Wild Oranges

A lone ketch glides into a quiet bay, its hull settling gently against a shore lined with ancient cypress and the faint perfume of orange blossoms. Captain John Woolfolk, weary from a day of navigating treacherous tides, watches the water’s glassy surface while his crew member, the steady‑minded Poul Halvard, prepares the modest evening meal. The scene is painted in soft, shifting light, the sky turning from pale yellow to an uncanny green as night approaches.

Beyond the tangled foliage, the ruins of a once‑grand plantation house loom—broken windows like empty eyes and a collapsed portico hinting at a forgotten prosperity. Woolfolk’s curiosity is piqued by the silent decay, a reminder of how progress can abandon even the most splendid places. As the first aromas of supper mingle with the evening air, the listeners are invited to share his sense of wonder and the subtle tension that rises from the juxtaposition of tranquil beauty and lingering mystery.