- Joel wakes up from a nightmare in a big bed, and realizes someone is in the room.
- It's a woman, looking at a blue jay that's perched on a bureau. She closes the window and grabs a poker from the fireplace.
- The woman, Miss Amy, beats the bird with the poker and scoops it up.
- Joel pretends to be asleep.
- Joel gets dressed, and as he's putting on his shoes someone knocks at the door.
- It's Miss Amy, and she says that Cousin Randolph will be sorry that Joel got in so late, and that he didn't get to welcome him.
- Miss Amy explains that there is no indoor plumbing or electricity in the house. She asks Joel to pick up the poker that is still under the chair after her attack, and she says that a bird had flown in earlier and wants to know whether she woke him up.
- Joel says he thinks he heard something, and compliments Miss Amy's hair and his bedroom, trying to get in good with his stepmom.
- They look out the window at the grounds and Miss Amy says that the Landing used to be bigger but that it burned one Christmas. She invites Joel downstairs to eat.
- Joel asks Miss Amy when he can see his dad and she ignores him. Weird, right?
- Miss Amy introduces the cook, a black woman named Missouri, as Jesus Fever's granddaughter.
- Missouri asks Joel to attend a prayer meeting with Jesus Fever and her.
- Joel asks about his father, and Miss Amy finally tells him that he isn't well and that she'll ask if he's ready to see Joel.
- Joel eats a plate of breakfast and talks to Missouri. She tells him her plan to get out of town once Jesus Fever "goes to his rest" (that means dies).
- She asks if Joel has ever seen snow and he lies and says he has. He tells a story of being trapped in the snow and his mother dying, which is completely made up (although his mother has died recently).
- Missouri calls him on his lying, and he gets embarrassed. She doesn't mind, because he's a good storyteller, and they agree to be friends.
- Missouri also asks Joel to call him Zoo, which is her real name.
- Joel asks Zoo about his dad, and she also ignores him.
- He starts crying out of frustration at everyone ignoring him and acting so weird.
- Zoo says that Miss Amy takes care of Mr. Sansom, and that she has nothing to do with him, so she won't talk about him. She says he should ask Mr. Randolph.
- Zoo tells Joel to go kill some birds with a slingshot because Mr. Randolph likes dead birds with pretty feathers, and reminds him to come to the church service before she takes food out back to Jesus Fever.
- Joel sits at the table for a couple of hours, waiting. Finally he gets up and starts looking for Miss Amy. He goes outside and peeks in some windows, but doesn't see anyone.
- He starts playing on the old burnt-out porch, among the columns, and looks up at the house. He sees a woman in a white wig looking at him from an upstairs window. He steps back and falls against an old bell, making it ring.