Mission Aborted
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 29
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 07:50
Sunlight filters through the curtains. PETER is sharing breakfast with KAJI, the family pet.
PETER (V.O.): I've a time-consuming assignment to tackle starting from tomorrow.
Peter sips the green tea.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was travelling last week and haven't returned to my NT home.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I enjoy swimming alone the route. But Golden Bay is closed and a convenient pool will close today at 10:00 for its weekly cleaning.
Peter checks the time and leaves.
Act 2
EXT. BUS STOP - 08:10
A bus stops. Three PASSENGERS board. As Peter rushes to it, the door has already closed.
PETER (V.O.): I've missed it. Just a few seconds late.
Then, the door hisses reopen. Peter hurries forward and climbs aboard, nodding to the bus CAPTAIN.
PETER: Thank you very much!
CAPTAIN: Pleasure.
After tapping his JoyYou card, Peter takes a priority seat.
PETER (V.O.): I'm back on schedule. I can do my non-stop 500m swim.
Peter taps the KMB app and types on screen his opinion: Good customer focus...
MONTAGE OF PETER'S SCHEDULE
A. Swimming Pool - 10:10. Exiting the pool, Peter sits in a bench nearby, tapping in orders in a stock trading platform and maintaining his streaks on Duolingo.
B. Shushiro -11:30. Sipping a cup of green tea, Peter taps on a pad and orders salmon, tuna, prawn...
END MONTAGE
EXT/INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 13:00
Peter unlocks the gate of his house.
PETER (V.O.): I'll take care of the cars, declutter a bit, play the keyboard and guitars, and replace the strings on the Fender Villager.
Later, he grabs his 12-string Fender Villager.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I attempted to tune it last time, I discovered that its ninth string was broken. The other strings are dull. That explains why I haven't played it for years.
Peter assembles his tools: a new packet of strings and a pair of cutter pliers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): 12 strings...not sure if I can change them in good time.
He breathes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me begin with the low E strings.
After detuning the low E strings, Peter uses the cutter pliers to pull out their stubborn bridge pins,
removing and coiling the strings.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Okay, I can start threading the new strings.
He takes the ball end of the low E strings, inserts them into the bridge holes. He pushes them in with his palm. He pushes the bridge pins in with his thumb.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I think they're tight.
Peter then threads the strings up to the neck. His glasses are low on his nose. He brings the guitar alarmingly close to his face.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My eyes are straining.
He feels the holes in the turning pegs.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've found them.
Peter pulls the strings taut, kinks them sharply, and begins to winding the tuning key with his fingers.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The strings wrap neatly down the frets.
He repeats with process with the A, D, G strings.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Okay, only the B and high E strings are to be done.
As he winds the first B string, it tightens. But soon, we hear a sharp sound: PING!
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG, the bridge pin has launched from the guitar like a cork from a bottle.
Peter looks around, but there's no sign of the bridge pin. The frustration is quiet, deep.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Mission aborted.
He puts the guitar aside.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I command the day until the day commands: Enough.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:00
Peter uploads an image highlighting an acoustic guitar bridge with one missing bridge pin among the remaining ones to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The string snaps into place, but a bridge pin flies away. A lesson in unintended consequences.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A routine is a series of successful missions. It's strength isn't tested by the successes, but by how I manage the one I must abort.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Mission aborted isn't mission failed. It's intelligence gathered for the next attempt.
The END
FADE OUT
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