A Hand Bag for the Turtle
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 10:00
Sunlight streams through the curtains. Phone in hand, Peter keeps his 762-day Spanish streak going.
He sets down his phone and moves to an upright piano in the corner. He begins to play the song: The Girl from Ipanema. He stumbles on the Gb7 chord.
PETER (V.O.) : Let me try again.
Better.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Muscle memory. Not intellect. Intellect is for IP. Fingers are for forgiveness.
He switches to Misty. The intro is shaky but recognisable. He groans softly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): One song. One summer. A Summer Place. That's all I've got for public pianos.
Peter finshes playing Misty.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hopefully not for long.
Act 2
INT. RESTAURANT, THE EMPEROR HOTEL - 13: 30
Over lunch, Peter talks with DAN and VICTORIA. We can hear them mentioning the Hong Kong IP Academy.
PETER: The value proposition is to make IP bankable.
He eats a prawn dumpling.
PETER (Cont'd): The IP ecosystem needs leadership, not just IP management.
Another prawn dumpling.
PETER (Cont'd): The Academy should be the strategic partner that every tech tranfer offce, every wealth management office, every corporate financing office calls first - not because it has government support, but because the Academy delivers.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A journey of 10, 000 miles begins with a single step. But that step better be in the right direction.
Dan and Victoria nod.
INT. HKCEC - 17: 15
Premium Pet Supplies Expo 2026. Hundreds of PEOPLE. Pets in strollers. Dogs on leaches. Peter and his WIFE push Kaji, the family pet, in a stroller.
WIFE: I want to buy a Ruffwear harness for our dog...
They stop to look at the display at a booth.
WIFE (Cont'd): Ah, there it is.
PETER: Grab one then.
Later, they walk past a booth for reptiles or amphibians.
PETER: I see a handbag with air holes...should be great for our turtle.
WIFE: Buy it then.
Peter pays without hesitation. Smiles.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 19:45
Peter drops the bags. His wife goes to the kitchen.
PETER: I'll swim first.
PETER (V.O.): Even though I feel muscle strain at my hips. I swam butterfly too hard yesterday.
INT. PUBLIC POOL - 20:20
Crowded. Blue water. Fluorescent lights. Peter stretches.
PETER (V.O.): Tonight I'll swim like an old man.
He slides into the water. Swims breaststroke. Slow. Deliberate.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Persistence isn't glamorous. It's just showing up again.
Then freestyle. Then backstroke. A TEENAGER blasts past him.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't care.
Then, Peter swims butterflystyle.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I just can't resist the temptation to finish my daily swim with it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What am I trying to prove?
Peter is breathless.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My mind pretends my body is still 30.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows a black crossbody bag with a clear plastic window for carrying a turtle.
PETER (V.O.): Greatness isn't one big grand gesture. It's a hundred small ones. A Duolingo streak. A piano chord. A harness for a dog. A handbag for a turtle.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ten thousand miles for the IP ecosystem. One small bag for the turtle. Both are journeys.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Tonight I write about a handbag. Tomorrow I play Misty. The turtle will sleep through both. That's enough.
The END
FADE OUT
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