Story:
At eleven o’clock late at night, a man pushed open the glass door of the “24-Hour Self-Service Laundry.” The shop was empty, with rows of washing machines standing silently under the stark fluorescent lights. Dragging a suitcase stuffed with dirty clothes, he randomly chose a washing machine. Exhausted, he mechanically went through the motions—inserting coins, pouring in detergent, selecting the cycle—and the machine began filling with water, emitting a low rumble. The man pulled a copy of The Old Man and the Sea from his bag.
As he read, growing increasingly absorbed, the rumble of the washing machines around him gradually transformed into the sound of crashing waves. He looked up and realized the floor of the laundromat was now covered in a layer of water, the level rising rapidly.
All the washing machines were spewing water violently, the torrents merging into waves that slammed against the walls. The water had already risen past his ankles and was still climbing.
The man tried to flee, only to find the door mysteriously locked. The water surged to his waist in seconds. Panicking, he grabbed a washing machine, but it began to melt and morph into a dilapidated wooden boat.
“Get up here!” a hoarse voice shouted. The man looked up to see a wrinkled old fisherman standing at the bow, reaching out a hand. Without hesitation, he seized the old man’s hand and scrambled aboard.
By now, the entire laundromat had transformed into a raging sea. The fluorescent lights became a gloomy sky, the walls dissolving into a distant horizon. The battered boat pitched and rolled in the monstrous waves.
And in the water, a massive shark was speeding toward the boat!
Just then, the man felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Fighting the chaos, he pulled it out and saw a laundry alert: “Your wash cycle is complete.”
In an instant, the vision vanished. The man found himself still sitting on the laundromat bench, The Old Man and the Sea in his hands, his clothes freshly washed. He let out a long sigh of relief, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
Chuckling at himself, he stood to collect his laundry. Suddenly, he noticed a water stain on the washing machine’s glass door—shaped eerily like a shark’s tooth. Even stranger, his pant legs were soaked, and his mouth tasted of briny seawater…
(The camera lingers on the shark-tooth-shaped water stain on the washing machine’s glass door. Fade to black.)
Camera assignment:
Shot 1: At 11 PM, a man pushes open the glass door of a “24-hour self-service laundromat”.
Shot 2: The shop is empty, rows of washing machines standing silently under pale fluorescent lights. Dragging a suitcase full of dirty clothes, he randomly selects a machine, mechanically inserting coins, pouring detergent, and selecting a cycle.
Shot 3: The machine begins filling with water, humming faintly. The man pulls out a worn copy of The Old Man and the Sea from his bag.
Shot 4: As he becomes engrossed in the book, the rumble of washing machines gradually transforms into the sound of ocean waves.
Shot 5: He looks up to find the laundromat floor now covered in ankle-deep water, the level rapidly rising.
Shot 6: All machines violently gush water, torrents converging into waves crashing against walls. The water now reaches his waist.
Shot 7: Panicking, he tries to flee but finds the door mysteriously locked.
Shot 8: As water surges to chest-level, he clutches a washing machine that begins melting into a weathered fishing boat.
Shot 9: “Get aboard!” rasps an aged voice. A wrinkled old fisherman extends his hand from the boat. The man scrambles in.
Shot 10: The laundromat has become a stormy sea. Fluorescent lights morph into gloomy skies, walls dissolving into distant horizons. The tiny boat bucks monstrous waves.
Shot 11: A colossal shark breaches nearby, circling toward the vessel.
Shot 12: The beast rams the boat, throwing the man into churning waters.
Shot 13: His phone vibrates urgently in his pocket.
Shot 14: Struggling, he retrieves it to read a notification: “Your laundry is complete.”
Shot 15: The nightmare vanishes instantly.
Shot 16: He sits frozen on the laundromat bench, book still open. Clean clothes spin silently.
Shot 17: Wiping cold sweat, he exhales shakily.
Shot 18: Chuckling nervously, he rises to collect his laundry.
Shot 19: His breath catches – a shark-tooth-shaped water streak stains the machine’s glass door. His pants are soaked. His lips taste of salt.
Shot 20: (Freeze frame on the ominous water mark)
