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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Sands of Time


  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. BEDROOM - 04:00


  4. Waking up, PETER checks the bedside clock.


  5. PETER: Oh, I wake up again after one round of sleep.


  6. Pausing


  7. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I know that as I age, I tend to experience fragmented sleep with frequent waking during the night. I've reduced sleep efficiency.


  8. Pausing.


  9. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Another possibility is that I've been exposed to alarming or distressing messages earlier and my mind wants to process them.


  10. Pausing.


  11. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Earlier, I was shocked to hear that Mum said she had met with my late Dad recently.


  12. Act 2


  13. INT. RESTAURANT, HUNG SHUI KIU - 15:30 (Yesterday)


  14. The FAMILY is having afternoon tea. We can barely hear Peter's MUM muttering to herself. A BROTHER talks to Peter.


  15. BROTHER: Mum says that after a long absence, she has met up with Dad.


  16. PETER: Oh, Mum has forgotten Dad passed away over 10 years ago?


  17. BROTHER: For decades, Mum liked to scold Dad. Mum must be missing that.

  18. PETER: But Dad used to take good care of her of everything.


  19. BROTHER: Mum couldn't quite remember my wife, although they've been mahjong partners for decades.


  20. BROTHER (Cont'd): But Mum often mentions "Ah Fai"...


  21. PETER (V.O): I just assume Mum recognizes me.


  22. RETURN TO PRESENT


  23. INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:00


  24. Peter researches with his mobile.


  25. PETER (V.O): Mum has an age-related memory loss. She can forget Dad's passing even though that was a significant life event.


  26. Pausing.


  27. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Mum creates false memories (that she has met Dad recently) to fill in gaps in her recollection.


  28. Pausing.


  29. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): When Dad was around, she felt secure and comfortable.


  30. Pausing.


  31. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Her fabricated memory provides a sense of familiarity and reassurance in her current state of confusion.


  32. Pausing.


  33. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Maintaining the false memory help Mum avoid the emotional pain of remembering of Dad's death.


  34. INT. STUDIO - 12:30


  35. Sitting before a piano, Peter plays "A Summer Place".


  36. PETER (V.O): I'm creative but I haven't created any false memories yet.


  37. Pausing.


  38. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): These days 32 years ago were the most difficult days of my life.


  39. We hear dissonant sounds.


  40. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I began accompanying Sharon by her bedside in the hospital, both day and night.


  41. Peter starts all over again.

  42. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The first time I listened to this musical piece live was when Sharon playing it for me at her home in the summer of 1974.


  43. Playing.


  44. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Playing the musical piece, I think I've internalized my late Sharon in me.


  45. INT. LIVING ROOM - 19:45


  46. Peter sees his WIFE and younger DAUGHTER going out with KAJI, the family pet.


  47. PETER (V.O.): They're going to a relative's family hot-pot dinner. I'm not joining them.


  48. Pausing.


  49. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Today, I had brunch with them and then we went to pay tribute to my late mother-in-law together.


  50. Pausing.


  51. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In the Columbarium, I've noticed that some couldn't live to 70.


  52. Act 3


  53. INT. BEDROOM - 21:30


  54. Peter inserts an AI drawing entitled "Sands of Time" to a draft on a laptop.


  55. PETER (V.O): The sands of time can't be stopped whether I will it or not.


  56. Thinking.


  57. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): What has been lost may yet live in memories, even if some are created to fill in gaps in recollection.


  58. Reflecting.


  59. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): While I may have more or less time than others, it's what I do with my time that makes the difference.


  60. FADE OUT


  61. THE END


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