My tone's going to sound inappropriately light-minded at times. But that's the way it was. The tone of most of the things we do in life is probably going to turn out to have been painfully unsuitable in the light of what happens later. So, from the beginning. We're back in last year.
Last year is now.
It's early spring. A particularly appropriate jumping-off point, as will become apparent. I suppose it's a length of frayed twine. The same length of twine, it occurs to me, that will bring the story to its end. Yes, even we know where Upwood is.