Don't Waste a Drop
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 00:45
A laptop. The screen glows. PETER edits a draft screenplay.
He hits "Publish", Timestamp flips to 00:58, Monday. Peter leans back exhales.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Very tired.
MONTAGE OF PETER'S SUNDAY
A. Home - Morning. He completes his Duolingo streaks. He practises playing the piano.
B. Car park - Afternoon. He uses drops of a headlight restorer and a microfiber cloth to rub the headlights of a 2000 Toyota Previa, a 2001 VW New Beetle and a 2002 Mercedes E.
C. Silverstrand bay - Later. He completes his daily swim just before the arrival of the rainstorm.
D. Roadside - Later. He waits in the driver seat as Kaji, the family pet, is having fun in a dog park and his WIFE doing the shopping.
E. Home - Evening. He plays the flute, the guitar and the piano.
END MONTAGE
Act 2
INT. BEDROOM - 08:12
Soft morning light seeps through curtains. The room is still. Peter is deep in dream.
DREAM IMAGE: He floats in a dark sea. No fear. No effort. Just awareness without weight. A voice that sounds like his own younger self whispers: You could stay here.
Then a small weight lands on his chest. Kaji plants her front paws on Peter's chest. His eyes snap open. He brinks. Kaji licks his nose.
His WIFE stirs but doesn't wake.
Peter lies still for a moment. Hand on his chest where Kaji's paws just pressed.
PETER (V.O.): I can feel my heartbeat. Strong. Steady.
He smiles at the ceiling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Dreamy consciousness... can't compare.
He sits up. Swings his legs over the side of the bed. Looks at his hands.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That floating? That was nice. But this -
He looks at the open door. Hear's his wife's soft breathing. Hears Kaji's impatient nails tap-tap-taping on the corridor floor.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is the real drop.
INT. DINING ROOM - LATER
Peter holds a phone and reads a FB post. A black-and-white photo of a man.
PETER (V.O.): What's his name...Yes. Yeung.
Peter follows the story.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Over 400 films. 1930s -1960s. Always a supporting actor of Hong Kong cinema.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He wrote on his suicide note that he had lived long enough. He disappeared from a ferry bound for Macau.
He reads it twice. Then closes the tab.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He was 74. That was in 1972. I only know about his demise now.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Looking back, I was just 18 and stepping into the unknown.
Peter tabs the Duolingo app.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At 72, I find myself still learning every single day.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:45.
Peter opens his laptop. Goes to his blog.
PETER (V.O.): Since I created my own websites in 2017, I've been writing docudramas. But I haven't played any role in any movies yet.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm still thinking of Yeung's story... drowning isn't the opposite of swimming. Not trying is.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Physical repetition like swimming reinforces the will to live. The body can teach the mind to keep going.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yeung thought he had lived long enough. He was wrong not because he died - but because he stopped counting the drops before the bottle was empty.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't know how many drops are left in the bottle. That's not a reason to panic. That's the reason to polish every one.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows Peter's hand holding upright a closed bottle of headlight restorer.
PETER (V.O.): I've only one consciousness. No refunds. Don't waste a drop.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The opposite of wasting a drop is not saving it. It's using it. With a flute, a dog, and cars that are over 20 years old.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Quantum mechanics doesn't care if I live or die. But I should. That's the whole miracle.
The END
FADE OUT
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