Day zero. Junior marketer Percy stood in the corner of the office, watching as a tall guy in a blue jumpsuit replaced a large plastic container on the water cooler. Office manager Claire called delivery service employees as needed—about...

Autumn is arriving all around. It strips the apple trees in the garden bare. It gilds the rowan trees in the clearings. It paints the aspens on the marshy bank with crimson hues. And even from the lake itself,...