Took: A Ghost Story

Before leaving, Daniel packs a backpack with Erica’s warm clothes and boots. He heads into the cold woods, struggling through the snow. As he walks, the burlap sack grows heavier. Daniel almost opens it to check but remembers Miss Perkins’s instructions. By the time he reaches the cabin, he is exhausted. The cabin is no longer in ruins; Daniel can see smoke rising from the chimney and lights through the windows.

Daniel creeps close to the cabin, hiding his backpack behind a nearby tree. He can hear Old Auntie inside, scolding and beating Erica. At midnight, Daniel knocks on the door. Auntie asks who is there. Daniel says he’s a poor traveler who wants to sit by her fire. Auntie demands a riddle, and maybe she’ll let him in. Daniel tells Auntie two riddles, both of which she answers correctly. Finally, he tells her the riddle about a servant who never tires nor grows old. Auntie is silent for a moment. She guesses time and then, water. The doll in the bag asks to be let out. Auntie guesses fire for her third and final guess, and because she is incorrect, she must let Daniel in. She asks what is in the sack, and Daniel enters the cabin to show her.

Inside, Erica is crouched by the fire. Daniel can barely recognize her, as she’s dirty and alarmingly thin. Auntie is so excited about her new servant that she tears the sack open. The doll, who has grown to the size of a human girl, jumps out. She begins to sweep the floors before running around and knocking things over. She tells Auntie to catch her. While Auntie chases the doll, Daniel grabs Erica and runs. Erica fights Daniel with every move, but he continues to drag her out of the cabin while Auntie is distracted. Auntie catches the doll and slaps her.

Outside, Daniel forces Erica into her warm clothes. Erica cries for Auntie, but Daniel drags her down the trail. He tries to remind her who he is, but she cannot remember. Daniel hears noises and looks back to see Bloody Bones pursuing them. Auntie shouts for Bloody Bones to bring the siblings back. Erica cries, promising to work hard if Auntie calls off Bloody Bones.

Just as Bloody Bones is about to catch the siblings, Daniel twists his foot on a rock and falls into the snow. Bloody Bones grabs Daniel and lifts him high in the air, intending to throw him over a cliffside. Erica throws rocks at the hog, breaking his bones. Bloody Bones drops Daniel and struggles to stand. He makes a final attempt to lunge at Daniel, but the boy dodges. Bloody Bones hurls over the cliff, shattering as he falls.

Auntie hobbles down the trail, cursing at Erica for killing her companion. Erica apologizes, begging for Auntie’s forgiveness and saying she just wanted Bloody Bones to stop hurting the boy. Auntie casts a spell, but the wind blows it back at her. She grows frailer and backs away, slowly vanishing into the woods. Daniel grabs Erica and begins to run with her again. Erica looks back and screams that the cabin is on fire. She breaks free and runs to it.

Daniel catches up to Erica at the cabin, which has burned to nearly nothing. He tells her that Auntie is gone. Erica laments that she has no one now. Daniel tries to remind her of her family, but she still doesn’t remember. He escorts her out of the woods.

When they return home, Daniel calls for his parents. Mother and Father do not recognize Erica. Mother comforts a crying Erica, saying she can stay the night. Erica promises to do chores, but Mother tells her that she doesn’t need to do anything. She is tucked into bed, despite her uncertainty. Mother and Father seem confused by the girl more than anything.

Several hours later, Erica awakens at sunrise and screams for Mother. Daniel, Mother, and Father run to Erica’s room, where she is crying from a nightmare. She pleads with her parents not to let Old Auntie take her away. Mother and Father comfort Erica, apologizing for not recognizing her—but she doesn’t seem to hear them or remember her time with Auntie. Mother assures Erica that they won’t let anyone take her.

Once Erica has calmed down, she notices her hands are dirty. She looks in the mirror to see her tangled hair and bruised face. She asks what happened to her. Mother and Father explain that she was missing for almost a week, and Daniel found her in the woods. Erica is still confused. She explains that she was looking for her doll with Daniel, but someone took it. Then, Erica remembers someone took her. Mother comforts Erica until she falls asleep again. Daniel goes back to bed at Mother’s suggestion and sleeps heavily.

When Daniel wakes up, the house has been cleaned. Father has shaven and changed out of his sweats; he couldn’t go back to sleep, so he cleaned the house. To Daniel’s surprise, Father apologizes to him for not believing him. Father describes himself as a “practical man” who “never believed in the supernatural” (248), but he cannot think of any other explanation for Erica and Selene’s situation.

Someone bangs on the front door, calling for “Mama” and “Daddy” to let them in. Daniel opens the door, and Selene runs in. She remembers her old life now but is confused because her house doesn’t look the same—the furniture is different and the residents are strangers. She runs through the house looking for her family and doesn’t remember Daniel. Mrs. O’Neill follows Selene, trying to catch her and calm her down. Eventually, Mrs. O’Neill herds Selene into the living room and gently explains what happened to her.

A cleaned up Mother and Erica come downstairs. Erica looks normal, except for the bruises on her face and the haunted look in her eyes. Daniel compliments Erica’s appearance, but she is upset about her bruises. Mother shows Erica a catalog so she can order her a new doll, but the girl shoves it away, wanting nothing to do with dolls. Erica begins to cry, so Daniel throws the catalog away.

Father makes pancakes for the family, Mrs. O’Neill, and Selene. Selene is timid, but Mother and Father introduce her to Erica, who takes the lead. Erica sits Selene next to her and offers her friendship. The girls share a quiet moment, staring at each other. Daniel can tell there is some understanding between the girls, stemming from their shared experience with Auntie. Erica places her hand on Selene’s hand, and both girls smile.

After breakfast, Erica shows Selene her bedroom, which is the same room in which the latter used to sleep. Mother and Mrs. O’Neill acknowledge how good it is that the girls can be friends. Both girls have forgotten their experiences with Auntie but will continue to have nightmares about them. Daniel is happy that the house feels normal again.

Several days later, Brody comes by the house to see Erica. He says Erica looks better than Selene did and asks about Selene. Selene is living with the O’Neill’s as their granddaughter. Daniel explains that Old Auntie’s spell on both girls was broken, so they are doing alright. The boys eat some milk and cookies. Brody has been telling the children at school about Daniel’s adventures and courage in facing Auntie and Bloody Bones. The children are impressed by Daniel, so he will have an easier time making friends when he returns.

Daniel suggests that he and Brody visit the cabin ruins. Brody fetches Bella, and the group heads into the woods. He is still uneasy, but Daniel reassures him that Auntie and Bloody Bones are dead. When they reach the cabin, Bella pees on the ruins. The boys poke around a bit until Brody finds the half-melted remains of Little Erica. The sight makes the boys uneasy, and Bella cowers. Brody is confused because Daniel told him that the doll grew to the size of a human child and came to life. Daniel guesses that the doll changed back when the spell broke.

The boys decide to bury Little Erica. They dig a hole where the fireplace used to be and, not wanting to touch the doll, push it inside with one of the boards from the ruins. They pack dirt on top of the doll and pile rocks over the grave. Satisfied, they return home.

Miss Perkins watches the farmhouse from the hilltop in the woods. The house has been fixed with fresh paint and a new roof. Daniel’s mother has been using her loom, weaving rugs. The family has cultivated a garden of flowers and vegetables started by Daniel’s father; they sell their excess crops at a stand they’ve built at the end of the driveway. Daniel and Brody play in the yard, while Erica and Selene take turns on a tire swing.

Speaking aloud, Miss Perkins addresses Old Auntie, telling her that she’s been “took” herself and deserves to stay that way. Miss Perkins goes to the cabin ruins to inspect things. The forest has begun to reclaim the cabin, growing over the grave site of Little Erica. She sits on a stone wall and invites one of her cats onto her lap. She pets the cat, saying that they’d “done good work that snowy night” (264). Satisfied that Auntie is gone for good, Miss Perkins and her cat disappear into the woods.