Who's at the door? You can stop knocking, I'm already here. Yes, that's me. I'd rather not— Oh, I see. Come in, then. Be quiet, the neighbours underneath are pesky even when I don't have guests. Take a seat. I'll tell you what I can.
I arrived at the chalet not long before Ian. I think you've been there, you know how you have to make your way across those shrubs after you leave your car behind. It took me a few hours to find everything needed and find the cabin again. It was difficult to begin the preparations alone. That klutz was of little help, like usual, though the extra pair of hands did make everything go a bit smoother and luckily, he didn't mess up the candles. What Francis left was everything but instructions, as if we're not all going to take part in the same thing.
I might've made a few mistakes, but nothing that can't be fixed. Of course, cousin Francis found it appropriate to unravel the work we've done so far, and start again. In all that frantic cleaning, he even forgot the pots outside. Aunt Moon helped him too. I guess Ian was angered at how those two had little regard for what we've done so far, as I heard him stomping outside as he went to gather some firewood. Perhaps it reminded him of the plums.
I was shoved outside of the chalet as to not 'mess up' further, so I thought it'd be a good idea to oil and check the hinges and locks. They somehow weren't rusted, but Aunt Moon didn't seem to bat an eye. She's always bragging about the 'wonderful' shack she has somewhere in the eastward mountains. I wasn't to hear her complaining about the negligible amount of dirt there was on the chalet's floors, while ignoring the suspiciously perfect-kept doors.
I couldn't see Ian nearby while I was going about my business around the doors, though I could hear some of those awful big cats— lynxes, I think. All went smoothly around the cabin, and he was the only thing missing. Frances and Aunt Moon didn't seem to worry about that. Besides, Ian can take care of himself. Despite that, I stalled around, making sure to not leave the tallow buckets outside, as it got darker and darker. Finally, I went inside, not without leaving the kerosene lamp lit, next to the door, so that knucklehead could find his way to the cabin.
I tried to sleep after that, though Aunt Moon's figure, sitting up stiffly, looking out of the window kept me awake for a while. And I couldn't even sleep for a few hours, because I heard the window shatter. There was no one left in the room, only a scent of ember. I scurried out into the main room. More than half of it was ablaze, and I nearly entered the blaze in my hurry. I did what any other rational person would do, and hasted to jump out of the broken window next to Aunt Moon's bed.
I can't recall much after that. I think I might have hit my head after throwing myself carelessly through the broken glass. When I came back to my senses, the chalet was already ashes, and it was morning.