The Spring Cleaning
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 19, 2023
- 2 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDY - DAY
PETER is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.): Originally, I had to work this morning. But the assignment had been rescheduled while I was flying back to Hong Kong.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll start working on the 6th day of the Year of the Rabbit.
Peter checks his phone calendar.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Today is the 28th day of the last month of the Chinese Agricultural Calendar.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Chinese tradition is to do the Spring cleaning today to welcome the fortune for the coming year.
Peter takes a look of the papers and documents here and there.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me start cleaning then.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. OFFICETEL, SEOUL - NIGHT (14 JAN, 2023)
Peter, his WIFE, their elder DAUGHTER and her BOYFRIEND begin checking a largely-vacant studio.
DAUGHTER: The former tenant has just quit. My lease will begin tomorrow. The landlord will do the cleaning in the morning.
They check the washroom facilities.
WIFE: Everything is fine except the loosened toilet seat.
They check the open kitchen.
WIFE (Cont'd): Very nice, but there're some stains on the marble table.
Checking the wall paper, they see two torn spots.
PETER: They can be glued.
DAUGHTER: Oh, there's a stain under the window.
PETER: It can be cleaned. The window design is classy.
Checking an extendable dining table, they find a big pile of papers and letters inside a cabinet drawer.
INT. OFFICETEL, SEOUL - NIGHT (15 JAN, 2023)
Inside a cleaned studio with no more papers and letters, Peter, his wife and their daughter deposit their bags.
ALL: A clean place looks safe and beautiful!
RETURN TO PRESENT
INT - STUDY - LATER
Peter picks up some papers and documents to check.
PETER (V.O.): My practice has been that if the items don't catch fire, even if they multiply and block my access to work stations, I won't bother.
Peter checks other items before putting them down again.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): They always seem to have some residual value and I might need them someday.
Repeating.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Especially for items I brought back from outside Hong Kong, they bring back memories that I wouldn't like to lose.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Thus, I find it difficult to throw them away. My study is messy enough to make me feel good!
Thinking.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): But I should at least do some Spring cleaning today.
Peter re-checks some items.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I haven't read them since 2017 and they've no use to me. I've kept them long enough.
Peter puts those items into a garbage bag.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): Let me dump them into a recycling bin downstairs.
INT. LOBBY - LATER
A CARETAKER sees Peter intermeddling with the contents of different recycling bins.
PETER (V.O): I've accidentally dumped the papers into a bin for plastics!
Act 3
INT. STUDIO - NIGHT
Using a very thin flat chisel, Peter clears the gaps between white keys and black keys of a Yamaha Clarinova.
PETER (V.O.): It has sticky keys. I thought it was old. But Spring cleaning has inspired me.
Peter then wipes the tops and sides of the keys with a dampened cloth.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've discovered that cleaning can resolve the sticky problem.
Smiling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): With a fresh start, I believe I can now do anything I want.
As Peter checks his phone images, we see many depicting the Rabbit device.
THE END
FADE OUT
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