Incidents Around the House

The next morning, Bela lies in the living room, pretending to sleep. Her parents are talking in the kitchen, trying to decide what to do. Mommy insists that they can never go back and will need to buy a new house after burning down the old one. Daddo points out that they need to get his work computer and some other things.

Grandma interrupts and says that they need an exorcist. She points out that Bela is not asleep and is more frightened than they are since she is learning that her parents can’t protect her. She says they need to get to the truth of the matter and begins asking Bela questions. Though Ursula tries to stop her, she insists that they must face facts head-on and need to speak plainly with Bela.

Bela answers truthfully and explains that she has seen Other Mommy hundreds of times and that Other Mommy talks to her, asking to come into her heart. Grandma tells them that they need to call in an expert, because if this is not an intruder or a stalker, then they have a serious problem the police can’t help with.

Bela and her father walk in the woods behind Grandma’s house. He asks her if she has ever said yes to Other Mommy, and she tells him no. He tells her that she should never say yes and that no one should ever touch her or come into her heart without permission and that she should always feel okay to say no.

Grandma comes out to them and says that Ursula has left to see a friend. She and Russ are frustrated by this behavior. Bela says she is afraid that Other Mommy has followed her out to the woods and that she will keep following until Bela allows her into her heart. Grandma and Daddo rush her inside and promise they will get through this together. As they go in, Bela thinks that she is not sure what the right answer is, even if Daddo tells her to say no.

Daddo calls Mommy’s phone, but she doesn’t answer. He calls the police and reports an intruder in the woods. Outside, Grandma stands and stares at the trees. Milky begins barking and goes into Grandma’s bedroom. When Grandma comes into the house, Russ is afraid and warns her to stay back. However, she tells him no one will take over her house and goes to retrieve Milky.

She comes back out and says that they need to call someone who can help, and not the police.

Grandma, Daddo, and Bela sit at a Big Boy restaurant near Grandma’s house. The police found no signs of intruders outside. Lois arrives and says that she is not an expert but will try to help. Bela tells her that Other Mommy wants to be reincarnated, and Lois says that this is a creature trying to possess Bela, not a ghost. That explains why she didn’t sense any sensitivity in Bela at the party. She tells Bela it is important never to say yes, and Bela starts to cry.

Lois says that the group will meet and tell Other Mommy to stay away from Bela. Grandma says she likes Lois and approves of the plan.

The group goes to a motel. Mommy is still missing, and Bela is angry, though she tries to be understanding and tells herself that her mother is just scared. Grandma takes Lois outside so the two of them can talk.

When she returns, she asks Bela if Other Mommy has ever threatened to hurt anyone. Bela says no, but she thinks about Other Mommy floating and slithering and feels afraid. Grandma says she is disappointed that Ursula isn’t there, especially since she has only seen Other Mommy once and Bela has been dealing bravely with her this whole time. She volunteers to keep first watch while the others sleep.

At Lois’s house, her friends gather around a plate of lit candles, each a different color to symbolize their intent. The group is nervous because they have never done something like this before. They argue about how safe it is, especially when Bela is surprised that they think Other Mommy is dead. One person, Kyle, argues that she is an unknown entity and that they shouldn’t thin the veil to bring her over. Bela interrupts the argument by yelling that she doesn’t know what Other Mommy is.

Abashed, the adults say they will try to help. Each of them holds some kind of communication device, ranging from crystals to a rotary phone. Lois gives crystals to Grandma, Daddo, and Bela. She tells everyone to speak with their minds and tell Other Mommy to leave Bela alone, that Bela doesn’t feel good after these encounters and that she deserves to grow up peacefully. The adults all focus on this task, chanting for Other Mommy to leave Bela alone.

However, Bela notices Kyle standing up. He holds the phone to his ear and says that she answered, then he walks over to Bela and whispers that Other Mommy said she gave Bela a present. He blows out the candles, startling everyone and ending the seance. The doorbell rings and Daddo goes to answer, letting Ursula inside.

Lois’s friends begin arguing, and she follows Grandma and Bela into the kitchen to apologize. She says she can do better, but Grandma says they will need to find an expert. At the same time, Ursula is sobbing, saying that Frank Doherty—the man with whom she is having an affair—was dead, curled up inside his closet. Grandma leads Bela away, but Bela thinks that the answer to the question about Other Mommy hurting someone is now “maybe” because she may have killed Frank.

Bela sits in the backseat of the car with Grandma as her mother cries off and on in the front seat. They are trying to decide where to go, but Russ says that they can’t keep wasting money on hotels, as they haven’t been working. Grandma says that the entity is following them.

Bela remembers Other Mommy comparing herself to Pester, their cat. She will be friendly and meow to be let in, but eventually, if she isn’t let in, she will get mean.

Ursula suggests they go to Frank’s house because she has a key. Russ is appalled but drives there.

They enter Frank’s house and turn on all the lights. Ursula keeps crying and Russ is angry, saying that it is ridiculous that they are staying here. He asks Bela if she can sense Other Mommy, and she says that she can sometimes and doesn’t think Other Mommy is here. Ursula sits in Frank’s room and cries, looking at the closet where he was found. Grandma stays and comforts her while Russ takes Bela into the living room.

Bela tells her father she is worried that Other Mommy hurt Frank and explains that Kyle told her that Other Mommy gave her a present. Russ goes into the bedroom to argue with his wife, and Bela begins screaming that Other Mommy is here. She worries that Other Mommy killed Frank so her parents would not get divorced and that now she owes Other Mommy a gift. They load back up in the car and flee.

The family sleeps in the car in a gas station parking lot. Bela thinks about when she first saw Other Mommy. The entity appeared in her closet and Bela hid when she came out. She told Bela “peekaboo!” and went back into the closet, asking if Bela liked her better in there. Bela was confused by the “peekaboo,” which was a game her mother played, and asked if she was her mommy. The entity replied, “Other Mommy.”

Though Bela’s mother has told her that Other Mommy is neither a man nor a woman, she still thinks of her as Other Mommy and as a friend. When they first met, she was relieved to have a friend who seemed as angry as she was, and who wanted to scream sometimes. Outside the car, she sees a blurry image of Other Mommy’s face in a reflection and wonders if she is still being watched.

Grandma and Mommy are inside a church, seeking help. Daddo sits on a bench with Bela and tries to comfort her. He explains that when adults go their whole lives without ever seeing something like Other Mommy, it makes it hard for them to imagine that the world could be different.

The others return and explain that the priests have refused to help and were very skeptical, asking questions about drug use and how religious the family was. Mommy says they must figure out a way to kill Other Mommy. Bela thinks about how angry Other Mommy looks when she says no to her, and she wonders what she would look like if someone tried to hurt her.