The Relentless Tick
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Dec 30, 2025
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 4:30
The room is quiet except for the distant, rhythmic tick of an analogue clock from another room. PETER is wide awake.
PETER (V.O.): I'm tired, but my mind is already racing.
He mumbles to himself.
PETER (V.O.): I haven't done the roadworthiness test for the New Beetle. Its licence expires in mid-Jan 2026.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And yesterday, I missed my Duolingo German lessons due to a server error.
He picks up an iPad Mini from the nightstand.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In situation like this, I'd study Korean to help myself fall asleep again.
Korean characters fill the phone screen. Peter's eyelids grow heavy.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:00
His smartphone is open to the Duolingo app. Peter is speaking some German.
PETER (V.O.): Today, I don't see the "Something went wrong" notification.
As Peter completes a lesson, we hear chimes of accomplishment.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I'm in the Ruby League's demotion zone.
Peter tackles another lesson.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I fear about missing out.
Vocabulary, grammar and listening exercises blur together until Peter loses track of time. Later, he checks his place in the Ruby League.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm not just in the promotion zone, I've even earned the second spot in the League.
Peter allows himself a small, dry smile.
EXT. PUBLIC POOL#1 - 13:45
As he approaches the main gate, Peter hears a public announcement: The main pool has been reserved for a school's competition...
PETER (V.O.): I'm not feeling great today and don't want to swim in the sea.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Perhaps I'd check out another one in the neighbourhood, it's about a 20-minute walk from here.
EXT. PUBLIC POOL#2 - 14:05
Quiet. Gates blocked.
PETER (V.O.): What? It's weekly cleaning day is Thursday.
Peter glances at a notice: Due to the holidays, the weekly cleaning has been rescheduled for today.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Missing out on two swimming opportunities.
Leaving.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'd prefer not to have lunch before swimming. Now, I've to eat first and swim in the pool when the competition is over.
EXT/INT. RESTAURANT - 14:15
Peter walks with purpose down a road. He stops outside a restaurant with roasted meats hanging in the window. He looks at it, thinking.
PETER (V.O.) : This is it!
Entering, Peter is seated in a small table. He orders readily.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Whenever my elder daughter returns to Hong Kong, she always comes here for roasted meat.
Soon, a plate of roasted goose, rice and greens is placed before him. He eats slowly, deliberately, savouring it.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My daughters left home again early this month, and I'm already missing them a lot.
Peter glances at his phone clock.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The relentless tick isn't measured in seconds, but in the weight of unmade decisions and the echo of postponed practice.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The body's clock whispers "rest". The world's clock shouts "achieve". And the wall clock ticks smugly from the sidelines.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They say "time is money". But money can be lost and found. The ticks only spend me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can't slow the tick. I can only learn to breathe in its rhythm, or go mad listening for the pause.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 21:30
Peter uploads a photo of a round white clock, featuring the chain's logo at the center to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The relentless tick is the world's most patient taskmaster. It never shouts a deadline; it just turns "someday" into "yesterday."
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The great irony: I chase milestones to mark the time, only to find the chase itself is the ticking.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The relentless tick: ensuring I'm always late for my own life, even when I'm early for everything else.
The END
FADE OUT
Comments