60 pages • 2 hours read
Mary Downing HahnTook: A Ghost Story
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 5-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary
Father spends more time on the computer than his photography. Mother hasn’t touched her loom, instead smoking and drinking coffee—old habits of hers. She has stopped cooking and now buys frozen and instant meals. Father paces around the house, stressing about money and home repairs but then goes back to procrastinating with computer games. Erica only talks to her doll and barely answers Daniel whenever he asks questions.
One day, Daniel tries to confront Erica about talking to her doll, but she insists that Little Erica is alive—and that she listens when no one else does. Erica insists that Little Erica only talks to her. Daniel continues to get bullied at school, Mother and Father argue, and the chores go undone. The roof leaks, and the cold November air chills the house, despite Father having figured out the furnace.
Daniel explores the woods, always bringing a compass but still feeling afraid. He sometimes thinks he’s being followed and wonders about the strange figure he saw near the tree line. One evening, he ends up several miles down the road from his house and walks back as dusk approaches. An old man in a truck offers him a ride. Daniel declines, but the old man introduces himself as Mr. O’Neill and says he knows Father from their Home Depot trips. Daniel accepts the ride.
While they drive, Mr. O’Neill warns Daniel of the dangers of the woods at night. He tells Daniel a folktale about Old Auntie, a witch who used to inhabit a cottage in the woods. Auntie had a companion, a hog that walked on its hind legs. One day, the hog went missing. Auntie cast a spell that allowed her to find him; he’d been killed by a hunter in the mountains. Auntie then cast a spell to reanimate her companion, whose bones rose back to life. The hog stole claws from a bear, teeth from a panther, and a tail from a raccoon. It killed the hunter before being reunited with Auntie. Now, everyone knows the hog as Bloody Bones, and his howls can be heard throughout the woods.
As Mr. O’Neill drops a scared Daniel off, they spot Erica through the window. Mr. O’Neill warns Daniel to look after her. Daniel asks about Selene Estes. Mr. O’Neill confirms that she is real, and that she disappeared 50 years ago. Selene was a friend of Mr. O’Neill’s daughter. Mr. O’Neill also mentions that Brody Mason is having a hard time, as his mother died recently.
When Daniel goes inside, he intends to ask Father if Mr. O’Neill had mentioned Bloody Bones to him, but he doesn’t want to ask in front of Erica. After dinner, Father goes to his study while Mother smokes a cigarette. Erica asks Mother to read a story, but she declines and goes to the kitchen. She tells Daniel that Mother is crying. They acknowledge that the family is unhappy.
Erica asks if Daniel feels like something bad is going to happen. Not wanting to scare her, Daniel asks what she means. Erica says the whispers are getting louder and keep her awake. Mother returns to read Erica a story, so Daniel goes to see Father—but ultimately decides not to disturb him from his computer games. Daniel has “never felt so alone in all [his] life” (69).
“The Dolly”
Old Auntie whispers Erica’s name through the wind, blowing it into the house through keyholes and cracks. She manipulates Erica through Little Erica, making the doll say she loves her and that no one else does. Erica tells the doll about the mean children at school and her isolation from her family. The doll tells Erica that her brother hates her.
One cold evening, Little Erica tells Erica that she wants to go to the woods. Erica is afraid, but the doll insists, tempting her with secrets. The doll tells Erica that if she truly loved her, she would comply; she also threatens to stop talking. Erica gets dressed and takes the doll into the woods, the wind continuing to blow her name. The doll shows Erica a path and tells her not to tell anyone about it.
Chapter 6 Summary
Daniel and Erica spend less time together. Erica continues to talk to Little Erica, while Daniel roams the woods. Daniel uses his bird-watching book to identify birds. He tries to convince Erica to join him, but she refuses. Daniel is hurt that she would rather spend time with her doll than him.
One day in the woods, Daniel realizes he’s forgotten his binoculars. When he returns home, he sees Erica disappear into the woods. Confused, he pursues her, recalling Mr. O’Neill’s advice to watch her. Keeping his distance, Daniel follows Erica as she meanders, taking a specific path all the way to a fallen tree in a clearing. Erica sits and cradles her doll, whispering. Daniel feels she is whispering to someone who isn’t the doll. He cannot see anyone else but senses a presence. He returns home to fetch his binoculars and continues his hike. When Daniel returns from his hike, Erica is on the couch with Little Erica. He asks if she’s been there the whole time, and she says “yes.” Daniel presses Erica, but she replies that he knows she hates the woods.
Daniel decides to drop the subject, as he plans to follow Erica the next day. Erica asks him in a low voice if he has secrets. Daniel says “sometimes” and asks if she does. Erica smiles and says “maybe,” then begins reading to Little Erica again. Daniel presses her, asking if her secret has anything to do with the woods. Erica snaps at him for interrupting. He leaves her alone.
“The Secret”
Old Auntie, disguised as a young girl (later revealed to be the façade of Selene Estes), waits in the woods for Erica. Obeying Little Erica, Erica finds Auntie in the secret clearing. Erica asks Auntie who she is, unafraid as they’re both young girls. Auntie says she’s come to be Erica’s friend and compliments Little Erica. She asks to hold Little Erica, but Erica is reluctant, saying the doll is special.
Little Erica whispers to Erica to let Auntie hold her. Erica passes the doll to Auntie, who replies that she wishes she had a doll like hers. Auntie cradles the doll and sings to her. Erica finds the tune familiar but cannot place it.
When Erica returns home, she doesn’t remember what happened in the woods because “It’s a secret, even from herself” (79). A disguised Auntie meets Erica every day and tells her about her “auntie” in the woods. She talks about how terrible her parents were before she went to live with her loving aunt.
Erica doesn’t believe Auntie, but the latter says that parents never love their children and always want to be rid of them. She adds that Erica’s parents love Daniel more than her; Erica agrees. The witch tells her that her aunt loves Erica and wants her to live with them in their cabin. She invites Erica to take up on her offer before her parents abuse her.
Erica asks if she’ll have to go to school, but Auntie assures her that she’ll learn everything she needs to know from her aunt. Then, Auntie spots Daniel watching. Daniel cannot see her, but out of precaution, she tells Erica that she has to go and leaves.
Chapter 7 Summary
The next day, Daniel pretends to go hiking; he hides and waits for Erica to leave. He follows her to the secret clearing. Erica sits in silence, whispering to the doll on occasion, but otherwise not moving or responding to anything. Finally, she stands up and takes a few steps. Daniel spots a formless shadow moving toward Erica. He senses it’s dangerous, so he shouts at Erica to run.
Erica looks to Daniel and asks what he’s doing. The shadow vanishes. Daniel asks what’s wrong with Erica and grabs her, dragging her away. Erica screams to be let go, as she dropped her doll; Daniel refuses. She screams and flails, claiming her doll will be taken. Daniel asks who will take her, but Erica continues to struggle without answering. He manages to drag Erica out of the woods just as their parents pull into the driveway. They run to the children.
Father asks what’s going on, and Erica runs to Mother, crying. She tells Mother that she was playing in the woods when Daniel grabbed her and dragged her home, forcing her to leave Little Erica. Father carries Erica inside, but she continues to scream and flail. Father tells her that they’ll retrieve the doll the next day.
Mother asks Daniel what happened. He tells her that there was something scary in the woods. Mother tells Daniel that no one is going to take him or Erica. Daniel tries to believe Mother but keeps thinking about Selene Estes and Bloody Bones.
Once Erica is asleep, a guilty Daniel and Father go to the woods to find Little Erica. Everything looks different in the dark, so they cannot find the doll. Father asks if Daniel intentionally bullied or scared Erica into leaving the doll. Daniel tells him that he saw something unusual. Father gives him a hard time, blaming him for Erica’s fear. They return home empty-handed.
At breakfast, Erica is crying. Daniel tries to reassure her that he’ll find Little Erica; Mother tells him that he better find the doll. Erica remains unresponsive. Daniel suggests she brush her hair before school, but she argues that everyone at school hates her, so it doesn’t matter how she looks. As they leave to wait for the bus, Daniel asks if she sees anything, still talks to anyone, or still hears the whispers. Erica refuses to elaborate on her secrets. The siblings wait for the bus in silence.
Chapter 8 Summary
When Daniel and Erica board the bus, Mrs. Plummer asks what’s wrong. Erica tells her that Daniel made her leave her doll in the woods and now it’s gone. Mrs. Plummer asks Daniel why he did that. He starts to elaborate but stops because he thinks she won’t believe him. Erica says Daniel won’t find the doll no matter how hard he tries. As Mrs. Plummer picks up Brody, she asks Daniel to tell her about the incident later.
Daniel suffers through another day of bullying. On the ride home, he wonders what his bullies did before he came along. When Mrs. Plummer drops the siblings off, she tells them that she hopes they find Erica’s doll and to hurry because it’s getting darker earlier.
Daniel and Erica enter the woods, taking the path to the clearing. Erica insists that Little Erica won’t be there, and she is right. Erica says the doll has “been took” (97). Daniel corrects her grammar and asks who took her. Erica responds that Selene took her, adding that she lives with her aunt on top of the hill.
An uneasy Daniel asks if Erica saw something the previous day. She hints that she did. Daniel tries to get her to elaborate, but she insists it’s a secret and begins to cry. He tells her that he needs to know what’s going on, grabbing her by the shoulders. Erica continues to cry and tries to free herself. Daniel demands that she tell the truth and shoves her to the ground in anger.
Erica gets to her feet and tells Daniel that she hates him—that she’ll never tell her secret. Then, she runs deeper into the woods. Daniel runs after her but eventually gives up. It’s getting dark, so he heads home. Daniel believes Erica will find her way home.
“The Taking”
Old Auntie returns to the clearing and waits for Erica and Daniel. She’s hidden Little Erica near her cabin, intending to use it for something else. She listens as Erica and Daniel fight over the missing doll. When Erica runs off, Auntie ensures Daniel gives up. Erica runs out of energy and sits down to cry. While Auntie waits in the shadows, Bloody Bones rummages through the leaves nearby. Erica hears him and grows afraid, whimpering and curling into herself.
Finally, Auntie emerges in her true form, “older than old, crueler than cruel, as wicked as the devil himself” (102). She beckons Erica, calling her by her name. She pulls Erica to her feet and says no one remembers nor wants her except her. Auntie takes Erica to her cabin.
Chapters 5-8 Analysis
Chapter 5 cements a shift in the family’s morale. While Daniel and Erica continue to have a hard time at school—dealing with bullying and bad grades—Mother and Father seem to fall into a depression. They give up their hobbies and pick up bad habits. No one does chores or maintains the house. Mother and Father work jobs that they feel are demeaning. They fight with each other while the siblings grow distant. Daniel goes on hikes, while Erica stays home and spends time with Little Erica. This stress and isolation within the family are direct results of their financial struggles and decision to move to West Virginia.
This familial stress contributes to Erica’s descent into isolation. When Daniel tries to engage with her, “she had nothing to say. Every question produced an ‘I don’t know’ or a shrug of her shoulders” (53). The only one Erica speaks to is her doll. “The Dolly” (Chapter 11) reveals that Little Erica speaks to Erica, but only Erica can hear the doll. Erica confesses “how unhappy she is. The children at school are mean to her. [...] On the playground, they gather in groups and turn their backs. Her brother is mean to her too. Her parents pick on her. [...] The doll agrees with everything the girl tells her” (71). Through the novel’s two perspectives, the audience knows that Old Auntie is speaking to Erica through the doll, manipulating and further isolating her. This makes it easier for Auntie to take advantage of Erica, convincing her to go to the woods and speaking to her through the form of a young girl—that of Selene Estes. The doll continues to be a symbol of Erica’s isolation, her trust in Little Erica driving her eventual abduction in “The Taking” (Chapter 8).
Daniel does his best to connect with Erica and protect her from a force unknown to him. Between the tall figure with the bone-white head, Selene Estes’s disappearance, and his conversation with Mr. O’Neill, Daniel can tell something scary lurks in the woods. This fear and Erica’s secrecy lead him to make rash decisions that ultimately damage their relationship, driving Erica further into Old Auntie’s grip. For example, Daniel doesn’t let Erica retrieve Little Erica the first time he confronts her in the woods. This leads them to return to the woods and continue their fighting, ultimately causing Erica to run off. Frustrated, Daniel decides to “Let her find her own way back, maybe it’ll teach her a lesson” (99). In “The Taking” (Chapter 8), the audience learns that Auntie manipulated the situation in order to trap Erica, going so far as to “make sure [Daniel] gives up and goes home” (101). The taking of Erica’s doll foreshadows the eventual taking of Erica.
Related Titles
By Mary Downing Hahn
