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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

From Dust to Reflection


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. BEDROOM - 07:45


  4. Phone alarm ringing. Peter wakes up.


  5. PETER (V.O): I've a 9:00 meeting to attend.


  6. INT. HK CLUB BUILDING - 08:50


  7. Foyer. Sipping a cup of cappuccino, Peter chats with a HEADHUNTER.


  8. PETER: I must say your ability to persuade is remarkable! You exhibit great leadership skills.

  9. HEADHUNTER: But I can't convince you after all! You've seen it all.


  10. PETER: I'm turning 70.


  11. HEADHUNTER: I'm 72.


  12. PETER (Surprised): You're so vibrant and full of life! I work in retirement to check if I still have any residual value.


  13. Act 2


  14. INT. CHAMBERS - 10:15


  15. Having read and collected some papers, Peter exits.


  16. PETER (V.O): I'm winding down my professional work.

  17. Pausing.


  18. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'll do my March travel this week. When April comes, my wife and I will do motoring in Honshu.


  19. Pausing.


  20. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): And last Sat, my wife and I booked expensive air tickets to Paris Seoul, Sapporo and Tokyo. My business is travel and her business is shopping.


  21. INT. SWIMMING POOL - 11:15


  22. Lanes. Peter moves through the water gracefully.


  23. PETER (V.O): Exercising my body regularly, I hope I can live longer sick-free.


  24. Changing room, later. Getting back his belongings from a locker, Peter checks phone messages.


  25. PETER (V.O): Oh, one is about our hotel bookings in May in Sydney; the other is about a marathon meeting at Clear Water Bay tomorrow.


  26. Peter then engages in phone conversations.


  27. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): They're actually small matters.


  28. INT. STUDY - 14:00


  29. Lying in a sofa, Peter is watching a series of video clips, playing one after another, on his mobile screen.


  30. PETER (V.O): The observable universe is estimated to have a diameter of about 93 billion light years.


  31. Watching with awe.


  32. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The value is derived from the distance light has had the opportunity to travel since the Big Bang, which has occurred about 13.8 billion years ago.

  33. Pausing.

  34. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm mesmerized with the vastness of the universe, cosmic phenomena and the beauty of the watery Earth.

  35. Watching.


  36. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The cosmic dust clouds, representing the galaxies, star clusters and nebulae fascinate me!


  37. Pausing.


  38. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Dust, scattered across the cosmos, forms the building blocks of galaxies and stars.


  39. Thinking.


  40. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Earth is just a pale blue dot in the cosmic vastness.


  41. Pausing.


  42. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): From the dust of ancient stars, life emerged. I'm stardust, interconnected with the cosmos.


  43. Pondering.


  44. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Just as cosmic dust plays a vital role in the universe; what on Earth am I here for? It can't be money, power and glory.


  45. Reflecting.


  46. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'm creative but not innovative, I can't contribute to any technological advancement to explore the cosmos.


  47. Peter researches on the solar system.


  48. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In about five billion years, the Sun will exhaust its nuclear fuel, expand into a red giant, engulfing the inner planets including Earth...


  49. Reflecting.


  50. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In the foreseeable future, for dust I'm and to dust I'll return.


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. BEROOM - 22:00


  53. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "From Dust to Reflection..." to a draft.


  54. PETER (V.O): In the grand scheme of the universe, human existence and earthly pursuits are insignificant.


  55. Contemplating.


  56. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I've reconsidered the bigger picture and have a deeper perspective on life.


  57. We hear from the radio: ...Jim Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13, celebrates his 96th birthday today...


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I'd reassess my priorities, striving to live a longer and more fulfilling life.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END



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