There are misconceptions about us monsters hiding under the bed at night. First, putting the blanket over your head doesn’t do anything. Second, we don’t have any intention of killing you. Well, not all of us. Third, we usually show up when you have a genuine fear of something substantial.
For the past twenty years, Sam has been stuck living in fear and dangling on the strings pulled by his father. The whole time, Calvin—a brazen, chain-smoking monster—has been stuck in his closet. In this novelette, Cal shares the story of their unconventional best friendship and the mounting crises in both their lives: Sam is as paralyzed as ever by his father’s expectations, while Cal’s terminal illness puts them both in a race against the clock to conquer Sam’s fears. As their journey approaches its conclusion (one way or another), they’re both faced with the difficulty of self-acceptance as well as the transformative potential of loving another creature.