The Transformation

Henry closed his eyes and burrowed beneath the blankets, thinking through the events of the day. 

When he’d woken up this morning, he hadn’t expected it to go so well, but his parents and sister had gone above and beyond to show him that it was okay to just be himself. 

This morning, he’d been trapped as Harriet, a cute little girl with long, golden blonde hair. Now, he was free to be who he was inside, no longer trapped in the life of a girl. 

His parents had taken him to get a haircut and said that they could take him shopping for clothes and room decorations tomorrow. 

Sighing happily, he drifted off to sleep. 

Bzz bzz bzz 

The annoying sound persisted, rousing Henry. 

Waking with a yawn, the little boy stretched his arms over his head, then rolled out of bed and walked to his dresser. 

Pausing in front of the mirror, Henry stared at his reflection, barely recognizing himself. 

His hair was now cut short, and without his rhinestone studded cat-eye glasses, he could actually pass as a boy.  

He wanted to finally be happy and have a good day today and do some of the things he loved. He planned on going to the library to look for the book he was looking for. He started to write in his journal everything he was going to do.  

Then his mom hollered from downstairs, stopping him just as he picked up a pen. 

“Henry, you awake? breakfast is ready.” 

“I’m coming! Just let me get dressed.” he responded. 

He began to put on his favorite clothes (basketball shorts and a tank top) and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, just to be greeted by his favorite food waiting for him at the table.  

His mouth was watered with excitement as he took a big bite of the pile of pancakes stacked in front of him. He had it every birthday because it was his favorite meal.  

He finished the pancakes in record time and headed off to school, dancing to the bus with excitement.  

When he got home, his parents were waiting to surprise him. They had decided to give him a bigger room, the room that had once belonged to his older brother Will, before will had died. 

Will’s old room was much bigger than Henry’s and didn’t have nearly as much pink princess stuff as Henry’s room did. 

“We decided that it was time for an upgrade, and we can move your sister into your room, which lets us turn her room into extra space for storage,” his dad told him. 

“Would that be okay with you, Rose?” Henry asked his six-year-old sister, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes!” 

Giddy with joy, Henry spent the rest of the day shopping with his parents, and making his new room feel like his own. 

As he settled into bed that night, he remembered what his brother had always said, that this room was magic. 

And when he felt his brother’s soft finger run through his hair and heard Will’s melodic voice, saying how proud he was of him, Henry thought that maybe, just maybe, his brother might have been right. Perhaps this room was magic after all. 

The end.