Creative Paradise
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Aug 4, 2020
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. STUDY - DAY
PETER sees a phone notification.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, it's from my primary school friend - a Hong Kong-Macau Jetfoil captain.
Peter reads the message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, he has retired a day ago...He attaches a link to all the 1006 issues of the periodical Children's Paradise.
Peter taps the link.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The 1st issue was published in 1953. I wasn't born yet.
Peter reads the contents.
PETER (V.O.): Yes, all the inserts were in colour and the texts were typed.
Enjoying.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, there's a short story in screenplay format too.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):Oh, there's another short piece about fleet admiral Zheng He, a Yunnanese who commanded expeditionary voyages during the 15th C Ming Dynasty
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Although Yunnan was landlocked, sailing in Yunnan lakes was similar to sailing in the seas. Interesting!
Checking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The fortnightly issue costed HK 60 cents. Pretty expensive in 1953.
Peter types his reply on his phone.
Act 2
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
Peter is having lunch with his WIFE.
PETER: In the late 1960s, did you read Children's Paradise?
WIFE: Yes! I loved the stories of "Little Roundy", and later "Ding Dong".
PETER: Let me forward a link to you then.
Peter taps on his phone screen.
PETER: You can enjoy the stories again - all the 1006 issues in one link.
After tapping her phone screen, his wife reads the Prologue to the link.
WIFE: A person's art work was once published in Children's Paradise. Decades later, that person invested the money to collect and make good all the 1006 issues before uploading them.
Thinking.
WIFE: That person has a good heart, but there's a copyright issue - the works aren't in the public domain yet.
Pausing.
WIFE (Cont'd): There's the possibility that the link will be deleted anytime.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER: The works were uploaded in 2013. And I got it only today.
Reading.
PETER (Cont'd): Ah, the uploader worked with a proprietor of Children's Paradise to make it happen. So, it appears to be a joint venture.
Peter's wife nods.
PETER (Cont'd): We don't know the particulars. Incidentally, don't we feel rich that we can re-live our younger days?
Reading.
PETER (Cont'd): In the old days, a kid's birthday wish could be to have a copy of Children's Paradise.
Pausing.
PETER: I recall I didn't buy any copy of Children's Paradise; 60 cents were a lot of money to me in my primary school days.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.): My primary school friend was so generous that he would lend me to read all of his comics, including Children's Paradise.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I had nothing to reciprocate though.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, we've become senior citizens, and he still remembers what we loved in the good old days.
Peter is in thoughts.
Act 3
INT. STUDY - DAY
Peter reads issues of Children's Paradise on his phone screen.
PETER (V.O.): How satisfying it could be to work in the creative industry for five decades?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can see how the periodical has changed with the times.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But all good things must come to an end.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Now, anyone can create and publish any art forms digitally. And the cost can be next to nil.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm a late comer. I only began in 2016. I've a lot to catch up in the creative paradise.
THE END
FADE OUT.
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