I leaned over the railing of ms Zuiderdam, as we cruised through a narrow passageway north of Vancouver, and I saw a ghost ship in the distance.

Off to the side.

An omen?

Not likely.

Instead, the analyst in me examined and reexamined the coastlines of islands, the miragelike puffs of small fog banks, and decided the ship’s lights lit and highlighted the surrounding terrain.

Ghost ship?

In my imagination, yes.

A good will tells time.