Incidents Around the House
by Malerman, Josh
Contents
Chapter 37
Overview
While Daddo searches online for anyone who can stop the haunting, he and Mommy openly crack under the pressure of being trapped with the entity. Bela then wakes alone upstairs and is confronted by a false version of Kelvin who tries to persuade Bela to let him "be" Bela for a day, turning the threat into an explicit bid for possession. After Bela escapes and Daddo confirms the real Kelvin is elsewhere, the family flees outside and finally commits to bringing in outside help.
Summary
In the living room, Bela lies on the couch while Daddo frantically searches online for anyone who might help the family. He rejects police, priests, friends, and ordinary solutions, insisting that someone must exist who can deal with what is happening. Mommy, already overwhelmed, resists his increasingly desperate talk about investigators and "exterminating" whatever is in the house. Their conversation turns into an argument about being trapped, helpless, and unable to live normal lives while the haunting controls everything.
As Bela drifts toward sleep, Bela listens to Mommy and Daddo reveal how badly the strain is affecting them. Mommy says she feels tethered to the house and cut off from the life she wants, while Daddo keeps pushing for action and outside intervention. Bela falls asleep to their voices and the creaking house, but then wakes in Bela's own upstairs bedroom, even though the family had stopped sleeping upstairs.
In the dark, Bela hears Kelvin's voice near the closet. The figure claims Bela's parents brought Bela upstairs, says there is a party downstairs, and presents himself as a friend sent to help. Bela hears distant voices and music and is briefly drawn in, but the scene feels wrong. The false Kelvin tells Bela that Mommy and Daddo are not doing well and claims he can fix their marriage and the family if Bela lets him "be" Bela for one day.
The conversation becomes a direct attempt at possession. When Bela asks what that would mean, the figure insists Bela would still somehow be Bela while Kelvin takes Bela's place. Bela grows more alarmed, especially when the figure stays too close, seems physically unnatural in the dark, and pressures Bela to let him in. Hearing the guard dogs growling below, Bela uses the excuse of wanting to go downstairs first and backs away from him.
Bela runs down the stairs past Kami and Kamael, who are growling toward the upper floor. The music and voices vanish, revealing only darkness. Bela wakes Mommy and Daddo, tells them Kelvin was upstairs, and the family rushes outside. Daddo checks the footage, calls the real Kelvin, and confirms Kelvin is not in the house. Outside, Mommy finally admits Daddo was right that they need outside help immediately, and Daddo calls a late-night contact and begins recounting everything that has happened.
Who Appears
- BelaWakes upstairs alone, resists the fake Kelvin’s manipulation, and warns the family.
- DaddoDesperately searches for paranormal help, argues with Mommy, then calls outsiders after Bela escapes.
- MommyAdmits how trapped and overwhelmed she feels, then agrees the family needs immediate outside help.
- KelvinAppears falsely in Bela’s room, claiming he can help by becoming Bela for one day.
- Kami and KamaelGuard dogs who growl and bark toward the stairs, helping signal the upstairs threat.