FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT
In bed, PETER is listening to the radio.
PETER (V.O.): This DJ, standing-in for Uncle Ray is okay. The other night, he played Lee Marvin's Wandering Star.
'
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): The last time I heard it was 50 years ago. Lee Marvin wasn't young then. I was surprised that he would sing and cut a record.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It reached number one in the UK singles chart in 1970, keeping Beatles' Let It Be in no. 2.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wandering Star was Lee Marvin's one-hit wonder. He was born in 1924 and died in 1987.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He died at the age of 63. He was 30 years older than me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm 66 now.
Act 2
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
From the radio, we hear the easy-listening music of Where's Your Heart? or the song from the film Moulin Rouge.
PETER (V.O.): I'm never tired of listening to it.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.): Percy Faith's version was made in 1953. I wasn't born yet.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I first joined a package tour to Europe in 1984, I went to Moulin Rouge to see the cabaret.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was 30 then and had just done the LLB degree examination. It was like a celebration tour.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I visited Paris again, I went to see the Le Lido cabaret as well. But the Moulin Rouge cabaret made a good lasting impression in me.
From the radio, we hear the sweet introduction of a clarinet piece.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh, another one of my favourite oldies - Stranger on the Shore.
FLASHBACK
EXT. DEEP BAY ROAD, LAU FAU SHAN. N.T. - DAY (1977)
Having parked their Rover car near the shore, Peter (23) and a HOUSING MANAGER (53) get out to admire the beautiful bay view at low tide. The housing manager begins to hum a tune.
HOUSING MANAGER: Have you heard of it?
Peter shakes his head sideways.
HOUSING MANAGER: The number is called Stranger on the Shore.
Peter nods.
PETER: Nice tune.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was then doing squatter control work in the Yuen Long District. The housing manager was the boss. He was quite a romantic fellow and needed someone to talk to.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Later, after checking out the song, I even learned to play the clarinet. Stranger on the Shore was the only song that I could play with the instrument.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But we've lost contact since the late 1970s.
Counting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He should be in his mid-90s now...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Just a few favourite oldies have already brought back so much memories. They're timeless treasures.
Act 3
NT. SLEEPING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
From the radio, we hear the DJ announcing: "The World's Most Durable DJ" will return to the studio next Monday at 10 pm.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'): Oh, that's good. Hong Kong's 3rd wave of coronavirus infection has slowed down. I miss Uncle Ray's voice.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I won a scholarship in 1986 and had to study in London, one of the things I missed was that I couldn't follow Uncle Ray's program: All the Way with Ray.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) : I couldn't have imagined then that his program from 1970 could become evergreen.
Peter surfs the web.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, Uncle Ray was also born in 1924.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's 95 now and is still working. Music and rhythm must be the energizers for the heart and soul.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): With music, its sharps and flats also bring harmony. With rhythm, our hearts beat with the sounds in space-time.
Peter sleeps.
FADE OUT.
THE END

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