Kaji: A Piece of Me Went With Her
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT (WEEKS AGO)
A gang MEMBER sits cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by clothing. A half-packed suitcase yawns open.
KAJI lies beside her, her head resting on her thigh. The Member strokes her fur absently, her fingers finding the thick ruff around her neck.
MEMBER: You're the only one who doesn't ask questions.
KAJI (V.O.): I don't ask questions. I'm a dog. I'm here.
The Member's hand stops. She looks down at her.
MEMBER (Cont'd): I wish I could take you with me.
Kaji's ear flicks. She doesn't move.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): She can't take me. I'm not a suitcase. My place is here, waiting for the door to open.
The Member leans down and presses her forehead against Kaji's.
MEMBER (Cont'd): I'll take a piece of you instead.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER
The Member kneels on the floor. She holds a small pair of embroidery scissors. Kaji sits at perfect attention.
The Member's hand reaches towards her ruff. The scissors snip. A small puff of orange hair floats onto her palm.
MEMBER (Cont'd): You won't even notice it's gone.
The Member puts the fur into an envelope, then into her pocket.
MEMBER (Cont'd): I'd weave your fur into a ring.
Then she takes Kaji's face in both hands.
KAJI (V.O.): That's what love means - letting someone carry a part of me into a life I might not see.
INT - BEDROOM - LATER
The door is open. Kaji is on her bed in the corner. A whisper comes from the big bed.
MEMBER: Up. Come on.
She pats the duvert.
KAJI (V.O.): She wants me to sleep with her.
Kaji rises. She jumps onto the bed with a single motion. The Member pulls her close.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I think she's leaving home soon.
INT. LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN - PRESENT DAY
The sunlight is golden, then grey. Kaji lies on her sofa, but her head is up.
KAJI (V.O.): The Pack Leader has been in the kitchen all day.
Kaji approaches the Kitchen. The PACK LEADER is stirring a large pot.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The smell is complex. Is someone coming home for dinner?
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): How about the ritual of our riverside walk?
Later, the front door opens. Two FIGURES appear.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): They are...visitors.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The room is dark. Kaji jumps onto the bare mattress. No pillows. Just the cold, clean surface.
KAJI (V.O.): Her scent is faint now. The room is becoming a regular room again.
Kaji closes her eyes.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I come here sometimes. To remember the shape of her.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): My fur will grow back. Her scent won't.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): A piece of me went with her, but a piece of her stays in the silence.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Loyalty doesn't require presence.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I adapt. I endure.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Kaji is watching the front door.
KAJI (V.O.): I watch the door - not because I expect her to come back, but because hope isn't a calculation. It's the small space I leave for the impossible, just in case.
She rests her head on her paws.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): A piece of me went with her. The rest of me stays here, learning to live with the piece that's missing. The same way I learned to live with the piece she took.
Reflecting.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can give a part of myself away and still be whole. Wholeness isn't about keeping everything. It's about knowing what you gave and why.
FADE OUT
THE END
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