SCENE ONE

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THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

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A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

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- Joseph Campbell: The Hero with a Thousand Faces

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A slow fade in on an object all too familiar that holds the screen. Lit in darkness and illuminated for the viewer's attention. Stillness is established through this long take, extensive duration, only interrupted by the constants of warm fluroescent LED glow and the steady humming of hydroponics. The inside of an intricate fish tank set-up can be seen, purchased for a reasonable price from a well-known online retail outlet and fitted with elaborate decoration. The glass tank's bottom is lined with a multitude of pretty glass pebbles that catch and twinkle light in a rainbow of fantastical colour. Heavy vegetation seems to grow organically from among the stones, with various fake plastic underwater plant species swaying and dancing in the water, creating a rhythmic harmony as a steady flow of bubbles spews from two strategically placed bubble stone aerator oxygen plate air pumps that take the form of tiny dark volcanos. In the centre of the tank, submerged among the layers of dense, artificial thicket, lies a pretty, moss-covered house made of resin. The scene is

reminisicent of an early Walt Disney movie, establishing a magical setting for the fairytale to come. The camera holds, focused on this hypnotic action before eventually fading to an interior of the house. A situation

of assumed normality. Family pictures and other trinkets give an impression of space and time but slightly off kilter somehow, as the viewer is directed slowly through the home, picking up more details on the way to a bedroom where finally, this story's hero can be introduced.

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NARRATOR

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Sun rises. Bright light. Seeping in. Even underwater. Open eyes. Wide open. Even when. Fast alseep. Half man. Half fish. Now awake. One change. Now awake. Oh you. Wet pet! Sitting up. Stretching arms. Stomachrumbles. Hunger pangs. Must eat. Hunger pangs. Breakfast time. Every morning. Like clockwork. Looking forward. To my. Favourite meal. Phish Food. Every morning. Like clockwork. Looking forward. To my.

Favourite meal. Every morning. Like clockwork. Time to. Get dressed. Every morning. Like clockwork. Slippers on. Then robe. Get up. Wash face. Colder water. Every morning. Like clockwork. Wide awake.

Seeing reflection. Oh you. Wet pet! Walking towards. My refrigerator. Open door. Look in. Lean in. Reach back. Right back. Even further. Right back. Pulls out. A carton. Favourite meal. Phish Food. Every morning.

Like clockwork. Oh you. Wet pet! Opens carton. Carton empty. Major dilemma. No breakfast! No breakfast. Major dilemma! Memory slippage. Oh you. Wet pet! Forgot yesterday. To buy. Memory slippage. Oh you.

Wet pet! Needed to. Buy more. What now? Crisis looming. Stomach rumbles. Hunger pangs. Major dilemma.Hunger pangs. Stomach rumbles. Extreme panic. Hunger pangs. Stomach rumbles. Crisis looming. Just

then. Phone buzzes. No sound. When underwater. New notification. Checking phone. Reading message. Life saved. As if. By magic. Life saved. Reading message. Special offer. Redeem Code. Phish Food.

Behaviour targeted. Life saved. Total convenience. Connection extraction. Life saved. Behaviour targeted. Connection extraction. Checking phone. Product available. Phish Food. In stock. Product selected. Activity

tracked. Data mined. Connection extraction. Total convenience. Life saved. Scrolling down. To checkout. Total convenience. Life saved. Total convenience. At checkout. Checking the. Estimated delivery. Checking

phone. Underwater delivery. Currently unavailable. Major dilemma. No breakfast! No breakfast. Major dilemma! Stomach rumbles. Hunger pangs. Major dilemma. Forgot yesterday. To buy. Oh you. Wet Pet!

Stomach rumbles. Hunger pangs. Underwater delivery. Currently unavailable. Total inconvenience. Hunger pangs. Stomach rumbles. Heavy dread. What now? Decision required. Stomach rumbles. Hung pangs.

Decision required. Desperate for. Some kind. Of Plan. What now? Stomach rumbles. Hunger pangs. Phone buzzes. No sound. When underwater. Behaviour targeted. New notification. Checking phone. Checking

message. Product available. In store. Heavy reflection. Fear rising. Behaviour targeted. Order now. Pick up. In store. Heavy reflection. Should I. Stay or. Should I. Go now? Heavy reflection. Fear rising. Heavy dread.

Should I. Stay or. Should I. Go now? Stomach rumbles. Hunger pangs. Decision made. Checking phone. Product ordered. Activity tracked. Connection extraction. Behaviour targeted. Lured away. From comfort.

Byphenomenon. From the. Frequent paths. Of Everyday. To land.

Literally a. Fish out. Of water...