Val is a young woman struggling with medication issues and responsibilities. On a Monday morning she is rushing to get ready and be on time for a job interview but experiences nausea and vomiting. She realizes she has run out of her prescription medication. Throughout the day Val tries various methods to obtain her medication, including calling the job she was interviewing for, but is unsuccessful. She eventually gets her medication from the pharmacy. At the end of the day an old lady at the bus stop offers Val kindness and advice to slow down.

1. Pelican Crossing
By
Beth Izatt
2016 bethanyizatt1999@gmail.com

2. 1 INT. BEDROOM - DAY
A Monday morning. VAL - late teens, t-shirt and jogging
bottoms - rushing around, ripping her clothes out of her
wardrobe, giving them quick glances before she launches them
into the air and watches them float down onto an unmade bed.
VAL
(to herself)
No...no not this...oh for god’s
sake.
Abruptly, Val hurls into the toilet, appearing a few moments
later, wiping her mouth with a screwed up piece of toilet
paper, slumping on the door frame.
2 INT. KITCHEN - DAY
Val makes her way to the kitchen, sliding her phone onto the
counter-tops as she leans against them, placing her head in
her hands, her gaze falling on pill bottles.
Her phone buzzes, breaking her gaze.
POV of phone screen.
Screen reads: 10:00, take meds.
In response Val navigates through the bottles, picking up
the correct one and twists the cap, tapping the edge onto
her hand as two white pills fall into her grasp. Val drops
them into her mouth, swallowing them quickly.
Val looks at the time on her phone, making her way out of
the kitchen.
POV towards table with pile of unpaid bills and clippings.
Val glances at the stack of unpaid bills and then to
clippings of a job vacancy swapping her glance back to the
unpaid bills. Val picks up the clippings, scanning
the information.
Clippings read: Estate Agents, 12:45pm, 01708344599.
Val shoves various objects in her bag and makes her way out
of the kitchen.

3. 2.
3 INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Val makes her way out the door as her FLATMATE - late teens,
baggy t-shirt and jogging bottoms, hair messily tied up,
makes her way into the kitchen, eyes falling on the array of
pill bottles whilst placing a used plate on the counter-top.
FLATMATE
Hey Val don’t forget your-
Val leaves, closing the door
without a word.
FLATMATE
...medication.
4 EXT. STREET - DAY
A quiet calm high street, a frosty breeze scatters leaves
across the damp pavement.
Val walks at a slow pace, dragging her feet.
POV up the street.
The odd person buzzing around the shops, chattering to
unexpected familiar faces.
NEW ANGLE Val arrives at a crossing and presses the cold
button.
POV ’WAIT’ lights flicker on.
As the lights turn red and the beeping green man appears,
Val ventures out, crossing the road and passing a variety of
strangers, young and old.
Val keeps her head down, focusing on her walking pace,
stopping briefly to check the time on her phone.
POV phone screen.
Val looks up from her phone screen, noticing an OLD LADY -
wrapped in a padded raincoat, holding a few shopping
bag, steadily slumping onto a bench. Her gaze breaks as her
walking pace quickens, slowly down briefly to search her
pockets for the newspaper clipping, scanning the details
once again.
As she walks down the road, Val fixates on the old woman on
the bench again.
(CONTINUED)

4. CONTINUED: 3.
Suddenly Val begins to rush down the road, frantically
looking into shop windows before finding a coffee shop and
hurling into the toilet, emerging moments later wiping her
mouth with toilet paper, making her way out the shop.
VAL
(to herself)
I’m going to be late.
Val upholds a light jog down the road, weaving in-between
the groups of people on the pavement. She stops in her
tracks as she rummages around for her buzzing phone.
POV phone screen.
Screen reads: 12:00, take meds.
Val rummages around in her bag, trying to navigate her
medication.
VAL
(to herself)
...Oh where are they?
Rummaging turns into a chaotic hunt.
VAL
(to herself)
No...no this can’t be real.
Val arises, looking hard into the distance for a pharmacy,
pacing up and down the road, running out of time.
She becomes fixated on an old tattered bench as she runs
towards the located pharmacy.
5 INT. PHARMACY - DAY
Val storms into the shop, huffing and puffing, staggering to
the counter towards the PHARMACIST - young adult, dressed in
a pristine white coat
PHARMACIST
Hello there, how can I help you
tod-
VAL
I need a box of tamoxifen, I...I’ve
run out and I need them as soon as
possible please.
(CONTINUED)

5. CONTINUED: 4.
PHARMACIST
Okay, do you have a prescription?
VAL
No...it’s at home but I do have
one, I need them please.
PHARMACIST
I’m very sorry but I’m afraid I
need a prescription to give them to
you.
Val steps away slightly from the counter, holding her head
in her hands. She composes herself, throwing her bag on her
shoulder whilst exiting the shop.
6 EXT. STREET - DAY
Val stumbles back out of the shop, looking up and down the
street.
The town hall bell rings, prompting Val to retrieve her
phone.
POV phone screen.
As the screen illuminates Val’s face drops.
Screen reads: 12:01pm
VAL
(to herself)
The surgery...
Val looks up the street once more.
VAL
(to herself)
I have to get there...
Val turns back to look down the road, beginning to run the
opposite way at sight of the bus progressing quicker and
quicker until it roars pass her. Val staggers to a stop,
maintaining a slow and steady pace towards the bus stop.
Val slumps against the bus stop post, gazing solemnly into
the distance.

6. 5.
7 INT. DOCTOR’S SURGERY - DAY
Val frantically enters the silent room, making her way to
the counter.
RECEPTIONIST
Hiya, how can I help?
VAL
Um hi, I’ve run out of my
prescription of Tamoxifen, I really
need it, could you please help?
RECEPTIONIST
I’m afraid I can’t unless you have
gone through the process...
Receptionist gazes quickly at her computer screen.
RECEPTIONIST
It has to be 48 hours...you know
this ummm...
Receptionist scratches her head, fixing a piece of undone
hair.
RECEPTIONIST
If you go and take a seat, I’ll go
and see what I can do for you.
Val walks over to the seating area, slipping out her phone
again alongside the clipping, fixating on the phone number
etched into it. Carefully, she dials the number on the
paper, placing the phone to her ear.
RECEPTIONIST 2
Hello this is Banstead Estate
Agents, how can I help you?
VAL
Hi...I have an interview at 12:45pm
for the um...receptionist position
and I’m afraid I’m running late,
can I talk to the manager please?
RECEPTIONIST 2
Oh...that’s a shame. If you would
hold for a minute whilst I pass you
on -
VAL
Um wait no hol-
(CONTINUED)

7. CONTINUED: 6.
The phone line cuts as the holding jingle plays in Val’s
ear. After some time she hangs up and redials.
RECEPTIONIST 2
Hello this is Banstead Estate
Agents, how can I help you?
VAL
Hi I have an interview I cannot
attend would I be able to talk to
the mana-
RECEPTIONIST 2
Yep, no worries, if you would just
wait and I’ll put you on hold-
Val slams her phone down, ending the call, launching the
phone into the air and watching it disappear into her bag.
Val lifts off the chair, knocking it to the floor with a
heavy thud, fumbling to steady it.
For a moment she gazes around the room, observing the
collection of people.
She paces shakily over to a magazine pile, grasping the
magazine on top, flicking slowly through it’s sleek pages
until there was no more pages.
A ticking sound draws Val’s eyes to the sterile white clock
mounted on the wall, her eyelids syncing with every tick of
the clock hand.
VAL
(to herself)
I could still make it
Val makes her way back to her seat, glancing at the clock
again, searching for her phone in her bag. She locates the
cold metal object and begins tapping a phone number in,
slumping over her phone placing her elbows on her knees.
POV phone screen.
VAL
(to herself)
No...was it 0772...or was it 3?
Val begins to undo her typing, tapping furiously. She
glances back at the clock, her eyes fixating again on the
moving clock hands.
A few moments pass, a YOUNG LADY approaches Val.
(CONTINUED)

8. CONTINUED: 7.
YOUNG LADY
Can I sit here please?
The young lady smiles as Val nods. Slowly, the young lady
plods next to Val.
YOUNG LADY
Oh my, you’re dressed very smartly!
Val brushes off the comment with a small chuckle.
Silence falls for a moment.
YOUNG LADY
Isn’t it a lovely day today eh?
8 EXT. STREET - DAY
Val exits the pharmacy, dropping a white box in her bag,
slowly trudging along to the bus stop.
Upon reaching the stop she slumps again the pole, placing
her bag beside her, scanning around her.
Val catches sight of the same bench from earlier, inhabiting
the same old woman who also spots Val, waving her hand to
call her over. With a small sigh, Val makes her way to the
old tattered bench, placing herself down slightly
reluctantly.
OLD LADY
You looked like a busy bee the last
time I saw you!
The old lady digs around her pocket and retrieves a batter
packet of biscuits, fumbling one out of the packet, breaking
it in half and taking a small bite. She glides the packet
over to Val, giving a little nod as Val slips a biscuit out
of the packet.
OLD LADY
Slow down a bit dear, the world
ain’t going anywhere soon.