The chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, when the narrator is a student at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is a member of the magic club, where he is introduced to the tricks of the club's members. The chapter begins with the narrator complaining that his cleaning duties have made him late for work. He wants to try his hand at inflating a balloon with his mouth, but his sister restrains him from doing so. The assistant who works in the club room explains that it is a trick to inflate a balloon by mouth. Only about one in five people are able to do it successfully, and the trick involves stretching the balloon several times before it is filled with air. The narrator explains that he can inflate the balloon easily with his nose pumps, which are sold at many shops in the United States. He explains that the trick to inflating the balloon is to hold the balloon in one hand and twist it several times to create a dog tail. He says that he learned the trick from his sister, who has always been good at it. He tells the assistant that his sister has always said the same thing, and that she has gotten better at it than him. He asks the assistant why he learned this trick from her, and she tells him that she was the first person to learn it when they were children. She adds that she can't explain what her sister is thinking, but that it seems like she is having fun at his expense instead of being with him. She says that the feeling of accomplishment comes from the fact that