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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Fragments of a Childhood



FADE IN

  1.  

  2. Act 1

  3.  

  4. INT. STUDY - 16:30

  5.  

  6. Cluttered, lived-in atmosphere, PETER lies on a sofa, his gaze distant.


  7. FLASHBACK


  8. EXT. FRUIT STORE, SHEUNG WAN - 12:50 (Today)


  9. As Peter, in smart casual wear, stares at the fruit on display, a salesperson observes him.

  10.  

  11. SALESPERSON: Ah Baak, what do you want to buy?


  12. Peter is taken aback, initially.

  13.  

  14. PETER (V.O): Despite my outfit, he can tell I'm old.

  15.  

  16. Peter points to cups of dragon fruit.


  17. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): There's no point to deny my age, I've to accept it.


  18. Having paid, Peter walks towards Tung Wah Hospital.


  19. Act 2  

  20.  

  21. INT. TUNG WAH HOSPITAL - 13:15

  22.  

  23. Ward. Peter sees ALFRED sitting up in bed and his WIFE spoonfeeding him. They also see Peter appearing at the gowning area.

  24.  

  25. PETER: Hi there!

  26.  

  27. Having gowned, Peter goes to Alfred's bed. He and Alfred hold hands as Alfred's wife unpacks a cup of dragon fruit.


  28. PETER (Cont'd): Yesterday afternoon, I went swimming in Silverstrand...Let me show you a photo...


  29. We follow Alfred to see an image of Peter in a wetsuit carrying a cyber-green float at the beach.


  30. PETER (Cont'd): I was the only swimmer. And I swam to the outer limit...

  31.  

  32. ALFRED: ...you...alone?


  33. PETER: I believe a lifeguard was observing me in a beach tower...


  34. ALFRED: You...very...brave...er...cold?


  35. PETER: Yes, very cold.


  36. ALFRED'S WIFE: How long did it take for you to swim to the outer limit and return to the shore?


  37. PETER: About 30 minutes...I daren't stay long for fear of hypothermia.


  38. As a PARTY is about to see Alfred, Peter exits.


  39. EXT. STREETS OF SHEUNG WAN & SAI YING PUN - 13:45

  40.  

  41.  Peter walks slowly, looking around.


  42. PETER (V.O): Days ago, I visited the place where I was born over 70 years ago.


  43. Pausing.


  44. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I believe it was the Tsan Yuk Hospital, not the current one, but the old one at the cross-section of Western Street and Third Street.


  45. Pausing.


  46. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I lived in the Cheung family home at 3 Graham Street, 1/F.


  47. Recalling.


  48. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I can't forget the address as all wanted me to remember it so that I might be led home if I was lost and found.


  49. Recalling.


  50. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): As the first grandson of the big Cheung family, I was privileged. Dai Jie, our domestic helper, would prepare a special dish for me in every meal.


  51. Recalling.


  52. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): But I stayed home most of the time, watching the world go by from the window.


  53. Pausing.


  54. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Soon after we moved out the premises in 1960, the old building was demolished for development.


  55. Pausing.


  56. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The other day, I discovered that the Tung Wah Primary School on Hollywood Road, where I attended the first grade, has been demolished.


  57. Peter walks near the Sai Ying Pun Jockey Club Clinic.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): This very site once served as the Government Civil Hospital. My Mom told me that once I had high fever, my Dad carried me on his back and ran here from Graham Street.


  59. Sighing.


  60. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My Dad passed away in 2011 and I still struggle to accept that he's no longer here.


  61. RETURN TO PRESENT


  62. Act 3

  63.  

  64. INT. STUDY - 21:30

  65.  

  66. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled: "Fragments of a Childhood..." to a draft in his laptop.

  67.  

  68. PETER (V.O): My childhood memories exist in fragments, brief moments and fleetng encounters.

  69.  

  70. Thinking.

  71.  

  72. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While time transforms everything, I find a sense of belonging in revisiting the places of my childhood.

  73.  

  74. Reflecting.

  75.  

  76.  PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm assembling the fragments of my childhood together like a puzzle, revealing the formative experiences that have shaped the person I'm today.

  77.  

  78. FADE OUT

  79.  

  80. THE END







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