ALL BETS ARE OFF

BY LOTTIE ARCHER, ERIN SULLIVAN

AND EMILY JAMES
EXT. LATE AFTERNOON – THEATRE

WIDE SHOT HENRY is walking towards the theatre while CLOSE UP

kicking up stones from the ground at the wall. MID SHOT He
looks to his left and sees the caution closed sign on the
theatre door. Henry walks up to the sign, intrigued he looks
at the sign for a moment. CLOSE UP Henry pulls the sign from
the door and drops it on the floor. He cautiously opens the
door as it CREAKS he steps in.

INT. LATE AFTERNOON- CINEMA ROOM

MID SHOT Henry looks up at the screen which is playing a horse

race. He then turns to the seating area and TRACKING slowly
begins to walk up towards the mysterious figure on the back
seat. MID SHOT He cautiously walks towards her and gently
shakes her shoulders then checks her pulse. Henry is frozen
for a moment while waiting to feel a pulse. CLOSE UP A worried
look spreads across his face as he can’t yet feel a pulse.
Henry then takes a breath of relief when he feels the pulse,
slow but there. MIS SHOT Henry notices a piece of paper with a
word scratched on it. He slowly leans across the woman and
picks up the note. CLOSE UP It reads ‘Red Rum’. WIDE SHOT
Suddenly loud galloping and cheering comes from the screen at
it shows ‘Red Rum’ winning a live race. MID SHOT Henry stares
at the screen confused when suddenly, CLOSE UP the woman grabs
Henry’s wrist and turns to look at him with a helpless look on
her face. TRACKS UP AND PULLS INTO HENRY’S FACE Henry’s eyes
turn white and suddenly flashes of the future appear on the
screen. Henry’s eyes fade from white to their normal brown.
The woman takes a last breath of relief and then collapses
onto the desk.

INT. MID MORNING – CLASSROOM

WIDE SHOT JACK, AMY, and Henry are all sat at a table in their
classroom crowded around a phone watching a horse race.
Suddenly flashes of horses racing comes onto the screen. CLOSE
UP Henry’s face is completely blank as he snaps back into
reality. TRACKING He gets up immediately and grabs a pen and
paper scribbling down a word. MID SHOT Jack and Amy look at
Henry with puzzled looks as he walks back to them and hands
Amy the paper.

HENRY
Don’t look at that until later.
(pause)
I want to test a theory.

Amy nods cautiously and places the paper in her pocket.

INT. MID AFTERNOON – CLASSROOM

MID SHOT WITH CHANGES Amy, Jack and Henry are sat at a table
when Amy pulls the piece of paper Henry gave her earlier out
of her pocket.

AMY
(holding the paper up)
Can I please open this now?

HENRY
(sighs)
Have the race results come out yet?

JAKE
Yeah mate they came out earlier this afternoon.

Henry leans forward placing his elbows on the table and

leaning on them.

HENRY
Get the results up.
Then you can look at the paper.

Amy pulled out her phone and started to type. Jake looked over
her shoulder has she typed. Amy then picked up the paper and
unfolded it. Amy and Jake’s expressions turned white. They
both slowly looked at Henry.

AMY
B-b-but, how could you know this?
You left before the race was over.

Henry begins to fidget, uncomfortably.

HENRY
This is going to sound crazy but…
(pauses)
But I think I can see the future.

Camera cuts to show Henry pacing by the table and Amy and Jack
still visibly trying to wrap their heads around what Henry
just told them.

AMY
The future?

HENRY
(While pacing)
Mhm
A grin appears on Jake’s face as he forms a plan.

JAKE
(excitedly)
Do you know what this means?

Henry stops pacing and him and Amy look to Jake waiting for
him to continue.

JAKE
If he can predict the results, then we can place bets
and make so much money. We can be rich!

AMY
I’m not sure about that.
It’s cheating.

JAKE
No. It’s called getting ahead of the curve.

HENRY
Okay, Jake might have a point.
Cmon Amy, I have this power I might as well us it.

AMY
(disapprovingly)
Yeah, for good. Using it for your own selfish
purposes isn’t right.

JAKE
(cockily)
Fine, you can stay moral and stay poor.
We’re going to make some real money.

TRACKING Jake puts his arm around Henry’s shoulder and

navigates him out of the room, leaving Amy alone. CLOSE UP
Henry looks over his shoulder at Amy as he leaves the room
with an unsure look on his face.

EXT. LATE AFTERNOON – PAVEMENT

LONG SHOT Henry is walking down the pavement looking drained

and lifeless. WIDE SHOT His feet drag slightly as he walks and
his arms barely sway with his movement anymore. MID SHOT Henry
looks up from the ground to see a homeless person sitting on
the pavement. Suddenly flashes on a race, the homeless person
coming off of the street and him looking healthier. Henry
thinks for a second and looks at the homeless person for a
moment and smiles slightly, CLOSE UP he then reaches into his
pocket and pulls out a twenty pound note. WIDE SHOT Henry
walks to the homeless person and holds it out in front them.
MID SHOTS WITH CHANGES Henry gives the person a weak smile as
he waits for the person to take the money.

HENRY
Here, take this.

HOMELESS PERSON
It’s too much I can’t possibly.

Henry kneels down in front of the person and takes their hand.
He places the money into their hand.

HENRY
I trust that you will do well with this
money and in return I want you to trust me.

The homeless person looks at him confused.

HENRY
I want you to take this money and bet all of
it on a horse in the race later this afternoon.
The horses name is ‘Sunday Silence’.

HOMELESS PERSON
How do you know it’ll win?

Henry smiles again weakly at the person.

HENRY
Trust me. It will.

The homeless person smiles gratefully at Henry and squeezes

his hand in reassurance.

HOMELESS PERSON
Thank you. You have proven to me that there
is still hope for good in this world.

Henry takes a deep breath, already looking healthier than

before. He stands up and walks away, his walk is visibly
livelier than before.

FADES OUT.