[…] July is Scene-Writing Month here at Go Into The Story. Every Monday-Friday at noon Eastern / 9AM Pacific, I will upload a post with a prompt for writing a script scene. Each day, write a scene per those guidelines. If you really want to get …read more […]

EXT. COUNTRY CLUB PERIMETER, JEFF'S PARKING SPOT – NIGHT Now looking in Jeff's convertible, Scott hears the golf cart commotion. He reaches under the passenger seat, and pulls out Will's CD flipper book. Then he – CCCCCRRRRRRRRRR - digs and grinds his keys into Jeff's driver-side door and hood. They roll out, and shorty later the boys jump in Jeff's car and drive the opposite way. In Jeff's rearview mirror, the tail of the Camaro makes a wild turn, though it's not clear if Jeff saw. Guard only sees the Camaro's exit from afar. EXT. JEFF'S CAR, DRIVING - NIGHT WILL (sigh) Ugh, bro I can't stop thinking about Jenny's side boob. She's practically got tennis balls for tits. Dude. I just... Ughh. Daaamn. JEFF (quickly) Don't want to hear it! I don't wanna think about you seeing that and me not. WILL Hey man. We did see some decent tail to start… JEFF Yyyyyeah. That ass is definitely most toast-worthy. EXT. COUNTRY CLUB, SERVICE AREA – NIGHT GUARD (On walkie-talkie) Yyyyyeah. I saw them run out of here. Pretty Sure it was Scott Morhahn and his buddy. I saw his car peeling around the corner of Stuyvesant and Van Wagenen. Wouldn't phase me. INT/EXT. JEFF'S CAR/JOE'S HOUSE - NIGHT As they pull up to Will's house, he reaches under the seat, feels all around. He checks the stuffed glove compartment, frantically looks in the back seat. WILL I can't find my CDs man, are they under your seat? JEFF Ummm… nope. WILL Kevin? They back there? KEVIN (searching around) Don't see them. Nope. WILL (Angered) Fuck! Someone stole them when we were at the club, or Jenny's. No way man… that is just awful. Now I have… I have like no music. I mean, just my tapes! Dude!

SCENE 10 (PROMPT: Write a scene where something gets stolen) INT. DEPARTMENT STORE – DAY LIZZY and AARON stand in the women’s shoe section. Aaron looks around, his eyes trained on the exit fifteen feet away. An OVERWEIGHT SECURITY guard dozing in his chair. LIZZY: What about these? AARON: Yeah… LIZZY: Yeah you like? Or yeah whatever? AARON: I don’t know. You ever notice they always hire security that’s out of shape? Like, say they needed to jump into action, would they even be able to do anything? (she says nothing) They’d probably run for a donut. LIZZY: Yeah… Eh. I wasn’t crazy about these either. Aaron looks around, nervous. Fidgety. But more than anything, annoyed. AARON: Can we hurry this along? LIZZY: Never rush a woman trying to get ready for a date. AARON: There’s not gonna be a date unless you pick a pair and hustle. I wanna make sure Mr. Security keeps on napping. Lizzy kicks off the shoes she’s wearing and selects a new pair. AARON: That’s your fourth pair. LIZZY: And be happy with that. Most women go through a minimum of six. AARON: You’re working your way up there. LIZZY: What do you think? He looks to the shoes. Nods in agreement that they’re nice. LIZZY: Really? Or are you just… AARON: Surprisingly no. I like ‘em. LIZZY: Then I’ll go with these. Lizzy takes her old shoes and puts them in the box which she then slides under the chair she was sitting in. She keeps the new shoes on her feet. AARON: Good? LIZZY: Actually…. AARON: Forget I asked. Let’s go. LIZZY: What’s for dinner, my love? AAARON: I was thinking Chinese. They exit the store, Aaron nodding to the dozing security guard on their way out. LIZZY: We had Chinese last night. AARON: How about pizza then?

Scene 10 Today’s prompt: Write a scene where something gets stolen [suggested by alice dryad]. EXT. AUSTIN’S HOUSE JANIE (9) leads HEATHER (8) stealthily race across the lawn. HEATHER: What if they catch us? JANIE: Shhhh… The girls make it behind a bush next to the house. JANIE: Jake’s window is the first one. His parent's the next. HEATHER: How do you know that? JANIE: I’ll tell you later. Janie side steps, holds the bush away, hugs the house. Heather copies her every move, is slapped by a branch. HEATHER: Ouch. JANIE: Shhhhh. The window's open. HEATHER: Sorry. Janie ducks under Jake’s window, Heather stops. The girls peek in the room illuminated by the fish tank. Posters on the wall: Sea Fair Hydroplanes, Seahawks Superbowl, Richard Sherman, Transformers, a model biplane hangs in front of the window. Jake sleeps soundly. JANIE: Bend down so I can step on your back. HEATHER: What? No. JANIE: I need help to get in the window. HEATHER: You say anything about standing on me… Janie gives her the ‘look’. JANIE: Shhhh. Keep your voice down. HEATHER: This is my favorite T-shirt. JANIE: I’ll wash it for you. I promise. LAUGHTER comes from the parents room. Then a MOAN. Both girls look to the sound, then to each other. HEATHER: What’s that? Janie slithers to peeks in the window, ducks back down, motions Heather to follow. JANIE: Come here. Heather bends around Janie to peek in. HEATHER: Gross. DAD (O.S.): What was that? MOM (O.S): Don’t stop now… Now… Now.. Janie and Heather turn to each other eye large, snicker.

My scene 06 INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT A diffuse moonlight outlines the shape of JERRY (20s), tiptoeing, until he stops by a door. He puts his ear against the door. A faint snoring from inside. Jerry's hand closes on the handle of the door, turns it with care. A click. He stops. Gradually pushes the door. Pauses. Slides in. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT Just a sliver of moonlight through a space between the curtains. On the bed, the source of noise: TOM(20s), on his back, mouth agape, snores. Jerry clicks on a penlight, which sends a stiletto of light piercing the dark. He plays the light around, stops on a chair by the bed. Neatly folded trousers. Shirt. He casts the light down. Tucked beneath the chair a pair of shoes socks arranged on top of them. SNORT. Jerry freezes. Tom stirs. Jerry clicks the penlight off. Tom COUGHS, tosses, turns. Jerry remains stock still. Now on his side, Tom settles. His breathing becomes regular, he no longer snores. After a moment, Jerry dares to move again but not to click the penlight. He tiptoes toward the chair. Bends over it. Rummages. Puts something in his pocket. Surveys Tom, asleep on the bed. Sidles to the door in the half obscurity, BUMPS his shoulder into it. Tom jerks, moves his head towards the sound—towards a dazed Jerry. A moment: Jerry hesitates, Tom budges. Then Tom SNORTS and turns the other way. Jerry opens his mouth and silently exhales in a long relief. He creeps out of the room. The door slowly closes. EXT. GARDEN – NIGHT Under the bright of the full moon, by a flower bed, Tom meets GRACE (20s). TOM: I dared. GRACE: You got it? TOM: Oh, yeah. GRACE: Show it. TOM: Oh? You want me to show it to you? GRACE: No, I want to see what you stole. TOM: Oh. Well, here it is. He pulls a sock from his pocket, waves it. TOM: Imagine that neat-freak tomorrow, wondering how come he only has one sock.

My scene 06 INT. CORRIDOR – NIGHT A diffuse moonlight outlines the shape of JERRY (20s), tiptoeing, until he stops by a door. He puts his ear against the door. A faint snoring from inside. Jerry's hand closes on the handle of the door, turns it with care. A click. He stops. Gradually pushes the door. Pauses. Slides in. INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT Just a sliver of moonlight through a space between the curtains. On the bed, the source of noise: TOM(20s), on his back, mouth agape, snores. Jerry clicks on a penlight, which sends a stiletto of light piercing the dark. He plays the light around, stops on a chair by the bed. Neatly folded trousers. Shirt. He casts the light down. Tucked beneath the chair a pair of shoes socks arranged on top of them. SNORT. Jerry freezes. Tom stirs. Jerry clicks the penlight off. Tom COUGHS, tosses, turns. Jerry remains stock still. Now on his side, Tom settles. His breathing becomes regular, he no longer snores. After a moment, Jerry dares to move again but not to click the penlight. He tiptoes toward the chair. Bends over it. Rummages. Puts something in his pocket. Surveys Tom, asleep on the bed. Sidles to the door in the half obscurity, BUMPS his shoulder into it. Tom jerks, moves his head towards the sound—towards a dazed Jerry. A moment: Jerry hesitates, Tom budges. Then Tom SNORTS and turns the other way. Jerry opens his mouth and silently exhales in a long relief. He creeps out of the room. The door slowly closes. EXT. GARDEN – NIGHT Under the bright of the full moon, by a flower bed, Jerry meets GRACE (20s). GRACE: You got it? JERRY: Oh, yeah. GRACE: Show it. JERRY: Oh? You want me to show it to you? GRACE: No, I want to see what you stole. JERRY: Oh. Well, here it is. He pulls a sock from his pocket, waves it. Grace giggles. JERRY: Imagine that neat-freak tomorrow, wondering how come he only has one sock.

Scene 5. Cami paces back and forth in front of the boarded up front door. Janet holds an axe ready. Ethan watches her legs intently. ETHAN: Relax. It’s not like that can just come in here and take them. CAMI: Right. We’d have to sell them right? A contract? JANET: You think there are rules? ETHAN: Good and evil, right? Of course there are rules. A BANG at the door causes all to flinch. Cami backs away. ETHAN: I got a plan. Ethan gets up, slides toward the door, hiding behind the closet. JANET: What are you doing? The door is smashed open, flying just over Cami's head as she screams, ducking for cover. Janet drops the ax as a demon, clad in a black cloak with a black satchel, enters the room, glowering from an empty hood. CAMI: Please. Don’t kill us. The demon answers in a throaty, deep voice. DEMON: I wouldn't dream of it. I've come for a soul. It looks around the room. DEMON: Don’t care much whose it is. Ethan reaches from the coats and put’s his hands into the demon’s satchel. JANET: Well you can’t have any. CAMI: Right. You can’t. We won’t sign. DEMON: Oh, but you will. Someone always signs. Ethan steps out. ETHAN: I’ll sign. The demon flinches; surprised he didn't notice the boy. DEMON: You? You don’t have a soul. Ethan holds his hand out: A sticky gray goop hangs from his fingers. ETHAN: I got this one. The demon examines it. DEMON: How? ETHAN: Doesn't matter. Quota’s fulfilled as long as you sign. DEMON: What do you want? Ethan points at Cami. ETHAN: I just want her phone number. DEMON: Done! The demon takes the sticky soul out of Ethan’s hand and places it his satchel. He withdraws and the door flies back over their heads and fills in the doorway awkwardly. Janet picks up the ax again and steps away from Ethan. JANET: What are you? ETHAN: Your hero? CAMI: Won’t he be mad when he finds out you stole it? ETHAN: Nah. He holds out another soul in his other hand. ETHAN: I took two. So no quota. He won't get a chance.

SCENE TEN INT. KITCHEN – AFTERNOON The kitchen is messy, with dishes piles in the sink and ingredients from cookies still scattered around the counter. RACHEL, 34, wearing an apron, stands at the sink washing the dishes, her back to the open doorway leading to the dining room. A plate of warm cookies sits on the counter, while more sit on a cooling rack next to the oven. JACK, 8, pops his head in the doorway and watches Rachel for a second before disappearing. His head returns and he continues watching Rachel as a LEAH, 6, crawls stealthily across the kitchen floor. Rachel COUGHS, and Leah freezes. After a moment, Rachel returns to washing dishes. Leah turns back to look at Jack, and he silently urges her forward. She crawls quickly under the kitchen table. Rachel turns around and picks up some ingredients off the counter. Jack’s head disappears from the doorway just in time. She brings some ingredients to the pantry, leaving the door open as she returns to the sink. Jack dashes behind the pantry door. He gestures to Leah to go for the cookies. She starts to crawl out from under the table, but bumps a chair, and the children freeze. Rachel turns around, but seeing an empty kitchen, turns back to the dishes. After a moment, she picks up more ingredients and returns them to the pantry, shutting the door behind her. Jack stands exposed, but Rachel does not notice, as she has returned to the sink. Jack runs across the kitchen and dives under the counter. Slowly, he reaches his hand above the counter, making eye contact with Leah. She gestures to the left, and Jack slides his hand left. Leah makes a more exaggerated gesture, and Jack follows her direction, moving his hand further left. Just as he reaches the cookies, Rachel turns around and sees his hand. She smiles, shaking her head, and playfully slaps Jack’s hand away. From under the counter, he gasps and pulls his hand down. RACHEL: Nice try, Jack. Come out from under there. Jack slowly comes out, with exaggerated disappointment. Rachel peeks under the kitchen table and sees Leah, who is covering her eyes, as if believing she is invisible to those who can’t see her. RACHEL: I see you too, Leah. Leah sighs and crawls out. RACHEL: What did I say about having cookies before dinner? As Rachel talks, the children stand in front of her, looking defeated. After a beat, NOAH, 4, comes dramatically, but silently, rolling into the room through the back doorway. Both Leah and Jack see him, but make an effort to fight back smiles. RACHEL: One of these days you guys will catch on to the fact that moms see everything. Jack and Leah nod somberly. Meanwhile, Noah has successfully snatched two handfuls of cookies from the cooling rack. He smiles at Jack and Leah and runs out quietly. RACHEL: Give me ten minutes and I’ll have some dinner ready, okay? And then you can have the cookies. JACK: Okay. LEAH: Fine. They turn around and rush out of the kitchen into the dining room, where Noah is waiting with the cookies. They smile at him as he hands them each two cookies. They all run to another room just as Rachel turns around and sees the missing cookies. She laughs, shaking her head, impressed.

EXT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - DAY RALPH, a man in his 30s, sits outside on the curb, eating noodles and rice out of the usual white box. Ralph looks the part of a misfit, his arms covered in tattoos, clothes looking dirty and his mop-like hair poorly maintained. Unable to properly use his chop-sticks, Ralph tosses them aside and begins eating with his hands. Ralph is not one for manners. He devours the food like a starved animal that hasn't eaten in days. An older couple walks by, giving Ralph a dirty look. With a scowl on his face, Ralph frightens the couple, who quickly walks into the restaurant. As Ralph continues his binge, he hears a noise from out back. Ralph turns, spotting one of the employees dumping out the trash. We cut to later, as Ralph is seen digging the trash out of the dumpster, searching for scraps. He wades through mostly dirty napkins and in edible food, and even Ralph is put off by the stench. He finally comes across something edible: an unopened fortune cookie. Ralph tears open the plastic and snaps the cookie, taking out his fortune. It reads: YOUR LIFE WILL BE DRASTICALLY CHANGED BY A MIRACULOUS OCCURRENCE. Ralph grins, then pockets the paper fortune. EXT. CITY ALLEY - DAY Ralph wanders an empty alley, smoking a cigarette. He examines the graffiti on the walls and the filth on the ground. He spots a drunk bum sleeping in a pile of blankets. Ralph shudders, rethinking the path on which his life is headed. As he rounds the corner, he hears a noise, like an engine running. His eyes light up: standing in front of him is a sparkling-white Bentley. Ralph examines the car, at first unsure if he is hallucinating. He looks inside the running car, observing that it is unoccupied. He looks around, then backs up, having a bad feeling about the whole thing. Mulling over his decision, he pulls out the paper fortune, which he reads once more. He looks back at the car, and a smile beams across his face. INT. BENTLEY - DAY Ralph revs the engine, delighting like a little boy getting a gift on Christmas. He feels the steering wheel and examines the interior. He is mesmerized. Ralph flips on the radio, which is some upbeat hard rock song. Pumped with adrenaline, Ralph shifts into drive and speeds off, letting out a scream. EXT. CITY ALLEY - DAY Not far away from where the Bentley was parked is an undercover cop car, hidden behind a dumpster. The car peels out, following after Ralph. INT. COP CAR - DAY One of the two cops talks into his walkie. COP 1 The bait car has been stolen, we are in hot pursuit of the suspect.

SCENE 10 INT. OFFICE - DAY STACY sits behind a receptionist desk, typing into a computer. The phone rings. She picks it up. STACY: Good afternoon, Roben Industries. How may I help you? She listens for a moment to the person on the other end of the line. STACY (CONT’D): I’m afraid he’s left for the day. Can I take a message? She listens, scribbling on a piece of paper. STACY (CONT’D): Okay. I’ll give it to him first thing in the morning. Thank you, you too. Bye. She hangs up. MORTENSON: Who’s left for the day? Stacy jumps and looks up. MORTENSEN is standing in his office doorway, watching her. STACY: Excuse me? MORTENSON: You said someone’s left for the day. Who is it? STACY: Oh. David. MORTENSEN: And you’re sure he’s gone for the day? STACY (nodding): He said goodbye to me. Mortensen comes over and looks over shoulder at the computer screen. MORTENSEN: What are you working on? STACY: The quarterly report. That you asked for. MORTENSEN: Uh-huh. He scrolls through the document. STACY: Is there a problem? MORTENSEN: No. Just looking. Making sure. You can’t get anything by me, Stacy. Stacy nods. He finally straightens up, and scuttles back into his office. Stacy sits down and gets back to work. She stops, looks at the clock: 6:30. She closes the file on the computer, logs off, picks up her bag. MORTENSEN (O.S.): Stacy? I thought you were working on that report. Stacy walks to his office door. Mortensen sits at his desk, facing the computer. He looks up when she walks in. STACY: It’s 5:30. I’m leaving for the night. MORTENSEN: Oh, well... All right. You’ll have that report in tomorrow? STACY: Yes, it’s almost finished. MORTENSEN: OK, tomorrow morning, then. Remember, you can’t get anything by me. Stacy plasters a huge smile on her face, so big it looks painful. Mortensen goes back to his computer, starts typing away. An expensive-looking gold pen sits on the edge of his desk. Stacy reaches out and touches it, glancing up at Mortensen as she does so. Still typing away, he isn’t paying any attention to her. She grabs the pen, and quickly slips it into her bag. STACY: Good night, Mr. Mortensen. MORTENSEN: What? Oh, good night. She leaves, grinning to herself.

SCENE 3 EXT. - VENICE BLVD., VENICE, CA (FALL 1989) - AFTERNOON Two girls, both 13, talk and giggle as they walk down the street. SERENITY, thin with wild blond hair, wears oversized overalls, a pink t-shirt, and a back pack. MARLY, light brown skin and curly hair, wears acid washed Guess jeans and a faded black The Cure t-shirt. Serenity: Oh my god. These fucking granny panties are sagging and bunching at once. Serenity pulls out a wedgie. Marly: I won’t even ask why you’re wearing Granny panties. Serenity: You’ll see. It’s all part of the plan. Marly: I can’t even believe you’re doing this. You’re vegan. Serenity: You dared me, bitch. Marly: I thought you’d back down. Serenity: Never. They reach the store and stop walking. Serenity (cont’d): Okay. All you have to do is stand in front of me and look out for that old man. Don’t look like a dork, okay. Just be cool. Marly: I’ll try. Serenity: I’m serious. Oh and if he catches us, just run like hell and don’t look back. Serenity adjusts her overalls and walks into the store. Marly hesitates, then hurries after her. FADE TO: INT. MARKET - MOMENTS LATER The girls mill around the meat section for a few moments, picking up various packages and putting them back down. Serenity looks around. Serenity: Okay. Now. Marly moves closer with her back to Serenity, trying to look interested in a package of chicken thighs while looking up and down the aisle. Serenity picks up a small TURKEY and quickly sticks it inside her overalls that she has already unbuttoned. She positions the turkey inside her granny panties, coughs twice, and starts shuffling quickly down the aisle. Marly, startled, takes off running in the opposite direction. She remembers to act cool, slows down, and keeps heading toward the door. CUT TO: EXT: ALLEY - MINUTES LATER Serenity waddles quickly toward Marly with a big grin on her face. Marly, relieved to see her, starts jumping up and down, laughing. Serenity takes the turkey out of her overalls. Serenity: That shit is cold! Marly: Dork. Now what? Serenity puts the turkey in her backpack and they emerge from the alley and and head down a street lined with bungalows and palm trees swaying in the waning late afternoon light. FADE OUT.

#10-7/14 EXT. PARK - EVENING Sun sets. Jansen and Woolskie stand. Walk back to the bike taxi, Picasso happily jaunts with tail wagging. WOOLSKIE-So,...you look good. JANSEN-Thanks. The new gig keeps me from just coming home and getting wasted. Plus, there’s this. He pulls a dugout from his pocket. (A dugout is a wooden box containing small amounts of marijuana and a one hitter)((A one hitter is a small metal tube that people smoke just one hit of marijuana out of)). WOOLSKIE-Herb. Nice. JANSEN-Yeah, actully I got this the day you got, “arrested”. WOOLSKIE-Really? JANSEN-Yeah man. It was a fuckin’ weird day. Woolskie bides more time. WOOLSKIE-Tell me about it. INT. APARTMENT - MORNING Jansen drinks coffee, surfing Craigslist for work. A.M. RADIO IS IN THE BACKGROUND. A.M. RADIO (O.S.)-And late last night, the graffiti artist known only as “Woolskie” was arrested, he is due in court this morning. The Mayor is planning a brief statement. Jansen stops midsip, floored. EXT. COURT HOUSE - MORNING Jansen pulls up in front of the court house with his bike taxi. There’s a lot of press. Mostly Local news folk, but also hip indie kids and some European art free-lancers. The Mayor exits the back of his SUV. The door is opened for him by the Bodyguard who approached Jansen at the bar. The Mayor answers a few questions while walking. Jansen stays as far back as possible, hoping to not get recognized. MAYOR (O.S.)-I said we would catch him, and we did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more pressing things to take care of than worrying about some guy who carries cans of spray paint. Jansen still hangs back, tries to be subtle, but is interrupted by Parker Peters. PARKER-Yo J-Rah. What’s going on man?! I can’t believe this. I”m gonna get a fucking photo of Woolskie. Whoa, who’d a thought huh? JANSEN-You got a press pass? PARKER-Yeah man, always. People need my photos dude. JANSEN-Parker, you got your dugout on you? PARKER-Fuck yeah. Don’t leave home without it, y'know. JANSEN-Uh, you’re about to go through a metal detector. PARKER-Fuuuuuucccck. Hold it for me? JANSEN-Sure. I’ll be out here, but I wanna see those photos. Cool? Parker reaches into his pocket, and quickly does a handshake with Jansen, exchanging the product. EXT. COURT HOUSE - LATER REPORTERS EXIT, most on cell phones. “HE PLEAD GUILTY. ALL COUNTS. COULD BE UP TO TEN YEARS PRISON...” Jansen, watches from his bike taxi. Confused. Parker strolls out with his I-phone in hand. PARKER-Dude, I got the photos!!! I can’t believe it, this could like change my whole career man. He shows him the phone. IT’S A PHOTO OF A HISPANIC YOUNG MAN,(early 20’s) Behind him, his sobbing family. Jansen exhales, relieved. JANSEN-I like how you caught the family in the background. It adds a bit of depth to him. PARKER Yeah yeah yeah. Y’think? I mean I took a lot. Look at this one. Jansen looks, nods, is polite to his former co-worker. A MAN IN A SUIT hops in the taxi. JANSEN-Gotta go Parker. Good work buddy. Say hi to Cara for me. Jansen bikes off, leaving Parker looking at his phone photos. Parker talks to himself. PARKER That one’s not bad. But this one, this one’s cool, kinda out of focus. (beat, he looks down the street) Whoa!! J-Rah!! You got my dugout man!!! EXT. PARK - EVENING JANSEN-So,...yeah, glad you didn’t get caught. But, are you gonna let this guy, y’know,...go to prison? WOOLSKIE-That would make my life a lot easier. But no J-Rah, I’m not gonna let some hack take credit for my work.

For those of you who have written 10 scenes, email me to let me know what Core class you would like as your free gift. And don't stop there. If you write 20 scenes, you get 2 classes. Congratulations to those who have stuck with the challenge!

Scene 10 INT. JAKE'S ROOM - DAY JAKE (17) is crouched, arm sunk deep into his dresser by way of an open drawer. His face is panicked as he searches. JAKE: Fuck! He pulls his arm out and falls to his back, puts his fingers through his long wavy hair. He thinks a beat, then sits up. INT. PETER'S OFFICE Jake is at his father's desk. Several drawers are already opened. Jake pulls out the next drawer and sticks his arm in, searching... searching... eureka! Jake lets out a little laugh as he pulls out a baggie of pot. He shakes his head at the sight of a half-smoked joint in the bag. JAKE: Asshole. Jake pockets the bag and starts shutting the drawers. INT. HALLWAY Jake is walking down the hall to his room when PETER (50) turns the corner. Without missing a beat: JAKE: Sup, Pop? PETER: Jake. Peter watches Jake strut to his room, furrows his brow. INT. JAKE'S ROOM Jake tightens a screw on the air vent above his bed, jumps down. As he puts away his screwdriver, Peter walks in. PETER: There's something missing from my office. JAKE: Is that so? PETER: Yeah, that's so. You wouldn't know anything about it, would you? JAKE: Can't say that I do. Peter and Jake stare at each other a beat. A cold war standoff. JANET (45) edges past Peter into the room, carrying a couple folded sheets. JANET: Jake, sweetie, I just finished a load of laundry. Lord knows how long it's been since you changed your sheets. Janet makes her way over to Jake's bed, drops down the sheets and starts stripping the mattress. JANET: What are you two going on about? JAKE: Dad's missing something. JANET: That right, hon? What'd you lose? Jake gives his father a smile. PETER: Just something from my office. Jake, you sure you weren't messing around in there? JAKE: Nope. PETER: Jake. JANET: Peter, leave the boy alone. He said he didn't go in there. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll turn up. JAKE: Yeah, Dad. You know, I myself misplaced something recently. But wouldn't you know? It found its way back to me. Peter is not amused. Janet finishes with the sheets, tosses her son's hair as she makes her way out the door. JANET: Well there ya go. Just relax, dear. You'll find it. Janet pats her husband's arm before leaving. Jake stands with a smile. Peter surveys the room before turning to walk away. PETER: Yes I will, Son. Count on it. JAKE: Good to know, Dad, Good to know.

SCENE 1 EXT. ALBERO SQUARE – DAY Tourists pass through the square, enamored by the ancient city. By the fountain, an acoustic GUITARIST plays a melodic song, flowing with each chord. A street magic PERFORMER, adorned in a cape and black mask, drags a crate to the center of the square. PERFORMER: Ladies and Gentlemen! Children. Come around. The Guitarist shakes his head at the Performer, but continues playing. The Performer steps on the crate. People slow down, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. He pours powder into his hands and immediately rubs them together furiously. PERFORMER: You’ve come from all over the world and have seen magic of all kinds. He stops rubbing his hands and compresses them together. PERFORMER: But I assure you, you have not seen anything like this. The Performer thrust his hands open, releasing sparks. Out of the sparks, a pigeon flies out and soars over the tourists. In awe, the crowd applauses. The Performer whips a long rope, inciting the crowd. PERFORMER: Now. I need a volunteer. A decent-sized crowd now surrounds the Performer. Not too far, a group of orphans watch like predators. They disperse towards the crowd. One of them is ROZY (9), a plain girl with a sharp eye. Rozy notices the others successfully picking money out of back pockets, but the quick steals don’t interest her. She searches until she sees it. Up ahead, she spots a WOMAN with an open satchel. Rozy positions herself by the woman. She waits for the magic trick to take the woman’s complete attention. She reaches in, her small hands fitting perfectly in the satchel. Rozy gently feels around until she finds the pocketbook and carefully pulls it out. Suddenly, a tourist bumps in Rozy, making her fall forward and dropping the pocketbook. The woman holds her satchel close. WOMAN: What are you doing?! Thief! She tried to steal my purse! Rozy tries to escape, but the Woman grabs a hold of her arm. WOMAN: Oh no you don’t. A big, gentle hand grasps the Woman’s arm. It’s the Guitarist. GUITARIST: I beg your pardon, madam, but I believe there is a misunderstanding. WOMAN: Oh really. GUITARIST: Another child was trying to steal from you, but she stopped him. I saw with my own eyes, and they do not lie. The Woman stares angrily at Rozy before letting her go. The Guitarist hands the Woman back her wallet. GUITARIST: I recommend keeping your bags closed. Less of this happens that way. The Woman snatches her wallet and storms off. The guitarist releases a heavy sigh. He turns to where Rozy was, but she’s gone.

Scene #10: INT. – OLD ENDICOTT WAREHOUSE – NIGHT Dr. Zuba, a spookily attractive brunette, Col. Moran, a retired British officer, and Red Roger, a craftsman, are talking at a table with Oscar Ovine, a recently unemployed nerd. An 8' tall object sits nearby, covered by a tarp. A panel truck sits in the BG. MORAN: Oscar, this is your big chance-- ZUBA: --To get even with those rich bastards you're always talking about. ROGER: To score big. You'll be able to buy an island. OSCAR: Will I be able to buy a Mersadeez? MORAN: Sure, Oscar. OSCAR: Okay, I'm in. What I gotta do? Moran and Roger get up from the table and whip a tarp off the object. It's a replica of an ornate Egyptian sarcophagus. MORAN: It'll be really easy. ZUBA: All you have to do is hide in there, wearing your cell phone. OSCAR: What is it? ROGER: It's a sarcophagus. OSCAR: It looks expensive. MORAN: It was. But the Leonardo da Vinci self-portrait is worth twenty times as much. OSCAR: That's what I'm supposed to steal, the da Vinci? ZUBA: Yes. You hide in the box; we'll call you and tell you when to come out and steal the da Vinci. You get back in the box with the painting, and we pick you up after the fuss has died down. Simple. OSCAR: But I could smother in there. ZUBA: The box contains a complete life-support system—air supply, CO2 scrubber, liquid nutrient. See? She opens a panel, revealing equipment. OSCAR: Nutrient? What's that? MORAN: Uh, a chocolate malt dispenser. OSCAR: I like chocolate malts. But how do you get the sargophacus into the museum? ZUBA: The museum guards are looking for items being taken out of the museum, not stuff being brought in. We have a secret entrance, and we'll put this with the others in the Egypt room. Nobody will notice. OSCAR: (laughs) Boy, ain't you the clever ones! MORAN: Your share will be a million dollars, payable as soon as the Arab shiekh buys the da Vinci. ZUBA: Now it's time for you to get in the box. She pulls out a hypodermic needle. INT. – OLD ENDICOTT WAREHOUSE – THE NEXT DAY Oscar is lying in the horizontal sarcophagus, unconscious, tubed up with IV's etc. A monitor shows steady heartbeat and lung signals. An open container nearby is emitting dry ice vapors. Zuba closes the lid. Moran is on the telephone. MORAN: Okay, a hundred K, each. You've got a deal. We'll deliver right away. He hangs up. MORAN: (cont'd.) (to Zuba) We're on. Two items. Is the truck ready to roll? ZUBA: I just topped up the refrigerant system. ROGER: Okay, everybody ready? He presses two buttons. The sarcophagus emits a variety of mechanical noises. After a few seconds, it goes KA-CHUNKA! KA-CHUNKA! A port in the side opens up and Oscar's kidneys plop out into the container. In the BG, the monitor flatlines and gives an alarm BEEP. MORAN: Pay day!

INT. SUBWAY - NIGHT SARA works her way past the other holiday shoppers, all crammed in the train. She grabs a pole. A YOUNG MAN seated behind spots Sara's work shoes and arms full of bags. YOUNG MAN: You look tired. She turns as he stands offering his seat. SARA: There's the first Christmas cheer I've seen all day. She sits, unloads a bag between her legs and rests the others on her lap. SARA: Thanks. He nods as he puts his ear buds back in. She takes a deep breathe. Almost home. A HANDSOME GUY across from Sara eyes her. She cathces him, he looks away. She smirks. She closes her eyes, but needs to look at him again. He is good looking. He catches her. She also looks away, but coyly looks back. They exchange a subtle smile. The eye "footsie" goes on again. A LARGE MAN shifts with the train into her view. He rocks forward with the train and they see each other again. A little laugh as the Large Man rocks back and forth between their little game. The train comes to a stop. The Large Man shifts forward again. Sara leans in to introduce herself. But, the Handsome Guy is gone. She searches for him. The train fills up again. Through the window she sees her "new friend." He smiles and waves. She waves back. Then notices the Young Man who gave up his seat standing next to him, waving too. In his other hand, he is holding a familiar shopping bag. The train pulls away. She goes pale. Between her legs, the bag is gone. The train speeds away as everything through the window turns to a blur.

SCENE 10_________________________________________ Colors are flashing over the room celebrating. In slow speed we see, Kids are jumping, cheering. Parents clap their hands rhythymically singing something as we watch in slight sound in silence. A man's eyes watching all this. KEITH(70) is standing still in the room, his back to a hanging banner reading, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER He is watching where the glamorously wrapped gifts lie along with fancy envelopes and a football. His feet take steps towards it as the CAMERA PANS with them until he hits it. He gets hold of the ball, and hesitantly takes the money. He takes a look to the people once again and then leaves the table. He moves out from the room. Just out of the door a feeling of overwhelming guilt overcomes him. As he is moving back into the room, LARRY(30) blocks the door. LARRY: What are you doing dad? KEITH: I… I need to return these. He pushes past through LARRY, but LARRY takes hold of him. He forces him to a corner of the room. They sit down at a table. LARRY: No you don't.(beat) Look Dad, we need these. He snatches the envelope from him LARRY: You've gone bankrupt damn it! And I am suffering because of you. You still think at this time, your football "skills" are going to help you. Not even your colleagues care. (Sighs) KEITH looks disappointed while LARRY searches through his eyes for a reply. KEITH moves his gaze KEITH'S POV: PETER(12) dancing and enjoying with his friends. LARRY: Don't you get it? These people have enough(beat)They don't deserve it.(beat) DAD! SAY SOMETHING! MAN(O.S): Mr. Archer? KEITH Archer? KEITH looks up to see a MAN standing by his table. MAN: Oh my God… Sir, I AM a biig fan of your football. Would you mind if I… He slides a notepad to him MAN: Autograph? He signs, and abrubtly gets off his chair snatching the envelope, and taking the ball. He reaches the table. He puts down the envelope and is leaving with the ball, as he stops, He looks back, he lifts back the envelope and leaves leaving the ball on the table. CAMERA focuses on the football as he leaves in the blur. All sounds fade out as he is leaving. FADE OUT ______________________________ Thank you for reading. Please comment and let me know how it could've been better Thank you again :D

SCENE 10 A portly middle-aged woman, PATRICIA (56) walks down a dreary London street beside her feisty and a bit disheveled granddaughter, JESSIE (13). Jessie longs to skip ahead and has to keep slowing down to not rush ahead of her grandmother. JESSIE: That was a rather lovely lunch, thank you. PATRICIA: Alright, what do you want? JESSIE: Nothing, grandmom, I was just trying to be nice, is all. PATRICIA: You haven’t said anything nice since you’ve been here. It’s the schools. I told your mother that public school sends all children into drugs and finger-biting and slouching, just look at you! Patricia hits Jessie on the back and Jessie straightens up, with wide eyes. Patricia then examines the flashy rings on her left hand, one catches Jessie’s eye particularly. It has a thin gold band and four dark purple jewels embedded into the metal. JESSIE: I always like visiting you. Love it, I mean. PATRICIA: Are your marks good? JESSIE: Yes. Well. I got an ‘A’ in mathematics. And in French. Would you like to hold my arm? Jessie offers her arm out like an escort. PATRICIA: Why… how kind of you dear. And what marvelous grades. And in everything else? The two walk arm-in-arm. JESSIE: ‘A’s too. I should have said, just, all ‘A’s. PATRICIA: I am quite proud of you, dear. Well, here we are. The two have arrived at the gates of a large estate. PATRICIA: Thank you for walking me home. JESSIE: Always grandmom. Jessie smiles and pecks her grandmother on the cheek. A butler is walking down the drive to open the gate for them. PATRICIA: I wanted to give you this, dear. Patricia digs around in her purse and hands Jessie a 100 Euro note. Jessie looks ashen. JESSIE: Oh, grandmom, I couldn’t possibly take this! PATRICIA: Keep your back straight, deerie. Say hello to your mother. Patricia and the butler walk back up the drive, leaving Jessie at the bottom as the gate slams shut. Jessie stares at the 100 Euro note and reaches into the pocket of her dress. She opens up her palm to reveal the golden ring with the purple jewels.

SCENE 8 INT. GYM - NIGHT It’s a slow night at the gym. Not too many people are working out. But there is one man who stands out. His name is RAY, early 40’s and skinny. He climbs the endless stairs of the Stair Master. Perspiration drips from his face and arms. It looks like he just got out from a dip in the pool. Beside the machine rests a gym bag. Earphones from his iPod hang from his ears. He makes a squinching face as he is about to complete his set. A fellow gym member, JOHHNY who is in is mid 20’s, walks up to Ray. He stares at Ray for a bit and then looks down at the gym bag. In a split-second decision, Johhny grabs the bag and makes a run for the exit. Ray jumps off the machine. RAY Hey! What’re you doing? That’s my bag! Ray takes a couple of strides to give chase to Johnny but then he suddenly collapses. His legs gave out on him. Probably from going to hard on the Stair Master. RAY (CONT’D) Help! Ray tries to get up but his legs wobble and the next thing he knows he’s on the ground again. RAY (CONT’D) Somebody help me! That guy stole my bag! Again, the gym is almost empty. Those who are around Ray are deaf to his cries for help because they are listening to their iPod workout playlist. Johnny haults. He looks back at Ray who tries to crawl his way to Johnny. Johnny walks back to Ray with the bag. RAY (CONT’D) Thank you, thank you. Johnny bends down and snatches Ray’s iPod from his hand. Ray’s headphones are yanked from his ears. Johnny walks toward to exit. Ray looks around the gym. No one notices the scene. Ray buries his face into the ground in defeat.

Clever!

Nasty...but effective.

EXT. OLD ABANDONED BARN/FIELD - DAY - 1983 SAM, 19, and JOHNNY, 16, are dirty and out of breath as they dive for cover behind a bail of hay. JOHNNY: You said they wouldn't be home. SAM: I didn't think they would be. They're supposed to be in Kansas or something. JOHNNY: Well they're not in Kansas, Sam! SAM: Shuddup and let me think. Johnny steals anxious peeks over the hay while Sam scuffles with the barn door for a way in. JOHNNY: Shit. SAM: What? JOHNNY: They're coming. SAM: How'd they even- ? (motions towards the locked barn door) Help me get this open. That lock's gotta be 100 years old. They both try pulling the door but nothing gives. Sam finds a rock and starts to bang desperately while Johnny keeps watch. Something gives. They smile. SAM: C'mon. They pry the rest of the door open and the whole dilapidated wall crumbles leaving a giant cloud of dust. When the dust clears their eyes bug out. JOHNNY: Holy... SAM: Shit! There sits a single engine Cessna 172 in near mint condition, minus the new layer of dust. SAM: I knew it. I told you he stole that plane. Johnny can't believe his eyes. SAM: C'mon. JOHNNY: And what? He peers around the barn and sees dust from the road being kicked up in the distance. JOHNNY: They're coming, Sam. They're gonna know we're in here. What do we do? SAM: Get in. The cars get closer. SAM: GET IN! GET IN! Johnny and Sam scramble inside and, as luck would have it, find the keys in the ignition. Sam jiggles it, hesitates, then starts it. BRAAAP AP AP AP AP... BRRRRRRRAAAPPPP AP AP BRRRRRRRRRRR... They smile at each other. JOHNNY: Now what? Sam thinks then pulls the throttle and it lurches forward. Cars turn into the field and head straight for the barn. JOHNNY: GO! JUST GO! Sam pulls the throttle and works the pedals to steer down the open field with three cars in pursuit. BLACK OUT

_SCENE 10_ INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY JEN (25) is dressed in business attire. She is working on her laptop. We hear a movie starting from the upstairs loft. JEN: Victoooor?! What are you up to? VICTOR (O.S.): Starting a mooovie… I'll pause it in ten. JEN: Thank you! (Looking at her computer) What the fuck... No. No. Victor!? VICTOR (O.S.): Yeah? JEN: Did you just download that movie? VICTOR (O.S.): Yeah, why? JEN: With your Bit-tor-thing? VICTOR (O.S.): Yes. JEN: Delete it. VICTOR (O.S.): What? Why? JEN: Try going online. Jen runs upstairs. VICTOR (25) is at his computer. VICTOR: Fuck. What is this? JEN: Delete it now. My interview is in- VICTOR: I am, but it's not this movie. This message says it's some French- JEN: You probably got it from some French fool. VICTOR: Not how BitTorrent works, and I- JEN: I don't care how bit torrent works. VICTOR: Ok. Deleted. JEN: Do you have more downloaded? I'm calling- Jen runs downstairs, grabbing her phone. VICTOR (O.S.): I'm deleting everything! Victor walks downstairs. Jen has her phone to her ear. VICTOR: How do they even know? JEN: I don't know. They know. VICTOR: You sure it's not on your computer? JEN: I don't illegally- (Suddenly into the phone) Hi! I got a message on my browser- Sorry. Jennifer Marc. Can I give you the last four- Great. 9023. (To Victor) I don't do that. VICTOR: What about Jon? Jen's eyes widen. She quickly searches her computer. JEN: (Into the phone) It says the Internet is shut off, because we have an illegal copy of Venir- Yeah, that movie. Jen sharply looks up at Victor mouthing, "Mother Fucker." JEN (Cont): No. No one in the house has it. CUT TO BLACK

Scene 6 ( day 10) Something is stolen INT. BATHROOM Black. Light blinks in. Blurry. Vision clears. A man stands at the sink staring into the mirror. He’s dressed in slacks and a shirt. He buttons up his cuff as he repeats out loud: MAN: Hello, I'm Brad Parker. Brad Parker. Each time his voice changes slightly. The real BRAD PARKER opens his eyes and finds himself up close and personal with the tile floor. He groans as he tries to move but pulls against restraints. He's hog tied. Brad's movements catch the man's attention. MAN: Oh good. You're up. I was hoping I didn't kill you. BRAD: Who are you? MAN: I'm Brad Parker. Please to meet you. Brad looks at the man confused. BRAD: What are you doing? I'm Brad Parker. NEW BRAD: Well today I am and you are going to help me. Brad struggles against his restraints. NEW BRAD: Stop trying. Those are on tight. You’ll hurt yourself. BRAD: Why are you here? NEW BRAD: Well you have access to something I want and I need to get it. So you are going to get it for me or rather I am as you. New Brad stands up and begins combing his hair to look like Brad. He looks in the mirror checking his profile. He lays the comb on the counter next to a wallet and several plastic cards. Everything is neat and in order. BRAD: I won't help you. NEW BRAD: Might I point out that you really don’t have a choice. New Brad shrugs on a suit jacket and straightens out the fabric. He then picks up a wallet and examines the contents. He pulls out a few plastic cards and tosses them on the counter. He then holds up a driver's license with his face and Brad's name. He picks up and examines several more cards and slides them into the wallet. Brad: Fuck you. Brad begins pulling harder against his binds. He flops around on the floor in desperation. New Brad squats down and slaps him. NEW BRAD: Calm down. If you play nice, you’ll live longer. I need you to stay alive for now. Brad begins to tear up. He doesn't want to too. NEW BRAD: Cheer up. I'm only stealing your life for a few days. After that you can have it back. Of course you might not want it back after I'm finished with it. BRAD: You son of a bitch. NEW BRAD: Now, now. Such language. Brad doesn't talk like that. Now, I'll be back. You just hanging out until I get back. New Brad takes a syringe from the counter top. He flips Brad over on his back and puts his knee between his shoulder blades to hold him down as Brad struggles. He plunges the syringe into Brad's buttock. NEW BRAD: Relax. This with make you sleepy. I can't have you making the mistake of trying to escape. Killing you would be so messy. Brad slowly stops resisting as the drug takes effect. New Brad playfully slaps his butt as he gets up. NEW BRAD: That's a good boy. Brad watches groggily as New Brad finishes getting ready. New Brad takes one last look in the mirror and says: NEW BRAD: Hello, I'm Brad. Brad Parker.

SCENE 10 FADE IN: EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY KATE I don’t see how someone can steal a car in the time it took me to buy a pack of cigarettes. DETECTIVE GROSS It happens everyday. The person was obviously watching your every move. KATE My husband is gonna freak out! DETECTIVE GROSS Yeah well it’s just a car. At least you weren’t harmed. KATE It’s a classic car that Eddie restored. He hardly ever drives it himself. Today he was feeling generous by letting me drive it. DETECTIVE GROSS Well we are looking for it. Hopefully it’s just a kid wanting to joy ride for awhile and not someone looking to strip it. KATE Oh God! DETECTIVE GROSS Yeah. Kate begins to silently weep, and Detective Gross hands her a tissue. DETECTIVE GROSS (CONT’D) Please don’t cry Mrs. Baker. We’ll recover it. KATE I’m not crying over that stupid car. I’m crying over the fact my I Phone was in the glove compartment.

Nicely done. Short punchlines work better than long ones. "My I Phone was in the glove compartment." nails it in 8 words.

Very well constructed. "He flips Brad over on his back and puts his knee between his shoulder blades..." ??

Scene 10: EXT. PARK KIDS play, one little girl JESSIE, eyes a BLUE BALL, that another little boy, PAUL, plays with. She pushes her kids shopping cart closer to where he is. Paul kicks the ball around the park, through the playground equipment. Making makeshift soccer goals out of everything. Jesse walks up to him. Jesse: Can I kick? Pauls nods. They kicks the ball back and forth. Jesse kicks it past Paul and into the bucket of a slide. Paul smiles. He does the same thing. They go back and forth, each taking turns kicking the ball into the slide from further and further away. Paul is clearly enjoying this game. Jesse walks away. Paul continues. Kicking. Kicking. Until. Jesse (O.C.): Hey. Paul turns to find Jesse on the other end of the park. She's turned her shopping cart over so it now looks like a goal. Jesse: In here. Paul nods. Excited. Lines up the ball and kicks! They both watch as the ball bumps across the playground, toward the cart and….it's in! Paul lifts his arms in celebration - Jesse rights her shopping cart, ball inside and pushes it away from the playground. Paul's arms drop in disbelief as Jesse pushes her shopping cart, and the ball, away.

Jeff!!! Thanks for the feedback...I totally missed that. I read this thing like 4 times....AAAGGHHHH. It was his stomach!!!

Other than that, it was really fine. For short pieces like this, it's good to read them backwards so you'll see what you wrote instead of what you thought you wrote. Anyway, it's still one of the better scenes.

SCENE 10 INT. BOARDROOM - DAY CHAD, 26, sits alone at a large conference table, flipping through a notepad. BRYCE, 23, enters the room swinging his briefcase, taking a seat across from Chad. BRYCE: You’re early. CHAD: Just going over my presentation. BRYCE: Right, right… Bryce pulls out a thin laptop from his briefcase. BRYCE: So, I heard you had a big proposal coming down the pipeline. Something about our merger with the Saudis? CHAD: Word travels fast. Bryce studies Chad from across the top of his laptop. Chad pulls out his phone, swiping the screen, before jotting something down in his notepad. BRYCE: I was thinking that maybe the two of us could collaborate. I had some ideas about incorporating our Emirates connections with our interests in Kiev and- Chad puts up a dismissive hand. CHAD: Listen, Bryce. Your idea’s are cute. You’re like a walking Op-Ed piece from Businessweek. Bryce, visibly offended, sits back in his seat. Chad laughs and motions for Bryce to lean in. CHAD: You’re shooting for the stars when you need to shoot for the fucking universe. Chad pokes his notepad hard with two fingers. CHAD: (lowering his voice) I’m proposing we dump all ties to the UAE, instead pressing hard on the new Venezuelan regime. Bryce looks stunned. BRYCE: We would be eaten alive by the press and regulators, let alone- Chad stops him again with an outstretched palm, reaching into his jacket pocket with his other hand, pulling out a flash drive. CHAD: It’s all right here. I call it the Invisible Man Protocol. No one will ever know. Bryce eyes the flash drive hungrily. CHAD: Speaking of invisible, I left my damn computer in the office. Do me a favor and shoot these files to the network. BRYCE: Of course. CHAD: Look at that. We ended up collaborating after all. Bryce plugs the flashdrive into his computer. He copies the files to his desktop then transfers them to the network. While it’s transferring he opens one up, scanning the contents. LATER The board meeting is in full swing, every seat occupied. THURSTON, the CEO, stands at the end of the table. THURSTON: Before we adjourn, I’ll open the floor to any proposals. CHAD: Yes, thank- BRYCE: Thank you, sir! I have a proposal that’s a radical departure from our normal operating procedures, but as I always say, why shoot for the stars when you can shoot for the universe. CHAD narrows his eyes as he watches Bryce. BRYCE: I’m proposing we dump all ties to the UAE, instead pressing hard on this new Venezuelan regime. A low murmur spreads up and down the table. THURSTON: Sit down, son. You were absent for this morning’s meeting where Chad presented that plan as what NOT to do, due to the projected collapse of this new regime. Bryce looks over at Chad in disbelief, as Chad struggles to hold in a laugh. THURSTON: Unless there are any REAL proposals, then this meeting is adjourned. Bryce stays slumped in his chair as everyone files out. Chad comes around to the other side of the table, patting Bryce on the shoulder. CHAD: Great idea.

SCENE 10: LIVING ROOM: The doorbell rings. ALAN (48) anxiously gets the door to see JACKIE (40). They hug. Wendy floats into the room and hugs her also. They exchange pleasantries and Alan offers Jackie a seat. WENDY: Can I get you something? A coke? Water? Potato chips? JACKIE: Oh no. Maybe later. Can I use your rest room? WENDY: Of course. It’s right down the hall to the left. BATHROOM: Jackie looks around to find some expensive looking makeup; eye liner, foundation cream, and eyebrow pencils. She studies each object carefully. LIVING ROOM: Alan didn’t notice her come back in. Jackie is back. ALAN: Hey I made a few changes. See what you think. Her eyes speed over the page on the screen. WENDY: Sure you don’t want something to drink? JACKIE: Maybe I’ll just get some water. She runs off to the kitchen. WENDY: Sure. Just help yourself. Both Wendy and Alan are engrossed in their computers. Jackie shows back up with a glass of water. JACKIE: I like your changes. But could you maybe have it focus just a little more on me? I mean it is a showcase piece right? ALAN: Of course. You’re right. That makes perfect sense. He starts making changes on his computer. Jackie pulls some potato chips out of her bag and munches as she watches over his shoulder. Then she goes back to the kitchen. He rushes through a draft. Jackie shows back up and Alan is proud of the changes on his screen. She looks it over. JACKIE: Yeah, I like this. Really good. Ok, thank you Alan, so much. You’re a life saver. They all get up. She squeezes Alan a tight hug. Then she hugs Wendy too. JACKIE: Your husband is wonderful. WENDY: That’s what I hear. Be careful driving, ok? Jackie rushes out the door. Alan focusses back on his computer. Wendy runs to the bathroom. As Alan is engrossed in his writing, Wendy comes back, unnerved. WENDY: I don’t believe this. Do you know what she just did? ALAN: What? WENDY: She stole all my makeup. I can’t believe it. ALAN: What? You sure you just didn’t misplace it or something? WENDY: No, I didn’t misplace it or something. I had it there just this morning. ALAN: Jackie? I can’t believe it. She’s such a good actor. A little crazy. But good. WENDY: What does that have to do with it? Obviously, she’s a clepto? ALAN: Jackie? WENDY: Jackie? Jackie? Jackie? YES! JACKIE! ALAN: I can’t believe it. WENDY: No of course not. You’re too busy squeezing her ass when you hug her. ALAN: Who? Jackie? Wendy is adamant. He heads into the kitchen. ALAN (O.S.): Hey, have you seen my whiskey? WENDY: No I haven’t seen your whiskey. Maybe your girlfriend took it. ALAN (O.S.): It was right there before she came. I can’t believe it. Hey my chips are all gone. He stomps back to the living room. ALAN: You eat all my chips? WENDY: NO. ALAN: I can’t believe this. She took my whiskey and my chips. WENDY: Well I did offer her some. ALAN: A whole bag? I can’t believe it. She’s such a good actor. WENDY: Right. Just a little bit crazy. Alan searches for something and hurries back to the kitchen. ALAN (O.S.): Hey, have you seen my favorite glass?

Nasty! I like it!

Thanks! It's fun to write the business-world version of technobabble. :)

SCENE 10 INT. RESTAURANT - SUNSET Swarthy confident David and a glowing but nervous Clarissa are eating a candle-lit dinner at a restaurant. Sunset can be seen from the window. Soft low-key music plays in the background. David: So how come you said yes? Clarissa: I had a lot less on this week. David: I’m curious as to why. Clarissa: Curiosity. David: And how’s that curiosity coming along? Clarissa: Coming along. David: Are you being evasive? Clarissa: An accusation or a question? David: Do you enjoy being with me? Clarissa: Let's try minus the interrogation. David: I’m enjoying the asparagus. Clarissa: Finely tipped long shoots always work well. David: And the artichoke? Clarissa: Great once you get to the heart of it. David: It's got to be handled correctly. Clarissa: Delicate and caring. David: Same time next week. Clarissa: How about every week? David: That good a meal? Clarissa: You only live once. David: Unless you believe in reincarnation. Clarissa: I’m living this life now. David: Looks good from where I am sitting. Clarissa: Let’s blow out the candle. David: Together. Clarissa: I’m ready. David: Next dating candidate. Great eg of how to avoid the sticky four letter word. Feel free to come back anytime Melissa. Clarissa: I’ve got a funny feeling I won’t need any more courses on being with Ed. By the way, my name's Clarissa.

Scene ten continues from yesterday's nine: INT. RANCH HOUSE - LATER The Butcher and Pancho walk out of the room with the tiger, that has blood over its snout. THE BUTCHER Well done, paws. Let's clean you up. Pancho, send someone to clean up that mess. Damn, I love that carpet. Do you think it will leave a stain? Armandito sneaks into the room all the way to Matias' body, he sticks his tonge out. ARMANDITO Freaking whistle-blower. He notices something on the body, it's a wallet. He carefully grabs it, opens it and grabs the money inside, throws the wallet over the body and puts the money in his own pocket. A MAID (20) enters with a bucket and a mop, she drops them and runs to Armandito. MAID My dear, you shouldn't watch that, come on. She tries to take him away, he resists. THE BUTCHER (O.S.) Let him. He must get used to see the blood of his enemies. The maid looks at The Butcher, nods. Armandito smiles. To be continued...

SCENE 11 - THE CAT THIEF EXT. LONDON MAISONETTE AND GARDEN - NIGHT A ginger cat goes out of an upstairs window and out of a huge overgrown garden which looks like a jungle. Copper eyes reveal the face of a Bombay Black pirate cat Gatto camouflaged near a wall in the garden. Gatto holds down the tail of squirrel Tiny with his paw. Tiny has a watch and scratches notes on to a nut. Draw it up. If you tell anyone about this, squirrel death will descend upon your hole. Tiny skips away trembling with nut in hand. EXT. HOUSE GARDEN - NIGHT Exact same scene, fat ginger cat leaves upstairs. Great escape theme music starts to play quietly. Gatto looks behind and slowly climbs up through a window. Squirrel Tiny trembles below. Gatto: Are you a squirrel or a mouse? Tiny: Someone said we’re related. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Gatto climbs on to a cooker door handle, jumps onto cooker and then hops into a larder cupboard. Gatto’s eyes feast upon the bounty. Gatto drop tins of top cat food out through the window. EXT. WINDOW DOOR - NIGHT Tiny ducks food tins which tumble onto the patio. INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - NIGHT Gatto keeps sniffing as he climbs bedposts, jumps onto a mantlepiece. The clock swivels to open a trapdoor. Inside is a jewellery case holding a cat collar with sapphires and diamonds. Gatto: Ging, you fat cat, you. A croaky groan. Gatto sees old lady in bed. Gatto is relieved when lady falls back asleep but he now hears the sound of a cat knocking into something. Ging appears and looks directly at Gatto who starts to creep away but Ging just looks out to space. Gatto turns to go but cranky sleepy old lady wakes up. Old lady: Come here you disgusting cat. Gatto looks at himself and then the old woman. Gatto is about to remonstrate when sleepy lady grabs Ging and slaps him. The old lady now awake sees Gatto. Lady: YOU. Momentarily lost, Gatto pulls the cat collar and waves it as a pendulum at both the old lady and Ging. Gatto: Ging you will leave this place, lose weight and regain your self esteem. You, old lady, will stop abusing cats or anyone. Remember nothing when you wake. Both Ging and the cranky old lady fall into a deep sleep. Gatto scratches the bedpost and the bed sheet with a pirate cat skull. Gatto sniffs both Ging and the lady. Gatto finds a bottle of RUM under the bed. Gatto swigs the rum and puts on the cat collar before disappearing into the night.

EXT. MILITRY RESEARCH COMPOUND – NIGHT MATT, 21, and CHRIS, 20 are both wearing black jeans and a gray hoodies. They are crouched outside the site of a massive, decimated military research compound. There has clearly been an explosion recently. It looks as though a tornado has ripped through the center. Armed guards are positioned along the perimeter. The closest one is about 50 yards away. MATT (whispering): Radiation, my ass. These guys aren’t even pretending. CHRIS: I’m not sure if I can do this, man. MATT: It’s no big deal. If you pass out and we get caught, we’re just a couple of troublemakers writing a blog. Make him start daydreaming about fucking his wife, girlfriend, or whatever. Chris nods. He shuts his eyes and reaches out with his power to touch the GUARD, whose rigid posture suddenly slackens. He lets his rifle fall to the side lazily and stands as if in a waking dream. MATT: Okay, go. They casually stroll out of their cover in the woods and walk openly through to one of the hangars. There are multiple large pallets holding silver blocks of what appears to be sheet metal. The guard doesn’t even see them. MATT: That one. CHRIS: It must weigh hundreds of pou— MATT: Just do it. And hurry or we are FUCKED. Keep it low. Chris reaches out to the pallet and elevates it a few inches off of the ground, and then reels it in towards him. It floats over. Meanwhile, Matt has sprinted toward a wrapped bundle of what appears to be tarp. He grabs it, unfurls it, and tosses it over the block. Chris is concentrating hard. MATT: Go. The block trails behind them as they casually walk out of the compound. The guard is sitting down, now, looking blankly ahead. They make it back into the cover of woods. Chris is grunting and sweating. He lowers the pallet onto the ground and then doubles over, as if he has just been lifting a lot of weight. CHRIS: I need to rest. MATT: Okay, okay. We’ve got time. Chris looks up at him. A tiny trickle of blood is leaking out of his nose.

@heathenistic scene 10!!!!!!!! INT. VARIETY STORE - DAY TOMMY, a chubby 11-year-old boy - not one of the cool ones - nervously browses the aisles. Outside, peering in through the shop windows, faces pressed against the glass, are his friends SCOTT (the ringleader), MONKEY (the strong one) and BIGGS (the small, mouthy, feisty one). They're urging him to hurry up. Sweat beads on Tommy's' forehead. His eyes darting. The SHOPKEEPER looks up from some paperwork behind the counter. SHOPKEEPER: Help you find something pal? Tommy stammers. TOMMY: Uh... no... sir.... just-uh-lookin. The shopkeeper sees Tommy eyeing his friends outside. Puts it together. SHOPKEEPER: Kid, I ain't sellin' you booze. No way you're of age. TOMMY: Oh I'm not buyin' booze sir. I'm just lookin'. SHOPKEEPER: So you said. (nodding his head at Tommys friends) They belong to you? TOMMY: Oh, uh yessir. Biggs pounds on the glass, yells at Tommy through the window. BIGGS: Come On! Let's Go! SHOPKEEPER: Sounds like you're friend's in a hurry. Best not keep him waitin'. Tommy ignores the request to leave, searches the shelves. Shopkeeper goes back to his paperwork. Tommy sees the shopkeeper is no longer watching him. He spots what he wants - the bulk candy. Gummy worms. Tommy takes another look at his friends. They urge. The shopkeeper. He works. TOmmy sweats. Siezes his moment. Reaches out slowly. Silently. Eyes on the shopkeep the whole time. Fingers feeling the shelves. Fumbling into the jar of gummy worms. Chubby shaky fingers quiver and wrap around a single worm. Quickly the worm gets stuffed into a jean pocket. The shopkeeper looks up as the sound of the DOOR CHIMES. Tommy is out the door and running. Gone. EXT. BEHIND STORE - DAY Biggs, Scott and Monkey surround Tommy, who leans against the back wall of the store. BIGGS: Let's see it. What'd you get? SCOTT: You din't steal nuthin. Didya? TOMMY: I did so! Look. Tommy slowly pulls the squished gummy worm from his pocket, delicatly holds it up in the air, letting it wiggle and dangle from his fingers, in front of Scott's face. TOMMY: See? I did it. The other three break out laughing. MONKEY: One worm??? Laughter. Tommy is defeated.

@heathenistic scene 10!!! INT. VARIETY STORE - DAY TOMMY, a chubby 11-year-old boy - not one of the cool ones - nervously browses the aisles. Outside, peering in through the shop windows, faces pressed against the glass, are his friends SCOTT (the ringleader), MONKEY (the strong one) and BIGGS (the small, mouthy, feisty one). They're urging him to hurry up. Sweat beads on Tommy's' forehead. His eyes darting. The SHOPKEEPER looks up from some paperwork behind the counter. SHOPKEEPER: Help you find something pal? Tommy stammers. TOMMY: Uh... no... sir.... just-uh-lookin. The shopkeeper sees Tommy eyeing his friends outside. Puts it together. SHOPKEEPER: Kid, I ain't sellin' you booze. No way you're of age. TOMMY: Oh I'm not buyin' booze sir. I'm just lookin'. SHOPKEEPER: So you said. (nodding his head at Tommys friends) They belong to you? TOMMY: Oh, uh yessir. Biggs pounds on the glass, yells at Tommy through the window. BIGGS: Come On! Let's Go! SHOPKEEPER: Sounds like you're friend's in a hurry. Best not keep him waitin'. Tommy ignores the request to leave, searches the shelves. Shopkeeper goes back to his paperwork. Tommy sees the shopkeeper is no longer watching him. He spots what he wants - the bulk candy. Gummy worms. Tommy takes another look at his friends. They urge. The shopkeeper. He works. TOmmy sweats. Siezes his moment. Reaches out slowly. Silently. Eyes on the shopkeep the whole time. Fingers feeling the shelves. Fumbling into the jar of gummy worms. Chubby shaky fingers quiver and wrap around a single worm. Quickly the worm gets stuffed into a jean pocket. The shopkeeper looks up as the sound of the DOOR CHIMES. Tommy is out the door and running. Gone. EXT. BEHIND STORE - DAY Biggs, Scott and Monkey surround Tommy, who leans against the back wall of the store. BIGGS: Let's see it. What'd you get? SCOTT: You din't steal nuthin. Didya? TOMMY: I did so! Look. Tommy slowly pulls the squished gummy worm from his pocket, delicatly holds it up in the air, letting it wiggle and dangle from his fingers, in front of Scott's face. TOMMY: See? I did it. The other three break out laughing. MONKEY: One worm??? Laughter. Tommy is defeated.

SCENE #3 INT. PRISON CELL – DAY CLOSE ON a young COUPLE kissing. Passionate. Loving. PULL BACK to reveal they're in prison. GAIL (29, in a blouse and designer jeans, engagement ring on her finger) reluctantly pulls apart from DARROW (30, in a prison jumpsuit). GAIL Tell me who stole the security footage from you, Darrow. Is it Ray or one of his minions? If we get our hands on that tape, we can show the court what really happened - that Ray killed your bookie, not you! Darrow shakes his head and firmly grabs Gail's shoulders. DARROW You need to leave town, Gail. Do you get that? Stop chasing something that the cops can't even find, and let my brother Hank take you someplace safe. Ray has threatened to kill you if you go after that tape, and I'll rather rot in jail than let anything happen to you. The PRISON GUARD unlocks the cell door loudly and steps inside. GUARD Time. The young couple kiss one last, painful time. DARROW Stay. Alive. Gail leaves, never taking her eyes off Darrow until he's out of sight. EXT. RAY’S BBQ – DAY She parks behind the store. Reaches into her bag to dig out a wig and glasses. Puts them on. Grabs a clipboard and gets out of the car. A burly COOK in a greasy apron steps out. COOK Well, hello sugah. Kin I help you? Gail flashes a badge and mimics a Southern accent. GAIL Mandatory health inspection. Is Ray in? COOK No, but c'mon in. Help yerself to some finger-lickin' ribs if you like. GAIL Thank you kindly. I'll be in and outta here before you know it! As the cook turns his attention to his CUSTOMERS, Gail slips quickly up the back stairs to the office. INT. RAY’S BBQ OFFICE – DAY Gail roots around the office, digging rabidly through drawers and boxes. Frustrated. Can't seem to find it. The door opens and closes below. She freezes - COOK (v.o.) Well, hello there Ray! Scurries out. INT. RAY’S BBQ KITCHEN – DAY Gail is inspecting shelves and cupboards when RAY (36, former wrestler) stomps in. They both flash a smile at each other. RAY Hope there's no violations yet. Gail taps her clipboard. GAIL So far so good, sir. RAY Good! I'll hate for anyone to die from bitin' on more than they can chew, like my bookie brother, Roy. Wouldn't want a pretty young thang like you to meet the same fate. GAIL Not with all of these eyewitnesses here, surely? Ray minces a smile. Edges forward. RAY Say, let me take a gander at yer badge again? Could've sworn the inspection weren't til Friday. Gail is forced to show him her badge. Next to her, the cook opens the fridge to haphazardly grab a loaf of bread. CLOSE ON the fridge door, where a ziploc bag of film negatives behind the bread falls out. Gail acts like lightning. She whips out a can of mace from her purse and sprays it into Ray's face. Ray SCREAMS. With her foot, she flips up the ziploc bag and grabs it. She's at the door when she looks down and sees the film in the bag is damaged. Cut up. Potentially unusable. CLANG! She's hit on the head by a frying pan. Crumples.

scene # 10! INT. HALLWAY FAMILY HOME LIZA (30) and ROGER (31) stand in the hallway of Liza’s house. ROGER: I want it back. It was a mistake.. Just give it back ok? LIZA: I’m not giving it. Besides, I gave it to Kenny. ROGER: WHAT!? (a beat) ROGER: (keeping his cool) Well, it wasn’t yours to give so.. LIZA: If you want it back so bad, ask him yourself. KENNY! someone here to see you! (looks at roger sarcastically) Kenny appears on top of the stairs. It’s a four year old boy. In his hands a plush rabbit. KENNY: Hi uncle Roger LIZA: Will you come down Kenny? uncle Roger wants to ask you something… Kenny walks down the stairs and when he’s there Roger kneels in front of him, looking hi in the eye. ROGER: Hey Ken, hey. I ehm, I need you to give uncle roger his friend Thumper back KENNY: no. ROGER: no? well Kenny, it’s uncle Rogers bunny.. don’t you think it’s fair to give it back? he really needs it, he needs it more than you do Kenny. KENNY: (his angel like face hardens) NO! Roger tries to take the Bunny, but Kenny holds on to it. LIZA: You’re pathetic. Roger gets up, sighs, apparently giving up. suddenly.. ROGER: BOOH! Kenny screams, drops the bunny and runs off crying. Roger quickly picks up Thumper and walks out the door. LIZA: You’re not my brother anymore!

Scene 10 INT. UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT (1968) Bobby and Matt walk quietly and whisper. MATT: Are you sure they're in there? BOBBY: No, but he's been acting real suspicious about his toolbox. He said when I turned 12 I could use his tools, but then he changed his mind. And right before my birthday is when I overheard him tell mom he was gonna throw all of them out. The come to the stairs. They get down on their bellies to sneak a peek downstairs. INT. LIVING ROOM - BOBBY AND MATT'S POV Harold watches the evening news anchor report on the Tet Offensive. Beyond him is the door to the garage. MARTHA (O.S.): Oh, drat. HAROLD: Mindful of the cussing, Martha. MARTHA: Oh, come here, Harold. I need help. He gets up and heads out of view. THE STAIRS Bobby and Matt sneak down. At the bottom, they look toward the kitchen. INT. KITCHEN - BOBBY AND MATT'S POV Harold is unsuccessfully trying to close the kitchen faucet. INT. LIVING ROOM Bobby and Matt sneak to the door to the garage. INT. GARAGE Bobby turns on the light. The boys head to the toolbox. Bobby opens it. Peers inside. He moves aside some tools. There is it. A magazine-sized paper bag. INT. KITCHEN Harold, under the sink, turns off the water. HAROLD: I'll go get my monkey wrench. INT. GARAGE Bobby reaches inside the bag. Then, LOUD FOOTSTEPS. Bobby puts everything back in its place, closes the toolbox. Forgot something. Oh, yeah. He shuts the light. Illuminated only by a streetlamp shining through the garage door windows, Matt dives under the Buick. Bobby follows, but... BOBBY: Hey, make room. He scoots under just as THE LIGHTS COME ON. Harold grabs a monkey wrench from the toolbox, then leaves and turns out the lights. Bobby and Matt emerge from under the Buick. Bobby listens at the door, then turns on the light. He goes back to the toolbox, opens it again, and extracts the paper bag. He reaches in and pulls out the January 1968 issue of Playboy. He looks at the tuxedoed rabbit on the cover but then focuses his gaze on the smaller pictures around it. Are they? Yes. Titties!

[Scene 11, Prompt 10] INT. AMY'S HOUSE — NIGHT .CLOSE IN on a late twenty-something woman, AMY, who is performing her nighttime ablutions in the master bathroom. AMY finishes her facial moisturizer, then reaches for her diaphragm case on the counter. AMY appears panicked when she finds the case empty. Searching all over the counter and the bathroom floor, AMY comes up empty-handed. .CUT TO early thirty-something man, MIKE, who is sitting in AMY’S bed, leaning lazily against the headboard as he watches television. AMY enters the bedroom from the bathroom, checking the floor as she walks toward the bed. MIKE: Didja’ lose something, hon? AMY: Bad news. My diaphragm’s gone. MIKE: What the hell? AMY: Yeah, I know I put it back in its case, but it’s gone. MIKE: How the hell would it go missing? And what do we do tonight? AMY: Don’t you have any condoms with you? MIKE: No, I have some at my place. I guess I just took for granted you’d cover us here. AMY crouches down to look under the bed. Something catches her attention and she reaches for it. It’s the diaphragm, but it’s full of small tooth marks. AMY looks up on the bed, where her cat FELIX sits, watching her closely. AMY: (yelling) FELIX! You bad kitty! MIKE: What? The cat stole your diaphragm? Damn it, it’s like that cat has it in for me. FELIX: (V. O.) Heh. Showed you, dude. This is my house, my girl. >FADE TO BLACK.

Just made it. WOOT! Sc.10 INT. GROCERY STORE – DAY Fingers creep up the sunglass stand towards a bright pink pair of oversized sunnies. Willowy fingers quietly clutch the sunnies and they disappear under a red hoodie. The hoodie belongs to AMBER (13). She smooths out the hoodie – composes her face – and off she goes. BLEEP – BLEEP the cashier is scanning some goods. He looks up as Amber walks nonchalantly past. She’s almost at the exit -- a deliveryman wheeling a trolley full of milk barges through the door. DELIVERY GUY: Look out there missie. Comin’ through. Amber jumps out of the way - gets cornered between the 1-dollar bin the drinks fridge. CASHIER (at Amber): You all right there? Amber looks down. AMBER (mumbles): Yeah. Uhum. Sure. She now has to walk around the bin to get out. The cashier is looking at her. DELIVERY GUY (At Amber, loudly): Sorry about that. Didn’t see you there. Should have. The red jumper and all. He laughs – Amber can feel the blush coming on. The cashier can feel it too – something is up. CASHIER: Can I help you find anything? Oooor … have you found what you’re looking for already … perhaps? Ambers face is starting to burn – abort mission. Then CRASH milk sprays everywhere as the delivery guy looses control of his overloaed trolley. This is the moment – Amber quickly turns and is out the door – just dodging the fat man waddling in. CASHIER (distracted): Hey you … wait -- But the girl, she’s gone.

DAY TEN: Write a scene where something gets stolen. INT. SUBWAY – MORNING A teenage girl, MADISON, is standing with a ratty, patched-up jacket and overstuffed backpack on a crowded subway car. She is having trouble keeping her balance and people keep glaring at her when she accidentally jostles them with her body or her backpack. One man with an overcoat is particularly scandalized, glancing at her occasionally with obvious annoyance, turning his Kindle away from her line of sight, and otherwise being a general asshole that she would dare stand near him on a train. The train comes to a very abrupt halt, sending a few people a foot backward, causing Madison to run into overcoat man. OVERCOAT: Watch where you’re going! MADISON: Sorry, sir. OVERCOAT: You people are disgusting. Shouldn’t you be in school? Madison remains quiet as the man continues to adjust his expensive coat and glare at her. Another jostle of the train. Madison bumps into the man again and surreptitiously puts her hand in her pocket, smirking. MADISON: Excuse me. Vermin coming through! She gently nudges her way through the crowd of people. She walks out of the train. She walks up the stairs. She goes through the exit gates. More stairs. EXT. SIDEWALK – MORNING Madison walks out of the station to greet a snowy day. She tries to wrap her jacket around her more tightly, crosses her arms against the cold and begins to walk down the street until she finds an alley. She sits down and pulls an expensive wallet from her pocket, rifling through its contents, pulling out the identification, business cards, pictures of children, then the money and credit cards. She reads them all. MADISON: Let’s see. Samuel Bennett, 42, three children. She looks at the picture of the children for a while. MADISON: Your dad’s an asshole, children. I’m very sorry about this. Madison puts everything, except the money and the children’s photo, into her backpack. A shadow abruptly appears over her. She whips her head toward the new person and immediately stands and backs away. STRANGER: I saw that. Nice grab. MADISON: What are you talking about? STRANGER: I would suggest waiting a little more than five feet from the take to go over your spoils though. Could be suspect. MADISON: Who the fuck are you? STRANGER: I’m nobody, really. I’m like you. Robin Hood complex, maybe. I don’t know. Point is, I’m better at it. Which means that I can teach you things. Madison puts one hand into her pocket. She is clearly grasping for something. MADISON: I don’t know what kind of game this is, but get out of here and we won’t have any problems. The stranger lights a cigarette and stares at her for a moment. STRANGER: Let me guess. Spring-assisted 3.5 inch steel blade. You bought it at a bodega somewhere for extra cheap because you never know when you need to protect yourself. Close? Madison stares at her for a moment before pulling the knife out. She’s right. STRANGER: Yup. First rule: If you’re going to threaten to knife someone, don’t give them time to think of their next plan to hurt you. Just pull it out and shove it through their spleen if they threaten you. Thank you for not doing that now though. I need my spleen. Madison continues to stare at the stranger, still unsure, but not nearly as threatened as before. MADISON: Seriously. Who are you? STRANGER: I told you. I’m Nobody.

EXT. ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY HARBOUR - DAY Helicopters swarm the sky. TV CREWS hustle on boats and ashore. REPORTERS speak to camera in every imaginable language. A NEW YORKER witness talks to a GLOSSY REPORTER. NEW YORKER: So, I just looked up! GLOSSY REPORTER: And what did you see? NEW YORKER: Nuffink. Nuf-fink! GLOSSY REPORTER: You heard it here, back to the studio. Sirens wail in the background. INT. NEWS STUDIO - DAY A NEWSANCHOR gapes with her jaw hanging open, realises she's on camera. NEWSANCHOR: So, let's turn to you Professor Havinclu, how could this happen? There's no debris, no signs of an explosion, no traces of heavy machinery. PROFESSOR HAVINCLU, stutters, stumped. NEWSANCHOR: Soapbox Joe, you got any answers? SOAPBOX JOE: It were aliens. NEWSANCHOR: I'm just getting (wiggles earpiece) news in from Washington. We are (wiggles earpiece) waiting on a ransom note. The Statue of Liberty has been -- stolen. EXT. NEW YORK HARBOUR - DAY Glossy Reporter takes in the altered skyline, whilst the camera zooms in on all that remains of the statue; its empty base. EXT. RIO DE JANEIRO - DAY CHRIST THE REDEEMER gazes over Rio, arms outstretched. He hears somebody clearing their throat, loudly. STATUE OF LIBERTY: Uh, hello. STATUE OF LIBERTY's torch makes its way into his line of sight. Christ the Redeemer stretches his arms wider. CHRIST THE REDEEMER: Liberty? What are you doing here? Statue of Liberty, shrugs, a little embarrassed. STATUE OF LIBERTY: I fancied a break.

Scene Ten.

Scene 8 INT. BEDROOM - DAY TWO ADULTS are snoring in the queen sized bed. A LITTLE BOY quietly opens the door. He's no older than seven. A woman's purse sits on the trunk at the end of the bed. It's open revealing a simple brown wallet. He tiptoes into the room towards the purse. The adults continue to snore. The little boy gets to the wallet and it's the kind where he has to unclasp it and it makes a loud snap. He freezes. There's a long pause of silence...and then the snoring continues. The little boy quickly takes a few dollars out of the wallet and puts it back. He turns around and is faced with a puppy. They look at each other for a moment, the money in the boy's hand. The puppy begins to bark excitedly, wagging its tail at the boy, thinking it's time to play. The boy panics and drops to the floor as his MOM rises in bed. DAD buries his head underneath the covers. MOM (to the dog): Hey, old yeller? Relax. The dog shuts up and goes further in the room. The mom lays back down but doesn't go back to sleep. MOM: Why is the door open?

Scene 10 (16th entry) INT. BANK JEREMY (22), bank teller, sweater vest, geeky glasses calls JEREMY Next customer. CANDICE (25), girl next door, walks up to his booth. CANDICE Hello. I need to make a deposit. Candice digs in her purse. JEREMY Sure I certainly help you with that. CANDICE You have a pen? JEREMY Here you go. CANDICE I love this bank. You guys are so nice. JEREMY Well thank you. We really care about our customers. CANDICE I noticed that this the only bank in town that doesn’t have all that bullet proof glass and stuff. JEREMY We like to interact with our customers on a personal level. CANDICE But I guess that makes it easier for you to get robbed? JEREMY Our security system is state of the art. Don’t worry your money is safe. CANDICE That’s reassuring. Her phone rings. CANDICE (CONT’D) Hello? Okay, I’m at the bank now. Yes, he’s standing right in front of me. Jeremy is taken aback. Candice leans in. CANDICE (CONT’D) Actually, instead of a deposit, I need to make a withdrawal. JEREMY Okay, I just need your account number and ID. CANDICE No. I need to withdraw you. JEREMY Excuse me? CANDICE Unless you want the eggs and bacon your wife Heather Dorothy Madison social security number 604-508-4174 made this morning to be her last, you will tell your manager Frank that you need to go on break and meet me in the back alley. JEREMY Is this a robbery? CANDICE I would never walk into a bank and rob it. Not when I can make one of the tellers do it for me. Candice holds up her phone and shows him a picture of his wife bounded and gagged. CANDICE (CONT’D) I hope your excellent customer stays intact.