Chapter 37: A Deal in the Dark

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens with Daddo frantically searching online for someone who can help them with the haunting. He and Mommy argue about how to cope, their tension rising. Bela falls asleep on the couch while they talk. She wakes suddenly in her own bed, upstairs—despite the family rule of sleeping only downstairs. Kelvin is there, claiming her parents asked him to come and that they are having a party downstairs. He suggests that if Bela lets him “be her” for a day, he could fix her parents’ relationship. Bela grows uneasy and heads downstairs, finding only the darkened living room where her parents had fallen asleep. She warns them that Kelvin was upstairs. Daddo calls Kelvin, who says he is not at the house. The family hurries outside, and Daddo begins calling a new contact for help, finally acting on Mommy’s earlier plea to get someone—anyone—to come.

Key Events

Daddo searches online for specialists who investigate and “exterminate” supernatural entities; he grows frustrated with the options.
Mommy vents her despair about feeling trapped in the house and the toll it has taken on her life.
Bela falls asleep on the couch listening to her parents argue and later wakes in her own bedroom, violating the family’s safety rule.
Kelvin appears in Bela’s bedroom, claiming he was invited by her parents to watch her while they host a party downstairs.
He proposes that Bela let him switch places with her for a day, promising to fix her parents’ marriage.
Bela becomes suspicious, refuses, and runs downstairs, where there is no party—only her parents asleep in the dark.
Daddo calls Kelvin, who denies being in the house.
The family retreats outside, and Daddo makes a new call to a potential helper, signaling a turning point in seeking outside aid.

Character Development

Bela: Shows growing discernment and courage. She questions Kelvin’s story, physically moves away from him, and chooses to seek her parents’ safety over staying in the room. Her refusal to accept the identity-swap deal marks a key moment of self-protection.
Mommy (Urs): Reaches a breaking point where she acknowledges the need for help. After initially resisting Daddo’s search, she urges him to “get someone here. Now. Anyone.” Her desperation forces her to set aside pride and fear of outsiders.
Daddo (Russ): Persists in trying to find practical solutions, but his search yields only unsettling candidates. Upon learning of Kelvin’s intrusion, he immediately checks his phone footage and calls Kelvin, acting protectively rather than paralyzing himself with indecision.
Kelvin: Appears as a false ally. He exploits the family’s stress and Bela’s loneliness to propose a sinister exchange. His appearance and voice mimic a friend, but his behavior—hiding in the dark, misrepresenting the situation—reveals he is a threat rather than a helper.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Paranoia and Trust: The family’s inability to trust anyone (online experts, friends, even their own perception of a “party”) amplifies the horror. Kelvin’s offer hinges on the idea that trust can be transferred, but Bela’s instinct saves her.
Identity and Invasion: Kelvin’s proposal to “be you for a day” literalizes the haunting’s theme of invasion. The entity does not simply occupy the house—it wants to occupy Bela herself.
Parental Strain as Vulnerability: Mommy and Daddo’s open arguments create a crack that Kelvin tries to exploit. Their emotional exhaustion makes them desperate for quick fixes, which an entity might abuse.
Light versus Darkness: The chapter repeatedly contrasts lit rooms (the lighted living room) with sudden darkness (the dark bedroom, the darkened living room). Light represents safety and reason; darkness hides danger and lies.
The House as a Trap: Mommy’s monologue about being “tethered” to the house regardless of location reinforces the idea that the haunting is inescapable, turning their home into a psychological prison.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 37 is a pivotal turning point in the novel. It marks the family’s final acceptance that they cannot handle the haunting alone—Mommy explicitly tells Daddo to call anyone, and he does. The intrusion of Kelvin into Bela’s private space escalates the threat from ambient fear to direct personal danger. The attempted “swap” introduces a new tactic from the entity: not just appearing and scaring, but manipulating a child to consent to possession or replacement. This chapter also deepens the theme of trust: the family’s isolation makes them vulnerable to both real predators (like false specialists) and supernatural ones. The cliffhanger of Daddo’s new phone call promises that outside help may finally arrive, raising the stakes and reader anticipation for what follows.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Bela decide to go downstairs rather than accept Kelvin’s offer?
Bela senses that something is wrong: she hears a woman crying (possibly her mother), she notes that her parents had not planned a party, and she feels Kelvin’s appearance is off. Her instinct for self-preservation overrides his persuasive offer.

2. How does the argument between Mommy and Daddo in the first half of the chapter foreshadow Kelvin’s appearance?
Their argument reveals deep emotional exhaustion and a desire for escape. Mommy feels “tethered” and Daddo is desperate for any solution. Kelvin exploits this discord by claiming he can fix their relationship, targeting the very vulnerability they displayed.

3. What is the significance of Daddo checking the phone footage after learning Kelvin was in the house?
It shows that Daddo has been recording the house (installed cameras), and that the cameras may have captured something. His reaction—his eyes widening but not speaking—implies that the footage either shows nothing (Kelvin is not human) or shows something even more disturbing, reinforcing the unreality of the haunting.