Read the following excerpt from "the scarlet ibis" by william hurst and answer the question that follows.

the flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox. the five o'clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle. the last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly the names of our dead.

determine the mood created by the details of the setting.
a. lively
b. cheerful
c. terrifying
d. depressing