Riding the Storm

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. PETER'S URBAN HOME - 11:23

6. 
   

7. Living room. An upright piano at a corner. PETER finishes a piece.

8. 
   

9. PETER (V.O.): Right on schedule. Time for a swim at Silverstrand before the typhoon hits.

11. He grabs his phone and sees Fat Boy's WhatsApp message.

12. 
    

13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh my Mercedes is ready for collection? So quick?

14. 
    

15. He pinches the bridge of his nose, calculating.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My S13 is occupying the Mercedes' parking lot here. I've to store it in my suburban home again.

18. 
    

19. Pausing.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can swim at the Golden Bay instead.

22. 
    

23. Peter types his reply on screen: Okay, before 6:30pm today.

24. 
    

25.  Act 2

26. 
    

27. EXT/INT. PETER'S SUBURBAN HOME - 14:15

28. 
    

29. Peter parks his 13 on the roadside adjacent to his house. He gets out. His hair is still damp. He looks up at the sky.

30. 
    

31. PETER (V.O.): As the day is hot and dry, I leave the windows open.

32. 
    

33. He proceeds to walk through the house, opening some windows on every floor.

34. 
    

35. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Better air the place out before the storm gets here.

36. 
    

37. Later, he drives the other car, the smart City Coupe in the driveway to the front garden. He opens its driver side window too.

38. 
    

39. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll park the S13 behind it later.

40. 
    

41. Later, he goes to the bicycle corner and pulls out a white bike.

42. 
    

43. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Haven't been on it for 15 years. The tires were always flat. But I pumped them up with a new electric pump the last time I was here

44. 
    

45. He squeezes the tires. They're very soft.

46. 
    

47. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Well, not enough, although the estate mall is just a ride away.

48. 
    

49. He pulls out the new electric pump and connects it to the valve of the back tire. Then, he spots the 31 psi marking on the tire sidewall.

50. 
    

51. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Good to know.

52. 
    

53. He presses a button on the pump. It whirs to life. The display shows 15...20...25...He pumps up the front tire too.

54. 
    

55. EXT. ESTATE ROADS - 14: 35

56. 
    

57. Peter is riding the bike. He clicks the gears up and down, a wide, boyish grin on his face.

58. 
    

59. PETER (V.O.): My first bike. No gears. Just a red frame and two wheels. I was seven. I rode it everywhere.

60. 
    

61. Recalling.

62. 
    

63. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I didn't need gears then...but I also didn't know what I was missing.

64. 
    

65. He clicks up to the 6th gear.

66. 
    

67. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The resistence is satisfying. I haven't felt this free for a long time. Cycling was my childhood passion.

68. 
    

69. INT/EXT. LAKESIDE RESTAURANT - 15:45

70. 
    

71. Peter is seated by the lake. He's enjoying a cup of chocolate icecream. He spots something.

72. 
    

73. PETER (V.O.): Oh, the sky has become deep grey...

74. 
    

75. Finishing the last spoon of his icecream quickly, Peter dashes out. But fat raindrops splatter on him.

76. 
    

77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Oh, no. No, no, no. The windows! All of them! The cars!

78. 
    

79. EXT. ESTATE ROADS - CONTINUOUS

80. 
    

81. Peter sprints for his bike. The heavens open. A downpour of typhoon rain.

82. 
    

83. PETER (V.O.): I'm being soaked to the bone.

84. 
    

85. He pedals furiously.

86. 
    

87. MONTAGE OF PETER'S SALVAGE OPERATION AT HIS SUBURBAN HOME LATER

88. 
    

89. A. Peter throws his bike on the front lawn and runs into the house to fetch the car keys.

90. 
    

91. B. Peter runs to his S13 and City Coupe to shut all the windows tight.

92. 
    

93. C. He rushes through every floor of the house to shut all the opened windows.

94. 
    

95. D. He stands in the middle of the living room, water drippling onto the floor.

96. 
    

97. E. He looks around at the wet seats, sofas, desks. He grabs dry towels and starts patting down everything. He laughs.

98. 
    

99. END MONTAGE

100. 
     

101. Act 3

102. 
     

103. INT. PETER'S URBAN HOME - 22:15

104. 
     

105. Bedroom. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows a bicycle wheel alongside an electric pump.

106. 
     

107.  PETER (V.O.): I didn't plan to ride through a typhoon. But riding through the storm taught me what no schedule ever could-that the best moments arrive uninvited, soaked to the bone, and laughing.

108. 
     

109. Thinking.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Riding the storm isn't about outrunning the rain. It's about realizing that the downpour is giving my bicyle its first proper bath in 20 years-and giving me back the boy who once rode everywhere with nothing to lose.

112. 
     

113. Reflecting.

114. 
     

115. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): At 72, most men are afraid of falling. But I wasn't falling-I was riding the storm, remembering my legs still knew the rhythm of a childhood that refused to leave me.

116. 
     

117. The END

118. 
     

119. FADE OUT