Just after sunrise, I placed a cheerful gnome beneath my rose bushes, hoping to brighten the yard. Moments later, my grumpy neighbor Josh emerged. “What is that?” he barked. “A gnome,” I replied. “He’s delightful.” “They’re cursed,” Josh warned, eyes narrowing. I dismissed him, but the next day my house was engulfed in smoke from Josh’s “sacred cleansing lanterns,” all...