Incidents Around the House

At bedtime, the child narrator says good night to Daddo and Mommy, who leave the bedroom. The child pulls the covers up to their chin. Other Mommy then comes out of the closet. The child greets her and feels excited to see her again, indicating that this is not their first meeting. This brief opening gives no explanation of who Other Mommy is or what she wants.

Before work, Mommy urges Bela to finish her oatmeal and complains that her earnings sometimes feel small. Bela recalls that Mommy now serves breakfast because she once ate so much of a breakfast prepared by Daddo that she vomited; Daddo does the dishes. Bela asks where recycling goes and whether it is a better place. Mommy says recycled things return in a different form, making Bela think of carnations.

Mommy leaves without saying goodbye to Daddo within Bela's hearing. Bela goes upstairs, where Other Mommy is already standing outside the closet. Bela says Other Mommy has been emerging much more often, seems impatient, and wants to talk about carnations. Other Mommy sits beside Bela on the bed and asks whether she can go into Bela's heart.

Bela remembers the first time she mentioned Other Mommy to her parents. At bedtime, she said good night twice and explained that the second farewell was for Other Mommy. Both parents initially smiled, and Daddo made a joking spooky sound, but Mommy stopped smiling and asked who Other Mommy was. Embarrassed, Bela claimed she was tired instead of answering.

After they left, Bela saw Mommy look back through the doorway. Other Mommy then rose with a grunt from a crouched position between Bela's bed and the wall, where Bela says she had been waiting for the parents to leave. Neither parent sees Other Mommy in this recollection.

Soon after Mommy leaves for work, Daddo comes upstairs to invite Bela to spend time with him. Other Mommy steps into the attached bathroom as he approaches. Daddo notices a disgusting smell and enters the bathroom despite Bela's attempts to distract him. Bela cannot see what happens inside. Daddo flushes the toilet, comes back out, and invites her to work on a Michigan puzzle in his den.

Daddo asks why Bela no longer plays outside as much as she used to and whether she has been seeing friends. Bela thinks of Deb and Kelvin, but no other friends. She explains privately that she stopped spending as much time outdoors after seeing Other Mommy watching from upstairs windows and worrying that Other Mommy might approach Daddo while she was away. Once a familiar nighttime visitor, Other Mommy now appears in the mornings and persistently asks the same question. As Bela leaves the room, she sees Other Mommy peeking from the bathroom.

Bela works on the Michigan puzzle in Daddo's den while he handles calls for work. He encourages her to overcome her fear of giving speeches in Mr. Brown's class. They reaffirm that they are best friends, and Bela recalls a time when Mommy spent more time at home with them.

Creaking overhead distracts Bela. She sees what looks like an eye, perhaps a face, in the ceiling and later believes Other Mommy is looking down at her. Daddo neither acknowledges the creaking nor sees what Bela sees; he thinks her distress is related to their discussion of stage fright. Bela runs upstairs, afraid that Other Mommy might reveal herself to him. Other Mommy is on Bela's bed, with dark hair visible on the backs of her arms. Before Bela can tell her to leave Daddo alone, Other Mommy again asks to enter her heart. Bela refuses repeatedly, recalls a school lesson about unwanted touching, and runs downstairs when Other Mommy becomes upset. Bela urges Daddo to watch a movie with her.

Bela and Daddo watch romantic comedies while waiting for Mommy to come home. Bela recalls that Other Mommy once covered her ears when her parents watched frightening films, a behavior Bela formerly experienced as protective. Daddo hears something and looks for Mommy, whose name is Ursula; his own name is Russ. Bela thinks she sees a shape at the dining-room table in the dark and hears breathing, but when Mommy arrives and the light comes on, no one is there.

Mommy seems flustered, avoids an attempted kiss, then exchanges familiar jokes with Daddo. Bela later sees them kissing and wishes their earlier closeness would last. Upstairs, Bela finds Other Mommy sitting on her bed. Bela says she used to be happy to see her, but is now frightened by the repeated question about entering her heart. Bela refuses the request and shuts herself in the bathroom, making noise while brushing her teeth.

When Mommy sits on Bela's bed, Bela says she smells like another person. Mommy is visibly upset, and while believing Bela asleep, she questions something she has done and worries about risking her family. Bela hears remorse but does not learn exactly what happened. As Mommy talks, Other Mommy emerges from the closet and moves toward the ceiling corner. Mommy appears to glimpse something, checks the corner with her phone light, and tells Daddo she felt watched, without identifying a figure.

Bela recalls Other Mommy saying that if Bela let her into her heart, they would switch places and Bela would go to the place Other Mommy comes from. These are Other Mommy's claims, not verified facts. Bela fears repeated requests may eventually make her agree. After the parents leave, Other Mommy speaks beside the bed and Bela cries out, then tells her returning parents that she nearly rolled off. Daddo smells something foul. Bela remembers Other Mommy once combing her hair, holding her, and covering her ears. She keeps silent as the entity returns to the closet, wishing her parents could continue laughing together.

At Chaps Park, Bela and Deb play while their mothers, Ursula and Carly, talk nearby. Bela asks Deb how she would protect her if a woman lived in her closet. When Bela keeps describing more disturbing encounters, Deb becomes upset, runs to the jungle gym, and eventually cries. Bela recognizes that she has frightened her friend and apologizes.

Bela recalls Daddo's lesson about kindness, including his account of a former coworker, Oren, who mistreated home healthcare nurses. Daddo told Bela not to let another person's cruelty enter her. At the jungle gym, Bela hears what sounds like Deb inside a dark wooden room asking whether she can enter Bela's heart. Bela then sees the real Deb running toward their mothers below. Hairy fingers appear at the room entrance. Bela backs away, falls down the slide, and hurts her head. Mommy and Carly rush to her. Bela tells Mommy she is scared, realizing that Other Mommy has appeared outside their home for the first time.

Back at home after the playground fall, Mommy tells Daddo how hard Bela struck her head. Bela becomes overwhelmed and cries. Daddo comforts her by describing how his brother Klay once pushed his feet from under him on the parallel bars, causing him to break a rib. Mommy remains concerned that Bela may be injured, so the parents agree to take her to Dr. Smith.

As they prepare to leave, Bela hears creaking upstairs. She wonders whether saying yes to Other Mommy's repeated request would make the disturbing appearances stop or prevent the entity from coming closer. Daddo, unaware of these thoughts, urges her to come so the doctor can examine her head and heart.

At Dr. Smith's office, Bela is examined after falling backward down the playground slide. The doctor asks Bela, rather than her parents, to explain what happened and whether she was dizzy, disoriented, or frightened before falling. Bela initially conceals the strange sight at the playground. Mommy insists she watched the entire incident, though Bela remembers Mommy talking with Carly instead. Daddo encourages the examination while Mommy becomes defensive.

When asked what scared her, Bela says Other Mommy. Her parents recall that she mentioned this name a couple of years earlier. Dr. Smith asks about the apparent imaginary friend but does not confirm anything supernatural. He explains that Bela is usually well coordinated and checks for signs of injury, finding no obvious concussion indicators in her eyes or speech and no apparent broken bones. His remark that the geese on the office wallpaper can appear to chase the ducks leaves Bela thinking about the pattern, not a medical finding about Other Mommy.

Mommy and Daddo proceed with their party after Dr. Smith finds no obvious injury from Bela's fall. Kelvin, a local high school student who regularly babysits Bela, helps her dress for the party. Bela worries about the closet and bathroom, and tells Kelvin about carnations bringing friends back to life. Daddo realizes she means reincarnation, a word Bela has heard from Other Mommy. Early guests discuss the fall; Mommy says she heard an unfamiliar, animal-like grunt when Bela landed.

Daddo introduces Bela to Lois Anthony, who thinks Bela may be a Sensitive, someone able to perceive what others cannot. Lois touches Bela's shoulder twice but says she senses nothing. Bela denies seeing ghosts. At the party, Bela notices Mommy and a man holding hands and leaning close, though she cannot see what follows.

During a guest's ghost story, Marsha suddenly screams and reports seeing a tall, dark-blue, hairy creature across the living room. The others find the wall empty and wonder whether she is intoxicated. Bela tells the guests that the figure Marsha described was Other Mommy. Marsha's account is a new report from someone other than Bela, but the figure's identity is Bela's identification, not independently verified.

After the party, Daddo sits on Bela's bed and talks while believing she is asleep. He says he is stoned, reflects on the death of a high school acquaintance named Quinn Dole, and describes how both joy and sadness are part of becoming an adult. Bela wonders where Mommy has gone and recalls Marsha's scream. Daddo asks the apparently sleeping Bela whether Marsha really saw what Bela said she saw.

Daddo faces the closet and orders any presence to leave the house. Its doors creak open. He shuts them, finds a loose hinge, and repairs it, but the doors open again during a conversation about fear and reincarnation. Bela asks where a person would go if someone else took their body. Daddo considers the question and asks whether it concerns Other Mommy. He shuts the closet and props a chair against its doors, then falls asleep beside Bela.

Bela reflects on Other Mommy's claim that she wants to inhabit Bela's body and exchange places with her. Bela is not certain their earlier friendship was mutual and repeatedly begs Other Mommy not to come closer. The chapter does not establish the mechanics or truth of the proposed exchange.

Mommy arrives home the morning after the party wearing the previous night's clothes. She is tired, takes aspirin, and tells Bela the ghost-story incident disrupted the gathering. Bela has prepared her own breakfast; Daddo is asleep upstairs. Mommy says she went to check on Marsha, but Bela remembers hearing that Marsha had spent the night at her brother's house, leaving Mommy's actual whereabouts uncertain.

Disturbed by messages from guests about Marsha's experience, Mommy asks Bela who Other Mommy is. Bela describes eyes appearing on the side or bottom of her face, a figure sometimes larger than Daddo, and a creature that can slide across the floor on its stomach. These are Bela's reported observations, not independent measurements. Mommy asks whether Other Mommy talks, but Daddo rushes into the kitchen before Bela answers. Both parents have forgotten their planned zoo outing. They agree to go, while Bela hopes to buy a stuffed vulture. Mommy does not return to her unanswered question.

At the zoo, Bela recalls her teacher Mr. Jeffery's observation that places can have different meanings for different people. For Mommy and Daddo, the zoo has long been a place for private conversations. Now those conversations become arguments about Other Mommy, Lois Anthony, and Mommy's account of her whereabouts after the party. Bela notices that Mommy's statements about Marsha staying at her brother's house and Mommy herself spending the night with Marsha do not fit neatly together.

The family unexpectedly meets Lois, who tells Daddo about a Friday gathering at Sneakers where people discuss the unknown. Daddo is curious about the occult group, while Mommy dismisses its beliefs, and they argue on the way to the butterfly house. Bela walks ahead. She sees what looks like a blue eye moving or blinking behind leaves and fears Other Mommy may have followed them, but does not establish who or what caused the sight. Bela runs out through the butterfly house's two doors and tells her parents that she could be anywhere. Mommy blames people like Lois for the family's growing fear and demands that the situation stop.

After the zoo trip, Mommy angrily empties Bela's closet, removes items from the bathroom and under the bed, and insists there be nowhere for anything to hide. She refuses to discuss whether the parents believe Bela's account. She tells Bela not to use the closet until this phase passes and requires her to sleep with the bedroom door open. Daddo leaves the room to take a work call.

Mommy opens the window for fresh air and orders Bela to nap. The now-empty closet looks smaller and more ordinary to Bela. A shirt in the pile of displaced clothes moves in the breeze, and the wind sounds to Bela almost like Other Mommy repeating her request to enter Bela's heart. The chapter does not show a new manifestation. Bela is exhausted, but she also feels less alone because Mommy is taking action. She falls asleep as the wind blows and her parents talk in the hall.

After her nap, Bela awakens to a voice she believes is Mommy speaking beside her bed. The speaker confesses to cheating on Daddo since before their marriage and voices resentment about parental obligations and a desire for other relationships. Bela listens in fear as the voice turns to reincarnation and asks Bela to let her in, using the same language as Other Mommy.

A figure appears in the doorway. Bela expects Daddo but discovers that the real Mommy is standing there, asking whom Bela was talking to. Other Mommy is on the bed. Mommy turns on the light, screams at the sight, and carries Bela out of the house, repeatedly saying Daddo is not home. On the lawn, she looks toward Bela's bedroom and asks whether the figure was Other Mommy; Bela confirms it. The apparent confession was spoken by a figure using Mommy's voice, so this chapter does not establish that its admissions were true of Ursula or that the real Mommy made them. The exact point at which the impersonation began is not shown.

Mommy and Bela seek shelter with Amanda and Dan, who have a baby. Dan says Daddo is returning after stopping at the family's house, and Bela fears he will encounter Other Mommy there. Mommy insists that the thing she saw was not a woman. When Daddo arrives, he reports having searched their home and found no figure matching her description. Mommy says the figure used her voice; Bela agrees, but her parents do not hear her over the television.

Daddo asks Bela whether any adult at school or elsewhere has threatened or hurt her. She says no and cannot say when Other Mommy first appeared. Amanda suggests calling the police. Daddo calls to report someone in their home and appears to arrange to meet police there, alarming Bela. Mommy infers from the incidents at the park and home that the figure is following Bela, but that conclusion is hers. She asks Dan to activate the house alarm. Dan says he intends to arm it once everyone is settled; this chapter does not show that he does so.

At Amanda and Dan's house, everyone except Bela falls asleep while Daddo remains away dealing with the police. Bela hears a recurring breath-like noise, as though someone is about to speak, but cannot match it to any sleeping person's breathing. She calls Daddo with Mommy's phone. He responds by text, believing Mommy called, and says he is filing a report.

Bela hears the noise near the living room entrance. Dan also wakes, looks toward that entrance, and says he heard something like breathing. Amanda suggests it may have been her snoring, and Dan accepts the explanation, though the source of the earlier sound is not conclusively identified. Daddo texts that he is outside, Dan turns on the light to find the entrance empty, and Daddo knocks. No appearance of Other Mommy is directly shown in this chapter.

Daddo tries to reassure Bela at Amanda and Dan's house. He says there is no proof that ghosts exist and asks why Bela considers Other Mommy mean. Bela says the figure tricked her by pretending to be a friend and now asks to be reincarnated. Daddo also explains that feeling scared, startled, or panicked may involve different emotional states.

Dan comes downstairs and quietly tells Daddo that he thought he saw Ursula in an upstairs bedroom even though she was outside making a call. Dan remains shaken, and he and Amanda say the family should stay elsewhere for the sake of their baby. Mommy reacts angrily, but eventually calls her mother, Grandma Ruth, to arrange shelter. They leave without the belongings they had not brought with them. On the drive, Daddo brakes for one deer, and the family laughs after the scare. A second deer crosses just as he starts moving again, silencing their laughter. The incident in Dan's bedroom remains his report, not a confirmed identification.

The family arrives late at Grandma Ruth's house and says the power has gone out at their own home. Bela knows this explanation is false. Grandma notices inconsistencies in the story and unusual anxiety in Mommy and Daddo. She suspects something serious is happening and asks what is really wrong. When she briefly speaks with Bela, Bela admits someone mean and as big as Daddo has been bothering her.

Mommy and Daddo decide that they and Bela will sleep on cushions in Grandma's downstairs living room instead of using the upstairs rooms. Daddo privately says they do not want to leave Grandma alone. The adults fall asleep quickly. Bela comforts herself by petting Grandma's small white dog, Milky, and worries that daylight will not necessarily make things safer. As she drifts into sleep, Bela has an apparent dream in which Milky becomes enormous, crouches beside her bed, has hair on its arms, and laughs. The chapter does not establish that Milky physically transforms or that Other Mommy has appeared in the house.

At Grandma Ruth's house the next morning, Bela pretends to sleep and overhears Mommy insist that they cannot return home after what she saw. Daddo suggests moving, selling the house, or even taking a road trip in a camper. Mommy proposes burning down the house, while Daddo worries about work, belongings, and Bela's approaching school year.

Grandma has been listening. She argues that the family needs someone experienced in exorcism if the presence is real, while still allowing for the possibility of a human intruder or costume. She challenges the parents for not talking openly with Bela and asks Bela how often she has seen the figure. Bela cannot count the encounters but agrees there could have been as many as a hundred. She says Other Mommy instructed her to use that name and repeatedly asks permission to enter her heart. Mommy and Daddo learn these details directly from Bela for the first time. Grandma insists that a specialist would be needed if the figure is not an ordinary person.

Daddo takes Bela for a walk among the Loblolly Pines behind Grandma Ruth's property while Mommy makes phone calls in the front yard. During their walk, Daddo attempts to have a serious conversation with Bela about Other Mommy, particularly focusing on the entity's requests to 'go into her heart.' The discussion reveals new details about Other Mommy's evolution - how she initially didn't speak and only made faces from the closet, leading Bela to believe they were friends before the entity began emerging and making physical contact.

The conversation becomes increasingly tense as Bela discloses that she had previously held hands with Other Mommy and experienced physical contact when the entity's face touched hers while floating above her bed. Daddo, visibly distressed by these revelations, tries to establish clear boundaries about physical contact and consent, emphasizing that no one - supernatural or otherwise - should touch her or attempt to 'go into her heart.' His protective instincts clash with his struggle to reconcile the various interpretations of Other Mommy's nature, from Grandma Ruth's theory about costumed intruders to Mommy's belief in monsters.

The chapter takes a dramatic turn when Grandma Ruth interrupts their walk with the news that Mommy has unexpectedly left in the car to 'see a friend.' This abandonment creates immediate tension as Bela expresses her fear that Other Mommy has followed them to Grandma's property. The situation becomes more urgent when Bela reveals that Other Mommy's presence is now constant and that the entity is 'getting closer,' wanting an answer about going into Bela's heart. Despite Daddo's clear instructions about saying no, the chapter ends with Bela's internal conflict, acknowledging that despite the warnings, she remains uncertain about how to answer Other Mommy's request, still influenced by memories of their former friendship.

From Grandma Ruth's bedroom, Daddo watches Grandma search the Loblolly Pines after Bela says she worries Other Mommy might be nearby. Mommy is still away and does not answer his call. Daddo phones police about a possible intruder, but cannot supply a conventional description; Bela mentions the dark hair on the backs of Other Mommy's arms.

A movement in Grandma's closet makes Bela cry out, but she sees Milky investigating the space. Daddo hurries Bela away and warns Grandma not to enter the bedroom. Grandma insists that no one will take over her home, examines the room, and returns carrying Milky. She reports finding nothing and no bad smell. Rather than relying on police alone, Grandma again urges Daddo to consult someone who understands unusual experiences, even if the effort proves fruitless.

After police search Grandma Ruth's house and the surrounding Loblolly Pines without finding an intruder, Bela, Daddo, and Grandma wait at a Big Boy restaurant to meet Lois Anthony. Lois says she and a group discuss matters like this but does not yet know whether she can help.

Lois asks whether Other Mommy has tried to make a bargain with Bela. Bela repeats Other Mommy's claim that they would trade places and Bela would go somewhere other than the closet. Lois interprets this as an attempted possession rather than an ordinary ghost encounter and speculates that it explains why she did not sense sensitivity in Bela earlier. These are Lois's interpretations, not independently verified facts. She strongly advises Bela never to agree and proposes gathering with others to meet Other Mommy and order her away. Daddo is distressed by the suggestion, but Grandma welcomes the plan.

Bela, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth stay in a second-floor motel because they consider neither home safe. Mommy remains absent and does not answer Daddo's calls. Lois visits and says members of her group can meet at her house the following afternoon. Grandma and Lois speak privately on the balcony, after which Lois leaves to prepare.

Bela asks Daddo whether some problems cannot be solved. He admits that some things remain mysteries, but tries to reassure her. Grandma asks whether Other Mommy has ever hurt or explicitly threatened anyone. Bela cannot identify such an incident and does not know whether Other Mommy might become violent. Grandma explains that she wants to understand the risk before they invite the entity into Lois's home. She also notes that Mommy was deeply shaken after a single sighting, while Bela has endured many encounters. As they prepare for the next day, Grandma offers to take the first watch and invites Bela to keep watch with her as practice for the planned confrontation.

At Lois Anthony's house, Bela, Daddo, Grandma Ruth, and six members of Lois's group form a circle with colored candles, crystals, and other objects intended for spiritual communication. Lois's friends are unsettled when they realize they may be addressing something other than a deceased person. Several question the danger of trying to make contact. Bela defends the importance of her earlier friendship with Other Mommy, saying she does not know what the figure is.

During the group's attempt to tell Other Mommy to leave Bela alone, Kyle says she answered him. He approaches Bela and whispers that Other Mommy gave her a present, then blows out the candles. His claim of contact is not independently verified. Mommy arrives crying and says Frank Doherty is dead, found in a closet as though he had slept there. Lois apologizes for the unsuccessful session and Grandma recommends a specialist. Bela worries that the 'present' Kyle mentioned might be connected to Frank's death, but neither the source nor the adults establish that Other Mommy caused it. Bela cries while Grandma comforts her.

After the failed gathering, the family drives while debating where to find shelter. Mommy is distraught over Frank Doherty's death, Daddo worries about work and the cost of staying in hotels, and Grandma insists they need someone who understands what they are facing. Mommy repeatedly says that no one knows what she saw in Bela's bedroom.

Bela recalls Other Mommy's first approach from the closet. She asked whether Bela minded her presence, called them friends, and sought permission to enter her heart. Other Mommy claimed she could then walk and talk like Bela while Bela would go to the place she came from, which she said was not the closet. Bela also remembers a warning that friends denied help can become sad and say uncharacteristic or mean things. Other Mommy used Pester and Milky to illustrate that warning. This suggests pressure and an implied threat, not an explicit admission of harming anyone. Mommy proposes staying at Frank's vacant house and says she has a key. Daddo stops the car, questions the proposal, then turns back toward the house.

The family enters Frank Doherty's house using Mommy's key. Bela thinks Frank may be the man who held Mommy's hand at the earlier party, and Daddo is upset by how well Mommy knows the house. They turn on the lights and consider sleeping in a first-floor bedroom, but Daddo wants to remain awake. He asks Bela whether she can sense Other Mommy nearby. Bela explains that she sometimes hears creaks, notices a foul smell, or simply feels the figure's presence, but initially does not think she is there.

Bela later tells Daddo about Kyle's claim that Other Mommy gave her a present and wonders whether Frank's death was that present. This remains Bela's suspicion, not an established cause of death. Daddo and Mommy argue about their relationship and about staying in Frank's house. During the argument, Bela thinks she hears signs of Other Mommy and repeatedly says she believes the figure is inside. The adults finally hear her and flee together. In the car, Bela worries about her parents separating and fears that she may say yes to Other Mommy's request to prevent further harm.

The family sleeps in their car at a lit gas station between Chaps and East Kent. Bela recalls Grandma's difficulty processing the events and her consideration of a priest, while Daddo has mentioned an occult specialist. Mommy thinks changing locations may no longer help. As the others sleep, Bela remembers the early days when Other Mommy peeked out of the closet, used familiar phrases such as 'peekaboo,' and instructed Bela to call her Other Mommy. Bela remembers once wanting her to stay in the closet and at other times being both frightened and eager to see her.

Bela hears her own heartbeat against the car seat and wonders what entering her heart could mean. Watching a stranger clean his car's windshield, she thinks she sees an upside-down face in the water running down the glass. The man wipes the window, and Bela cannot tell whether the apparent face disappeared completely or was ever the figure she fears. She reflects that she and Other Mommy may share anger, yet questions whether a relationship dominated by fear can still be a friendship.

Outside a church, Daddo waits with Bela while Mommy and Grandma Ruth ask priests for assistance. He tells Bela that even adults are unprepared for experiences like Mommy's and asks her to stop calling the figure Other Mommy because the name upsets Ursula. When Bela cries, Daddo reassures her that the family will eventually get through the crisis.

Mommy and Grandma return without help. They report that the priests required more evidence, questioned the adults about drugs and religious commitments, and told them to contact police. Mommy concludes that they must try to kill the figure themselves, although no one knows how. Bela asks whether a gun would work and Daddo tells her not to say that. Two priests walk away from the church, leaving Bela feeling that the family has been rejected. She wonders whether harming Other Mommy would be worse than helping her, recalling their former friendship and the danger of agreeing to the request.

The family spends a day desperately searching throughout Goblin for anyone who might help them deal with Other Mommy, visiting various locations including a Northwoods gift shop, a psychic on Neptune Street, and numerous 'headshops' and 'lounges,' but finding no one with useful knowledge about their supernatural predicament. The strain of their situation continues to wear on the family, with Mommy and Daddo's relationship becoming increasingly tense as night approaches.

As rain intensifies and they find themselves without shelter, Grandma Ruth's friend Evelyn offers them refuge in her enormous three-story house at the edge of Goblin. Upon arrival, they maintain the pretense of being simple travelers to avoid explaining their supernatural crisis, though Evelyn seems to sense something is amiss. The house's grandeur provides a temporary distraction from their troubles, with Evelyn showing them multiple bedrooms and sharing stories about her children, January and July, who once lived there.

The evening takes an unexpectedly pleasant turn as Evelyn serves frozen pizza and drinks, creating an atmosphere that allows the family to momentarily forget their troubles. The bourbon helps Mommy and Daddo reconnect, showing signs of their former closeness. However, the peaceful moment is interrupted when Bela spots what she believes is a woman in the hallway, though it turns out to be Evelyn. This false alarm, combined with Daddo's stories about childhood confusion over identifying parents in crowds, creates an underlying tension that reminds them of their ongoing crisis, even in this temporary haven.

At Evelyn's house, Mommy and Daddo drink heavily while the family dances to records. They joke about Other Mommy and briefly seem closer to each other. Grandma tells Evelyn what has happened, but Evelyn expresses concern about accepting such an extraordinary account and suggests that the parents need to handle their own problems. Later, Mommy and Daddo fall deeply asleep in the yellow guest room, and Grandma sleeps in Evelyn's room.

Bela needs to use the bathroom, but cannot wake either parent. She leaves the bedroom alone, finds a bathroom, and initially mistakes a dark wall behind the shower curtain for Evelyn. When Bela sits on the toilet, she feels another person's legs beneath her own. She falls and sees Other Mommy sitting against the wall holding her face in her hands. Evelyn appears and screams. Grandma pulls Bela out, and Evelyn demands that everyone leave. Bela sees Other Mommy enter the yellow room and spread across the ceiling, while Mommy and Daddo also react in terror.

The family flees in the early morning rain. Evelyn refuses Grandma's invitation to leave with them. Mommy drives fast, slows after Grandma's warning about Bela, and says they must go home because the figure seems to follow them rather than remain in any house. Bela interprets the ordeal as something attached to the family, particularly herself. The chapter does not establish that Evelyn is permanently psychologically changed.

The family returns home with a new strategy - fortifying their house with extensive security measures. Despite concerns about costs and work obligations, both Mommy and Daddo prioritize security over financial stability, installing alarms, cameras, motion detectors, and other surveillance equipment throughout every room. The installation draws attention from neighbors, who watch curiously as Chaps Security vehicles arrive and workers install equipment both inside and outside the house.

Beyond technology, their protective measures include the planned arrival of Cane Corso guard dogs, which Mommy emphasizes are not pets despite being 'kid-friendly.' The parents' heightened vigilance manifests in constant supervision of Bela, with both refusing to let her out of their sight. Meanwhile, Grandma Ruth's absence is explained by her need for a break, highlighting the toll recent events have taken on the entire family.

As alarms and motion sensors are installed on every closet, Bela recalls an earlier, chilling conversation with Other Mommy. The entity's statement about needing Bela's heart for 'a life' and her threatening shift from playing nice to potential aggression now takes on new urgency. With their technological defenses in place, Bela contemplates what will happen when Other Mommy next emerges to encounter their security system.

Two massive Cane Corso guard dogs, Kami and Kamael, arrive at the house with their trainers. The black dogs, both male with white patches on their chests, have been specifically scent-trained to accept Mommy, Daddo, and Bela while remaining vigilant against all other visitors. The trainers provide detailed instructions about the dogs' care, emphasizing repeatedly that they are working animals, not pets, and must not be given treats or human food.

The conversation takes a revealing turn when Mommy specifically inquires about the dogs' effectiveness against ghosts and entities already inside the house. This marks the first time the family has openly discussed their supernatural crisis with outsiders, though they stop short of fully explaining the situation. The trainers appear taken aback by these questions but assure the family that while the dogs are primarily trained to guard entry points and the first floor, they will respond to any disturbance anywhere in the house.

The chapter concludes with the trainers noting they've never seen a house as heavily fortified as this one, unaware of the true nature of what the family fears. Their final reassurance that the family shouldn't fear anything rings with dramatic irony, as both the readers and the family know that conventional security measures, no matter how extensive, may prove ineffective against Other Mommy's supernatural presence. Mommy's glance toward the ceiling cameras and comment about hoping they've done enough reveals her continued anxiety despite these additional precautions.

Back at the fortified house, Daddo moves his desk into the living room to keep everyone together. Mommy speaks to Grandma about the alarms and guard dogs. The family keeps the house quiet, apparently to hear disturbances. Kami and Kamael growl at someone passing outside, but the family sees an ordinary neighbor, not an intruder.

While eating together, Bela worries she has caused her parents' fear, their isolation, and Grandma's frightening encounter at Evelyn's house. She remembers a visit from Other Mommy when Kelvin was babysitting. Bela heard what sounded like Kelvin speaking about reincarnation and helping a friend come to life. Kelvin was actually outside on his phone; Other Mommy was in Bela's bedroom and told Bela she could sound like everyone Bela knew. This recollection corroborates the impersonation Bela has experienced, but not the truth of everything the voice says.

Bela also recalls Other Mommy's imitation of Mommy and wonders whether the remarks about feeling trapped as a parent were true. Her parents say she cannot see Kelvin or other visitors for a while. Daddo turns on a movie without sound while continuing to watch the security-camera feed. Bela quietly apologizes, and neither parent responds. She wonders whether saying yes to Other Mommy would end their ordeal, but fears losing her own place and identity. Daddo asks how long an incident-free period would have to last before life felt normal again.

During the night at the fortified house, Bela asks Daddo to accompany her to the bathroom. He hesitates while watching the guard dogs stare toward the ceiling and hearing the house creak, but says it may be ordinary wind. He stays in the bathroom as Bela uses the toilet. Her own sounds and the running tap water seem like whispers to her, although no speaker is identified.

Back in the living room, Mommy says she awoke to what sounded like Bela and Daddo laughing in the kitchen, but neither was there. Daddo reminds her that houses make ordinary sounds. The parents discuss taking shifts to stay awake. When a guard dog approaches the living room, Mommy is startled, and it returns to its post by the front door. Daddo suggests he and Mommy both remain awake a little longer as Bela tries to sleep. Nothing in this chapter establishes the source of the laughter or confirms Other Mommy's presence.

Daddo searches online for someone who can remove the presence from their home. Many purported specialists seem unconvincing, and Mommy is frustrated by the search and by feeling trapped in the house. Bela grows sleepy on the living-room couch as her parents argue.

Bela falls asleep and later finds herself in her upstairs bedroom, where she says the family no longer sleeps. A figure speaks in Kelvin's voice and appears as Kelvin, saying her parents have invited him to babysit during a party downstairs. He offers to repair her parents' relationship if Bela allows him to become her for a single day. Bela notices an unusually hairy finger and strange changes in his appearance. She hears the guard dogs growl, avoids agreeing, and hurries downstairs, where she finds no party or music.

Mommy and Daddo wake in the dark living room; the guard dogs bark. Bela reports that Kelvin brought her upstairs, while Daddo looks at security footage but does not describe its contents. The family leaves through the backyard. Daddo calls the real Kelvin, who indicates he is not in the house. From the front yard, Daddo telephones another prospective helper who is willing to discuss the situation immediately. The account strongly suggests impersonation, but does not establish how Bela came to be upstairs or disclose what the cameras recorded.

Brian arrives at the house as the family's last hope against Other Mommy - a supernatural expert who immediately stands out with his imposing presence, bald head, and all-black attire including gloves. Described as bigger than Daddo, he projects a serious, professional demeanor that contrasts sharply with the family's frantic desperation. The family conducts a thorough tour of the house, showing him all the significant locations including Bela's bedroom, the closets, and bathrooms, while maintaining their policy of staying together at all times. The guard dogs, Kami and Kamael, are introduced to Brian through the trainers' prescribed method.

Brian's approach to the supernatural situation proves uniquely pragmatic, as he explicitly states his preference for non-religious clients and refuses to categorize the entity as either a ghost or demon, simply referring to it as a 'pest.' His methodology becomes clear as he dismisses the importance of camera footage, insisting on experiencing the house firsthand. This leads to tension with Mommy, who becomes defensive when she perceives Brian might be doubting their claims about Other Mommy's existence.

The chapter culminates in Brian's solo inspection of the house, despite Mommy's concerns about letting a stranger roam their home alone. As the family watches from the backyard, they observe his flashlight moving through different rooms, with a notable pause in Bela's bedroom. The scene reveals the growing strain between Mommy and Daddo, with Mommy expressing hopelessness while Daddo desperately insists they're 'trying.' Brian emerges from his inspection with a surprisingly simple declaration - he plans to 'trick' the entity, though the specifics of his strategy remain unclear.

Brian remains in the house with equipment, but Mommy distrusts him because he refuses to examine their camera footage and appears to do little beyond eating chips. Daddo argues they must give him a chance. Grandma Ruth arrives and asks whether they trust Brian; both parents admit they do not, but say they are desperate. She takes Mommy and Daddo aside to speak privately, leaving Bela in the front yard.

Bela watches Brian through a window. He stops eating, looks toward the ceiling, moves through the house with his flashlight, and later listens closely to what appears to be a tape recorder. The source does not reveal whether the recorder captured anything or what Brian hears. Mommy scolds Bela for approaching the house without an adult. Daddo uses Grandma's flannel shirt to introduce her scent to the trained guard dogs. When the group enters, Brian signals that he does not want to be interrupted while listening to the device. No discovery is disclosed to the family in this chapter.

Mommy searches for alternative help on Daddo's computer while expressing deep skepticism about their current situation. Through an intimate conversation with Bela, she reveals complex feelings about her relationship with Daddo, particularly his relentless optimism and inability to simply acknowledge when things are difficult. Her reflections on their early relationship and Daddo's perpetually positive nature provide crucial insight into their marital tensions, suggesting that their different approaches to handling adversity may have contributed to their current struggles.

The night takes a dramatic turn when the guard dogs alert them to Other Mommy's presence in the dining room. Brian, initially asleep at the table, encounters the entity on her knees with eyes at the top of her head. Despite the family's warnings, Brian approaches Other Mommy with disturbing eagerness, attempting to touch her. The situation escalates rapidly as Other Mommy's mouth stretches to the floor, releasing a devastating wind that pins everyone down while emitting an otherworldly sound that seems to encompass every possible noise.

The encounter reaches its climax when Brian finally touches Other Mommy, leading to a sudden end to the supernatural display. Rather than helping the family as promised, Brian reveals his true motivation - he merely wanted to confirm the existence of supernatural entities for his own satisfaction. His betrayal culminates in a physical altercation with Daddo before he flees the scene, leaving the family to face their crisis alone. The chapter concludes with Mommy and Daddo making the grave decision to handle the supernatural threat themselves, sharing a moment of unity despite their earlier tensions as they acknowledge the daunting task ahead.

Brian's betrayal leaves Mommy and Daddo alone for an intimate late-night conversation while believing Bela is asleep on the couch. Their discussion reveals both their deep fears and their determination to confront Other Mommy directly, drawing strength from memories of their college days at State when they felt invincible. Mommy particularly emphasizes the need to find inner strength they've never had to access before, acknowledging that their previous life challenges pale in comparison to their current supernatural crisis.

The parents strategize about how to confront Other Mommy, discussing potential weapons and acknowledging the entity's ability to mimic other people's appearances. Their conversation reveals the gravity of their situation as they consider the possibility that Other Mommy killed Frank, while also expressing concern about their own mortality and what might happen to Bela if something happens to them. The discussion demonstrates a shift in their perspective from basic parenting to pure survival, with both parents accepting the extreme danger they face.

The chapter concludes with a powerful moment of family unity as Mommy and Daddo share their tears, fears, and determination to face Other Mommy together. They decide to attack the entity the next time they see it, regardless of location or circumstances, settling on knives as their weapons of choice. When they realize Bela is awake and listening, they include her in their pact of unity, declaring themselves a team. This moment represents a significant shift from their previous defensive stance to an offensive approach in dealing with Other Mommy.

The family's preparation begins with an almost ritualistic quality as Daddo shaves while Mommy and Bela watch. The seemingly ordinary acts of personal grooming take on deeper significance as the family acknowledges how long it's been since they've taken care of themselves, with both parents exhibiting an underlying tension beneath their forced normalcy.

The preparation continues upstairs with careful attention to safety protocols, as Mommy insists they stay within sight of each other at all times. During their shower and clothing selection, Mommy cuts both her own and Bela's hair while explaining to Bela that she and Daddo may need to 'take action' soon, instructing her daughter to stay clear when that happens. The presence of knives on the bed reveals the deadly serious nature of their preparations.

The chapter concludes with the family getting dressed in nice clothes, including Bela's party outfit, while both parents arm themselves with knives. Their descent downstairs, with Bela protected between them and the guard dogs watching from below, culminates in Mommy's declaration that this is their house, their child, and their fight - marking their transition from victims to active defenders against Other Mommy's threat.

After Mommy and Daddo decide to confront Other Mommy, the family waits with knives while Bela repeatedly dozes and wakes. The parents believe the figure is upstairs. They take Bela with them because they refuse to leave her alone, telling her to remain within sight but stay out of the encounter. In an upstairs storage closet, the light fails and the familiar foul smell appears. Other Mommy speaks from the darkness. Mommy and Daddo stab into the closet, but repeated doorbell ringing interrupts them. Bela's bedroom door slams; when Daddo switches on the closet light, it is empty. Bela believes the figure is now in her bedroom, but does not see it there.

At the front door, they find Lois Anthony, who apologizes for her previous group's failure. Lois says she has learned a way to get rid of the figure. She argues that violence and direct orders will not work because the figure wants Bela, and proposes making Bela less desirable to it by removing her innocence. This is Lois's unverified theory and proposed intervention, not a fact established by the chapter. Mommy and Daddo are initially angry, but agree to hear Lois's explanation.

Lois Anthony travels with Bela, Mommy, and Daddo toward the Lake Michigan shore, more than a hundred miles from their home. Before leaving, the parents have the guard dogs collected by their trainers. Lois argues that they have not yet tested how far the figure can follow them or whether it can reach them on an open beach. Mommy doubts that distance or open space will help, but agrees because they have no other plan.

During the drive toward Sleeping Bear Dunes near Glen Arbor, Lois elaborates on her belief that Other Mommy seeks Bela's innocence or believes Bela is vulnerable to deception. She hopes physical distance will precede a conversation intended to change Bela's understanding of life. Lois also discloses that Grandma Ruth told her 'everything' during their earlier motel conversation, without specifying that information to Bela. Mommy says they must tell Bela something important; when Bela asks what, none of the adults answers. Daddo questions Lois's assumption that innocence matters. The claimed connection between innocence and the figure's behavior remains a hypothesis.

At a secluded beach near Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mommy and Daddo sleep beneath an umbrella while Bela walks to the water's edge with Lois. Lois says that the adults plan to tell Bela difficult truths about life and the world, hoping to change her innocence and make Other Mommy lose interest. Bela admits she once thought the figure was a friend. Lois asks what Bela knows about Other Mommy compared with what the figure knows about her. Bela says the figure claims to come from elsewhere, can change its face, and wants to enter her heart. She recalls being told that entering her would be as easy as slipping into a dress. Lois is concerned by this report, but neither establishes how or whether the claimed exchange would work.

Bela and Lois then hear a dog-like noise and see a distant dark animal-shaped form apparently crawling toward them along the beach. Its distance does not seem to change while they watch. The narration does not identify it as Other Mommy. Mommy wakes and calls Bela back to the umbrella, expressing relief at an undisturbed rest before recalling their ongoing crisis.

The family gathers around a campfire as the sun sets over Lake Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes, creating an atmosphere markedly different from their terror-filled house. Daddo spends most of the day staring at the water, eventually breaking his silence to ask Bela if she senses anything supernatural, immediately acknowledging the absurdity of asking such a question on a peaceful beach. Meanwhile, Mommy and Lois collect firewood together, their cautious behavior suggesting they're still deeply affected by their recent experiences.

The peaceful setting prompts Daddo to reflect philosophically on their situation, noting the irony that despite society's fascination with supernatural phenomena, there's a striking lack of real help available when actually confronting such events. When Bela points out that Lois did help them, Daddo acknowledges this exception with gratitude, recognizing that Lois's intervention and current presence represents a rare instance of genuine assistance in their crisis.

As the group gathers closer to the fire, tension builds around an impending conversation that needs to take place. Lois begins by explaining the concept of innocence to Bela, describing it as a state of purity and unawareness of the world's darker aspects. This leads to a heated moment when Mommy objects to the frightening way Lois presents the concept, particularly her assertion that the innocent are targeted first. The chapter concludes with Mommy preparing to tell Bela a story that she warns will change how Bela sees the world, suggesting the family is about to take dramatic action to address Other Mommy's attraction to Bela's innocence.

At the beach campfire, Ursula tells Bela that she was previously married to Douglas Cain. She says that during that marriage she had numerous affairs and began seeing Russ after meeting him at Mart Street Bakery, not at college as the parents had told Bela. Ursula became pregnant while still married to Douglas. According to her account of a paternity test, Russ was not the baby's biological father. Ursula tells Bela that Douglas was her biological father and that, after discovering Ursula's affair, Douglas left her and wanted nothing to do with the child. Russ then chose to raise Bela as his own daughter. This is the first time Bela hears the history directly from her mother.

Ursula explains that she and Russ had repeatedly debated when to disclose the truth and are telling Bela now because Lois believes the knowledge might make her less attractive to Other Mommy. Ursula feels guilty about using the disclosure as a means of protection. Bela runs away along the beach, deeply hurt by the secrecy. Her family catches up to her, but she begins lying to them, repeatedly saying that Other Mommy is gone and the plan has worked. In her own account, Bela sees a crawling dark-haired figure on the beach and hears its breathing. The adults do not establish what she sees, and the chapter provides no evidence that Lois's proposed removal of innocence has ended the encounters.

The morning after Ursula's disclosure, Bela walks along the Lake Michigan shore and angrily tells Daddo that he is not her father. Russ follows and explains that he chose to raise her and that he and Ursula repeatedly delayed telling her because they could not decide when she was old enough. Bela asks what to call him and demands to go home.

Overwhelmed, Bela screams toward the lake. She perceives a mouth-like form in the clouds and runs into the cold water. Underwater she believes she sees Other Mommy's hairy legs and three-toed feet. Her parents and Lois pull her to safety. Lois asks whether anyone else saw something in the water, but no definite identification results. Ursula slaps Lois, causing her glasses to fall, and Lois decides to leave. Russ apologizes for the family's treatment of Lois and thanks her for trying.

Bela remains mostly silent while Russ tries to explain the damage caused by concealing the truth. He agrees they will return home, then asks whether Lois's plan worked. Bela does not answer, although she privately thinks she can still smell Other Mommy and notices an apparently still wave on the lake. The chapter provides her experience, not independent proof that the figure followed them or that the intervention succeeded or failed.

On the drive home from Lake Michigan, Ursula repeatedly blames herself for the family's ordeal. She speculates that Other Mommy could be retribution for her own infidelity, self-absorption, and failures as a parent. Russ rejects any claim that she or Bela deserves what has happened. Ursula admits moments when she wished to escape childcare responsibilities, including leaving Bela with an eleven-year-old while she drank elsewhere. She resents what she perceives as Russ's constant optimism and questions the balance of their marriage.

While the parents argue, Bela notices movement and pressure against the back seat from the trunk. She thinks she sees a fingertip and briefly smells the familiar odor, but when she peers through a gap she sees only darkness and no longer smells anything. Her parents do not observe or confirm a presence. As they reach their neighborhood, Ursula apologizes for taking her family for granted and says she loves them. Daddo has asked Grandma Ruth to meet them at the house. In the driveway Bela asks whether Ruth is really her grandmother; Ruth says she is. The family faces their home together. Neither Ursula's theory of retribution nor Bela's suspicion about the trunk is established as fact.

Back at home, Grandma Ruth speaks privately with Bela about the news of her biological father. Ruth argues that painful subjects should be discussed rather than suppressed, and compares a person's heart to a house with many rooms. People can choose which feelings to keep and which to allow to change, she says. She encourages Bela not to turn the anger she feels about her parents' secrecy into something permanently fixed, while acknowledging that it is reasonable to be upset and that Russ has cared deeply for her.

Meanwhile Mommy and Daddo debate whether Lois's attempt worked. Daddo reports finding nothing in security footage recorded while they were away, but that does not establish the figure's absence now. Mommy insists they still need someone awake. Grandma offers to remain on watch while the parents sleep on cushions in the dining room. Bela and Grandma work on the Michigan puzzle in the living room. Bela thinks about forgiving Russ but does not yet speak to him. She hears a creaking sound from upstairs, with no source identified. Grandma fits more puzzle pieces and expresses confidence that they will complete it.

Bela becomes sleepy while she and Grandma Ruth work on the Michigan puzzle. She repeatedly closes her eyes and finds that more of the puzzle has been completed when she opens them. She thinks the picture shows details of the family's recent journey and an unusual still wave. Grandma seems to move impossibly between places in the room; Bela notices hair on a finger and a change in her face. The figure repeats the house-and-heart comparison before asking about inviting someone into Bela's heart. Bela recognizes the familiar request and runs to hide in the foyer closet.

From the closet, Bela hears Grandma crying out upstairs and her parents rushing toward the noise. When she touches a hand among the coats, she throws open the closet and sees Grandma Ruth there, eyes closed and hands folded. This establishes that the Grandma-like figure at the puzzle was not the real Ruth, but does not establish whether Ruth is alive or dead. Bela hears screams, growling, and heavy impacts upstairs. After the house becomes quiet, she goes to her bedroom and finds Mommy and Daddo lying face-down on the carpet. Their condition is not confirmed.

Other Mommy emerges and asks once more to enter Bela's heart. Thinking of her parents' happiness and needing a friend, Bela answers yes. Her ensuing account describes Other Mommy disappearing from before her, then occupying her place on the bed while Bela experiences being displaced into a vast space that is neither closet nor home. She hears her own voice introducing itself as Bela. The ending depicts the apparent exchange from Bela's perspective, without showing a rescue, confirming the adults' deaths, or establishing that the displacement is permanent.