Hair struck

• Melinda Keevers, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2006

Everyone’s hair is different, at school people are made fun of because of how wacky and untamed hair they have. I never brushed my hair until it was time for the school disco. Mum made me wear all this cute clothing and jeans with a long-sleeved shirt. I was in the bathroom, having the first look at my hair in years. “Wow!” I said, “I never knew my hair was that bad! No wonder the guys at school make fun of me!” I couldn’t find a brush any where. I searched mums bedroom and found one very well hidden under her bed. But it was an electric one that needed batteries. “Come on David!” Mum called, “you have to get to school or you’ll get detention again!” ‘Nuts!’ I murmured. I searched for the batteries as fast as I could. I finally came to dad’s garage where he does his job. I looked around the place and found two batteries in a case. They were glowing and vibrating in my hands, but I put them in the brush anyway. I grabbed my bag and brush and zoomed off in the car. On the way I switched the brush on and brushed my hair. I felt a light electric wave come over my head. I slammed the door shut to the car and bolted to class. I was so busy rushing to school that I didn’t notice that the doors were shut. I hit the doors and fell backwards down the stairs. When I got back up, I felt a bit of nakedness on my body. Of coarse I had clothes on but my hair felt colder than usual. I felt my head for an inspection. My hair had gone! Where did it go? I looked around for my hair and sure enough, I saw it hiding behind the slippery slide. I chased after it and realised that the children on the second floor of the school were looking at me from the window. I put a bandana around my head so no one could see it and chased the moving hair. My three friends who had seen me ran out and chased the hair with me. “How do we catch it?” one asked. “I have an idea!” I yelled. I told them the plan and we split up. As I chased the hair it landed on the volleyball net and two of my friends picked it up and ran to the playground. My other friend sprayed the playground with water with the school’s hose. The hair was dipped into the dark mud and it couldn’t move. As we lifted it out, we saw a small electric shock on it and it bounced back on to my head when I took the bandanna off. The hair was still as long as it was messy. I decided I would never brush it again. The next day mum had a comb and reached out for my hair. I yelled, “Noooooooooo!”