Soliloquy in E Minor
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Apr 19
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 10:00
Sitting on a sofa, PETER practices French with Duolingo.
PETER (V.O.): Like a monologue; no one listens.
Reciting French.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I speak to myself, sharing my inner thoughts all the time.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): True soliloquies only exist in theatres. In life, I'm just unheard.
Reciting French.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Tres bien - 352-day streak!
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Easter holidays begins today, and I'm not going anywhere. What can I do to make myself happy?
Act 2
INT. STUDIO - 12:00
As Peter scrolls through his Facebook feed, he comes across an onlne piano tutorial.
PETER (V.O.): It covers everything from beginner to advanced techniques, including finger positioning.
Watching.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me learn to play some classic tunes during the holidays.
Peter spots "A Time for Us".
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's the "Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet".
PETER (Singing): A time for us - some day there'll be - when chains are torn - by courage born - of a love that's free...
PETER (V.O.): I first came to appreciate the literary technique of soliloquy while studying Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet".
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Like Romeo, I was filled with youthful passion, dreaming that a potential Juliet would respond.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): However, I overlooked that the romance would end in tragedy.
INT. SWIMMING POOL - 14:45
As Peter swims, his lips move.
PETER (V.O.): If I was to lose control and express myself wildly, people would hear me say "I love you" constantly.
Peter swims one lap after another.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They say water carries sound. Why does every word I say drown in this pool?
Peter flows on his back. Water fills his ears. The world goes mute.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Water is quite a metaphor for relationship - first it holds me, and then I realize I've been holding my breath the whole time.
INT. STUDY - 16:00
The TV is on, and an interview informs the anchor that she's visiting Saipan.
PETER (V.O.): When I started my second romance, my girlfriend and I took a short trip to Saipan.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We had a wonderful time together, and the memories remain vivid in my mind.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For quite some time now, I find myself no longer my wife's white knight.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Echoes are Nature's soliloques. Someone has to speak first.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've spoken into the void too many times, and I think even the echoes get tired of me.
INT. STUDIO - 19:00
A single lamp pools light on the Clarvinova. Peter plays the broken chord of E Minor.
PETER (V.O.): It feels like shouting down a well and counting the echoes just to prove I exist.
Peter plays E Minor again and again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The chord lingers like a question.
Act 3
INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:00
Peter inserts an AI drawing titled: "Soliloquy in E Minor..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O): I write my soliloquy in E Minor now. E Minor is just G Major wearing its sadness inside out.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): At my age, E Minor isn't a mood - it's a diagnosis. Musical theory is akin to an emotional autopsy.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): We began in C Major. Should've known we'd end in E Minor.
FADE OUT
END
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