Todo al Vuelo Obras Completas Vol. XVIII

In the bustling cafés and terraces of Paris’s Quartier, a lively crowd of “exóticos” drifts past, each a flash of colour and costume. Among them, a striking young man in a white Panama hat—slim, proud, and almost theatrical—captures the narrator’s eye. He moves with a confident swagger that hints at hidden wealth, perhaps plantations or a bank, while the surrounding parade of Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and South‑American figures adds a kaleidoscopic backdrop of languages, foods and fashions. The scene feels both playful and sharply observed, a vivid snapshot of cosmopolitan life at the turn of the century.

The narrative then turns to a lingering mystery: the disappearance of a charismatic Archduke, long rumored to have perished in a storm off the Río de la Plata. A recent letter from the river’s estuary suggests he was bound for Valparaíso, but no word follows, and whispers of sightings circulate in Paris, Belgium and the River Plate region. This early act sets up a tantalising mix of satire, cultural portraiture and a quest for truth that beckons listeners forward.