How to Sell a Haunted House

It’s what we do,” Mark said. “Our whole family functions on secrets.”

You don’t wear the puppet. The puppet wears you.

“A puppet is a device for driving the personality out of the body and allowing a spirit to take control,” Clark said. “Puppets have no freedom, but they give the puppeteer freedom. They have no life, but they live forever.”

I really believe we could’ve, and if that makes me stupid and naive, if you think I drank the Kool-Aid, you’re right. But I’d rather think we tried and failed than we never stood a chance

Louise couldn’t help it. When people used the words science and magic interchangeably, her skin bristled.

Everyone else can do whatever they want, say whatever they want, sell the house when they want, talk to me when they want, not talk to me when they want—but I need to stay focused. Someone has to be the adult

There were so many dolls in there, waiting for her. Somewhere, in a less rational part of her brain, Louise felt that nothing could look so human and exist for so long without starting to develop thoughts on its own. What did the dolls think about

“It’s hormones,” her dad explained after Mark had gone into her room and crushed all her oil pastels into the carpet.

“I don’t know what the big deal is, Louise,” her mom had said. “They’ll wash out.”

That hadn’t been the point. The point was that Mark went into her room and broke her stuff all the time and never got punished enough for it.

point was that her mom had a whole tough-love thing for Louise and let Mark do whatever he wanted and never face any consequences. The point was that she was supposed to look after him and give him everything and never complain, but no one was looking after her. That was the point

What’s your point?” he asked.

The point was that he crushed all of her oil pastels into her bedroom carpet. The point was that he’d kicked a hole in her parents’ bedroom wall and they hadn’t made him pay to get it fixed. The

At some point after Louise turned five, the stories lost their shine. She embraced brushing her teeth by herself and putting herself to bed. She loved being responsible, she relished her independence, she got addicted to her parents’ praise when they told her what a big girl she was. I