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  • Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Under the Starlit Sky

  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. EXT. GRAND COLOANE RESORT, MACAO - 01:00


  4. At the room veranda, PETER & his WIFE stand together under the starlit sky.


  5. PETER: What a serene and beautiful sight!


  6. Taking out an iPad Mini, Peter's wife opens a constellation app. When the device is facing the starlit sky, we see on screen a lit-up pattern of three bright stars in a row.


  7. WIFE: This is Orion - the most recognizable one.


  8. PETER: Remember the first time we watched the constellations together?


  9. Peter's wife remembers.


  10. WIFE: During a sunrise tour to Mt Bromo in Indonesia, soon after we got married.


  11. PETER: The second time was at a Da Nang beach in 2017, before I began working in retirement.


  12. His wife continues to appreciate constellations shown on screen.


  13. PETER (V.O.): Now's the third time - in 30 years.


  14. Act 2


  15. INT. GRAND COLOANE RESORT, MACAO - 02:00


  16. Connecting rooms. Via a shared door, Peter's younger DAUGHTER comes in to check a few things with the mother.


  17. PETER (V.O.): We enjoy the room benefits as well as the convenience of close proximity.


  18. The daughter returns to her room and closes the shared door.


  19. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Her room has twin beds. One for her and one for her friend.


  20. Pausing.


  21. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): We've just watched their idol's concert in the Londoner Arena, Macao.


  22. Pausing.


  23. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It's their idol, not the parents, that keeps pushing them forward.


  24. EXT. GRAND COLOANE RESORT, MACAO - 10:30


  25. Verandas. As Peter and his wife are watching the sea view in one, their daughter and her FRIEND greet them from the adjoining one.


  26. WIFE: The view is captivating, right?


  27. DAUGHTER: Not as captivating as this old photo...


  28. Their daughter shows them a phone image, depicting a baby girl posing at a look-a-like veranda.


  29. DAUGHTER (Cont'd): I was here when I was about one and a half years old!


  30. WIFE: Oh, we brought you...that must be 2001.


  31. PETER: All I can recall is that I stayed in this resort before.


  32. WIFE: Your elder sister and elder brother had to attend kindergarten; and that's why we only brought you here.


  33. PETER: Why were we here?


  34. WIFE: After giving her birth, I attended and completed HKU's PCLL and we needed a break.

  35. PETER: We travelled a lot with her before she attended nursery.


  36. INT. RESTAURANT, RUA DO CUNHA - 12:30


  37. Local cuisine fill the table. The daughter shows Peter and his wife a then-and-now image of her at the veranda.


  38. WIFE: Just can't image how you've changed from childhood to adulthood.


  39. PETER (V.O.): We've physical changes too, but our emotional connection develops as well.


  40. INT. FRITES, BELGIUM ON TAP - 19:30


  41. A table adorned with a stylish candle-like lamp. In the presence of their younger SON and younger daughter, Peter places a gentle arm on his wife's shoulder.


  42. PETER: Today's our 30th wedding anniversary. Thank you for celebrating it with us!


  43. Pausing.


  44. PETER (Cont'd): Do you know why we chose to get married on Boxing day? It isn't the end of a holiday yet!


  45. Pausing.


  46. PETER (V.O.): My elder son is still in New York.


  47. Pausing.


  48. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Our elder daughter is in Seoul, and Boxing day there is just an ordinary day.


  49. Recalling.


  50. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Once in Kota Kinabalu, my family had fun in three connecting hotel rooms, but we missed the starlit sky.


  51. Act 3


  52. EXT. ROADS - 22:30


  53. Sitting in a passenger seat of a Mercedes, Peter watches the nightscape of Hong Kong island.


  54. PETER (V.O): I prefer to watch the starlit sky, as I feel the vastness of universe and my connection with it.


  55. Checking a draft's insert, depicting a white-haired couple on phone screen.


  56. PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): When I talk about the past such as my wife and I under the starlit sky, I reflect on my life journey and how far we've come.


  57. Peter stares at the insert.


  58. PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): In celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary with our children present in Hong Kong, we cherish our commitment to the family as well as our enduring love.


  59. FADE OUT


  60. THE END










































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