FADE IN:
EXT. OPEN SPACE, ARTS MUSEUM , MELBOURNE - DAY
PETER sees a big dog being taken good care of.
PETER (V.O.)
A lucky one.
Peter takes a snapshot.
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - DAY
Peter wakes up, looking terrified.
PETER (V.O)
I dreamt that while my pet
jumps through a fire loop,
she was locked in the ring
of fire!
INT. STUDY - DAY
Peter watches the BBC documentary: Moon Landing - 50th Anniversary.
PETER (V.O.)
Laika is the name of the
first space dog. She was
born in 1954 - the same
year when I was born.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
She weighed just 5 kg -
half the weight of my
pet. Her size fitted the
small cabin of Sputnik-2.
She looked quiet and
obedient.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
She was a stray dog from
the streets of Moscow. She
was used to extreme cold
and hunger. And she was
further trained to adapt to
the capsule conditions.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
A night before her one-way
mission to orbit the Earth on
Nov 3, 1957 a scientist took
her home to play with his
children. Laika had too little
time left to live.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Laika was relatively okay
in the first few hours of
orbiting until the capsule's
cooling system broke down.
She died of overheating.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd)
Sputnik-2 and Laika's
remains were burnt up
when they returned to Earth
162 days later.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
I could figure out the stress
and heat that Laika had to
endure in her final moments-
so was the lead scientist
who regretted openly of
animal testing.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) I am a bit consoled to find
that the scientist fought to
install a cabin window for
Laika. After all, all living
things strive to survive.
We've emotions as well
as conscience.
Peter takes a deep breath.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) Laika couldn't master her
own fate. Her good quality
made her the first creature
in space and be remembered
in some ways.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
If Laika has a choice, I
believe she'd prefer to
live as an ordinary stray
dogs in Moscow.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Life is primal. Without it,
there's nothing.
Surfing the web, Peter taps a video: My Life As A Dog.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
I should have watched this
film in 1985. The hero
mentions Laika. But I led
a dog's life then - full-time
Assistant Crown Counsel,
part-time CityPolytechnic
Law Lecturer and external
LLM student.
Peter then taps "Play" and we see moving images with Swedish words.
A beat.
End credits rolling.
INT. DINNING ROOM - NIGHT
Having welcomed Peter, KAJI, follows Peter's foot steps.
PETER (V.O.)
You're quiet and obedient.
You don't need to endure
extreme cold and hunger
too.
Peter shares some bread with Kaji.
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT
Kaji jumps over onto the bed and licks Peter's lips, nose, and eyelids to her content as Peter massages her.
PETER (V.O.)
You're born at the right time, and your good quality
has put you in the right
place.
A beat. Kaji sleeps between Peter and his WIFE. We can hear indistinct sounds from an air-conditioner. We also see Peter rolling over to Kaji's side petting her fur. He sleeps well.
FADE OUT. The End