Short End of the Stick

1. FADE IN.

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. STUDY - 10:30

6. 
   

7. PETER is reading text on his smartphone screen.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): "Short end of the stick?" What does this idiom mean?

10. 
    

11. Peter surfs the web.

12. 
    

13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If one get's the short end of the stick, one is in a worse position than others in a particular situation although it isn't one's fault.

14. 
    

15. Pausing.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The author of the text is a very successful entrepreneur but is having a life-ending illness.

18. 
    

19. Pausing.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On the question whether health is wealth, he wrote that he'd give all his money away in exchange for health.

22. 
    

23. Act 2

24. 
    

25. EXT. PARK - 14:15

26. 
    

27. Jogging, Peter stops in front a pool of water. .

28. 
    

29. PETER (V.O.): The fallen leaves and the water reflection appeal to my sense.

30. 
    

31. Peter stares at the reflections of Y-shaped branches.

32. 
    

33. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Days ago, I responded to a Quora answer request. It's about something that was around when I was a kid but no longer exists.

34. 
    

35. Pausing.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):That something was a slingshot.

38. 
    

39. FLASHBACK

40. 
    

41. EXT. HUNG SHUI KIU - AFTERNOON (1962)

42. 
    

43. Uniformed PUPILS including Peter (8) are walking towards a Zebra crossing. PUPIL#1 shows off a Y-shaped slingshot.

44. 
    

45. PETER: Wow, the Y-shaped frame is so symmetrical.

46. 
    

47. PUPIL#1: I can shoot any birds accurately with my slingshot.

48. 
    

49. EXT. TIN SUM SAN TSUEN - AFTERNOON

50. 
    

51. Peter is searching under the trees.

52. 
    

53. PETER (V.O.): There aren't any fallen Y-shaped branches.

54. 
    

55. Looking up.

56. 
    

57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Cutting a strong one above is hard.

58. 
    

59. END FLASHBACK

60. 
    

61. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I did cut a Y-shape stick, but it wasn't good.

62. 
    

63. Recalling.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The upside of that was that I couldn't harm any birds with my slingshot.

66. 
    

67. Recalling.

68. 
    

69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Years ago, when I saw a modern slingshot in a Japanese toy shop, I couldn't help but buy one to satisfy myself in the end.

70. 
    

71. Pausing.

72. 
    

73. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having shared my story in Quora, a Quoran from afar responded and thought my story was great.

74. 
    

75. Pausing.

76. 
    

77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He wrote that he got a perfect Y-shape stick and shot with round pebbles for accuracy.

78. 
    

79. Pausing.

80. 
    

81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He added that he didn't harm any birds, but did break a window accidentally.

82. 
    

83. Pausing.

84. 
    

85. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Walking down the memory lane, I couldn't believe we'd run into each other.

86. 
    

87. Thinking.

88. 
    

89. PETER (V.O)(Cont'd): Aging is like getting life's short end of the stick.

90. 
    

91. Pausing.

92. 
    

93. PETER (V.O)(Cont'd): Those who couldn't live with COVID-19 also get the short end of the stick.

94. 
    

95. Sighing, Peter takes a photo before moving on.

96. 
    

97. Act 3

98. 
    

99. INT. STUDY - 20:00

100. 
     

101. Peter is watching TV images depicting coffins.

102. 
     

103. PETER (V.O.): May the dead continue to live in the minds of those who are left behind.

104. 
     

105. Pausing.

106. 
     

107. PETER (V.O)(Cont'd): I'd continue to add years to life and life in years, while I still can.

108. 
     

109. Pausing.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O)(Cont'd): Living in Hong Kong before and after 1997, I've got both the short and long ends of the stick.

112. 
     

113. Pausing.

114. 
     

115. PETER (V.O)(Cont'd): The key for all is to spend wisely our only true capital - time.

116. 
     

117. FADE OUT

118. 
     

119. THE END