As winter presses in, Rune intensifies his kite-making, preferring to make kites of items that would never fly, like an anvil or couch. He declares Greenstone’s winters nothing compared to what he endured in Norway, where they didn’t see the sun for three months. Watching Rune make kites makes Virgil feel homesick, but he’s unsure why. He feels as though he doesn’t belong in his home or “like a character of [himself], well-meaning but secondary, a man introduced late in the picture” (199). Bob Dylan refuses the request to appear at the festival, and Ann proposes they have a carnival complete with a circus elephant. City councilman Barrett Becker says having an elephant creates too many liability issues, especially with Greenstone’s history of bad luck. This gives Ann the idea to capitalize on Greenstone’s misfortunes, theme the festival around bad luck, and showcase all its misfortunes, including the water tower. Barrett is concerned about Bjorn’s surfing and tells Virgil to make him stop. He calls the boy “damaged,” and Virgil quickly defends him.

Virgil begins to worry about Bjorn, too, as he’s become distant and thin. Bjorn goes missing one night after working at the Empress.