Everything is NOT black and white by Diana Day-Admir

A moving short-story that softly lingers on the readers mind as we discuss difference, indifference, and the idea of being misunderstood while growing into ourselves.

Hello Reader and Welcome to another Poe-tato feature. My bones were definitely a little warmed after reading this piece, and I hope it does the same for you. Today we are showcasing work from Diana Day-Admir titled, “Everything is NOT black and white.” It was written back in 2024 and puts you into the nuanced shoes of a young girl that has transitioned. Read and feel her truth. You can find and subscribe to Diana here: Admiring Diana’s Writing Life.

I began writing as a 7 year old. I wrote songs for Sundays school. I finally collected 2 books of poetry and short stories and self published them starting in 2015. since then I have been included in 2 anthologies and have 2 novels out in the world. dianadayadmire.com

Thank you for being here, let us get into this bitter sweet piece:

The lights in the old theater flickered. A megaphone squawked and the door in the back opened. Ellie Taylor stuffed her fingers in her ears and scrunched down in the theater seat. The picture in front slowed down, clicking for a few seconds before it finally froze on the screen.

Not an AMBER alert, please, please, please, she whispered.

The interruption of the movie was a disappointment. It was almost to the part where Dorothy said those famous words. “There’s no place like home.”

Ellie’s home was certainly like no other. Her problems accumulated like barnacles on the bottom of a sailboat. No one saw them from their vantage point, but the ugliness hidden beneath the surface corroded at her soul. If her parents knew she’d skipped school there would be trouble. Again.

“We need car with license 555-M0W moved. The police have been called,” the announcement blared.

Elle sighed with relief. She’d eluded her parents.

An older gentleman got up and rushed up the aisle. “Here, kid,” he said and dropped a half empty tub of popcorn on her lap.

The movie reel began to move.

Hungry, she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. The sting on her wrist ached when she scratched it. She hoped it wasn’t infected. Probably just salt from the tub had irritated her sore.

The filthy movie theater had become an escape from drama she endured every day. When Ellie sat in the dark to watch happily-ever-afters she was finally at peace. She didn’t care that the floors were sticky. She didn’t care if she’d seen the same old movies hundreds of times. Alone in the dark she couldn’t hear, “Eddy, do this or Edward, why can’t you be normal?” Here, she was Ellie and got lost in a story till they kicked her out at closing.

She had tried to tell her parents the truth. Coming out as Trans hadn’t gone well. After her suicide attempt they did at least start using her initials. But why couldn’t they call her Ellie?

Another flash of light came as the door opened again. At least they hadn’t stopped the movie this time.

“Officer, you’re kidding. I have to say that?” the owner asked in a loud whisper.

“That’s the name.”

“Sorry, folks,” came from the megaphone. There was a pause of silence as the brightness of OZ changed to black and white, and Dorothy woke up in Kansas on the screen.

Then the megaphone came to life again.

“E.T. Phone home!”

A groan from clients in the theater erupted along with sprinkles of laughter.

“Come to the office between movies. The police will escort you.”

As “There’s no place like home.”, echoed from Judy Garland, Ellie wished she had a sweet Auntie Em. But her parents had cared enough to look for her and they knew her well enough to find her.

Maybe it was a good place to start.

Below are some questions Diana answered for us.

What were you inspirations when writing this piece?

I have an interest in Trans rights and literature. I want to help get more stories with this subject out into the world.

Is there anything you hope the reader will take away from this?

You don’t have to agree but when you can be anything be kind.

Additional Thoughts:

I am reaching out to show my support to more like minded souls. I want to write with the sensitivity needed for others to embrace this topic.

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This story feels like a lingering confession to the self. Quietly somber and deeply introspective. It truly shines when we are brought into the mind of Ellie Taylor. The descriptions can be brief at times but I believe that adds to the overall effect of these reflections of her character.

When she describes her home life and being misunderstood, it heaves at you heavy. It sticks with you until the very end. Where it may seem that Ellie is still in the dark about her family’s reaction — we get a glimpse of what reality is. The gray area, much like Dorothy waking up in Kansas again.

E.T is grateful for her parents caring enough to seek her out and move forward together, instead of apart. Such a lovely piece on the nuance of such matters, which are ever present in this life we are stuck in together. I would like to end it off by reiterating what Diana had said previously, it very much takes nothing to simply be kind.

But dear reader, what did you think of this piece? Let us know in the comments below:

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