Parallel to the Shore
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 11:30
Cosy. PETER sits up in bed with a smartphone in hand. He opens Yahoo!Finance and is greeted by a sea of red numbers across Hong Kong stocks.
PETER (V.O.): Five days in a row...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I consider the price isn't favourable for either selling or buying.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I need a new strategy.
Researching with his smartphone, the focus in his eyes sharpens.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): While gold is expensive to buy now, I'd invest more on foreign currencies.
.
Researching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, Japenese Yen and Euros.
Act 2
EXT. 2nd BEACH, CLEAR WATER BAY - 14:15
A mid-autumn sky over a cresent of golden sand. A red flag snaps taut in the onshore breeze. A few SWIMMERS.
PETER (V.O.): Hmm, the red flag again.
Peter finds a spot within the LIFEGUARD's line of sight from the tower.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've never used the lockers. I simply leave my belongings on the sand, trusting that the lifeguard will keep an eye on them.
He strips off his casual clothes, revealing that he's already wearing his swim briefs.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've quite a few swim briefs since swimming is a part of my daily routine in Hong Kong.
Peter applies sunblock to his face, shoulders, and chest before putting on his goggles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I believe the lifeguard in the tower knows that I'm about to enter the water.
As Peter wades into the water, an announcement echoes from an unseen loudspeaker.
LOUDSPEAKER (V.O.): Attention please! The red flag has been raised. The waves are large, and swimming is dangerous. Please don't enter the water.
PETER (V.O.): I feel as if it's speaking directly to me.
Peter's jaw tightens.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I've driven all this way to swim. The sky is blue and the water is clear...
Peter ignores the announcement.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've ignored it every other time, but on those occasions, I was already in the water or resting on floating platforms.
Peter continues to wade in.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wow, the pull of the undertow is immediately noticeable.
Peter hesitates.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The water is my medicine, my ritual. I need it.
He turns, instead to face the shoreline.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A compromise.
Peter begins to swim, not out towards the horizon, but parellel to the beach.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll stay in water that is only chest-deep.
His stroke is still strong.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I feel confined, like a caged animal pacing.
Peter swims towards the buoy line on the left of the Bay.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And I'll swim to the right as well.
Then, a larger set of waves rolls in. The first one he ducks under, surfacing with a gasp.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I see the second one building a rolling wall of water.
It breaks when it reaches him.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wow, the force of the whitewater is immense.
Peter manages to plant his feet. He then returns to the beach, each step an effort against the receding water.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've to join those who come to the sea but never enter it.
Peter lowers himself. First to his knees, then, awkwardly, he rolls onto his back, lying flat on the sand.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The sound of the waves is no longer a challenge, It's just a backdrop.
Peter lies there, perfectly still, just like another body on the beach.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22 :30
Peter uploads an image, depicting waves lapping the shore at Clear Water Bay to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): When I can't go out, I go along.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Swimming parallel to the shore is still a swim in the bay's waters; the resilence of the adaptable embodies a different kind of bravery.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Wisdom is learning the difference between the path I want and the path that keeps me afloat.
FADE OUT
END
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