Marilyn's Monster

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SPEAKER_2 (0:31)

This is Believe, one network, every topic, everywhere.

Philip (0:38)

Okay, our friends, so today we've been reading all kinds of spooky stories for spooky season. And it's time that we do a monster story, isn't it? Wouldn't you say?

Yeah? I agree. Today we will be doing a story called Marilyn's Monster. This story was written by Michelle Knudsen, and it's illustrated by Matt Phelan, and it's read today by Mommy. And...

Lisa Bueno (1:09)

Meow.

Philip (1:10)

Meow. Is it a cat?

Are you tortilla?

Lisa Bueno (1:15)

No. Are you beans? No?

Philip (1:18)

Are you're blinking at me like I should know? Oh, are you floof?

Lisa Bueno (1:22)

Or no, fluff? Or no?

Philip (1:24)

Captain Am- No, you're not Captain Am-

Lisa Bueno (1:27)

I almost said Captain America. That's a funny name for a cat.

Captain Meow-Meow? No. Are you Captain America, the cat?

Philip (1:39)

Meow-Meow-Meow! Meow-Meow-Meow!

Lisa Bueno (1:42)

That's him saying Avengers assemble. Let's hear you do it.

Okay.

Oh, was that you saying Mjolnir? Oh my goodness, guys. I've got a cat version of Captain America, and he is wielding Mjolnir. Watch out. Cat-peten. Cat-peten America? Got it. That's funny. And I'm just mommy. I'm nothing special like you are, but I do love you and I'm ready to read you a story. Are you ready to hear it?

Philip (2:22)

Marilyn's Monster.

Some of the kids in Marilyn's class had monsters. It was the latest thing. Marilyn didn't have a monster, not yet.

Lisa Bueno (2:35)

You couldn't just go out and get one.

Philip (2:37)

Your monster had to find you. That's just the way it worked.

And in the picture, we can see some of these monsters are pretty impressive looking. Big and scary and furry or just strange looking.

Lisa Bueno (2:53)

The teacher doesn't seem to mind at all.

Philip (2:59)

Some kids woke up to find their monsters had chosen them while they slept.

Lisa Bueno (3:05)

Can you imagine waking up to a monster who's like, I'm your monster now?

Philip (3:11)

Some kids got their monsters on their way home from school or on the bus or in the park.

And we can see that going on too.

Timmy's monster chose him right in the middle of a history test. And in the picture, we can see a big finger bursting through the classroom window, pointing straight at Timothy, who looks a bit taken aback. At first, Marilyn wasn't even worried about it. Eventually, her monster would find her too. There were still a bunch of kids who didn't have monsters yet. But then, Franklin got his at the library. And if I had to pick a monster, friends, I would pick Franklin's monster.

Lisa Bueno (4:06)

For sure.

Philip (4:07)

So would Captain America Cat, because it looks... Franklin's monster looks like a great big green beanbag chair. And Rebecca got hers while riding her bike.

Then, Linny got his while he was running away from some mean older kids who kept picking on him.

Lisa Bueno (4:30)

His is pretty enormous. Like, think of Godzilla. Nobody picked on Linny anymore after that.

Especially not those big kids, right?

Philip (4:41)

After a while, Marilyn was the only one left without a monster. She knew she wasn't supposed to try to look for him, but she kind of dead anyway. She hung around the library, hoping. She poked around the playground, pretending not to look under the slide and behind the climbing bars. And she watched the others with their monsters playing and laughing and having fun and never being alone.

At night, when her room was dark and scary, Marilyn thought about how good it would be to have her monster there beside her.

Lisa Bueno (5:28)

I'm sure you'll get your monster soon, said her parents.

Philip (5:34)

I bet you'll never get one, said her brother. It probably already came, and took one look at you, and ran the other way.

Lisa Bueno (5:46)

He does not seem very nice.

Philip (5:49)

He does have a monster though. It looks like goo, kind of like a big old booger lopped onto his head, huh? Yeah, he must be a pretty mean brother. Marilyn tried to be patient. She tried to believe her monster was still coming. She made sure she brushed her hair very carefully every morning and wore pretty clothes and smiled a lot and tried to look very friendly and interesting and smart and fun to be around. She tried to be the kind of girl no monster could resist. But at the end of the week, her monster still hadn't come. She was afraid that maybe her brother was right.