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Ashley was not happy. Just last night (a Friday no less) she had been grounded for a long list of things--bad grades, what her mom called, "her nasty attitude"...a lot of things that had been going on for awhile and her mom and and dad had fought and fought with her over constantly. Ashley was furious. They just didn't understand and it made her SO mad. She was sitting in her room now trying to figure out what she was going to do--she couldn't go out, couldn't call a friend, couldn't watch TV, her phone had been taken away...what was there to do? She knew other things were happening also as she had heard the whispered conversations between her mom and dad. She also wondered what was meant by the last thing that her mom had said as she had set down the rules for the grounding, "things are going to change young lady! I will not put up with a whole lot of things about your life style anymore. You are about to lose a lot of privileges and things you prize and count on...there's going to be a LOT of starting over! Life is about to get very simple for you!" Ashley had asked what that meant...but her mom had simply said, "you'll see," and had walked away. Now...simple...what could that mean? It could mean a lot of things...and worse, what privileges and things I count on could she be losing? She was still wondering about this as she heard her mom call from downstairs. "Ashley...get ready to go...we have some errands to run and some things to take care of. Come down now!" Errands at this time of year could mean a lot of things. It was Saturday for one thing and she had heard both mom and dad tell her brothers that it was haircut time. They had groaned because that always meant the same thing as summer approached. This meant a trip down to Jim's barber shop, a place that she hadn't been for awhile, for the summer shearing. When she was much younger, Jim's was also where mom used to take all the kids, including her, for haircuts. She had hated everything about the place, but she especially hated the haircuts she got there and the teasing that always followed at school. She never got the buzz cuts her brothers got, but the barber always cut her hair way, way too short--especially in back on on the sides. It made her cringe a little bit just thinking of the humiliation as her mom told the barber how to cut her hair. She always stood nearby and coached the barber as Ashey's hair was snipped away, the barber combing and snipping, combing and snipping...more and more of her hair falling on her shoulders and the barber worked...it was awful. And then there was the horrible buzzing of the clippers on her neck...that was maybe the worst part. It always seemed the barber went higher then necessary and many times, she was greeted with an image that looked much more like a little boy then a girl when she was turned to the mirror. The whole thought made her shudder. She was thinking about this as she followed her mom and brothers to the car and it all darkened her mood even more as she realized that she might have to revisit the place of those memories and have to think about it all the more. She looked down at her hair that flowed in layered ripples over her shoulders and chest. Lots had changed since those days. At least she had that much now, she thought.

She rode in silence as several stops were made--post office, gas station, etc. Finally they pulled up in front of Jim's. She was hoping mom would just let her stay in the car, but as her mom got out, she said, "Ashely come on! We are all going in!"Ashley replied, "Mom?" and her mom cut her off abruptly. "Ashley, so help me...out of this car and march your but in NOW or..." She didn't need to say a lot more. The "so help me" could be followed by a lot of things she hadn't lost yet...and she had already lost a lot. Ashley sighed a large sigh and exited the back door of the car, complaining all of the way under her breath. Her mom waited for her and followed her to the shop door and just before opening the door, her mother said, "I hear everything you say...I'm not deaf. You will get your butt into this shop and sit quietly! Am I making myself clear? Ashley started to respond, "Well I don't see why..." but she was cut off by her mom's finger against her mouth. "NOT another word young lady or so help me I'm going to have this barber shave you bald! The money and time you spend on that hair is one more thing that needs to end anyway...I won't pay for it anymore and YOU can't afford it...Now get in here and in that chair NOW!" Ashley started to respond, but no words came out of her mouth. What was her mother saying. She was struck so dumb, she couldn't move, but her mom was more then willing to help and she grabbed Ashley's arm and pulled her roughly through the door and over to one of the wooden chairs against the wall next to her brothers. "SIT!" was all her mother said. Ashley sat. She knew better then to say much more. It was understatement to say that Ashley was a bit....shocked and...well...a bit scared. What could her mom have meant? Would she really make her get her hair cut here again? Why? Everyone knew she took such good care of her hair. If she did force her into a haircut hair...how short would it end up? Could she run, she thought. She figured if she did, she could probably get out the door and into the street. If she did that though...where would she go? Her mind was a mass of confused thoughts. Since there were no open chairs, Ashley's mom stood. In fact she stood between the door and where Ashley was sitting. Ashley noticed this and also noticed what was happening in the shop. There were a fair number of customers, including two young girls and one woman with fairly short hair who appeared to be their mother. She watched the procession of customers into the chairs and the familiar ritual, the memories of which now made her almost sick to her stomach--the lowering of the chair, the neck tissue, the big striped cape still itchy from previous haircuts, the pumping of the chair and the final verdict which was never good. She watched an awful lot of hair tumble into laps and onto the floor...and the constant whine of the clippers as they sheared head after head was...well...not pleasant. In between haircuts the barbers were just quickly sweeping as much hair as they could into piles between the chairs and yelled, "next." There was a fair amount of hair in the piles now actually. She watched in a sort of horror also as the two young girls were helped up into a booster seat in a barber chair, caped and had their below shoulder hair chopped off in very short inverted bobs as per their mother's instructions to the barber. That brought back a lot of memories--none of them good,especially as she watched the barber working up the back of their heads with scissors and comb and then...the clippers. She could see the girls were not thrilled either.She looked down at her own well maintained hair. Her mom had allowed her to grow it and more or less do what she wanted when she was in about 8th grade and always gave her the money to go to the salon whenever she wanted to do that. Right now her very thick and slightly wavy blond hair was streaked and slightly layered and feathered a bit towards the front and fell now just over her breasts in front. It was a new style she was trying out and she liked the way the layers thickened everything and made her the envy of a lot girls she knew. She ran her fingers through it now, a dark pit in her stomach. What would happen here? She couldn't imagine that her mom would make her really get it cut short again...on the other hand, her mom seemed really pissed and these new threats were something entirely new--or at least hadn't really been used for a long time. She shuddered at the thought of some of the things that did really happen not to many years ago and all of those things happened...here. She crossed her arms over her chest, looked at her mom whose face seemed unreadable and wiped away a tear. She was getting scared now for real.

She was shocked out of these thoughts and brought back to reality by the call of "next" from the older barber closest to them. She knew him as the owner and the barber that most often cut her brother's hair and...hers at one time. Her youngest brother was given the nod by her mother and he stood and walked fairly reluctantly she noticed to the chair. Ashley's mother followed him, greeted Jim warmly and stood by to watch the caping process and then informed the barber that "it can all come off...a nice short summer buzz again...he likes that." Ashley knew he didn't and he could see the disgust on his face as the barber pushed his head forward, clippers humming and in a few short moments shaved all of his blondish, brown hair down to a short stubble. She watched her brothers hair slither over his shoulders and shuddered. It was all over in a moment and soon her older brother was in the chair. Even though he was older and liked his hair longer, the same instructions were given and within moments his hair was all gone also. Finally, he was done and the cape and neck strip were removed and his hair dumped to the floor with the rest. As he started to step out of the chair, still feeling is freshly shorn head, the barber said to Ashley's mother, "Just the boys then...that will be $14." Ashley's mom was positioned between the chair and the door, standing hands on hips.

"Well actually..." she said, "you remember my daughter Ashley, Jim? Ashley have a seat!" she said pointing to the barber chair. "Jim smiled wide, patted the back of the barber chair and said, "Well Ashley! I almost didn't recognize you, but I thought that might be you...how wonderful to see you again...hop up here and we'll get ya fixed up!" Ashley looked at her mother who had not moved. "NOW!" was all she said in a low, firm voice. Ashley thought she was going to be sick, but she stood and walked to the barber chair and sat down. "Now," said Jim, "if I remember you were a pixie girl...you were always one of my cutest customers...that's pretty popular style again you know...lots of famous actresses are going that direction!" "Is that so?" said Ashley's mom. "I have seen that kind of haircut a lot more now that you mention it...it so so cute!...and you're right, Ashley looks especially good with a nice short cut like that." Ashley's gut tightened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not much more was said as Jim fished around in a drawer for a hair clip, pulled Ashley's thick blond hair back and pinned it up. As he reached for a neck tissue, Ashley decided to plead her case just a bit, "Please mom...I'll be good. You know I like my hair longer now...please no pixie cut...I can't..." Her mom cut her off, with just one short statement delivered with a shake of her head and a VERY stern look, "Stop Ashley...not ONE MORE word!" While this discussion was taking place, Jim was humming brightly and turning Ashley's collar down. He wipped the neck tissue in place and Ashley cringed as it was tightly pulled around her neck. Then came the dreaded cape. It fluttered into place and was pulled up tight around her neck and snapped into place. Jim released the clip, letting her hair tumble down around her shoulders. He then grabbed a comb from the counter and started to comb everything out. Ashely looked at her mom, trying to read her face. It was firm and strong, hands still on her hips...although she did detect a slight smile in the corners of her mouth that scared her. Ashley felt sick. "So..." Jim said after a few moments, "something a lot cooler and easier for her again then Joan?" He looked at Ashley's mom who smiled and said, "that sounds good Jim...Ashley needs some simplicity in her life and this is a great starting point." Ashley's heart seem to stop and the tears started down her cheeks. "No mom please..." she said in almost a whisper. Her mom didn't seem to even have heard her. "Oh come now," said Jim, "I've never had a cuter customer...you'll look so amazing again you'll be fighting the boys off...trust me! What's that one actress everyone is raving about now in that one alien TV show? Everyone wants to look like her...ah what's her name? Morena something?" "Oh yes...Morena Baccarin...I read about her all the time," said Ashley's mom with enthusiasm. "That's it," said Jim. "I hear women are lining up to have their hair cut like her." Ashley's mom had a big smile on her face now and her arms were crossed across her chest. "Well...," said Ashley's mom, "I guess the world now has one more, huh Ashley?" Ashley reacted with soft sharp intake of breath and a strangled "Oooooo...noooo mom! Pleeeese noooo!" She felt sick to the point where her legs started to shake. She wanted to run, wanted to scream, but her throat was tight and dry and her nose was plugged from crying. Tears were all across her cheeks now. What could she do? "All right then..." Jim said as he pumped the chair up. "...bangs about here then," he said running his finger across Ashley's eyebrows. "I think a bit shorter," said Ashley's mom. "Got it!" said Jim as he combed out the layers that now framed Ashley's face. Ashley closed her eyes hard waiting for...the blow. She gripped the armrests of the chair hard and bit her lip, eyes now closed tight. She felt him pull her bangs down, his fingers tight against the middle of her forhead and then, before she could move, pull away or react..."Shhhhck, Shhhhck, Shhhhck" she felt all the hair in front roll over her nose and into her lap. She opened her eyes and stared down. There, in a pile, still rolling gently into her lap, lay her prescious layered and perfect locks. She couldn't help it. "OOOOOOOH!" she moaned in a muffled voice, the tears slowely rolling again. Jim didn't seem to notice. He started to whistle again and began to comb out the right side of her hair. He didn't hesitate, never even looked to Ashley's mom for direction, he just combed a large section down, held his fingers tight against her ear and and to Ashley's incredible horror hacked it off in two swift snips. Ashley let out a muffled, "ahhhhh!" as she watched all of her prescious hair roll across her shoulders and into her lap to join her bangs. Jim didn't hesitate, he just repeated the same process around the back of the right side, hesitated just long enough to brush several long strands forward that had fallen on Ashley's shoulder and then moved to the back. With both hands he tipped Ashley's head forward, "head down please," he said in a pleasant voice. He then combed out the back, pulled it down tightly and almost painfully as his fingers were now tight against the nape of her neck. Ashley cringed, gripped the seat hard and let out a muffled howl again as Jim simply hacked everything off below his fingers. She heard her hair slither down the back of the chair and hit the floor with a muffled soft sound. Jim continued whistling and combing as he combed out everything that remained on the left side, pulled a section down hard on that side and snipped it off even with the back of Ashley's ear. He brushed a few stray hairs from her shoulder again and then pulled down the last section, held his fingers tight against Ashley's ear and without hesitation dropped what remained of Ashley's hair into her lap. This last section did a slow tumble over her chest and front, some of it coming to rest in mid chest. Ashley stared at it to stunned to talk, her eyes blurry from tears. She said nothing. The next sound made her jump though as a high, loud whine told her...the clippers were on. Jim did not hesitate, ask any questions or stop his whistling. He simply walked to Ashley's right side, pumped up the chair a couple of times and using a large, flat comb, started to comb up and whisk through sections of what remained of Ashley's hair. Large clumps danced down her shoulders, some staying there in a mound that she could see out of the corner of her eye, some rolling down along her chest. Jim worked up the side of her head like this, combed through what remained, started at the bottom around Ashley's ear again, combed and repeated. Soon Ashley could feel No hair on her ear at all! "MOM!" Ashley said as she realized what was going on, "it's too short!" Jim paused for a moment, looking at Ashley's mom for direction, the whining clippers momentarily idle in his hand. Ashley's mom simple nodded for him to contintue and said, "It looks just fine, Jim. It can go a lot shorter." Ashely moaned and gripped the armrests hard again. Jim went back to work, whistling again as he did. At this point he moved around to the back, pushed Ashley's head forward so that her chin rested tightly against her chest. Her chin prickled as it was pressed against her chest from the mass of clippings that had already accumulated there. Ashely cringed again as he started the same process up the back, lifting and whisking with the clippers, combing through what remained and repeating up the back, whistling all the time. He then returned to the bottom around Ashley's nape and to her horror, focused there for more time then seemed right. Finally he scraped the clippers around her neck and squared off the bottom. "OHHHHH!" was all Ashley could say as she gripped the arm rests of the chair hard, her eyes seeing only the horrible carnage as her hair lay in clumps of all sizes--a large mat of short clippings covering most of her chest now with the largest mound sitting in the middle of her lap. Another mass was slowly rolling down one shoulder to her chest as Jim had brushed away the mass the clung to that shoulder. All of her beautiful hair...gone...all of it! Jim pulled her head up then, brushed a mass of clippings from her other shoulder, grabbed a brush from the counter and whisked around her neck, pushing another mass of hair from her shoulders down onto her chest. It hung there and then partially spread down across her front. Ashley was truely sick now and started to cry in earnest. Her muffled sobs drowned out only by the whine of the clippers that now started on her left side. She barely felt this, she just continued watching the slow roll of what remained of her hair sliding down the cape. Soon she could feel no hair on that side either. She looked up now, her mom with a satisfyied look on her face and past her mom, both of her brothers in rapt attention to the scene in front of them--her older brother with a sly smirk on her face. She noticed also that most of the customers in the shop were watching her. It made her even more sick. The horror of all of this was beyond belief. Jim finished his work on the left side of her head, surveyed his work all around, combing here and there and then shut off the clippers. "Doesn't she look great mom?" Jim said as he turned to pick up the barber shears from the counter. "It's a big, big improvement, Jim. This is a haircut long overdue...and I think one she'll keep for awhile," Ashley's mom said. Jim started whistling again, as he combed up large sections of Ashley's hair on top and then "clop, clop" sheared through them, letting the remnants whisk down across Ashley's face. "Well this is really a cute, cute cut that suits her...you'll be fighting off the boys and every girl will be lining up to cut their hair too...trust me." Ashley's mom smiled again, "Well...Ashely won't have any time for the boys, but I'll send every one of her friends to you Jim...I'm sure Ashely will be the envy of her school once they see this new look. I'm sure lots of hair will be falling soon." Ashley knew this probably was not the case...in fact she knew exactly what everyone's reaction was going to be. It made her sick. All through this converation, the continuous "clop, clop, clop" of Jim's shears echoed in Ashley's ear and the feathers of her remaining hair continued to rain down over her face and other the cape. It was hard to believe she could have that much more hair. Still he continued like this all across the top, combed everything out again and then repeated this action across the sides and around the back. To Ashley's horror he then...folded her ear down on the right side and, "snip, snip, snip" cut everything off that remained around her ear. He lifted and snipped around her ears and up the side, "Shhhck, Shhhhck, Shhhhh," then combing through everything again, and repeating the process up to the top. He then stopped looked her over, snipped again here and there around her ears and then moved to the left side and started the same there. Ashley cringed again as her ear was folded and everything snipped off all around it. The snipping and lifting continued and then Jim continued around the back again, snipping around the nape of her neck again and then back up the back. "Shhhhck, Shhhhhck, Shhhhck...snap, snap," repeated again and again and again...Ashley was certain there could be no hair left on her head, but more was being cut. She felt absolutely nothing on her forhead, ears or neck. No tears could come at this point. All she could do was sniff and steel herself for more horrors to come.

Finally Jim combed through everything again, looked her over carefully, recut a couple of places and then came back to the front. He snipped a couple more times around Ashley's forhead, ran his fingers up through what was left of her hair and whistled a long slow whistle, "That looks SHARP...you ARE a beautiful, beautiful young lady. Mom should be proud! This will be SO much easier and cooler also." He picked up the brush again, whisked all around Ashely's neck and shoulders, brushed her shoulders off with his hand again, pushing another pile of hair forward and then said, "There we go...a new woman!" With brush still in one hand he undid the cape in back, brushed again around her neck, pulled off the neck strip and turned the chair to the mirror. "What a cutie, mom!" he said as he did this. Ashley couldn't believe her eyes. It was REALLY, REALLY short. She really started to cry now, a muffled "OHHHHH" coming in short gaspy sobs. She was all ears and forhead...the image that greated her was more like a little boy then anything else. It was horrible. As Jim pulled the cape forward and released her hands they sprang up to her head, "Mom...my, my hair...ohhhhh!" said Ashley. If this was possible, it felt worse then it looked. To her horror, it was buzz short and bristly in the back on the bottom and almost as short around the ears. The sides were tapered up to just barely an inch on the sides and the top was no more then a couple of inches long. Her bangs were straight across the middle of her forhead. It looked horrible...or at least that's how Ashley saw it at that point. Ashley stood up out of the chair still feeling her shorn head. "OH come on now!" said her mom stearnly looking her over and ruffling the top a bit and looking her over. "It looks really good, Ashley...this will be cool and easy and will fit perfectly with some other changes coming down the pike dear...stop whining! Thanks Jim. She looks wonderful, it's exactly the haircut she needed...she'll be back in a couple of months for a trim." Ashley just barely heard that comment. She felt so unbelievably strange--like someone was blowing cold air on her head. She felt completely bald. "Lookin sharp, Ash," her older brother said as she started to follow their mom to the door, "looks like you're ready for boot camp...they'll love you at school..." Ashley started to say something to him, but thought better of it. She followed her mom out the door without a word and headed to the car. When she got in, she fell apart in fits of sobs, "Myyyyy Haaaiiiir Mommmm....OHHHHH!" Her mom got in the car and patiently waited until the sobbing subsided and then said, "Are you done Ashley? Deal with it dear....all that messy, shaggy hair is now in a garbage can and what you have left is staying short until I think you are ready to have longer hair...which might be awhile" She paused to let that sink in. More then that..." she continued, "it is simply not ever getting as long and shaggy as it was as long as you live in my house....AND in addition, your wardrobe is changing radically...when we get home you will find that all of your slinky clothes are in the garbage as well. You are going to grow up and be a respectable young lady...that is simply the way it is going to be. Do I make myself clear?" Ashley nodded. "Good," replied her mom, "now stop the tears and grow up...it's time."

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