This is a short visual novel with but a half-dozen choices or so in its length. I feel it is necessary to preface my comments with this to set some expectations, because while these things are true, they are not to its detriment. Quite the opposite.

This is a brief, yet hauntingly powerful delve into a period of a character's life - one moment of time, mundane, yet at the same time, utterly extraordinary. We do not know the character's background. We do not know where they live, or whether this is our world or not. You could argue it is for brevity, yet in truth, none of these things matter. This is a piece of work that not only understands its limitations, be it time or resources, but excels within them. It is a reminder, if only to myself, that hundreds of thousands of words aren't always needed.

These few key aspects are tied together by a mood that permeates every facet of it; not just the writing, and the art, but also, in quite a rarity for these, the audio and music as well. The character design of the unusual friend that lives by the lake, is strong, impactful - frighteningly strange, yet at the same time, oddly comforting. This character and all the ideas along with it could have gone in some unpleasant direction, or turned into some patronising analogy, but all of this is deftly avoided, resulting in something that not so much as subverts expectations, but instead simply results in a satisfying, if bittersweet relief.

Reviews and recommendations for works like this are always difficult. Due to its nature, it will undoubtedly mean more to some than others. Personally, I would not put any strong content warnings here, because everything presented - while realistic - is handled respectfully, and as uncomfortable or upset as I may have felt, one of the fundamental purposes of stories is to provoke emotion. If you are looking for a long novel with hundreds of choices or dozens of characters, then this is not what you are after. This is a distillation of a concept; a masterfully -executed experience; short, perhaps, but one to cherish and remember.