Don’t Tell Mommy I’m Dead
A ghost pretends to be alive to spare his mother the pain of losing her child.

A sickly pale boy, Henry, sits in his bedroom under a pile of blankets, trying to warm himself up with the bulb of a nearby lamp. Such an act would normally give the impression that this youngster is trying to gain an imaginary fever to get the day off school, but as he checks his temperature on a thermometer Henry’s inner monologue reveals a whole different motivation. 

By the time his mom calls him down for breakfast his body temperature has reached a measly 68 degrees, the sort that one might expect of a corpse. Henry duly reveals he has died. This young man’s motivation isn’t to avoid school, but instead to convince his mom that he’s alive and well.

His mom stirs the breakfast and prepares him a plate.

MOM
Hungry?

Henry nods as he sets his backpack on the floor beside him.

HENRY (V.O.)
My mom is the best cook.

His mom puts a plate with eggs and toast in front of him.

HENRY
Thanks, Mom.

Henry looks at the food on the plate.

HENRY (V.O.)
I wish I could taste it.
I tried to eat it one time and it fell right through me.
Luckily she didn’t see.

Henry moves the food around on his plate with his fork. His mom watches as he puts the fork to his lips.

HENRY (V.O.)
Now I just put it in my mouth and
spit it out when she’s not looking.

Henry chews on the food, his mouth full of eggs.

MOM
Oh, I forgot the ketchup.

His mom turns her back to Henry and opens the fridge. She digs around looking for the ketchup.

Henry quickly spits the food out, he puts the toast in his pocket.

HENRY (V.O.)
I’m really good at finding hiding places.

Henry is as confused as anyone else about his situation. He doesn’t know how he died, he doesn’t understand how he’s still with his mom, but she’s stressed enough already with the noise from the adjacent building site, so he keeps up the pretence for her sake. Henry lives the normal day to day life of a ten year old boy to the best of his abilities, but with the ignorance of youth sometimes you miss details, and slowly it becomes apparent that not all is as it seems.

Don’t Tell Mommy I’m Dead is at heart a family drama, with a mystery surrounding the central protagonist and a twist at the end. Written with a genuine compassion for its characters, this short script plays with the reader’s heartstrings as Henry attempts to go about his daily existence, and then reveals hidden depths as he and his mother’s history is finally uncovered.