"The oranges were more plentiful than usual that year. They glowed in their arbours of burnished green leaf like lanterns, flickering up there among the sunny woods." This vivid description highlights a bountiful harvest that seems to symbolize a sense of abundance and vibrancy during a particular season. The oranges’ glowing appearance adds an almost magical quality to the scene, emphasizing the beauty of nature in that moment.

Durrell associates the oranges and the scene with a deeper emotional and symbolic meaning, describing it as a prelude to a significant journey. It was as if they were eager to celebrate our departure from the little island -- for last the long-awaited message from Nessim had come, like a summons back to the Underworld. The message from Nessim marks a return to Alexandria, a city that exists between reality and imagination in the narrator's mind. The city, "the capital of memory," beckons him back to revisit its poetic and elusive essence, blurring the line between tangible experience and poetic longing.