Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Content Warning: This section contains references to anti-gay bias, the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, and death.

On a Sunday afternoon in December 1986, 14-year-old June Elbus and her 16-year-old sister, Greta, sit for a portrait by their uncle Finn Weiss in his Manhattan apartment. They have been visiting once a month for the past six months; on this visit, Finn shows them the painting for the first time. While they pose, June—whom Finn calls “Crocodile”—thinks of the special relationship she has with Finn, who is dying of AIDS.

That night, June shampoos her hair three times, fearful because Finn kissed her on the top of her head.

June explains her practice of going into the woods behind her school, where she pretends that she lives in the Middle Ages. She obtained her love of medievalism from Finn, who taught her about its art and even bought her a pair of medieval boots at a festival. She recalls telling Finn, but no one else, of her time spent in the woods.

Greta refuses to attend the Sunday sessions any longer. June and her mother, Danielle, go to Finn’s once per week, and June knows that this means Finn’s death is approaching.