toilet and hurried to the dressing table in the bedroom. She smiled at her reflection as she clutched a handful of hair. If she cut out the knots it wouldn’t hurt to have it brushed. The sound of the scissors crunching along the hair close to her ears was followed by the length of hair falling to the ground.
Alex was pleased to see that it was a section of hair that contained a knot.
"Oh no, Alex," Beth cried from the doorway. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, what have you done?" she cried clutching the severed hair.
"It’s tangled," Alex offered, confused at Beth’s concern.
"Oh Alex, you shouldn’t have done…"
"Shouldn’t have done what?" her mum asked from the doorway. Alex saw Beth pale as she dropped the hair to the ground.
"She didn’t mean to do it, Mum," Beth said, standing in front of Alex. Her mum slapped Beth around the face, sending her sideways to the ground.
Alex felt herself being dragged by the hair out of the room. She felt the pull on her hair and tried to keep up as her mum dragged her down the stairs and dropped her in the middle of the room.
"So, you want to hack off your hair and look like a little fucking boy? Well, Mummy’s got a much easier way of doing it for you," she screeched as she opened the door that led to the kitchen. She moved the single armchair so that it was against the open door. She studied it for a moment.
"Sit," she ordered.
Alex was confused. She’d thought Mummy would be pleased that she had got rid of the knots but now she wasn’t so sure . She’d seen this look on her Mummy’s face before and now she was scared.
"Sit," she said again. Her eyes glazed and huge.
Alex sat.
She felt strands of her hair being pulled from the front of her head, not bunches of hair like she had clutched herself but thinner strands from the top of her forehead. Alex relaxed. This didn’t feel too bad. It wasn’t hurting as much as the daily combing did.
Beth appeared in the doorway, a red welt on the side of her face. The horror that formed her expression caused Alex to turn around.
The motion caused the thin strands of hair on her forehead to pinch painfully. The brief glimpse had shown her Mum securing small thin clutches of hair to the handle of the open door with the elastic bands from her wrist, normally used for tying her hair into a tight ponytail.
Alex didn’t understand why her Mum was tying her hair to the door handle.
"Mum…please don’t…" Beth pleaded from the other side of the room. Alex realised that Beth had turned deathly white and the left hand that covered her mouth was trembling.
Alex saw her mum from the corner of her eye stand back and study what she’d done. Alex tried to turn but her head was being held firmly in position of facing forward.
"Sit still and don’t move," her mum instructed before turning to Beth. "And you make sure that you watch."
For a few seconds Alex had no idea what was happening as her mum’s figure went out of sight.
She glanced sideways at Beth who sat where she had been instructed. She had pulled her legs up in front of her and tears rolled over her cheeks. Alex wanted to ask her what was wrong but then three things happened all at once.
The door slammed behind her;
Clutches of hair were ripped from her scalp and
She passed out.
Alex closed her eyes against the memory and the nausea that came with it. She stared long and hard into the mirror, willing her mother to appear.
"Come on, bitch," she whispered. "Do it to me now."
As she re-entered the room the phone disturbed her again. She swore at it and proceeded to the kitchen area to get another drink. It was probably her boss wondering if she was going to make it into
Alex was pleased to see that it was a section of hair that contained a knot.
"Oh no, Alex," Beth cried from the doorway. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, what have you done?" she cried clutching the severed hair.
"It’s tangled," Alex offered, confused at Beth’s concern.
"Oh Alex, you shouldn’t have done…"
"Shouldn’t have done what?" her mum asked from the doorway. Alex saw Beth pale as she dropped the hair to the ground.
"She didn’t mean to do it, Mum," Beth said, standing in front of Alex. Her mum slapped Beth around the face, sending her sideways to the ground.
Alex felt herself being dragged by the hair out of the room. She felt the pull on her hair and tried to keep up as her mum dragged her down the stairs and dropped her in the middle of the room.
"So, you want to hack off your hair and look like a little fucking boy? Well, Mummy’s got a much easier way of doing it for you," she screeched as she opened the door that led to the kitchen. She moved the single armchair so that it was against the open door. She studied it for a moment.
"Sit," she ordered.
Alex was confused. She’d thought Mummy would be pleased that she had got rid of the knots but now she wasn’t so sure . She’d seen this look on her Mummy’s face before and now she was scared.
"Sit," she said again. Her eyes glazed and huge.
Alex sat.
She felt strands of her hair being pulled from the front of her head, not bunches of hair like she had clutched herself but thinner strands from the top of her forehead. Alex relaxed. This didn’t feel too bad. It wasn’t hurting as much as the daily combing did.
Beth appeared in the doorway, a red welt on the side of her face. The horror that formed her expression caused Alex to turn around.
The motion caused the thin strands of hair on her forehead to pinch painfully. The brief glimpse had shown her Mum securing small thin clutches of hair to the handle of the open door with the elastic bands from her wrist, normally used for tying her hair into a tight ponytail.
Alex didn’t understand why her Mum was tying her hair to the door handle.
"Mum…please don’t…" Beth pleaded from the other side of the room. Alex realised that Beth had turned deathly white and the left hand that covered her mouth was trembling.
Alex saw her mum from the corner of her eye stand back and study what she’d done. Alex tried to turn but her head was being held firmly in position of facing forward.
"Sit still and don’t move," her mum instructed before turning to Beth. "And you make sure that you watch."
For a few seconds Alex had no idea what was happening as her mum’s figure went out of sight.
She glanced sideways at Beth who sat where she had been instructed. She had pulled her legs up in front of her and tears rolled over her cheeks. Alex wanted to ask her what was wrong but then three things happened all at once.
The door slammed behind her;
Clutches of hair were ripped from her scalp and
She passed out.
Alex closed her eyes against the memory and the nausea that came with it. She stared long and hard into the mirror, willing her mother to appear.
"Come on, bitch," she whispered. "Do it to me now."
As she re-entered the room the phone disturbed her again. She swore at it and proceeded to the kitchen area to get another drink. It was probably her boss wondering if she was going to make it into
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