How to Sell a Haunted House Chapter 35: The Game of Hot and Cold
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Louise and Mark leave Aunt Honey’s room in stunned silence, leading Poppy and the puppet Pupkin. Mark realizes Aunt Honey must have carried guilt for almost seventy years after accidentally causing Freddie’s death as a child. Louise feels a hardness inherited from the women in her family. They decide they must go to the house to find Freddie’s body. After a difficult struggle to get Poppy into Mark’s truck, they drive off. Mark confesses he has seen Spider several times, lurking around. On the bridge over Charleston Harbor, Poppy unbuckles her seat belt and leaps from the truck; Louise catches her just in time. They stop briefly at a gas station, then continue. Poppy becomes unresponsive, drooling and barely breathing. Louise uses a “hot and cold” game to communicate with Pupkin, learning he will lead them to Freddie. Poppy attacks Louise and tries to escape again at the intersection where their parents died. Louise tackles her and holds her in the middle of the road as Poppy screams in her own voice. They finally arrive at the dark, empty house. Mark hesitates, fearing digging up Freddie will accomplish nothing and will erase their mother. Louise insists she must get the puppet off Poppy or lose her. Pupkin initially refuses to play the game, but when Louise tells him everyone who remembers him is gone, he runs into the backyard and enters the garage. Inside, the torn garbage bags of dolls lie scattered. Pupkin’s voice calls “warmer” from the dark kitchen, and Louise and Mark follow.
Key Events
- Mark and Louise process Aunt Honey’s lifelong guilt over Freddie’s death.
- Louise resolves to go to the house to find Freddie’s body, believing it is the only way to save Poppy.
- During the drive, Mark reveals he has seen Spider multiple times.
- Poppy attempts suicide by jumping out of the moving truck on the bridge; Louise catches her.
- Louise invents a “hot and cold” game with Pupkin to locate Freddie, but Poppy violently resists.
- Poppy escapes at the intersection where their parents died; Louise recaptures her and holds her as she screams in her own voice.
- They arrive at the house; Mark shares his fear that digging up Freddie will be pointless and will also “erase” their mother’s spirit.
- Louise convinces Pupkin to play the game by claiming she will take care of him.
- Pupkin runs into the backyard and enters the garage; Louise and Mark follow the sound of his voice into the dark kitchen.
Character Development
- Louise fully embraces the hardness she once resented. She acts decisively, even violently, to protect Poppy, showing she will sacrifice anything—including family dignity—to save her daughter.
- Mark remains hesitant and fearful, still hoping to preserve their mother’s memory. His doubts highlight his role as the cautious sibling, but he ultimately follows Louise into the dark garage.
- Poppy has almost completely lost herself to Pupkin. Her own voice emerges only when she screams in anguish, signaling that her consciousness is still fighting.
- Pupkin is revealed to be the trapped spirit of Freddie, a five-year-old boy who refuses to leave. He wants Louise to take care of him, showing his desperation and innocence.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The family grave in the backyard literalizes the buried secrets that define the family. The physical act of digging symbolically uncovers the truth.
- The hot and cold game serves as a communication bridge between the living and the dead. Louise uses it to manipulate Pupkin, revealing the negotiation required with the supernatural.
- Sacrifice and maternal fury: Louise’s willingness to risk everything—the truck, the highway, her own body—mirrors the “hardness” she inherits. She becomes the protector willing to destroy the family legacy to save her child.
- The bridge and the intersection of their parents’ death become thresholds between life and death, past and present. Poppy’s jump from the truck echoes the fatal car accident and underlines the recurring theme of sudden departure.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks the point of no return. The siblings finally commit to exhuming Freddie’s body, an act that will destroy the last vestiges of their mother’s control. Louise’s transformation from reluctant participant to fierce protector is complete. The introduction of the “hot and cold” game provides a tangible method for locating the grave, raising the stakes as Pupkin actively resists. The chapter also deepens the mythos of Spider and suggests the house itself is alive with memories. It sets up the climactic excavation in the next chapter.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Louise suddenly feel she has inherited a “hardness” from the women in her family?
Louise realizes that the women in her family—her grandmother, mother, and Aunt Honey—made difficult, necessary decisions without hesitation. She now understands that protecting her child requires that same ruthless determination, and she acknowledges that quality has always been inside her, waiting to emerge.
2. What does Mark’s reluctance to dig up Freddie reveal about his emotional state?
Mark fears that removing Freddie’s body will finally “erase” their mother, who he still hopes to preserve. He is also afraid that the excavation might not work, leaving them with nothing. This shows his lingering attachment to the family past and his anxiety about losing the last connection to his parents.
3. How does the “hot and cold” game function as a narrative device in this chapter?
The game allows Louise to communicate with Pupkin without relying on violence or force. It transforms the search for Freddie into a childlike activity, reflecting Pupkin’s mental age. At the same time, it highlights Louise’s resourcefulness and her ability to manipulate supernatural forces by treating them as if they were ordinary children.