FADE IN.
Act 1
INT - SLEEPING ROOM - MORNING
Lying against the bed back, PETER is checking a WeChat message.
PETER (V.O): Someone from afar is wishing me well on Chung Yeung Festival.
Peter sends her a Rose Emoji.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm anxious to sweep the graves of my grand parents. Last Ching Ming Festival, we didn't go because of the pandemic.
Pausing.
PETER: (V.O.) (Cont'd): Due to the current restrictions, we can only go in groups of 4. I believe I've one spare seat in my car.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For my family members, who would join me on a Sunday morning ritual?
Peter gets a message.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, my elder son is joining. He says he has budgeted time for it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Like other junior members of the family, he hasn't seen any of my grandparents. I only told him stories.
Act 2
EXT. ROADS - LATER
Peter is driving his SON.
PETER (V.O.): My Grandpa died in 62 and was first buried at the base of Nipple Mountain - followed by my 3rd Grandma in 1969 and my maternal 2nd Grandma in 1972.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When they're still alive and I was a kid, I followed them to pay tribute to somebody. I loved that as it was like family picnic and I had roast duck drumstick.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When my old Dad could still walk, he would endeavour to pay tribute to his parents in Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When my elder son was a kid, my Dad took great care of him.
EXT - NIPPLE MOUNTAIN BASE - LATER
Two GROUPS of 4 are finding their way under the trees and in the bushes.
PETER: Wow, there're so much overgrown here! They conceal the path and concrete steps leading to our ancestors' graves.
Peter helps her MOM (89) climb up to the platform of the tombs. Immediately, they use sickles, a broom, a dust bin and cut twigs to sweep the area.
A beat. The overgrown are largely gone. The tombs' platform looks reasonably neat and tidy.
PETER (V.O.): Working together with drive, we see quick results.
Using a sickle, Peter clears up the bushes that block ingress and egress. He checks his hand from time to time.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Some of the overgrown are thorny. I haven't got gloves, but that won't deter me.
A beat. Apart from the sweating Peter, we see a clear ingress and egress.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm so pleased that I've done it. That's what I come here for.
The team share some of the edible offerings - roast piggy, fruits etc.
EXT. ROADS - AFTERNOON
Peter drives his son.
PETER: Let's go to Tsuen Wan and pay tribute to your Grandpa.
SON: Fine.
EXT. TSUEN WAN CEMETARY - LATER
Peter and son chat as they walk.
PETER: I know it's ritualism.
SON: Indeed, it is.
PETER: But our regular observance demonstrates to senior family members how they'd be remembered in due course.
Son understands Peter's meaning.
Arriving at his Dad's tombstone, Peter cleans it with tissues as if touching his Dad. He also takes a photo of it as if reconnecting with his Dad.
PETER (V.O.): I offer my heart to my Dad only.
A short meditation.
PETER: Let's go.
Act 3
INT. CHA CHAAN TENG - LATER
Peter and son share a plate of pork chop rice and a French toast.
PETER (V.O.): To practice something symbolic without regard to its function twice a year can't be excessive.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having swept the graves and cleaned my Dad's tombstone, I feel very good. That might well be the function of ritualism to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The bonus now is to spend time with my son.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It reminds me of a similar occasion when I insisted my Dad to take me to a coffee shop in Central back in 1960.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I was in primary one and I ordered coffee. And that was the only father-and-son occasion.
INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT
Peter checks a WeChat message.
PETER (V.O.): Another friend from afar asks about me as he hasn't heard from me since Feb.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What has triggered his interest? Anyway, I'm still around.
Smiling, Peter types his reply.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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