Silverstrand Blue
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 13:00
PETER and his WIFE are watching TV news. We hear:..DSE results are released today...24 狀元...the Educational Bureau reminds students that this is one step in their lifelong journey...
PETER (V.O.): In 1971, I thought I was a scholar. My HKCEE results told a different story.
FLASHBACK
INT. YUEN LONG DISTRICT OFFICE - DAY (1976)
Stacks of files on desks. Peter (22) reads a handwritten remark on his handwritten minute.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, the ADO can't read a single word of my minute...
He re-reads his minute again and again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's my beautiful script, but it's utterly illegible to him...I now understand why I didn't do well in my exam results.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 2
EXT. ROADS - 13:50
Rain lashes the pavement as Peter pulls up outside a hospital. His wife alights.
PETER: Should I pick you up?
WIFE: No need.
PETER: I'll be at the Bay or home. One of the two.
The GPS shows the route to Silverstrand Bay. The rain is so heavy that the wipers are unable to cope.
PETER (V.O.): Hmm, instead of waiting for the rain to stop at Silverstrand, I can return home and practise the piano.
INT. LIVING ROOM - 14:30
Peter is seated in an upright piano. His fingers move across the keys. He's playing Misty.
PETER (V.O.): I'm memorizing it.
INT. CAR PARK, SILVERSTRAND - 17:00
Raining dogs and cats. Peter's car is parked.
PETER (V.O.): When I left home, the rain had eased to a steady drizzle, and the thunder warning should end at 17:30.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I set off early as I hope the thunder warning will be cancelled ahead of time.
Peter is about to get off the car.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't mind swimming under the rain. But I do care about thunder warnings.
He checks the My Observatory app on his phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG, the thunder warning has been extended until 18:30.
His face falls. He starts the engine and pulls off.
EXT. ESTATE PARK - 19:00
Carrying his swim bag, Peter walks towards an indoor pool. He pats his pockets.
PETER (V.O.): No wallet. No ID.
He heads back home.
INT. PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - 19:45
An illuminated rectangle of blue. Crowded.
PETER (V.O.): I need to compete for space here.
He swims.
PETER (V.O.): But I'm achieveing my daily swimming objective.
Having done his laps, he rests at the edge.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Since 1976, I've been learning not just knowledge but the expression of knowledge.
MONTAGE OF PETER LEARNING HOW TO BE UNDERSTOOD
A. Peter (23) , determined, writing slowly, with great care.
B. Peter (27), sitting at an exam, concentration on his face.
C. A graduation photo (1981), Peter (27) in cap and gown.
D. A photo in front of the High Court, Peter (31) in wig and gown.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I wasn't a 狀元 top scorer.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:00
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows gray-blue seascape of Silverstrand Bay of yesterday.
PETER (V.O.): In a city that never stops moving. I move slower now. But I always move forward. Silverstrand is my compass.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Silverstrand Blue is the colour of a man who learned that knowledge without communication is just noise - but that persistence without noise is a kind of poetry.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The HKCEE/DSE results came and went. The storm came and went. The thunder came and went. I remain. This is the Hong Kong story.
The END
FADE OUT
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