The Yellow Grass
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Sep 4, 2025
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. BEDROOM - 22:15
Sitting by the bedside, PETER scrolls through photos on his phone. An image of his numeric blue SMART car being towed away flashes on screen.
PETER (V.O.): It was last Monday afternoon at my NT home.
Then, an image of his SMART car in a repair shop flashes on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd):Having replaced the leaking fuel pump, I reclaimed the car today.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The technician's remark about the car starting swiftly made me realize what had actually caused the ignition issues.
Later, another image of his SMART car parked at the Golden Bay car park flashes on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I enjoyed the ride as the car feels as good as new.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Once the problem has been identified, the solution can be straightforward and swift.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - DAY (About a year ago)
Driveway. Peter turns the key. The SMART's engine cranks, sluggish and reluctant, before finally turning over.
INT. REPAIR SHOP DAY (Later)
Peter's 2003 SMART car sits silently. Peter stands with RICKY, a mechanic.
RICKY: Its the wiring. Old age. It's a spiderweb of brittle copper in there. To reloom the whole thing...labour alone...
PETER: Not worth it...I've to learn to tolerate it.
EXT. PETER'S NT HOME- DAY (A few months ago)
Driveway. Peter starts the SMART car. It idles roughly. Peter sniffs the air.
PETER (V.O.): A sharp, unburt petrol smell fills the air.
Peter revs the engine lightly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The smell gets worse.
Leaving the car idling, Peter goes back into the house to close the doors.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): i want to run the engine occasionally, but I don't want the house to fill with petrol smell.
MONTAGE: June - August 2025
A. Peter starts the SMART car once a week.
B. Peter moves it forward three feet, then reverses back, testing the brakes.
C. In the background, CONTRACTORS are repainting his house afresh milky white.
D. We see faint drips of milky white paint on the concrete.
E. Peter notices stripes of green grass begin to turn sickly yellow.
END MONTAGE
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The contractors must have spilt paint on the green grass.
EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - DAY (A fortnight ago)
Driveway. Peter checks the SMART's fuel gauge.
PETER (V.O.): The bar is dangerously low, nearly empty. But I haven't driven it anywhere...too much idling. I'll refill the tank.
EXT. PETER'S NT HOME - DAY (Last Monday)
Driveway, Peter starts the SMART car. The idle is rougher than ever. The smell of petrol is overwhelming. Peter's WIFE appears and points under the car.
WIFE: Can't you see petrol dripping from the car?
PETER: Oh dear! That's a fire waiting to happen...
WIFE: Turn it off!
RETURN TO PRESENT
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It wasn't until I saw the fuel drip that the yellow grass finally spoke its true language.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The most dangerous leaks are the ones I explain away.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Beneath the surface of every tolerated fault, a deeper problem is taking root.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter uploads an image depicting a part of his SMART car and patches of the yellow grass to a draft on his laptop.
PETER (V.O.): The yellow grass was not a symptom of the paint, but a silent alarm of the poison beneath.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The grass died not from a splash of milky white paint, but from a lack of care and norishment.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The truth rarely changes the facts; it only reinterprets the evidence I already had.
FADE OUT
END
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