The narrator introduces us to a few of the characters that we'll meet throughout the novel. First, we learn that bibi is a member of a family of "ghost hunters" . She's a good witch, but sometimes she gets into trouble because of her "daring magic spells," but she always comes up with a way to get out of it. We also learn that her childhood friend, wasabi taki, is her "flying fox spirit" , and that he shrinks when you tap his nose. Carambala, the roving reporter for the newspaper, is also introduced, and she tells us that she always looks for the next "great story" in the book. We learn that carambala and her friend are having a little fun at the beach, and they're getting a little too close for their own good. They're so close, in fact, that they almost catch a glimpse of the ghost they've been looking for, but then they realize that they'll have to go back to the island where he's been staying. The two of them decide to go find him.