The Paradox

By Toby Griffin
EXT – OUTSIDE FOREST – DAY

11th January. 9:36 am. A car is parked around the forest.

A man, dressed in all black and wearing a mask, steps out
of the car and walks around to the boot. THE MAN IN BLACK
opens to boot, MARTIN is tied up with tape over his
mouth. THE MAN IN BLACK reaches in.

EXT – FOREST – MOMENTS LATER

They walk further into the woods and THE MAN IN BLACK
loads a gun. MARTIN falls over. THE MAN IN BLACK clocks
the gun. THE MAN IN BLACK’s mask distorts his voice.

THE MAN IN BLACK

I’m sorry, Martin. When you mess with the
fabric of space time there will always be
consequences.

MARTIN shakes in confusion, fearing for his life.

THE MAN IN BLACK

Goodbye, Martin.

THE MAN IN BLACK points the gun. THE MAN IN BLACK looks
at the gun. Strange warping sounds begin to intensify,
both THE MAN IN BLACK and MARTIN turn towards the source.
In a burst of blue light, FUTURE MARTIN appears in front
of them both.

FUTURE MARTIN stands in shock briefly before quickly

shooting THE MAN IN BLACK. THE MAN IN BLACK drops to the
ground. MARTIN looks at his future self.

FUTURE MARTIN
Hello Martin, I’m you, from the future.
FUTURE MARTIN mumbles something. MARTIN’s scream is
muffled. He gets up and runs away. FUTURE MARTIN sighs
and starts to chase after him. MARTIN runs as fast as he
can whilst being tied up. FUTURE MARTIN follows quickly
behind.

FUTURE MARTIN
Martin! Martin! (muffled in short distance)

MARTIN continues running but is hit in the back with a

stick. He falls over. FUTURE MARTIN catches up, he tries
to catch his breath. He is holding a small pad and a gun.

FUTURE MARTIN
Martin! (still out of breath) let me – let me
explain. Woo, you weren’t kidding time travel
takes a lot out of you.

MARTIN starts to shout but it is muffled by the tape.

FUTURE MARTIN
Ummm, you’ve still got the tape.

MARTIN takes off the tape and unties himself.

MARTIN
Who was that? Who are you? What have I got do
with the fabric of space time? What is going
on!

FUTURE MARTIN
I have no idea. I’m you, but future you. And I
have no idea how to answer those questions.
 MARTIN
That isn’t helpful at all!

FUTURE MARTIN
Well, that’s what you told me, or I told you.

MARTIN stands looking even more confused whilst FUTURE

MARTIN is trying to figure it out.

FUTURE MARTIN
Or he told us. I don’t know, it’s all wibbily
wobbly timey wimey. But either way now you need
to go back now.

FUTURE MARTIN hands MARTIN the gun and small pad.

MARTIN
Go back where? What is this?

FUTURE MARTIN
It’s a time machine. It takes you back in time.
(As if he is stating the obvious)

MARTIN looks at the device.

FUTURE MARTIN
I don’t remember asking so many questions. But
say and do everything I did. Remember
everything that happened exactly how it
happened.

MARTIN presses the button.

 FUTURE MARTIN
Make sure you explain everything. And say
something cool!

EXT – FOREST – A FEW MINUTES EARLIER

MARTIN is engulfed in blue light and is pulled through to

a different part of the forest. He sees THE MAN IN BLACK
and the past version of himself staring at him. He
quickly shoots THE MAN IN BLACK. THE MAN IN BLACK drops
to the ground.

MARTIN
Hello Martin, I’m you, from the future.
(pause)
That wasn’t very cool

PAST MARTIN’s scream is muffled. He gets up and runs

away. MARTIN sighs and starts to chase after him. MARTIN
follows quickly behind.

MARTIN
Martin! Martin!

MARTIN looks around and he finds a stick on the ground.

He throws the stick, and it hits PAST MARTIN in the back
and he falls to the ground. MARTIN catches up.

MARTIN
Martin! (still out of breath) let me – let me
explain. Woo, you weren’t kidding time travel
takes a lot out of you.

PAST MARTIN starts to shout but it is muffled by the

tape.
 MARTIN
Ummm, you’ve still got the tape.

PAST MARTIN takes off the tape and unties himself.

PAST MARTIN
Who was that? Who are you? What have I got do
with the fabric of space time? What is going
on!

MARTIN
I have no idea. I’m you, but future you. And I
have no idea how to answer those questions.

PAST MARTIN
That isn’t helpful at all!

MARTIN
Well, that’s what you told me, or I told you.

PAST MARTIN stands looking even more confused whilst

MARTIN is trying to figure it out.

MARTIN
Or he told us. I don’t know, it’s all wibbily
wobbly timey wimey. But either way now you need
to go back now.

FUTURE MARTIN hands MARTIN the gun and small pad.

PAST MARTIN
Go back where? What is this?
 MARTIN
It’s a time machine. It takes you back in time.
(As if he is stating the obvious)

PAST MARTIN looks at the device.

MARTIN
I don’t remember asking so many questions. But
say and do everything I did. Remember
everything that happened exactly how it
happened.

PAST MARTIN presses the button.

MARTIN
Make sure you explain everything. And say
something cool!

PAST MARTIN is sucked through with a burst of blue light.

MARTIN breathes a sigh of relief; he then starts to look
around and starts to freak out. MARTIN takes of running.
Strange vortex sounds start whirring up. The sound is cut
off by a small pop and a black hole forms with it.

TITLE CARD: THE PARADOX

INT – KITCHEN – DAY

SHERMAN is walking around his kitchen in his dressing

gown. He makes a cup of tea, sits down and sips it. He
breathes a peaceful sigh. His bliss is interrupted by the
sounds of MARTIN in the distance.
 MARTIN
Sherman!

SHERMAN’s sighs again, but this time in frustration.

MARTIN
Sherman! Someone tried to kill. But then I was
saved by me and then I went back in time and
saved my self and then sent the me I saved back
in time.
(rambling)
I have no idea what’s going on!

SHERMAN
I’ll put the kettle on again

INT – SHERMAN’S DESK – DAY

SHERMAN puts a briefcase on a desk and opens it. The case

is full of different files. SHERMAN begins to go through
the files whilst MARTIN stands behind him.

SHERMAN
So, time travels your problem, let’s see here.
Nuclear war, no. Zombie apocalypse, no. Alien
invasion, no. Dolphin people, no.

MARTIN
Dolphin people?

SHERMAN
Meeting the Carbons, no. Ah!
SHERMAN pulls out a DVD.

SHERMAN
Time travel.

They put the DVD into the player, and it starts to play.
A hypnotic video begins to play and starts glitching. The
words “TIME TRAVEL TUTORIAL” appear on the screen.
Suddenly, a man dressed in a cowboy outfit jumps into
frame.

JOHNNY ROCKETS
Howdy partner, I’m Johnny Rockets, the rootin’
tootin’ time traveling cowboy. Here for all
your time travel and exposition needs. Yee-Haw
Make sure you stick around after the
presentation, for the Spanish dub.

MARTIN and SHERMAN look at each other then look back at

the screen.

JOHNNY ROCKETS
Now time travel is a fun pass time, but it’s
also a very risky business. It’s important to
remember to never interfere with any event in
history, under any circumstance. Interfering
with the timeline will result in many things
but the worse possibility is the creation of a
paradox. Never create a paradox under any
circumstance. A paradox is a rip in the space
time continuum, a void of absent space that
will suck in and destroy anything in its path.
A paradox can be created with any major change
to the timeline, like saving your past-self
from death or putting your hat on backwards.

SHERMAN pauses the video and waits a few moments. He

turns to MARTIN.
 SHERMAN
Martin…did you create a paradox?

MARTIN
I-I I don’t know…

SHERMAN
Martin?

MARTIN
Promise not to yell.

SHERMAN nods.

MARTIN
I-I think there may be the slightest, minimal
chance that I may have created a paradox.

SHERMAN
Martin! (yelling)

MARTIN
You said you wouldn’t yell

SHERMAN
You said you wouldn’t create a paradox!

MARTIN
I never said that!
 SHERMAN
It should go without saying! Just…watch the
video.

SHERMAN shakes his head and presses play on the video.

JOHNNY ROCKETS
In the event of a paradox, you’ve got a very
short amount of time to set it right. However,
paradoxes aren’t the only possible side effect
of time travel. Excessive time travel may lead
to such effects as:
Minor amnesia
Dry mouth
Minor amnesia
General confusion
Itching
Head aches
And last but not least minor amnesia.
The use of a home-made time machine will result
in even worse eff-

SHERMAN pauses the video again. He looks up at MARTIN,

SHERMAN is thinking and debating in his head.

SHERMAN
He said we’ve got a short amount of time to set
it right. If we can contain it, that should buy
us some time.

MARTIN
How are we supposed to contain a “a rip in the
space time continuum”?
 SHERMAN
The Dyson protocol.

EXT – FOREST – DAY

MARTIN and SHERMAN are in the forest, SHERMAN is holding

a hoover and sucks up the paradox. MARTIN looks at
SHERMAN in confusion and disappointment.

INT – SHERMAN’S HOUSE – DAY

SHERMAN seals the paradox in a jar, the jar is now filled

with a solid black void. MARTIN takes the jar and writes
a label on it, “PARADOX”. SHERMAN looks at MARTIN and
MARTIN looks back.

MARTIN
So, we don’t forget…

SHERMAN leaves, MARTIN puts the jar down and follows.

INT – SHERMANS’S DESK – DAY

SHERMAN sits at the desk and begins to type. MARTIN walks

in after him.

MARTIN
Wait is that it? What do we do now?

SHERMAN
Now you go back in time again
 MARTIN
Again?!

SHERMAN stop typing

SHERMAN
Yes, but this time you go back to before the
paradox was ever created. You only created the
paradox when you tried to save yourself. So, if
you never need to be saved, you never need to
go back.

SHERMAN hands MARTIN a gun.

SHERMAN
Kill him before he gets a chance to kill
Martin… well you

MARTIN
Jesus Christ Sherman

MARTIN puts it in his pocket. SHERMAN starts typing

again.

MARTIN
Only problem is that we don’t have a time
machine

SHERMAN
Not yet…

SHERMAN finishes typing and leans back in his chair.

 SHERMAN
The only website with all the scientific
answers we could need.

SHERMAN is on the NASA website, but he closes the tab

revealing WIKIHOW. He searches “how to make a time
machine”

SHERMAN
Alright, let’s get to work.

MARTIN and SHERMAN start assembling items to make a time

machine. They gather items such as wires, a light bulb
and duct tape. SHERMAN gives MARTIN an egg timer.

SHERMAN
It says to use a digital clock

MARTIN
Potato. patato

SHERMAN
Who says patato?

They continue to work on the machine whilst the jar sits

in the other room.

SHERMAN
What are the googliy eyes for?

MARTIN
To keep an eye on the time
INT – SHERMAN’S HOUSE – DAY

The jar is sat on a dresser. A cat walks over to the jar

mesmerised by it. The cat moves towards the jar.

INT – SHERMAN’S DESK – DAY

SMASH and CAT SHREAK. SHERMAN and MARTIN get up and look
towards the source of the sound. They walk towards it.

SHERMAN
Peabody? What did you do?

MARTIN
Wait Sherman the machines not done yet

INT – SHERMAN’S HOUSE – DAY

They enter the room and the sounds of the paradox

intensify. SHERMAN gets pulled in by the paradox, MARTIN
grabs him. MARTIN is in a tug of war with the paradox.

SHERMAN
You’ve gotta fix this. Go back, stop it at any
cost-

SHERMAN is sucked into the paradox. MARTIN falls back and

scrambles into the other room. He grabs the time machine
and goes back in time.

EXT – STREET – A FEW HOURS EARLIER

MARTIN stumbles through in a ball of blue light, he falls
over.

He hears flashes of before he travelled back. “a rip in

the space time continuum” “a chance to kill Martin…” “fix
this” “stop it at any cost-“

He scrambles to his feet, looks at the gun and checks his

watch. 11th January. 9:00 am. He stumbles over to a car
and picks the lock. He finds a jacket and a mask in the
car. He starts the engine.

PAST MARTIN is walking down the street before being

grabbed by MARTIN. MARTIN becomes THE MAN IN BLACK.

EXT – OUTSIDE FOREST – MOMENTS LATER

9:36 am. A car is parked around the forest. A man,

dressed in all black and wearing a mask, steps out of the
car and walks around to the boot. THE MAN IN BLACK opens
to boot, PAST MARTIN is tied up with tape over his mouth.
THE MAN IN BLACK reaches in.

They walk further into the woods and THE MAN IN BLACK
loads a gun. MARTIN falls over. THE MAN IN BLACK clocks
the gun. THE MAN IN BLACK’s mask distorts his voice.

THE MAN IN BLACK

I’m sorry, Martin. When you mess with the
fabric of space time there will always be
consequences.

PAST MARTIN shakes in confusion, fearing for his life.

 THE MAN IN BLACK
Goodbye, Martin.

THE MAN IN BLACK points the gun. THE MAN IN BLACK looks
at the gun. Strange warping sounds begin to intensify,
both THE MAN IN BLACK and MARTIN turn towards the source.
In a burst of blue light, FUTURE MARTIN appears in front
of them both. THE MAN IN BLACK realises what is
happening.

THE MAN IN BLACK

(Mutters) Oh

FUTURE MARTIN stands in shock briefly before quickly

shooting THE MAN IN BLACK. THE MAN IN BLACK drops to the
ground. PAST MARTIN looks at his future self.

FUTURE MARTIN
Hello Martin, I’m you, from the future.

CREDITS

JOHNNY ROCKETS appears on screen

JOHNNY ROCKETS
hola amigo, mi nombre es johnny rockets

He stops. JOHNNY ROCKETS’s accent disappears, and he has

become a thespian actor.

JOHNNY ROCKETS
What is wrong with my pronunciation. Gary I am
an actor for heavens sake, let me act
He gets more frustrated

JOHNNY ROCKETS
Gary, Gary, Gary. I was Richard 3rd. I was in
King Lear. I am doing this as a favour for your
mother, Gary.

He pauses

JOHNNY ROCKETS
Fine, you get one more take, one more. Get me a
glass of orange juice, freshly squeezed, or so
help me Jeffrey, I will rain hell on you.

END