A pixie’s cut

Anna’s store never had a good reputation, a bit infamous, actually. Many times did poor girls wander in, only to get butchered and shaved by the one and only. Anna wouldn’t have it any other way. It reflected in her own hair, with half her head shaved into jagged red spikes. She loved her work, as cruel as it was. And speaking of which…

She was just about done hanging up todays haul. A curly blonde ponytail that once touched mid-back. Oh, it’s owner was shrieking! Anna kept trophies like that in a special room where they hung from hooks, like a butcher’s shop. She looked over her many trophies, the small hamlet she lived near was full of fair-haired beauties. At least, before she arrived.
Now, their hair was hers, locked away from the world. Anna got her favorite brush and began to play. At the back of the room was the crowning glory of her collection: exactly 47 inches of jet-black hair was at the back of the room. So long that it nearly touched the floor! She smiled as her fingers slid through it’s length. Then, she draped it across her shoulder and began to brush. Like it was her own, like she could do away with her thin frizzy hair and be beautiful, just once…

But her revelry was cut short as the doorbell rang! She walked out of her trophy room, and before her stood a petite girl with a big leather purse. She in a white sundress, it’s ivory color seemed to blend with her flawless pale skin, making her glow. But sadly, her blonde hair was already in a chin-length bob. Too short for any shock and awe, but that hasn’t stopped Anna before.

“Hi, can I help you?” The short girl smiled. “Hello, just looking to have a trim!” she chirped. Anna was fine with giving her a cut, but couldn’t stop herself from commenting. “Heh. You don’t have that much hair for me to work with.” But they only giggled in response. “Aww, don’t think I can go shorter? Then let’s have a bet!” Anna was intrigued.

“If you can’t cut my hair any shorter that it is right now, then I’ll give you a makeover!” The bet was all but one-sided. “Sure, sweetie. Whatever you say.” And as she sat down, she jumped in her seat. “Oh, one more condition!” She reached into her purse and handed Anna something shiny. “Please use these to cut my hair. They’re very important to me!”

In Anna’s hands were a long pair of ornate metal scissors and surprisingly heavy. The grip was fashioned to look like a pair of butterfly wings, and fit her hand just perfectly. One of the blades had been shapes like a comb, no doubt these were made for hair. Anna spoke up “So, this little bet was just to make me use these scissors?” Blush appeared on the girl’s face “Yes, I understand it’s an odd request. But those scissors mean a whole lot to me.” Anna sighed, and decided to play along with this strange little girl. “Alright, if it makes you comfortable.” She beamed at her through the mirror “Thank you! You may call me Tia by the way!”

As she snipped away at Tia’s already short locks, she began to talk. “So what makes these scissors so important anyway?” She sat up in her seat. “Well, there a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. Their very special, you know!” Anna had to admit, they did handle very nicely. And the sounds they made were crisp and satisfying. Snip, snip, snip.
She was still snipping them, even as Tia sat with a finished bowlcut.

Anna held her blades higher towards the harsh lights in her store, looking at them reflect soft blue on the metal. Slowly opening and closing them.
Snip, snip, snip…
“Hmmm, no. I’d like to go a little shorter.” Anna looked down. “Huh?”
The barber broke her trance, and was stunned! There sat a girl with golden stick straight hair down to her shoulders! But that was impossible, surly; she must have been misremembering. Anna had a busy morning that day, right? Many ladies to trim, many locks to cut, and she was feeling a bit tired. “Ahem.” Tia cleared her throat, sending a ripple down her shoulder length mane. “R-right, sorry.” Look at her, Anna, the wicked stylist, dozing off on the job! This wasn’t right, she was in control, she had to be! Anna used a hand to straighten out her own hair, it was about time she had a cut herself. Her untamed curls started to droop down her face, and her shaved side was beginning to catch fuzz. But she could put that off, what mattered now was chopping this damsel down a peg!
And, with greater effort, she continued chipping away at the bright blonde locks.

The snipping rose in speed, as did the amount of trimmings falling to the floor. The rhythm helped Anna focus, until she heard that high-pitched voice ring out again. “So, when did you first start cutting hair?” She’s heard this question once or twice, always giving some generic ‘fashion is my passion’ answer. It certainly beat the alternatives. But before she could really think, she answered.

“Well, it was when I was just a kid. I was the youngest of two, and all I ever wanted was to be like my big sister.” She sighed, the memories taking her back. “She was perfect, and everyone loved her. She had the grades, the friends, the charms, and she especially had the looks. Prettiest hair I’d ever see, this deep burgundy color, in perfect waves, all the way down to her perfect hips. Ugh! She was so proud of that hair! she gloated about it, flaunted it, she thought she was so-” Her monologue was cut short by that cutesy voice. “Perfect?” Tia snickered. Anna clenched her teeth as she got to the good part.
“Anyways, one day, I decide maybe I wanna be pretty too. I tried to grow out my hair, to be like her. But my hair wasn’t like hers. tight curls, and this obnoxious bright red. I-it was clown hair! I asked her what to do, and she laughs at me! ‘Tells me some people are just born that way. So, I took matters into my own hands. One night, I stole dad’s razer and snuck into her room. I was careful not to wake her up, I took all that pretty hair in a ponytail and I-” Anna takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, before smiling. “When she woke up, that bald bitch was as ugly on the outside as she was on the inside! When she stormed into our parents room, you know what she saw? Me, standing there sobbing to our parents, after I gave the same treatment to myself. And the best part? To this day, none of them knew it was me, and she never found her ponytail.” Anna felt her face turn red, she had never told that embarrassing story to anyone before. But telling it to a complete stranger? She chopped another length of hair, as close to Tia’s scalp as she could get. Then another, and another! It didn’t matter what she told this girl, she was gonna leave with a patchy mess of-

“Oh dear, that’s such a sad tale.” Her soft voice purred. The irritated Barber felt her hand fidget the scissors out of anger. She peered down to see how much of that blonde fuzz now lie on the floor. But as she tilted her head down, something swallowed her vision. Her hands reached up to her face and brushed away her hair; something was different…
the length had gotten to be enough to touch her own shoulders! But more then that, her tight curls has loosened into warm red ringlets. While one side fell noticeably lower then the other it was clear that they were evening out as they grew! She tucked her newfound lengths back to see yet more drastic changes. Where the girl sat, a moment ago sporting a patchwork of sad chopped fuzz, now had a gleaming blonde mane that glided arrow straight all the way down to her seat! Shocked, Anna dipped her hands in the platinum blonde hair, struggling to find the girl underneath. It had not only gotten longer, but also thicker! Tia let out a yawn, while shacking out her sleek cape.
“Are we finished?”

Anna huffed in frustration. “No, not by a longshot!” hacking away at the bleach blonde curtains. With every swipe she could see it begin to swell and grow again, but this only motivated her more. Shick! Shick! Shick! Shick! The piles at her feet grew, but the now massive silky mane grew as well! She started with broad sweeping strokes, slashing away everything below neck level. But as it grew faster, she grew less organized, snatching and striping off ribbons of ever softer hair. As the barber stopped to catch her breath, Tia stood up and stepped away from the chair, careful not to step in the mountain of shredded locks. “Well, well, well. It looks like I win our bet.” She giggled as she skipped up to Anna. “But it also looks like you already got your makeover!” Tia seemed to float off the ground as the waterfall of silk trailed her. The tired barber could hear a noise from just behind them, like fluttering. She reached to show Anna something, which now rested well below her hips. She now sported a mantle of scarlet red waves, reminding her of someone. But Anna wasn’t focused on her own lengths. She watched this strange girl turn away towards the door, the moonlight white tresses sliding around her effortlessly. With the last of her strength Anna listened for the fluttering, and dug through the shining hair. “I hope you enjoyed our time together sweetheart, I know I sure- Eeep~!”
Tia let out a yelp and jolted backwards. Anna held the source of the noise from through the tresses. Tia leaned back in submission, sending more of the glossy mane into Anna’s face. “Please! Wait! You don’t know what you’re doing!” With her other hand Anna brandished the scissors. “I think I’ve had enough of your little tricks!” Tia protested and trembled as Anna brought the scissors to her back. “I’m more used to clipping hair, but let’s see if wings are any different!” and in one clean motion,

Shinck! The girl lurched forward, onto her knees.

In her hands, Anna held a pair of moth-like wings. They glowed with a strange kind of light, Fey wings. She gave a barbaric smile and looked at her victim. But standing there was a girl with a playful smile on her face, her soft voice rang out once again.
“You see Anna? That’s your problem. You only ever try to cut people down, when you should be helping them grow.” From behind her something emerged, slipping through her massive mane. A new, bigger pair of wings had already grown in their place! Anna stood aghast.
“And, when you help others grow…”

Anna stared at the scissors, fully aware of the kind of magic they possess.
“You’ll find that you grow as well!”
She felt a pinch at the middle of her back, but when her hand snapped back they only found her new soft waves. Her head swiveled to see herself in the mirror.
“Oh, and keep the scissors, I’m passing them on to you. after all, you’re family now.”

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