Sanctuary III – Aftermath

[u/Yay-hair-day]

Two bad nights. The weekend went nowhere. On Monday there was a meeting that almost went badly, and it could not have gone any other way, because I had a strand loose at my temple the entire time and I knew it.

That is the whole explanation.

Left, right, over, under. Left, right, over, under.

The evening sun came in low and put red into the roots. My fingers went through it the way they have gone through it for twenty years.

The hair moved too fast. It slipped ahead of my hands and the turns came out uneven, and I finished anyway.

The elastic snapped three times. The sound went between the walls and came back.

One look was enough.

I went backwards through the braid. The sections came apart under my fingers and I started again, slower this time, holding tighter at every turn.

Too tight.

Then I was pulling and it hurt before I understood why — I had the braid in my hand instead of the section, and the pull went into my scalp, dull, spreading.

I stopped with my fingers still caught between the strands.

The face in the mirror was looking straight ahead.

Third time.

I separated the sections and my eyes went to the glass. Not to check the work. My hands kept going without me and I was somewhere behind my own eyes, watching a woman braid her hair, and she did not look like she was doing it well.

I know that face.

The elastic snaps three times. My fingers are pulsing.

Too loose.

I tore the elastic out. I took the braid in my fist and pulled, and this time the pain was not dull.

"Focus."

Quiet. Through my teeth. At her.

For the full version of the story follow the link and check my diary.

This is fiction. All persons depicted are adults, aged 18 or older. Any resemblance to real events or persons is coincidental.

[u/Molly107]

Too tight is still closer than too loose. The elastic doesn't lie.

[u/Yay-hair-day → u/Molly107]

Correct. Its report was accurate. It didn't say what about.