Transmute

The Shelf
There is a shelf in the front room that Johnny has always admired. It holds a number of
objects that his parents have collected: spoons, bells, pins, everything Wizard of Oz. On the
shelf there also sits a girl - a doll or puppet. She has blonde hair and blue eyes though to
Johnny the color is not important. The girl wears a bright purple dress, signifying her royalty,
and her hair is done up in a braid. Johnny has seen the girl for as long as he can remember,
though he only takes the time to truly look at her when they are alone. She has seen Johnny
grow up and progress towards manhood.
Johnny now sits on the sofa and looks at her. It is just the two of them, no one else is
in the house. He sees a bit of himself in her: that lovely braid, the dress. He sees himself in the
memories reflected through her eyes. Mostly, he sees himself in the way she sits. She doesn’t
move. She doesn’t strive for happiness. She sits through life and watches others pass her by
and speaks only when others care to speak to her. She is a hidden girl, avoiding the pains of
rejection.
Johnny stands up and pulls the girl from the shelf. He knows what she is telling him
and he understands that it has taken far too long for him to listen. For years she had been
setting an example. She had been imploring him to tell. She wanted him to have his best
chance at life. He hadn’t listened. He had sat as she had sat and had listened and watched as
she had watched and listened. He had averted his obedient eyes except on the rare occasions
he felt safe to feel his longing.
No more,​he thought, and he took the girl into his room. Olivia would be her name and
she was ready to quit sitting. She was ready to leave the shelf.
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