Summary

The Prologue begins with the statement “They had been smelling smoke for two days” (3). For the first few pages, there is no reference to who “they” are. There is a description of how they had been traveling for a while, and how much they enjoy canoeing, particularly traveling at night. “They loved how the darkness amplified the sounds … the loons especially. How they hollowed out the night with longing” (4). There is also a description of how, after climbing a mountain, Jack sees a forest fire in the distance. It is still some miles away, but seems to be moving quickly. They have several miles to go before they get to safety, and are not sure they will achieve their goal before the fire arrives.

As they continue up the river that links the five lakes they are traveling, they encounter a drunken...