Respect

Night after night, dream after dream, I was more and more convinced of what I was intending to do.

 

…

 

Nothingness. This was simply the dream landscape. Almost.

 

A vast wasteland of stones, rocks and sand, it stretched for miles and miles. The only human trace present in that place was a small wooden building that one would not have hesitated to mistake for a wild west style brothel (even if the temporal location is located in the present day), and whoever had done so, would have been right. Let’s say that more than a brothel, it was a kind of market for the buying and selling of young women and girls.

 

The facility was managed by a woman in her thirties with a rather lived-in appearance. Her hair was always tied in a bun, faded brown, with a few traces of graying. They were very unusual for a woman of that age. The shape of her face indicated that there had been what was more properly called beauty, someone would have said. The clothing was very Moulin Rouge. It was very skimpy, with a provocative neckline near the breasts. The colors ranged from bright red to more opaque and dark tones such as black, interspersed with white lace embroidery.

 

Her temper, very hardened by her multiple “experiences”, had made her very self-confident, irreverent and aggressive with her “goods”.

 

Not far from the brothel, there were two barbershops located next to each other. The one on the left was all grey, falling to pieces, as was the sign with the words ‘BARBER’ written on it. Inside it was just as gray but less decadent. In the center everything was free. Various locks of different colors and types hung on the walls. On the left there were the stations where the various cuts were carried out. On the right some chairs to seat the “customers” who were waiting for their turn. The owner of the shop was a woman in her fifties, with a very dry and sober build, full of wrinkles everywhere but not excessively old. She always wore flip-flops, a pair of jeans ripped in various places, a bra and a vest, also made of jeans. Her head was completely shaved and bald. She showed off a deep scar that started from behind her left ear and ran the entire length of her head and ended just above her right eyebrow. Her manner was very rough and frank. She often had a cigarette or pipe in her mouth while she made the cuts.

 

The salon on the right was much more refined and welcoming. The paintwork was predominantly pink, the exterior as well as the interior. As soon as you entered, you could notice the orderly arrangement of things. The stations were placed on the back wall, while the waiting chairs covered the right wall of the room, and then continued on the wall that housed the entrance door. On the left, a pair of sinks for washing customers’ hair. Her walls were covered in photos of her with her clients and their new cut. The person carrying it all out was a 25-year-old young woman. Her black hair, which reached halfway down her back, was very voluminous and well-groomed. She always had a benevolent smile on her face, from which you could see her perfect, white teeth. Framing it, two full lips, always painted with lipstick that apparently seemed black, but when reflected in the light showed a dark and sensual red. The little red dress full of glitter was her trademark. Her manners and gestures were very gentle. She had the habit of welcoming various customers with great care. Both women in the salons belonged to two completely different worlds, but they were also united by the fact that the cuts they performed were almost always the same, and with the same tools.

 

When a new load of girls was sent to the brothel, the woman who ran it was always there waiting for them. The girls arrived via a military truck, most likely stolen or refurbished. They were sent with rags on and all covered up and dirty. When the back opened, it meant they had arrived. In front of the truck cover, there was always the woman to welcome her.

 

“Hello girls. From now on you will be mine. Anyone who dares to rebel against me or any other person who works for me will be severely punished. You will be sold to the best buyer. To be sold you will have to do everything I tell you or that the buyer tells you to do. You must also have a refined appearance that suits the buyers’ taste. But these are things that will come later. For the moment you are nothing more than filthy cannon fodder who needs a lesson. Enter the brothel immediately to wash yourself.”

 

Without being told twice, the girls entered the structure. The woman led them to the basement where the showers were located. They immediately began to shed their torn clothes and go in the shower. The only setting allowed was the cold one and the girls had to quickly wash their bodies and hair. Once finished, they went to the first floor where the woman had prepared the rooms and clothing. For the first few days they had to wear a sort of white sheath dress with tank top straps. Then they dried their hair as quickly as possible. To those who were slower than the others, the woman came to lend a hand, but not before a sound scolding. They all found themselves outside, lined up horizontally by the woman. None of them had said a word yet and none would have said it.

 

“Very good. You have become more presentable. How beautiful you all are. Don’t worry girls. I’ll take care of getting you back in line and getting out of your head that beauty here is nothing. Literally. You will have to have character. For the moment, all these signs of beauty will be of no use to you. It would be better then to delete them all, to ensure that from now on you no longer waste time on these things. Get in.”

 

The woman pointed to a truck identical to the one that had taken the girls to that desolate place. She made them get in and started driving the vehicle. After 2 minutes they had already arrived.

 

“Move! We don’t have all day!”

 

The girls found themselves in front of the two salons.

 

“This group will go to the shop on the left, this other one to the right one.”

 

Thus two groups of 4 girls each were formed.

 

“You stay here for now.”

 

The woman headed towards the shop on the left with one of the groups following while the other waited for further instructions at the truck. They entered. The old woman was there waiting for them.

 

“You know what to do.”

 

The old woman replied with a simple smile, with her pipe in her mouth. The other one went out and went to the other group.

 

“Let’s see what we have today. EVERYONE GET IN LINE!”

 

And they immediately fell into a horizontal line as they had done shortly before. The old woman carefully examined the hair of the various girls. She took them, smelled them, examined them carefully.

 

“It looks like there will be quite a bit of work to do here. Sit in those chairs.”

 

The old woman pointed to the waiting places while she headed towards one of the stations.

 

“Who comes first?”

 

The girls looked at each other one by one but none of them responded.

 

“You don’t want to collaborate then. Well, know that today I felt benevolent and that I intended to leave something on those heads of yours, but this lack of respect made me change my mind. Now I won’t leave you anything! You will all have your hair completely shaved off as punishment!”

 

After that statement, one of the girls bravely stood up and headed towards the station where the old woman was waiting.

 

“Finally someone has made up their mind.”

 

The old woman grabbed a cloak with holes in it and wrapped it around the girl’s body. She pulled her hair out from under it.

 

“Let’s see who we have here. You’re the one with black hair that smells like vanilla. I see they’re nice and long. How long has it been since you cut them? Don’t worry, now I’ll take care of tiding it up.”

 

The girl bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears as much as possible. That long hair that was envied by everyone, now there would be no trace of it left.

 

“Where did I put the electric razor? Ah, here it is!”

 

‘POP’

 

“Let’s get started, little girl. Soon it will all be over.”

 

The old woman forcefully positioned the girl’s head to the side. Her hair hung all to the left of her. The electric razor went across her head from ear to ear. A tear rolled down her cheek, along with the strands that were now completely foreign to her head.

 

“There’s no point in crying! You’ll leave here with a smooth, shaved head, whether you want it or not! And the same goes for you too!”

 

The girls finally gave up. They had to get used to the idea that soon their hair would be mercilessly shaved off. They spent those final moments saying goodbye to their most precious possessions they had at that time. The old woman’s words had entered the girls’ heads well. In fact they wouldn’t have cried.

 

Every single hair had been cut from the first girl’s head.

 

“Look how you are now. You won’t have to worry about taking care of this hair for a while. And now, let’s finish the job.”

 

The old woman took some shaving cream out of a cabinet, put some in her hands and then spread it on the girl’s head. She immediately took a straight razor out of her pocket and opened it.

 

“Now you won’t even feel the heat anymore. Do you see how many advantages you will have now that I will get away with you?”

 

It didn’t take the old woman long to finish the cutting. The few remaining stubble had easily succumbed to the razor’s sharp blade. Not even a trace of the color remained. With two taps on the back of the head she placed her back next to the others. She picked up one of the multiple strands on the floor and attached it to the wall along with the others. She then returned to the station.

 

“Who’s next?”

 

A second girl was now sitting in the barber chair. The place was still warm from before. The usual cape covered her body.

 

“Now you’ve decided to come, the curly blonde one, I see. Tell me, how much time did you spend preening in front of the mirror and with boys? Now you won’t do it again Goldilocks. The lady will probably have already spotted these soft braids. She will definitely use them to stuff pillows. Get ready because now I will provide her with the materials she needs!”

 

Saying this, she turned on the clipper and passed it across the girl’s forehead. Medium-length blonde locks fell before her eyes. A long strip of shaved hair now dominated unchallenged among the other locks. In less than 3 minutes everything was already on the floor. The girl’s hair and dignity.

 

“We’ll see how you look now with your head all shaved. Who knows if you will still have the courage to strut around without a hair on your head!

 

The shaving cream was increasingly removed with each further pass of the razor. Another strand had been added to the wall.

 

“Who will dare to come now?” Those words were spoken as if they were a refrain.

 

The third girl didn’t keep the old woman waiting.

 

“Oh oh. The brunette with very long hair took courage and volunteered! I imagine you’ve never actually been to a salon. Then that means I’m your first time. I am honored. We must inaugurate the event immediately! You’ll see, for this occasion I’ll make sure you can remember it forever. I’ll give you a nice gift. Since it’s hot outside and I don’t feel you like having to wear all this mountain of hair, I decided to shave you completely! It’s for your own good dear. You don’t want to collapse from the heat out there? What do you say?”

 

Nobody cared about the answer. We knew that every word would lead to the usual conclusion. This time the old woman preferred to start from the nape . A cascade of light brown hair fell to her feet. The pipe in her mouth didn’t stop her from smiling mischievously and vengefully.

 

The shaved locks completely covered the floor near the chair on which the girl was sitting.

 

“Let’s move on to the finishing touches, princess. Now you can feel the cool night desert breeze on your head. What a beautiful gift I decided to give you! I’m too good!”

 

The razor ran slowly over that now smooth and hairless surface. A little shaving foam remained on her head, soon removed by the quick movement performed by the old woman. Another lock, another place to find for that trophy.

 

“You’re the only one left, pretty.”

 

The last girl got up and walked to the chair in front of the mirror.

 

“Finally we change and find the scarlet red. Yours are shorter than those of the others. They only reach up to the shoulders. Maybe you preferred to have them short so that they wouldn’t disturb you while you were ‘servicing’ your friends. I’d say to start with the razor straight away, then. I’ll do it in a moment. But before…”

 

The old woman pulled a pair of scissors from a drawer and violently cut off a lock of red hair to add to her other hair.

 

“We can start.”

 

With the foam spread all over her head and her hair still so long, it almost looked like she had been shampooed. The razor left the girl’s forehead undisturbed. Her long hair was no problem for it. The experience accumulated over years of service made this possible. Her hair, affected by her foam, fell to the floor making a wet noise. ‘SCIAF’.

 

When even the last part of her head was completely shaved, the old woman did not fail to mock the poor girl, as she had done with the others.

 

“All this shaved hair will come in very handy. The floor mop really needed updating and these are the perfect length too.”

 

The girl joined the other three. Now they all looked the same. No more privileges for anyone. Just humiliation.

 

“Don’t make those beaten-dog faces. If you are lucky you will also have the chance of not being sold.”

 

At those words, the four began to hang from the old woman’s lips.

 

“This is exactly what happened to me. I too was once brought here as they did with you today. I washed myself, dried my hair and took me to this exact place. My hair was shaved like yours and I was subsequently treated like cannon fodder. Afterwards they taught me all the things I needed to know to be bought. But one day, I decided to rebel. I couldn’t have made a worse move than that. That’s why I have this scar. But I didn’t give up. I demonstrated my tenacity to the old owner by growing my hair out of proportion. Then I invited her to follow me into the salon and of my own free will I shaved off my hair all by myself. The owner was so impressed that she took me away from the girl group and put me to work here. Don’t think you can free yourself completely. But at least you will be treated with more respect and considered by others as their superior. Since that day I have continuously shaved my head to show everyone my courage and to demonstrate my loyalty to my mistress. Who knows if one day one of you or those others over there will replace one of the two of us here. But remember: a barberette must always shave her head to keep her job. Everyone has an expiration date by which she absolutely must shave, or she would be banished and abandoned in the desert because she has not shown due respect towards her mistress. Never forget it!”

 

–

 

When the mistress left the barbershop, she returned to the other group who was waiting in line for her return.

 

“Come on, follow me!”

 

She took them into the pink salon on the right. The charming woman sat waiting for the moment in one of the waiting chairs. Her smile was always present on her face.

 

“Do what you have to.”

 

And with these words the mistress went out, back to driving the truck and returned to the brothel for the final preparations of the day.

 

The girls were left alone with the hairdresser scrutinizing them. Her movements calmed the girls, they were attentive as usual of her. They had no idea what was happening in the other shop, and this was true for both groups.

 

The woman wasn’t very talkative. She still hadn’t said a word so far. The woman’s awkward and hasty movements due to the tight sheath dress she was wearing accompanied her around the girls, all placed in a horizontal row. She was scrutinizing them with her usual barely open eyes. They were always half-closed, like when you make a big smile. She then she returned in front of them. She indicated with an elegant gesture of her hand the waiting chairs, inviting them to sit down. While the girls went to their seats, the hairdresser went to one of the stations and put everything in order to prepare for the cuts. She then sat down on the chair. She grimaced a little in front of her mirror while her hands in her hair gave various shapes and hairstyles to herself. She then pulled them all back leaving only the silhouette of her head visible. She remained in this position for a few seconds. She was giving the girls time to understand. The woman looked at her clients and they at her. They understood everything. Also because it wasn’t difficult to guess what the woman would do to their hair. The walls were covered with photos of completely shaved girls. They couldn’t do anything but put their hearts at rest.

 

The woman slowly turned towards the girls. Then, with a quick clap of her hands, she indicated that one of the girls should come and sit in front of the mirror and watch her reflection while being stripped of herself. None of the girls decided to go. The woman made a sad expression and walked towards them. She took the one closest to the door. She held out her hands towards the girl, waiting forvher to follow her gesture. After she had done so, she led her to the chair. From a drawer she took out a black cape and put it around the girl’s neck. She pulled her hair out from under it and ran her index finger over the girl’s little nose. The youg ‘client’ had hair as black as the night, very straight but not without a certain volume. On her forehead was a fringe that reached the height of her eyebrows. Her cheeks were quite covered by a part of the bob present only on them. It was as if some of the long hair she had of hers had been cut off to the level of her cheekbones (a style that I would later discover was called Hime cut). The rest was an endless cascade of hair. They almost touched the ground. The woman clapped quickly indicating that she was very excited and satisfied with having to shave off all that magnificent hair. Of all the tools she had on her shelf, she directly chose the straight razor. She didn’t seem to want to use shaving cream. She took the girl’s head in her hands and then brought her face closer to hers. She almost seemed to be saying to her ‘You’ll see how beautiful I’ll make you’.

 

Returning to a standing position, she brought the razor blade close to the girl’s right ear. One pass up to the nape of her neck and nothing remained on that side. Her hair had all fallen to the floor, near her high-heeled shoes. Other movements similar to the previous one followed. Her forehead was now exposed, as was most of her head. The woman collected all that shaved hair from the ground and on the cape to then let some of it fall in front of the girl’s gaze, and to throw some of it in the air to make it fall like snow. Soon after she took the camera from the counter and took a photo of herself with the girl and her new cut. She then released her from her seat to return with the others. The smile directed at them this time said ‘Whose turn it is’.

 

One girl took courage among the others and sat down on the woman’s chair. This girl’s long hair completely covered her eyes. ‘I’ll get rid of this annoying hair, dear,’ to be precise, she thought.

 

It was a very strange color on her. She was very reminiscent of the violet. They were definitely dyed. ‘I wonder what your natural color is’ thought the woman as she cut everything around the girl’s head at eye level with scissors. The result was a very precise bob for having been made freehand. The girl’s blue eyes finally glimpsed the woman’s face, who greeted her as if they had just met. The scissors made room for an electric clipper that was about to pass right through the middle of her head. Her hair was now parted with a long, shaved streak. Soon the two sides would also join this one. Shaving cream was now present on her head. A pass here and a pass there freed the head from all that hair. ‘So you were a blonde, huh?’.

 

And the second one also went back to sit on the chairs with the others, but not before taking a souvenir photo with the woman.

 

‘You’ll be next’ she implied to the third with a gesture of her index finger. She stood up reluctantly, but then quickly walked over to the woman. The long white braid that reached the floor excited the woman even more than the first customer. ‘Now I can have some fun’. The cape on the girl’s body was in stark contrast to her hair. The hairdresser took a portion in her hand. From one of the dressers she took out a pair of scissors and cut off half the braid. She then put it aside. What remained were only three strands twisted together. The scissors then replaced the electric razor. The woman positioned it just at the beginning of the now not-so-long braid and without a guard, as she had always used, she began to cut it as if she were using scissors. She wanted to savor the moment fully. The hair that now remained on her head formed a sort of bob with an almost shaved nape. The razor in the woman’s hands was now a straight one. With small taps of her hand, she shaved away everything above her forehead, from the fringe that had formed after cutting the braid to halfway up the top of her head. A large receding hairline now dominated the girl’s head. Another conflict had arisen. The remaining part at the back of her neck was shaved partly by scissors and partly by the electric razor. The white shaving foam made it seem as if the girl still had some hair, an impression later denied by the razor which shortly before her had zeroed both her hair and the heads of the other two girls. The woman took back the half braid cut by the scissors and put it behind her head as if that hair belonged to herself. Night and day had formed for a moment on the back of the hairdresser’s neck. The photo was taken.

 

One last girl was waiting for the woman to shave. She walked to the chair in front of the mirror very shyly. The very simple ponytail that reached just inside her shoulder blades swayed along the way. They were ungroomed and dark blonde. Despite her shower earlier, her hair was already dirty. The woman made an expression as if she felt pity. ‘Poor dear. It’s best if we wash that hair first. Then we can start.’ The woman took the girl with the thick glasses that prevented the vision of her eyes by the shoulders and led her to one of the sinks. Her head was pulled back and the freezing water gave her hair a first splash. ‘How easily they get dirty. And to think that they even made you wash them first. It will be a real pleasure to get rid of this filthy hair that doesn’t even know how to stay clean. So you learn not to take care of it properly’. Some strawberry shampoo got into her wet locks. They were finally clean after a swipe of ice water. She was then brought back to the mirror to dry. The woman’s soft and delicate hand ran all over the girl’s head, accompanied by the hot breath of the hairdryer. A rubber band then tied her hair into its usual ponytail. The woman shook her head no while her gaze was fixed on her tail as if to say that the girl couldn’t go on like this. The straight razor immediately passed into the woman’s hands and was then placed on her forehead. The woman held the ponytail with one hand and with the other she slowly ran the razor. The movement was repeated on different positions of the head, from the lobes to the nape of the neck. The woman was careful at the back of her neck in order to not accidentally shave part of her tail. She eventually found herself with all her hair shaved in her hand and a perfectly smooth head before her eyes. The poor girl had become even redder with embarrassment. For the photo of her, the woman took the latter’s glasses and placed them over her eyes and the hair that she had shaved off her she placed on her head as if they were a wig. In the shot, her expression imitated that of the studious university student. The girl returned to the place with small and quick steps, all red in the face. The woman was now sitting on the chair that had recently hosted the girls’ bodies, with her face towards the mirror. The poor things were all very scared. Their heads were now completely white and pale. The woman, without even looking at her, finally said her first words.

 

“May this be a lesson to everyone.”

 

The girls looked up shyly. The woman turned around as slowly as at the beginning. Then, her last words.

 

“Here, I’m in charge.”

 

The mistress returned to get the girls who had been served with a complete hair shave.

 

“Now you are mine!”

 

 

–

 

 

At dusk, the two rooms were still open. The respective owners were tidying up the entire shop after the mess created by the large quantities of hair cut from the girls’ heads. Both were looking at the trophies won that day. Some among the locks and some among the photos, pride filled their hearts.

 

The young woman sat down in front of the mirror. She seemed to be waiting for a certain moment, a certain person. Suddenly, the door bell rings. It was the owner.

 

“I have come for your submission. I want there to be nothing left by tomorrow morning.”

 

And with those words, she walked out.

 

The woman was sitting in her place. She was looking for the strength to carry out that gesture.

 

The door opened again. This time, the old barberette showed up at the door.

 

“It’s time, huh? I didn’t think you’d pluck up the courage so soon. At your age, and at this time, my hair was still short like desert grass. You have scary growth. Maybe that’s why you were able to get your freedom so soon. It’s only been 5 years since my razor met your locks for the first time, and only 4 since you decided to shave completely. You can see that my story has inspired you a lot.”

 

The woman no longer had the usual smile on her lips. Now there was a serious and determined expression.

 

“Very good then. I’ll let you do what you have to do. See you tomorrow, my dear.”

 

The door closed slowly, careful not to make any noise and ruin the intensity of the moment.

 

The woman took off her heels in a sensual manner. She was left barefoot. Now it was the dress turn. The zipper slowly lowered and just as slowly the woman took it off. The sunset light coming through the door had illuminated her sensual back. A deep scar like the old woman’s, shaped like an X, stood out in the middle of her shoulder blades, covered by her hair. She was now completely naked. The lady then headed towards the sinks to freshen up. She passed the icy water all over her body, causing the woman to tremble with pleasure. With her entire body wet, she sat with her head turned back. The water was still running in the sink and she took the opportunity to wash her hair. Even from that uncomfortable position she managed to soap and rinse them. Small drops of water were now silhouetted against her, from her head to her toes. They gave an unnatural splendor to the woman’s body. Gently, she wiped the towel all over herself. Her hair was still soaked. The warm wind from the hairdryer made the woman feel a stark contrast to her cold skin, but it was very arousing to her. Her soft, perfectly shaped breasts gave her that touch of naturalness and sensuality that few women have. Once seated in that chair that had become familiar to the girls that morning, she combed her soft, now dry hair with a brush. Her moment electrified her. She was trying to make the most of that moment. No detail would have been lost. Then the brush was abandoned for many other tools. The woman sat entirely naked in that warm chair. Her legs were elegantly crossed. Then they parted. Her candid pubic hair was now on display. The woman picked up the scissors that she had prepared on the shelf in front of her. With slow but firm strokes, the hairs were significantly shortened until they became sparse and hard. Seeing all those hairs on the chair where endless amounts of her hair had fallen made her so excited that she trembled. But the thought of what she would do next excited her even more. She pushed her pubic hair onto the chair on the floor with her hand. She got up and went to the sink where she had washed and drank some water. The heat that had surrounded her body was suffocating, but very pleasant to bear. She rinsed off her hands, ran them over her neck and breasts, and returned to her place. She crossed her legs elegantly again.

 

In front of her, a row of tools she used to work spread across the entire shelf. A scissors, a brush, a clipper, a straight razor and some shaving cream. These would have been the creators of her excitement.

 

She decided to get the scissors first. She opened them, examined them carefully, passed them over her breasts, over her cheek. With her other hand she held her long hair to her back. She placed them between the two blades of the scissors. They closed and small strands of hair slowly fell towards the floor. Her back was  now bare of those soft hairs that used to cover her and tickle her. The X took their place. A slight shiver ran down the woman’s back. The chair leg was surrounded by dark waves and curls. Dark as the nothingness they now were. The back of her neck was full of frayed, uneven hair. The woman then took the hair that was on her forehead and placed it before her eyes. A clean cut provided a fringe that reached her eyebrows. Her cut curls descended harmoniously from her perfect breasts, outlining her shape. She put the scissors down after closing them and examining her once more in the mirror. It was the turn of the electric razor.

 

A ‘POP’ lit it up. She didn’t hesitate to let him graze on the back of her neck, now leaving the back shape of her skull visible. As expected, it was perfect, as everything else of her head would turn out. Small stubble stood in place of the long raven hair from a few minutes earlier. She then proceeded with the sides of her, from her ears to her back. It was a more unique than rare sensation for the woman. Nothing gave her as much pleasure as when she used her tools on someone, even better if that someone was herself.

 

More stubble was added to her head. The only locks still intact were part of that fringe cut recently. She put the electric razor to rest on the shelf with the other tools.

 

Her vision was fixed on the razor in front of her. She bit her lip in a sensual and elegant manner, perfectly reflecting the woman’s physicality. With a trembling hand she reached for the object of her desire. She opened it. Her eyes were reflected on the flat of her blade. Goosebumps took over the follicles of her body, especially those on her head, which were now clearly visible. She placed it between her legs near her crotch. Her hands filled with shaving cream which was immediately placed on her head. The massage that her hands created when spreading the cream only served to increase the woman’s pleasure. Her razor approached her head, ready to shave away whatever hair of hers was in its way. The only part that would be spared (for now) was her bangs. She wanted to play with it and see how she would look. A firm swipe left part of her head hairless. The woman began to get all wet already at the sight of her skin on her head. Quickly, she ran the razor over another spot. One pass after another finally left a void on her head. Her fringe added to the countless contrasts previously formed between the woman’s hair and her now hairless pale skin. She was shaking all over. Her legs were completely soaked, as was her chair. There was only one spot left to shave. With extreme precision, she followed the line that she had previously marked as the border between head and bangs. Her vision blurred as her hair fell into her face. The woman’s forehead remained like this. Naked.

 

There was only one thing that could now represent her head. Nothingness.

 

…

 

While my head fell asleep in the desert, my body woke up in the sea.

 

Next part — Surprise