Waverley's pretty much had it with being a chess prodigy. At first, it was kind of fun, with all that publicity and all those special privileges at home. But not anymore. As she goes with her mother to market one Sunday morning, Waverley starts to feel terribly exploited all of a sudden; all this chess champion business has been for Mrs. Jong's benefit, not hers. The two get into a blazing row, which ends when Waverley runs off, finding shelter for the next couple of hours in an upturned pail in an alleyway.

Eventually, she makes her way home. But the moment she walks through the door, Waverley realizes that Mrs. Jong's still mad at her for what happened earlier; Mrs. Jong gives her the silent treatment, as indeed do the rest of the family. Waverley has no alternative but to retreat to her room, where she lies on the bed having strange visions about her white pieces on the chessboard being attacked by a couple of dark slits.

Waverley responds to the attack by rising above the board and flying high over the houses, until at last she's lifted up to the night sky by a soaring wind. The vision mirrors the state of Waverley's soul at this precise moment. She wants to break free from her mother's exploitative control and do her own thing.

At the end of the story, Waverly accompanies her mother to the Saturday market, where her mother proceeds to show her off and introduce her to everyone she meets. Waverly ends up offending her mother when she says that it is embarrassing that she has to be shown off and paraded around the market like a prized possession. Waverly's mother responds by calling her a stupid girl, and Waverly runs away from the market. When she returns home, the door is locked, and her brother eventually lets her in. Waverly then enters the house, and her mother says,

We not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us.

Waverly proceeds to walk to her room, where she contemplates how she will defeat her authoritative mother. Overall, Waverly ends up offending her mother at the market, briefly runs away, and discovers that she is locked out of the house. After her brother lets her in, Waverly goes to her room and thinks about how she will eventually overcome her controlling, oppressive mother.