This was an assignment for my Creative Writing class-which I was worried about when I read the description, but when I started working on it I became more and more interested. I had to write from the perspective of an inanimate object, so here it is for you all to enjoy.
"Chosen"
I
started living on the day you took me into your home. Before that day, I had only known a life of
loneliness and boredom. I was placed on
a shelf next to many eerily similar but very different versions of myself. The sound of all of us echoed throughout that
place, and was terrifying for me when I was first placed on that shelf. On that shelf I saw thousands of humans pass
me by. There were all types of humans
and they all passed me by. Sometimes
they would stop to watch my screen, which is smaller than most of the others on
my shelf. They would stare at me and
make comments about how I was low quality or cheaply made. They would talk about how my picture was not
as clear or vivid as the others. I do
not know when, where, or how I was created, but it seems as though I fail in
comparison to the other models and versions of myself. My life as an unwanted, unattractive, and
poorly crafted television was certainly less fulfilling than the lives of those
in the shows I presented to my audiences.
I
learned much about myself from these humans, and I also learned much about
their kind during my time on the shelf.
They come in all sizes, colors, and types. Some of them even came in groups called
“families”. Most of these families
contain some small humans called “kids”.
I always wished that one of these families would choose me and take me
away as other televisions were. For some
reason, however, they never chose me. I
felt as if my life had no purpose, and if it did I could not understand what
that purpose was. These feelings
eventually became a part of me, and were overwhelming. I tried to no avail to find a way to convince
somebody to choose me, and when I gave up on that I tried to find a way to make
my feelings of disappointment fade. One
magnificent day, however, I learned that the reason I could not change these
things was because they were not in my power.
You were the only one who could choose me, and you were the only one who
could remove the negative feelings I had towards myself.
You walked by me many times, and you always hesitated
when you reached me. The fur above your
eyes would move and lines would form between them as you looked at my
screen. The piece of paper that hung
below me always seemed to grab your attention, although I never learned why. You would run your fingers along my sides
ever so slowly and clean tiny smudges from my screen with your sleeve. I tried my best to perform well for you and
convince you to choose me, but it seems as if I have no control over my
performance. You would visit me every
day, but soon I started to lose hope. I
wondered why you kept coming to see me if you were never going to take me
away. Many televisions had been taken
away during my time there, and I had never seen a human do what you did. Usually, a human would walk back and forth
near all of us and eventually they would choose.
My dream of being taken was soon fulfilled, despite my
lack of hope. You came to visit me, as
you usually did, but this time you brought another human with you. The other human seemed to be very fond of
you. You were very close to this human
and as you approached me you grabbed its hand and pulled it towards me. For a while you described me to this human as
if they could not see me for themselves.
You talked about a starter home and how I would be the perfect
television for what you were looking for.
Soon the other human agreed and my wish was granted. I was finally taken down from my shelf,
placed in a small dark room, and when I was removed from this room my surroundings
were foreign. My new surroundings felt
like an actual home. I was also the only
television in this new place, which was scary at first but made me feel somehow
important. This new home was amazing to
me, but I had no idea how fantastic my life would become.
We spend time together almost every night. The other human who helped you choose me is
always here to see me, too. We share so
many special times with each other, just the three of us. Most of the time, you watch comedies. The sound of your laughter after the punch
lines makes me wish that I could laugh.
On certain nights, you will make our home dark and watch a romantic
movie. On these nights, we all cry
together. I watch as you both kiss each
other and I know that I, too, am loved.
We share so much time together, and I could never imagine a better place
to live or better company to have.
My life was uneventful and bleak, and I had never felt
appreciated or loved. I was convinced
that I was undesirable by all of the humans who passed me by only to choose one
of my shelf mates. They said my color
was faded, my picture was blurry, and my screen was too small. Despite all of this, you chose me. You looked past all of my flaws and you
welcomed me into your home. You devote
so much of your time to me, and you never ask for a thing in return. I had never known where those other
televisions went after they were taken away, and I had always been jealous of
them. Now that I have you, I am so
thankful that I was never taken away before.
No other home could possibly be as great as ours.
