Still Swimming
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jul 5, 2025
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM -08:45
PETER glances at his swimming gear in a wardrobe.
PETER (V.O.): I miss swimming. The thought of it excites me.
Peter touches his forehead.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Relative to my overall health, the scar on my forehead is trivial.
Pacing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My wife has an early appointment and has already left home.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): As I don't need to keep her company, why not go for a swim now?
Peter selects his swimming brief and goggles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Yes, I'll be discreet and go now.
Act 2
INT. PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL - 09:15
Poolside. Not very crowded.
PETER (V.O.): I've come at the right time.
Standing at the edge of the pool, Peter touches the fresh scar on his forehead.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Should be fine. Chlorine's clean. And no crowds to bump into.
Peter adjusts his goggles, takes a breath, and eases into the water.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My body should remember the rhythm - slow, steady strokes.
Peter swims breast strokes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Every lap is a rebellion against gravity and time.
Peter swims free style.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hmm, my movements are sluggish, my kick weaker.
Peter surfaces, panting harder than usual after just one length.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The water doesn't count my years, it only answers my strokes.
Peter struggles with back strokes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A month off...and it's like starting over.
Peter pushes off again, forcing himself to do a few butterfly strokes.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My muscles protest...
After a few strokes, his form falters - his legs drag, his arms splash awkwardly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've to stop.
Peter looks frustrated. Practising legs and arms, Peter swims back to the edge.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Skill and health decline when neglected.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But decline can be managed, even reversed, with discipline.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Self-awareness is the first step to improvement.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The key isn't how far I've slipped, but how determined I'm to climb back.
Men's bathroom. Using his mobile, Peter conducts research and absorbs the findings.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Muscle loss begins within 72 hours of inactivity in seniors.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): "The use it or lose it" principle becomes more urgent with age.
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It takes 2x the time of inactivity to regain loss capacity (ie 2 months to recover from 1 month off).
Reading.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And here's the irony of caution: Avoiding activity for safety often creates the greater longer-term vulnerability.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Hmm, I've to resume swimming in the sea sooner than planned. It's the true capability test, despite its unforgiving nature.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 23:15
Peter uploads an AI drawing titled "Still Swimming..." to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The body forgets. The water remembers. My job is to reintroduce them.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Still swimming isn't about speed - it's about refusing to sink.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't swim to be perfect. I swim to remind myself I'm still here.
FADE OUT
END
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