Bela, Mommy, and Daddo arrive late at Grandma Ruth’s small house and claim they need to stay because the power went out at home. Mommy and Daddo have already told Bela to support that story, and Bela treats the lie as pretending rather than lying. Grandma welcomes them, offers food and space upstairs, and Daddo accepts a sandwich while Mommy remains tense and eager to get everyone settled.

As Grandma makes food and asks ordinary questions, the false explanation quickly begins to unravel. Mommy and Daddo give inconsistent answers about how they discovered the outage, and Grandma notices other odd details, including their exhaustion and their failure to think about Bela eating. Bela senses that Grandma knows something is wrong, which makes the pretense harder to maintain.

Grandma finally confronts them directly and asks what is really happening. Mommy and Daddo still refuse to explain, but their fear shows. When Grandma tries to send Bela into the living room so the adults can talk, Mommy and Daddo react immediately, revealing how protective and alarmed they are. Left alone with Bela briefly, Grandma gently questions her, and Bela admits that the problem is big and that someone mean is bothering her.

Mommy and Daddo then ask to sleep downstairs in the living room instead of upstairs, saying they want the whole family together. Daddo privately tells Bela that they also do not want to leave Grandma alone on that floor, showing that their fear now includes the possibility that the threat could reach Grandma too. Grandma agrees despite clearly remaining worried, and the family beds down together in the living room.

During the night, Mommy and Daddo fall asleep quickly, but Bela stays awake, unconvinced that daylight will make anything safer. Milky the dog curls up beside her and briefly comforts her, but Bela still feels that the night has been cruel and fears the next day will be worse. As she drifts off, Bela dreams that Milky is enormous, crouched in her bedroom and licking her face, ending the chapter on an eerie, unsettling image.