II. Present: Something Weird Summary

Isobel claims that she is a large person and that she is not beautiful. The day is the first of April, and it is Isobel's sixteenth birthday.

Isobel states that she is five feet ten inches tall. She contemplates her height, and she thinks about her missing mother who walked off into the woods and disappeared years ago. The family has a lodger, Mr. Rice, who Isobel holds in low regard. Charles laments his lack of height, and Isobel thinks about how girls do not find her brother attractive.

Audrey's father, Mr. Baxter, is overly protective. Her father is the headmaster of the local elementary school, and he forbids Audrey to spend time with boys. The Baxter's are the closest neighbors of Isobel and her family, and they call their house Sithean because it is a Scottish...