Short cut
I keep my head down and pull my coat tight as a hug. I feel their eyes on me but I don’t react. Best to pretend I don’t know, or care.
The whispers and muffled sniggers are the worst. I’m not imagining them, no matter what anybody says. They echo in my mind even when I’m safely inside. It’s the same every time.
I try to ignore glimpses of tangled spikes and coiling tendrils. Eyes ahead. Don’t stop.
Home at last. Avoid the mirror. I swear I’ll never let that hairdresser near me again.
*****
This is my contribution to this week’s Friday Fictioneers. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting this flash fiction link-up.
Onto the page 
Dear Margaret,
I laughed out loud! Superb bait and switch story. You know what they say,..the difference between a bad haircut and a good one is two weeks. 😉 Love it.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle. Loud laughter is a wonderful reaction. And yes – I know all about those painful two weeks. Could you hear the autobiographical undertones to my story?
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Ha ha – now that was such a surprise! Great take on the photo prompt, Margaret.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Glad it surprised you. When I saw those tangled, spiky branches, my first thought was of a bad hair day. Thanks for your nice comment Susan.
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Thankfully not something i have to worry about! But a good chuckle 🙂
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I thought this one might appeal more to the ladies, Iain. Glad you got a chuckle anyway.
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i don’t blame her. i guess the hairdresser doesn’t deserve a big tip. 🙂
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Correct. In fact, no tip at all. Thanks for commenting, plaridel.
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Funny — the inner mind of a hairstylist’s victim
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Thanks, Sabio. Glad you enjoyed it.
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Ha ha ! Very clever – I was off imagining space aliens who were coming to get her, not her hairdresser…
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Good, good. I’m glad you were misdirected at the start. I like the idea of aliens – maybe the hairdresser was one. Thanks for commenting.
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What a fantastic and hilarious take, Margaret! I loved it!
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Thank you so much, Dale. That’s a great response.
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Ha, nice twist! Who hasn’t been the victim of a hairdressing malfunction at some point? 🙂
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Malfunction – that’s a good way to put it. Glad you liked the twist. Thank you.
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This is such fun, I laughed out loud, too. What a surprise twist, too funny. And it’s the story of my life. First thing after a haircut: shower, blowdryier, trying to fix the unfixable… 😀
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You too? My husband dreads the days I have haircut appointments. He’s very tactful when I come home and knows not to say too much until he’s worked out how I’m feeling about it. I’m glad you got a laugh from my story, Gabriele. Thanks for your lovely comment.
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A hilarious, totally unexpected ending! 😀
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Thank you, magarisa. That’s such a nice reaction.
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Ha! Ha! Great switch at the end. That’s why they say ‘hair today gone tomorrow’, which is coming true in my case anyway.
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Thank you, subroto. Sorry about your hair situation. But you seem very philosophical about it, so that’s good. 🙂
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I like the way you flipped the script here. Usually it is calm then horrific ending. This was ominous until it turned funny.
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Glad you liked my story. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
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You are welcome.
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Wonderful! Sounds like a perm that went bad!
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It could have been, but in my experience some hairdressers can mess up even a simple haircut. Thanks for commenting, Violet.
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So you had a bad hair cut or a bad hair day. Who cares what others think. Some of them probably are bald.
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Yes, some of them are. There’s always someone worse off, isn’t there. Thanks, Abhijit.
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LOL…good one!
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Thank you Dawn.
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I did not expect that end, puts me of going to the barbers tomorrow🙂
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Be brave. I’m sure your barber is trustworthy. Thanks for commenting, Michael.
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This could have gone so many places, but it made me smile and that’s a nice place to land, Margaret. We’ve all been there, for sure! I forget to consider the title sometimes. Sandra used to make most of her titles another piece of the story–– cleaver use of word count, and an additional layer. Get it? Layer? Nice job!
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Glad it made you smile, Dawn. You’re right about the importance of a good title – something I always struggle with. Yes, it’s all about the layering, isn’t it? Thanks for your encouragement.
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Love the ending! Not what I expected and that’s great.
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Glad you liked it. Thank you, Brenda.
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A Medusa hair-do? Loved the way you ended this. Brought back memories of some not-so-great hairdos 🙂
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Oh I’m sorry to have triggered such memories. They’re better left behind. Thanks for your kind comment.
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I had to laugh. But a bit nervously. Hairdressers are scary. As are the critics on the street.
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Thanks, Patrick. I’m glad you got a laugh, even if it was a nervous one.
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Aww the shame! We’ve all been there!
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Yes, it seems we have. Thanks for commenting, Tannille.
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Oh my gosh! This is great. I’ve been there 😄😭
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I knew I wasn’t the only one! Thanks, Laurie.
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