FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - DAY
Waking up, PETER checks the time.
PETER (V.O.): I've slept longer hours. My back pain has gone too. I feel like reborn.
Phone in hand, Peter checks a notification.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Which European nation will be the first to be pandemic-free? People wants to hear my prediction about their future.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Could it be Switzerland? No... Norway? No... Iceland?
Peter continues to read some small prints.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No, they just can't compete with Vatican City. No death and no new case. It's the smallest nation on Earth. Do I have a photo of the Vatican City?
Peter taps his Google Photo icon.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh! I've got one. It was taken in 2015. Yes, my wife and I had a nice Roman holiday.
Act 2
INT. STUDY - DAY
Peter is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.): So many people ask me if the end of the world is near.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're just a species on Earth. But we've become human-centric.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): How would the world end with the new existence of the coronavirus?
FLASHBACK
EXT. COLLEGE - DAY (1969)
Peter (15) is singing with emotions on stage as the audience watch.
PETER (Singing): Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore?...
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The world or Earth has been good without the existence of the humankind species for 99.9 % of its time. The Earth has no problem after the extinction of dinosaurs over 66 millions years ago.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The coronavirus is trying to balance a little the Earth's ecosystem.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.): For humankind who are aged 45+, the risk of suffering or even dying miserably within weeks due to the coronavirus infection is quite real.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): People like me might think that we're in good shape. But the coronavirus might not recognize that. Humankind hasn't any bargaining power right now.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Everyday, there're some positive news about the pandemic, particularly about the research and development of a possible vaccine or drug.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Despite the wishful thinking, innovative invention of pharmaceuticals has been hard and time-consuming.
We hear TV stories about reopening.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's scary that many places reopen even at the beginning of the pandemic. It would do more harm than good.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They're bad decisions, letting politics and economy trump the lives of the elderly, not to mention subjecting those working in health systems to more unnecessary risk.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For those living rather than passing life, life-is-priceless isn't a rhetoric. During the pandemic, public health measures including social distancing should be the basic standards.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Peoples' quality is reflected on the standards they set for themselves.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It appears that some parts of the world have gone mad.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS
Peter checks another phone notification.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What was my last normal photo prior to the pandemic? Let me check.
Peter checks images on the phone screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My family had our Chinese New Year Eve Dinner unmasked.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): On the 1st day of the Chinese New Year, I took a photo of Kaji getting a gold packet. And right after that, I've been wearing a face mask in public.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, that was the last photo I took before the pandemic.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was fortunate enough that I could still make my February trip to Hokkaido. I even hoped to make my March trip to Fukuoka. But...
Peter checks a phone notification.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Will the pandemic be over in 2021? Some people begin to accept that it takes time to deal with the pandemic.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): By 2021, the coronavirus' mission should have been accomplished and humankind should have been able to come up with a vaccine or drug,
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): People trust my judgment. Yes, by 2021, humankind should be able to save themselves.
Pausing.
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT
After switching on the bedside radio, Peter goes to bed.
PETER (V.O.): I'm grateful to have lived another day. Look forward to enjoying one.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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