Statutory Memories
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jun 5, 2025
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 13:45
PETER lies in bed, gently touching his forehead.
PETER (V.O): It received four stitches less than 48 hours ago.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Yesterday, I had to honour my commitment, even though I was sweating.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): My wife kindly replaced the dressing for me.
Peter's WIFE enters.
WIFE: I'm heading out to pick something up for our trip to Seoul. We've already checked in for our flights.
PETER: I'm resting right here.
His wife exits.
Act 2
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
PETER (V.O): This morning, I've completed most of my daily Duolingo streaks.
Peter genty touches his bandaged forehead again.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): No more daily swim for a month. A free afternoon. Finally.
Grabbing his iPad Mini, Peter opens his Photo library.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I've never taken the time to review them-until now.
As Peter reviews the photos, he focuses more intently on a selected few.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Hmm, these photos capture the moment my Mum and I visited the Yuen Long District Office to make a statutory declaration.
Peter examines the dates on the photos.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It was five years ago.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O) Cont'd): Then, she was living independently on her own.
Sighing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Certain parts of the land where our family home once stood are being resumed by the Government.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The land was jointly owned by my Dad and Mum. Since my Dad's passing, my Mum has become the sole legal owner.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): The Government is set to provide her with financial compensation and needs to verify her entitlement and identity.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): A few days ago, I reviewed the available memorials and noticed that one is missing.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): When my Mum showed me the memorials many years ago, I had a feeling it wasn't a complete set.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): It's likely that my Dad and Mum either never had it or misplaced it many years ago.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): How can we go about finding it?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) Cont'd): Land remembers boundaries. Paper remembers claims. Only the living forget.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): So my Mum has to file a declaration regarding the loss, or the Goverment might not issue the land compensation cheque to her .
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) Cont'd): It's a bureaucratic irony that people must file forms to certify their own amnesnia.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) Cont'd): I'll assist and draft a declaration to prove the loss exists - yet the greatest loss remains my Dad, whose name is mentioned in it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O) Cont'd): The older I get, the more I speak in duplicate: one copy for reality, and one for nostalgia.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Peter adds an AI drawing titled "Statutory Memories..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O): Statutory memory isn't about the law, it's about longing - a desire to bind ink to paper in the hope that it will outlive the fading memories of individuals.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Statutory memory is a paradox: the law demands proof of what time erases.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): People stitches wounds with thread and commemorate land with memorials, yet both unravel faster than they'd like.
FADE OUT
END
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