FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - 11:45
Looking at the window, PETER sees raindrops on the window-pane.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, I meant to go to the Silverstrand Beach before attending a Council Meeting at HKUST.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Should I stick to my plan? It's quite a hassle to pack the stuff I need.
Surfing the web with his smart phone, Peter checks the hourly weather forecast of Sai Kung and sees: 12:00 -13:00: Cloudy; and 13:00 -14:00: Cloudy.
MONTAGE OF PETER'S PREPARATION
A. Peter packs a shirt, a pair of trousers, a jacket and a bottle of lemonade into his red swimming-gear bag. He puts a pair of shoes and socks in another bag.
B. Wearing a sun-protection hat, a face mask, a T-shirt, shorts and a pair of sandals, and carrying his bags, Peter leaves.
C. After buying two chicken pies in a mall bakery, Peter walks towards a covered car park, checking his smart phones and iPad Mini inside a shoulder bag along the way.
END MONTAGE
Act 2
EXT. SILVERSTRAND BEACH - 13:00
Cloudy with sunny intervals. Peter swims towards one of the two floating platforms.
PETER (V.O.): I love to play with the fish swimming near the platform's ladder.
Under water, Peter tries to touch some small fish without success.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Being small, they've the most room to swim swiftly from my hands.
Climbing up a platform ladder, Peter notes it's empty.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here's heaven on earth to me.
Lying down and wearing goggles on his forehead, Peter uses his hands to cover his face.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here comes the sun.
After awhile, Peter rolls over to let the sun tan his back.
FLASHBACK
EXT. TIN SUM SAN TSUEN - DAY (1961)
Autumn. Peter (7) and his PEERS are playing hide-and-seek near haystacks.
PETER (V.O.): I'll hide not just behind a haystack but inside it.
As a PEER turns his back on Peter, he runs to one haystack and jumps into the middle of it.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can cope with the hays. They aren't as sharp as needles.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They smell like dried buds.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was fun. Later, the farmers began to plant cash crops rather than rice. And no more haystacks.
FLASHBACK
INT. SHUNG TAK COLLEGE - NIGHT (1969)
A classroom decorated with hays. BOYS and GIRLS are gathering. Peter (16) sits in a corner.
PETER (V.O.): How nice! I like barn dance. I like its hay ambience.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's the nearest I could get.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In Autumn, 2015, when I was visiting harvested rice fields in Guangdong North, I saw dinosaur sculptures made of hays.
Later, at the beach, Peter finds an angle to capture an image of his belongings and the swimming area.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've seized the window of opportunity to capture my moment!
Later, at a sitting-out area, Peter eats chicken pies and drinks lemonade. He drops some on his bare chest.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Okay, I haven't bathed and changed yet.
Later, leaving the bathing and changing room, Peter, in smart casual wear, takes the staircases uphill and rests at junctures.
EXT. CAMPUS, HKUST - 17:00
Raining. Leaving a covered car park in a car, we see the windscreen wiper turning on automatically.
PETER (V.O.): I used to swim after work. If I followed that routine, I wouldn't be able to swim in the sea today.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 20:00
Relaxing on a sofa and listening to oldies, Peter is pondering.
PETER (V.O.): The good old days and moments are long gone.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I took advantage of the then favourable circumstances.
Surfing the web, Peter types: how to make hay. We see on screen: The best strategy is to mow after a rain as the sun may shine after that.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, make hay while the sun shines.
THE END
FADE OUT
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