Galactic Seagulls
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Aug 19
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 07:45
Cosy. PETER sits up in bed scrolling through his mobile. He pauses on a science video clip.
PETER (V.O.): The Sun (and Earth) orbit the Milky Way's centre at about 630 km/s.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Milky Way is approaching the Andromeda Galaxy at around 110km/s.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Our galaxy moves at about 100km/s relative to nearby galaxies.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Milky Way is speeding at about 630km/s in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, due to gravitational pull of the Great Attractor and other cosmic structures.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm currently moving at the same speed? But I don't feel a thing?
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. SADO ISLAND TO NIIGATA - 14:00 (30 July 2025)
A car ferry cutting through the blue waves. Peter and his WIFE, wind in their hair, lean against the deck railing, a bag of prawn crackers between them.
PETER: Taking a hydrofoil from Niigata to Sado Island was similar to taking a hydrofoil from Hong Kong to Macau in the old days.
WIFE: Our younger daughter suggested that we shouldn't miss the chance to feed the seagulls while taking the car ferry between Sado Island and Niigata.
PETER: Here we are!
Peter and his wife hold prawn crackers in their hands as bold seagulls swoop close to snatch them away.
PETER (Cont'd): Wow, they skillfully snatch the prawn crackers without touching our fingers.
Laughter.
WIFE: Look at them work! It's like they're running on a treadmill.
PETER: Feed the approaching ones. I notice they tried earlier but were unsuccessful.
A seagull strains mid-air, wings thrashing, just barely snatching a prawn cracker before veering off, exhausted.
PETER (Cont'd): Why is it so hard for them? I think we aren't moving that fast.
RETURN TO PRESENT
As Peter's WIFE sits up in bed, he eagerly shares the video clip with her.
PETER: Isn't it thought-provoking?
His wife nods.
PETER (Cont'd): Physics assures us that only acceleration (change in speed or direction) is perceptible, not uniform motion.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): The seagulls - they were like us in the galaxy.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): The car ferry was moving, but to us, it felt still.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): But the seagulls had to fight to catch up.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): We noticed the seagulls' struggle because we're on the moving ferry. We didn't perceive Earth's motion because we're part of it.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): What seems "still" depends entirely on where I stand. I strive to question my perspective.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): Every prawn cracker we lift from the car ferry deck becomes a lesson in relativity, as seagulls swoop mid-flight to snatch them away.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): We watch galactic seagulls chase our car ferry while the Milky Way chase something greater still.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): We're small, but our awareness is profound.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): In a universe that never stops, who do we?
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Peter uploads an image of soaring seagulls as they attempt to snatch prawn crackers to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The prawn crackers vanish. The ferry sails on. The universe forgets. And yet - my wife and I fed the seagulls.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To glide effortlessly is to finally move at the same speed as everything else.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To understand the cosmos, watch galactic seagulls: their exhaustion mirrors our own against infinite expansion.
FADE OUT
END
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