My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

Karen overhears yet another strange conversation between Deeze and her mother. This time, her mother complains of being unable to sleep because she is continuously wakened by “Victor” (358). Deeze refuses to tell her who Victor is. That night, Karen cannot sleep because she is fraught with worry over losing her mother, Deeze possibly murdering Anka, and Anka’s death remaining unsolved. She wanders her apartment trying to imprint her life onto herself “in case everything changes” (360) and ponders the ghosts that keep adults imprisoned throughout their lives. She thinks about her friends, Missy, Sandy, and Franklin, and the neighbors in her apartment complex. A panel montage is drawn of each of them sleeping. Karen feels that the “worst kind of monsters” (364) are those like the people who murdered Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy and distinguishes between these and good monsters who “sometimes give somebody a fright because they’re weird looking and fangy” (365).

Karen decides to go out and try to attract the undead in the alley near her house, and her brother finds her there. He takes her home, explaining that their mother would not make a good monster for being too tender-hearted. As they arrive back, Karen spots a figure in one of the windows staring down at them. Karen immediately begins worrying if this man has seen Deeze with Mr. Gronan’s wife. After Deeze is asleep, Karen goes to investigate. She knocks on the door and a man whom she thinks is named “Sally Spectacles” (370) answers. His real name is Salvatore, and he proclaims himself as Gronan’s “axis power” (373) because he is part German, part Japanese, and part Italian. He has a grim, angry appearance, and Karen uses shades of green and red to color his face. Karen asks if Salvatore can refrain from telling Mr. Gronan about Deeze, to which he replies that he has been watching the complex for many years, since before Karen was even born. He even saw Deeze murder Victor and warns Karen not to ask Deeze about it.

Karen goes home, and ignoring Salvatore’s warning, begins to ask Deeze about Victor. Deeze stops her, telling her that it is time “to say goodbye to Ma” (376), and Karen’s world becomes dark inside as she fades from the frame. Karen and Deeze go and lie down with their mother, who dies holding their hands. Deeze begins to weep, but Karen cannot bring herself to do the same and instead falls asleep, deep in thought. She wakes up in Deeze’s arms, and he is still crying. Karen finds herself without support the next day, as Deeze is drunk and even has sex with Mrs. Gronan right on their kitchen table. He demands that Karen scram, and she is glad to do so. The truth is looming ever closer, and Karen realizes that when dark secrets are about to be exposed, people become monstrous. Karen still does not know who Victor is, and when she confronts her brother once again, he expresses concern over whether his sister will continue to trust him if she knows what he has done.

Karen retreats into her bedroom, depressed, lonely, and confused. She has a significant dream in which she becomes enraged at the monsters for not wanting her family in their club and kills them all. Anka appears and asks Karen to “come and look into my view mistress” (401). Her view mistress is a bullet hole shaped like a Viewmaster, and when Karen investigates it, she sees pictures. The first is of Anka asking Karen to follow her “into Hades” (401). Karen starts diving through a montage of famous nature paintings, eventually ending up in a large forest like the “Green Island” (409) of her mother’s eyes. She lies down on a tree trunk, a usual spot, but suddenly hears footsteps behind her. When she looks up, she sees a man who looks like Deeze. She calls his name, and he replies “No, I’m your brother, Victor” (410). Karen’s story ends here, with the truth about her family finally uncovered.