is an option. Just a
super, secret, life-changing...or
should I say afterlife-changing
decision.
LARRY
Give me the day to decide.
Dave looks at Larry with a weary look in his eye and puts
the remote back into the drawer and locks it.
DAVE
As you wish. I have a meeting in
five minutes so come back later
when you have made up your mind.
Larry gets up and walks out the door.
INT. HAUNTING HEADQUARTERS BREAK ROOM/HR OFFICE
Larry enters the break room. He sits down on the couch and
SIGHS.
Larry is observing everyone around him. He looks over to the
couple sitting in the corner kissing. He then looks over to
a man sitting in a big, leather chair smoking a pipe. Then
to the child sitting on the floor playing with a bin of
Legos.
LARRY (V.0)
All these people haunt in the
afterlife and are doing common
daily activities just as they would
when they were living. But[U+0085]
in truth...they are still living.
They are alive in their own sense.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

LARRY (V.0) (contd)

It is nothing, yet it is something.
They have no darkness.
Larry snaps out of his daze and runs out of the break room
towards the Human Resources office. He passes the scare
board yet again as he walks into the office. As he opens the
door Dave SCREAMS.
DAVE
Goodness Gracious Larry, you did it
again.
The scare board flips from #93 to #94.
Larry smiles and Dave gives Larry a quizzical look.
DAVE
So[U+0085]you seem pretty cheerful
right now. Did you think about the
ultimatum I gave you?
Dave walks over to his desk and gestures to the seat
opposite of him for Larry to sit down.
LARRY
I dont want darkness Dave, I cant
do it. Although, I am transparent
to people on earth, I am somebody
here. I have a purpose.
Dave nods and Larry sits down.
DAVE
Yes, yes you do Larry.
Larrys watch starts BEEPING and flashing red.
DAVE
Another Ouija board summoning you
to a sleepover?
Larry smiles wide as he slowly fades and disappears out of
the desk chair.