FADE IN.
Act 1
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
PETER, his WIFE and their DAUGHTER are having dinner.
WIFE: The rumour of changing guards has been confirmed.
PETER: So, what was leaked a day ago was true.
WIFE: Why them, and not the others?
PETER: I know the mindset of the central government in relation to Hong Kong SAR issues. Individual meritocracy and their destinies don't matter. The collective interest and strategy trump all.
Pausing.
PETER (Cont'd): Some senior ones have worked with me on intellectual property related matters, from innovation to WTO dispute settlement issues.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): For the abrupt change of offices, the incoming ones must be elated while the outgoing ones must feel miserable.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) They might ask the same question: Why me?
Act 2
EXT. OFFICIAL CAR PARKS -DAY
After Peter's wife has got off, Peter drives the car away. He takes a good look of the offices.
PETER (V.O.): They look the same. I worked here in 1985 as an Assistant Crown Counsel. Some of the principal officials governing Hong Kong now were either junior officers/university undergraduates, or had no public service experience then.
EXT. ROADS - DAY
Peter drives past the Government Headquarters.
PETER (V.O.): I rose from the grassroots, caught up in mid-career development and then slowed down at the bottle neck. I have learned a lot from my setbacks though.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I left public service upon reaching the retirement age. I wasn't fired.
The car radio interview gets Peter's attention.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Basic law history, human rights legislation...It sounds that a former colleague of mine is being interviewed.
As Peter's car enters an underground car park, the radio signals become very weak.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I also contributed on those fronts before specializing in intellectual property.
INT. STUDY - DAY
PETER: It was a while since I last met the colleague who was on air. What is he doing now?
Peter types a Chinese name on his phone and reads the search results.
PETER (V.O.): Well, I can see from these links that he has been very active since retirement.
Looking curious, Peter types on his phone.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Let me see the search results about myself.
Peter looks shocked.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The full-page search results are about the stories of a lunatic criminal of my nameshake.
Peter smiles.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sometimes, it's good to be one among the many. Someone has threathened to take my life. It won't be easy to find out which one is me.
The TV is broadcasting an interview of an old WOMAN.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A former US Secretary of State is on air. See what she has to say about the US strategy regarding the pandemic.
Peter watches attentively.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The same old diplomatic tone...Oh, it's actually a soft promotion of her recent publication - Hell And Other Destinations.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That reminds me of my childhood visit to the Tiger Palm Gardens. I was frightened by the scary artworks of devils torturing people in hell.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I had many nightmares thereafter.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I developed my independent judgment, I stopped believing in such folklores or religious threats.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It might also be that hell, if there's one, has let loose and all the demons are out in this world.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Furthermore, there're people who try to demonize others and make hell feel like home.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): And now during the pandemic, many people still believe in political spin rather than science or reason.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Man-made or natural disasters are happening everywhere. Hymm...Hell!
Act 3
INT. STUDY - CONTINUOUS
Having typed: Hell and Other Destinations on his phone, Peter taps on pages of small prints to read.
PETER (V.O.): In the preface of her memoir, she talks about a story that she was made to wait in clearing British customs. As a little complaint from an old woman, she muttered: "Why me?"
Peter reads on.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Ha! She even attempted to pull rank by saying: "Do you know who I am?", and she got the "No" answer.
Wondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Is power and glory heaven to some? If yes, for them, the world or other destinations without power and glory is hell.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But the interpretations of heaven and hell, like the meaning of life, differ from person to person.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For me, the question or remark of "Why me?" is my personal reflection why I exist as an element of the humankind in this world around this time?
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do I have a destiny? If not, have I let nature try me fair enough in this stupid heaven or intelligent hell?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To me, after due procreation to sustain humankind, and a brief taste of human power and glory, my meaningful afterlife has already begun.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'll continue to live creatively and recreatively.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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