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Hooks In Lives

Writer's picture: Peter K F Cheung SBSPeter K F Cheung SBS
  1. FADE IN.


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY


  4. Having checked a phone message, Peter's WIFE speaks to PETER.


  5. WIFE: Our elder daughter says she dreamt about us ordering lots of dim-sums in a restaurant. But before she could have any of them, she woke up. And she's very unhappy about that!


  6. PETER: She dreams what her heart wants.


  7. PETER (V.O.): Although dim-sums were the hooks of her dream, I was in her dream too. If she didn't tell, I wouldn't know.


  8. Peter's wife shows Peter some cherry blossom images.


  9. WIFE: These sights are justs several minutes walk away from her Fukuoka home.


  10. PETER: Yes, she can enjoy them for a fortnight. I don't know if I would dream about them.

  11. The TV reports a story that a 64-year old Hong Kong tourist died in Peru because of the coronavirus infection.


  12. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm senior to him. I've to stay reasonably healthy so that I can have more true stories to tell.


  13. Act 2


  14. FLASHBACK


  15. INT. SITTING ROOM - NIGHT


  16. Checking a phone message, Peter's wife reacts euphorically.


  17. WIFE: I'm so very happy! Our younger daughter coronavirus testing result is negative!


  18. PETER (Very happy): My wishful thinking has come true!


  19. WIFE (Pondering): That means there's no need for me to distance myself from her...


  20. PETER : No, there's a margin of error of about 20%. She must continue her quarantine.


  21. WIFE: Then, I won't drive her home. I'll arrange a taxi for her.

  22. She calls and taps on his phone a few times.


  23. WIFE: On board now.


  24. PETER (Extending a hand invitation): I want to dance Waltz with you now...


  25. His wife looks perplexed.


  26. PETER: I've promised to myself that if our younger daughter is okay, I'll do that.


  27. They are in Waltz holding positions.


  28. PETER: Let's start with a Natural Turn...


  29. Peter leads awkwardly.


  30. WIFE: You can't lead just by saying the term of the figure...


  31. After a few footwork, they can't dance any further.


  32. WIFE: Don't promise yourself anything involving me the next time!


  33. PETER (V.O.): Apart from doing what my heart wants, I've discovered that I need to focus on leading too.


  34. Pausing.


  35. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The other thing I've promised myself to do, without involving my wife, is to write as many songs as I can about COVID -19.


  36. Peter checks the time.


  37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's nearly midnight. Let me start doing the project tomorrow.


  38. INT. MINI STUDY - NIGHT


  39. Time: 05:45. Peter jots notes on his phone screen.


  40. PETER (V.O.): The coronavirus scare began in 2019 when I turned 65, and now is 2020. A music professor jokingly suggests that I should write 19 songs.


  41. Pondering.


  42. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My goal is to write 19-20 songs...Oh, I've got a song At 65 and I like the song very much. It represents one of the hooks of my life. Let it be one of the hooks of my COVID-19 song series.

  43. Peter continues to type on his phone.


  44. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've got the messages of my other 19 songs. Let me wait for the inspirations to strike.


  45. INT. MINI STUDIO - DAY


  46. Guitar in arms and dictaphone app recording, Peter does some broken chords by finger picking.


  47. PETER (V.O.): I've got two rhymed lines in a mediocre melody. I don't think the listeners will get hooked to them.


  48. Pausing.


  49. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As I plan to write 19 songs, I might as well seize the challenge to expand my style and be progressive...


  50. Peter does some searches on YouTube and looks surprised.


  51. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I began composing 10 years ago, there wasn't any online classes. Now, even master classes are available.


  52. Watching a video clip, Peter nods,


  53. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): True, without a hook in a song, there's no point to waste the time and effort to write the whole work.

  54. END FLASHBACK


  55. EXT. PARK - DAY


  56. PETER (V.O.): See if I can get some inspirations here.


  57. Peter is humming as he walks. Arriving at open space, Peter practises some Waltz footwork.


  58. PETER (V.O.): I got all the footwork now. But I've forgotten the melody I cooked up earlier!


  59. Act 3


  60. INT. SLEEPING ROOM - DAY


  61. Waking up, Peter looks perplexed.


  62. PETER (V.O.): I dreamt of a classmate of 1966. We used to go to school together before 7.00 am to play table-tennis. He would bring eggs to my home in the dark and I made egg sandwiches before we set off. In my dream, we were classmates again in some vocational courses.


  63. Pausing.


  64. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We haven't engaged since then. His appearance in my dream might mean that he was one of the hooks in my life.


  65. Pondering.


  66. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While the contents of dreams need not be investigated, why we dream at all is really interesting!


  67. Pausing.


  68. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do our brains ensure us to live our emotional lives despite the illusive time-space limitations?


  69. Pausing.


  70. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In my dream, the look of my classmate remains the same - at 13. I was only conscious of myself.


  71. Reflecting.


  72. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was one of the characters in our elder daughter's dream. Parents must be hooks in their children's lives.


  73. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While her dream-lag was months long, my dream-lag of a 1966 classmate was decades-long. It's fascinating that our brains process hooks in lives like that.


  74. FADE OUT.


  75. THE END




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