FADE IN
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - 08:30
Sharing bread with KAJI, the family pet, PETER is reading newspaper.
PETER (V.O.): Ha, the first bespectacled Chinese astronault!
EXT. ROADSIDE - 09:00
Inside a cyber-green New Beetle, Peter listens to the radio.
PETER (V.O.): Shenzhou 16 Commander Jing will fly the 4th time.
We hear from the radio: To keep him fit, he does pushups and sit-ups 600 times a day, and rope skipping 1000 times a day.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In a day, I only do 40 pushups and 100 "sit-ups". On weekdays, I swim on-stop for over 30 minutes.
We hear from the radio: There's the possibility that civilians from Hong Kong and Macau may become payload specialists in China's space programme.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't think any Space Law specialist will ever be needed.
Act 2
INT. ROADSIDE - CONTINUOUS
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S SPACE-RELATED ACTIVITIES
A. UCL, 1986 - 1987. Peter and his CLASSMATES are studying Space Law after Prof BIN CHENG.
B. UCL, 1986 - 1997. RICHARD GARDINER is lecturing Peter and his classmates on remote sensing matters.
C. LLM Transcript 1987. Peter secures passes in Sea, Air & Space Law.
D. Law Lecturing, 1990s. Among other International Law subjects, Peter teaches Sea, Air and Space Law.
END SEQUENCE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Even law teaching has become remote to me now.
DAYDREAMING SEQUENCE
A. Tiangong space station. Peter disconnects his space pod from it.
B. Convertible space pod. Lying in it with his helmet open, Peter is floating in space.
C. Space. In his convertible space pod, Peter touches his hair with his bare hands and kicks effortlessly.
END DAYDREAMING SEQUENCE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's my impossible space odyssey.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There's no oxygen in space. I can do that for no more than 15 seconds.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In my 15 seconds, I can see the void but I can't hear any sound.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the vacuum of space, there is no air or other medium for sound to travel through.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I like, I can sing a jingo for myself.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But there's no fun for other possible conscious beings in space as they can only detect electro-magnetic waves.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): After blacking out, complete brain death will follow within minutes.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Even if I behave, I know nothing about spacecraft dynamics, navigation and control.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Recently, I've conducted an experiment at home, growing vegetables with a smart grower.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As my vision is no good anymore, I couldn't tell if I had put seeds into capsules or had them dropped somewhere.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): One seed did grow, but it soon withered.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Although I'm stardust, I think I can only survive on Earth.
Act 3
INT. DINING ROOM - 22:00
Peter is dining with his FAMILY.
PETER (V.O.): I won't yearn for space travel. Sight aside, I'd miss the earthly sound, touch, taste and smell.
Staring at his family including Kaji.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Here is where I belong. I won't part with my loved ones, not even for six months, as time is precious to me now.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Still, I'd put myself to the fullest possible use, including space-related matters.
Grabbing his smartphone, Peter checks his AI drawings on Space Odyssey.
FADE OUT
THE END
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