He could feel his excitement growing as the salon began to empty and the time grew closer. He had watched her all day, admiring her lovely hair and seeing how she was constantly touching and smoothing the gleaming locks. The heavy hair swung tantalisingly with her every movement and the long front hair sometimes half covered her face before she tucked it back behind her ear. During the interview when she had applied for the job she told him that she had recently had 6 inches cut from her hair but she now wanted to let it grow longer again. He had casually said that he expected his staff to wear suitable hairstyles and then had changed the subject.

Today was her first day and ten minutes or so earlier he had asked one of his stylists to shampoo and blow-dry Carol’s hair and a few minutes later they emerged from the back of the salon. His stomach lurched as he saw how beautiful her hair looked. The gleaming chestnut colour hair had been dressed from a side parting in a stunning smooth fall to just below her shoulders where the ends turned softly under. The front hair fell in a swerving half wave that dipped across her forehead and fell across her cheek. Oh! It was perfect!

“Your hair looks lovely, Carol, he said. She smiled happily and then he turned and said, “Thank you Clare, You can go now, I will see you tomorrow.” He turned to Carol now and said, “Sit here a moment, I just want to find out how you got on today.” She sat in the chair he indicated and he sat down alongside her and as Clare called out “Goodnight”, as she left he knew that they were now alone in the salon. He asked Carol a few questions about her activities during the day and was pleased that she answered enthusiastically. He now stood up and moved behind her and picking up a gown placed it around her shoulders. She looked a little surprised as he began fastening it and he said casually, “I just want to have a closer look at your hair.”

His fingers thrilled to the silken feel of her lovely hair as he touched it for the first time, lifting it clear of the gown as he fastened it and then letting it spread out across her shoulders in a silken fan. He picked up a brush and then very carefully he began slowly drawing it through her hair, smoothing it gently with his other hand and drinking in the sweet perfume of the freshly shampooed hair. He caressed the hair, which fell partly across her face, growing more and more excited, and then he pushed it back away from her forehead to check her hairline. He put the brush down and then said, “I don’t think this style is really suitable, Carol. The front hair in particular is too long and needs to be cut.” She had paled visibly and she said anxiously, “Oh please, I don’t want my hair cut, I want it to grow longer.”

He stared at her through the mirror and said firmly, “I am sorry Carol but you must let me decide your hairstyle if you want to work here.” He paused, for he knew that he had reached the point where she might decide her hair was more important to her than her job, and his heart was pounding as he said. “Shall I carry on?” She stared tearfully in the mirror and then to his great delight she gave a very reluctant nod and he felt a great surge of excitement as he gazed down at the beautiful hair that he was about to cut. He reached forward and swiftly picked up his comb and scissors, eager to start before the possibility of her changing her mind.

He stepped in front of her and put his hand under her chin and lifted her head up level. She looked imploringly at him as he began combing the wondrous gently waving locks of hair in the front but he ignored her and let the hair fall forward so that it almost obscured her face. He swallowed nervously, knowing that what he was about to do was almost sacrilegious but he could not resist it. The excitement and thrill of cutting off beautiful hair, especially from a reluctant victim, was overwhelming.

He combed gently through the silken hair and held it with his free hand, putting slight tension on it, and then brought up the scissors. He rested them on her forehead, just above her eyebrow, and then slowly and deliberately he began cutting straight across the hair. She gave a terrified gasp as she felt the first bite of the blades and her shocked face was revealed as the 8-inch locks of hair dropped away from the shearing blades and fell into her lap. Right across her forehead he cut, leaving behind no more than an inch of hair and he now stepped behind to examine her reflection in the mirror. Tears were springing to Carol’s eyes and her face was white with shock as she saw the short hair that replaced the silken fall of hair that she had clearly loved so much.

“That will be far better for you, Carol,” he said, completely ignoring her distress. “Now bend your head forward, I need to blend in the rest of your hair.” He pushed down the stunned girl’s head and almost before she realised what was happening, he began shearing away at the gleaming smooth fall of hair at the back. Choking sobs came as she felt the hair being severed but she kept her head still as she clearly realised that any protests would be futile. He was cutting the hair off almost at the nape, leaving behind angry sprouting lengths of hair but which he knew he would soon be taming. To the side now and several plunging snips reduced the silken locks to a length just below her ear and when she saw how short this hair was being cut she sobbed even harder.

Once the other side had been given the same treatment he put down his scissors and reached forward for the large clippers that lay on the dressing table in front of her. She gave an anguished gasp as she saw him picking them up and said pleadingly, “Oh please don’t cut my hair too short.” “I just want to shape the back a little more,” he said, and firmly pushed her head forward. He was very skilled with the clippers and carefully worked on the back of her head cutting the last two inches very short but leaving enough hair to show the good shape of her hairline. He now went in front of her again and spent a long time shaping her fringe so that it lay very flat on her forehead and then curved the short sidepieces flat to her cheeks. He then sprayed her hair heavily with water and dried her hair so that the silken hair clung closely to her head in a gleaming helmet.

The excitement began slowly draining from him as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. Once again he had been able to re-create his favourite style, a very short shingled bob with full fringe, which had been originally worn in the Twenties by film star Clara Bow. The style looked tremendous on Carol but she was clearly in a state of shock after losing so much of her lovely long treasured hair and she looked at him very resentfully as he released the gown from around her and ushered her from the chair. “ That is far more suitable for you,” he said cheerfully. “See you tomorrow!” She touched her cropped head, her fingers exploring the very short hair at the back and she said tearfully, “Oh, I hate my hair and I hate you as well. I wish I had never started work here and I am never coming again!”

With these words she flounced tearfully out of the salon, slamming the door behind her. He gave a little smile to himself and went to the reception desk where he took out a little sign that he had only recently removed from the window. As he placed it in the window he hoped one of the applicants would have hair the equal or even better than Carol’s. The sign read – ‘Trainee required’.

THE END