Opening
Part Three opens with Jackson trying to ground himself in facts, only to be pulled deeper into uncertainty by the return of Crenshaw. As money troubles sharpen at home, Jackson can no longer keep his emotions—nor his imaginary friend—contained. The result is a series of small losses and startling visions that push him toward a breaking point.
What Happens
Chapter 31: Excellent Timing
Jackson admits he once researched imaginary friends at the library and found a study showing that kids often have them at six or seven—information that makes him feel less strange. He decides Crenshaw showed up “just when I needed him to,” then and now, when life tilts off balance. The chapter’s epigraph from A Hole Is to Dig—“The world is so you have something to stand on.”—sets a quiet promise of stability that Jackson aches for but can’t quite reach.
Chapter 32: The Next Raccoon Invasion
Convinced that Crenshaw’s return signals another family crisis—possibly another round of homelessness—Jackson spirals through a mental inventory of what he might lose: his favorite teacher, his dog-walking business with Marisol, the new skate park, soccer. He feels like an “old soul,” forced into adult awareness before his time, and resents that his parents won’t be straight with him, underscoring the family’s fragile Honesty and Communication.
He recalls the night a raccoon wandered into their apartment and chaos erupted—except for him. While his parents and sister panicked, Jackson opened the door and let the raccoon finish its snack and stroll out. He decides he has to stay “on alert for the next raccoon invasion,” a metaphor for looming crises and the burdened vigilance of Family and Resilience.
Chapter 33: Zorro
On Saturday morning, the TV is gone. His Dad, leaning on his cane during a multiple sclerosis flare, explains he sold it to Marisol’s father for cash and pitches “quality time” with board games. Pancakes and bacon—rare treats—soften the blow and signal how serious things are.
When Dad mentions friends at soccer camp, Jackson says he’s “growing out of soccer” to spare his father’s feelings. Then his cut pancakes spell out Crenshaw’s name. Sick with confusion at this collision of reality and fantasy, he shovels the evidence into his mouth, a tremor in the boundary between Truth and Imagination.
Chapter 34: The Cat Standing on His Head
With no TV at home, Jackson and his dad “Best Buy it,” catching the Giants game on rows of display screens. In the fourth inning, Jackson’s vision splits from everyone else’s: one announcer turns into Crenshaw, who waves and flashes rabbit ears behind the other. Jackson tests the waters—“Do you see a cat?”—but Dad, smiling, thinks he’s joking.
Then Crenshaw does a headstand on the desk. Jackson scrambles to cover—“Just a cat food commercial”—but Dad gives him a worried look. Crenshaw is no longer a flicker at the edges; he’s center stage, and Jackson can’t logic his way out.
Chapter 35: He’s Wagging to the Right, I Think
After the game, they stop at a pet store. Jackson repeats his mantra—“There’s always a logical explanation”—as aisles of gourmet kibble and sequined collars mock his family’s empty wallet, a stark embodiment of Poverty and Homelessness.
Overloaded with stress and a sense of unfairness, Jackson does something he’s never done: he steals a dog cookie shaped like a cat. Guilt floods in. He babbles dog facts to a clerk and a little kid to look normal, then leaves with burning eyes. The impulsive theft—so unlike him—reveals how badly he’s floundering under the weight of Coping with Stress and Trauma.
Key Events
- Jackson decides Crenshaw’s return means another crisis is coming.
- Dad sells the TV; the family starts “Best Buy” game nights.
- Crenshaw appears as a TV announcer in a vivid, public-feeling vision.
- Pancakes spell out “Crenshaw”; Jackson hides it by eating fast.
- Jackson, overwhelmed, shoplifts a cat-shaped dog cookie.
Character Development
Jackson’s calm, fact-first persona starts to fracture as external pressures mount and Crenshaw’s presence intensifies. He clings to logic, but reality won’t stay put.
- Jackson: Plays the family’s de facto adult, then slips—stealing for the first time and doubting his own perception. His identity as a truth-seeker clashes with an experience he can’t explain away.
- Dad: Resourceful and protective—he sells the TV and improvises “Best Buy” viewing—but the cane and his worried glances reveal strain and deep care.
- Crenshaw: Shifts from background comfort to undeniable showman, demanding Jackson’s attention and signaling needs Jackson won’t voice aloud.
Themes & Symbols
Jackson’s home life makes [Poverty and Homelessness] immediate: the TV sale, the workaround at Best Buy, and the lost chance at soccer camp translate abstract worry into concrete loss. The pet store scene amplifies the gap between glossy abundance and his family’s scarcity, fueling shame and anger.
[Truth and Imagination] collide as Crenshaw steps into hyper-real settings—HD screens, pancakes, live sports commentary—blurring lines until Jackson can’t keep reality and fantasy neatly separated. His usual fix—facts and control—fails, forcing him to confront why the cat is back. In turn, [Coping with Stress and Trauma] surfaces in two forms: spectacular visions and a small but seismic act of theft.
- The Television: A stand-in for normalcy and stability. Selling it marks a downturn; watching at Best Buy is both ingenuity and quiet humiliation.
- The Raccoon: Chaos embodied. Jackson’s calm door-opening becomes a self-image—he must be the one who restores order—an identity that is becoming unsustainable.
Key Quotes
“The world is so you have something to stand on.” The epigraph frames the section’s longing for solid ground. Every scene that follows—selling the TV, public visions, a stolen cookie—tests how little stability Jackson actually has under his feet.
“Crenshaw first appeared in my life just when I needed him to.” Jackson admits the cat arrives as a coping tool, whether real or imagined. The line hints that denial won’t help; need summons Crenshaw.
“There’s always a logical explanation.” This mantra encapsulates Jackson’s defense. When it buckles under the Best Buy vision and the pancake letters, we see how little logic can do against fear and grief.
“I have to stay on alert for the next raccoon invasion.” The metaphor turns a childhood memory into a mission statement. Jackson’s hyper-vigilance keeps the family functioning, but it also exhausts him and isolates him.
“Best Buy it.” Dad’s phrase is bright on the surface and heartbreaking underneath. It’s a family joke that covers the strain of making do with less.
Why This Matters and Section Significance
These chapters pivot the story from dread to lived crisis. The TV sale and the Best Buy workaround make the family’s financial strain visible; Crenshaw’s leap onto national television makes Jackson’s inner turmoil impossible to ignore. Jackson’s first theft breaks his moral code, signaling that carrying the family’s chaos has cost him more than he can admit. The stage is set for confrontation—of fears, of truth at home, and of the real purpose behind Crenshaw’s return.