The Alarm
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Feb 24, 2022
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM/STUDY - 05:30
PETER gets out of bed.
PETER (V.O.): If I still try to sleep now, there's the risk I might not wake up at 7am.
Walking towards his study, Peter hears Beep! Beep! Beep!....
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): From my radio clock there?
Arriving, Peter stops the alarm.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I might have set the alarm inadvertently.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I did push the buttons recently, wanting to turn on or off the radio.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I don't want to interfere with others' dreams.
Act 2
EXT. SHEUNG SHUI - 13.00
Peter walks here and there near the railway station.
PETER (V.O.): In the 1970s, I knew the district inside out. Now...
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Months ago, I had delicious fried noodles with vegetable deluxe in a restaurant in a mall. Where's it?
Peter taps Googles Maps on his smartphone screen.
INT. RESTAURANT - 13:10
Peter does his orders.
PETER (V.O.): After a hectic morning in court, now's time to re-energize myself.
As a plate of friend noodles is put on the table, Peter can't wait to sample it.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh, it isn't as good as before.
Then, sweet potato and ginger soup is served.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): This is better than expected.
Soon, he finishes the soup.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It soothes my throat particularly during pandemic times.
Peter checks his entrepreneurship fund on his smartphone screen.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Oh, my biggest loss ever in a day. Something alarming is happening in Ukraine.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): About a week ago, I heard the Ukraine president remarking on TV that the only language Russia understood was might.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): His tone was that Ukraine, with support from its NATO friends, could overpower Russia.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): If I were President Putin wanting to rewrite history, how could I rest assured?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Diplomacy is the art of discreetly letting someone else have their way.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): All armed conflicts reflect failures of diplomacy.
INT. SITTING ROOM - 18:30
Peter is watching BBC world news.
PETER (V.O.): President Putin's special military operation aims at the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.
We see and hear a journalist on screen asking:...anti-nazi...anti-Putin...Then a man on screen replying: Our NATO allies are the strongest in history.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, I've reckoned international law is not law, but just power politics.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It was a joke on me that I got two LLM degrees on international law.
Act 3
INT. STUDY/STUDY - 22:00
Peter is watching CNN breaking news.
PETER (V.O.): Life seems normal in Ukraine, in the midst of international power competition.
Then, we see on screen tanks rolling on highways.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I just hope that we aren't one button away from nuclear mass destruction.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The meaning of every human's life is to serve humanity, not to do a disservice to it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I don't have to set any alarm for tomorrow.
FADE OUT
THE END
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