A clear open sky overlooks tranquillity on the cusp of the chaotic city. FIONA XIE stands still, dressed in BULGARI’s high jewellery. On the surface she looks calm yet her eyes give her away. There’s a storm brewing in her gaze. She has always craved chaos and the intimacy that lies in its centre. She stands in this brave modern Eden for so long that it speaks back. The dialogue goes beyond words—it begins to soak the soul.
FIONA lies back on the tiled surface, enjoying the blend of cool concrete and warm sun on her bare skin.
WATER
Fell in love with the ocean, did you?
FIONA
I’ve always loved the ocean.
WATER
Sounds like quite the romance. It’s been many moons and sunsets since I last saw you, you must’ve been swept off your feet. Now here you are—don’t I lack depth in comparison?
FIONA
You’ve always had depth and dimension. Life’s joys are spoiled by comparison.
WATER
Are you comfortable? Do you want crashing waves? Do you want rain?
FIONA
I don’t need anything from this moment besides exactly what it is.
Laughter can be heard in the distance. FIONA XIE remains in her thoughts, the silence on this side of her paradise sounding like music.
WATER
You seem different. You’ve had experiences since we last met, haven’t you? Bright, bold and shimmering delights.
FIONA
You sound like you’re about to burst into song.
WATER
I wasn’t, but I could try if you wanted. Do you feel the vibrations?
FIONA
I’m comfortable with what the current is. Because you’re right, I have been on a journey. Several. Blend of brief moments and core memories. But not all of them have been delights. I’ve experienced the ache that comes from losing parts of myself. I’ll never be the same again. And I see that as a beautiful thing. Sometimes evolution lies in the ache.
WATER
Is there a specific moment that made you feel like you’ve changed?
FIONA
That’s the funny thing, seriously, I can’t. Suddenly “I am” became “I was”. I still hold the simple joys and complex thoughts deep inside me, but I know that something inside me isn’t the same woman that I once was. I loved who I was, but I love who I am now even more.
WATER
I thought you said that you didn’t want to make comparisons.
FIONA
But it’s me. I’m experiencing the nuances of my evolution. The same soul yet at the same time, completely different. It’s different from you comparing yourself to the ocean, a river, a pond or even a bathtub. There are memories held inside you that no other body of water can and ever will. Just like there are memories held inside of me.
WATER
Now you sound like you’re about to burst into song.
FIONA XIE lifts her hand up to the wind, as though conducting a silent symphony. The elements respond in kind, wordlessly, felt on skin and soul. The moment becomes something almost orchestral.
WATER
You’ve changed. Yet you’re just as I remember you.
FIONA
Thank you. You could too. Maybe one day you’ll overflow, open into the current, rise into the air. Perhaps I’ll go through another metamorphosis of my own.
WATER
Doesn’t that terrify you?
FIONA
It’s an adventure. What matters will survive. I’ll survive with you. We’re here on this earth to be reborn again and again while staying exactly the same. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?
FIONA XIE stands above the water, ripples dancing underneath her that seem to have soaked her soul. Transformed now, dressed in blue, as though uniting with the water’s gorgeous electric blue current that overlooks vast waters underneath it.
FIONA
It’s getting late. Time to step into a new moment, whatever it may bring me. It was nice seeing you, old friend.
WATER
It was nice seeing you too. Will you come back?
FIONA
I never left.
PHOTOGRAPHY JOEL LOW
STYLING GREGORY WOO
HAIR & MAKEUP MANISA TAN
SCREENPLAY ADAM TIE OF THE NOVEL ENCOUNTER