Morning Sparkles

Yuki hummed as she swept the floor of Magical Cuts, her pink heels clicking against the polished tiles. The morning sun streamed through the windows, making her scissors earrings glitter like tiny diamonds.

"Another peaceful day in Nakaibito," she said, adjusting one of her pink hair bows in the mirror.

Her friends Maki and Yuko arrived together, their own magical hairdressing tools sparkling in their hands.

"Did you hear about the boys?" Maki whispered, her eyes wide with concern.

Yuki paused mid-sweep. "What boys?"

"Five of them," Yuko explained, setting down her magical comb. "Their hair is so long and messy, people keep mistaking them for girls. Their parents are furious."

Yuki frowned. She'd noticed some strange shadows near the village edge lately, but thought nothing of it.

"They're terrified of scissors," Maki added quietly.

A loud crash echoed from outside, followed by shouting voices.

When Shadows Walk Through Doors

The salon doors burst open with a tremendous bang. Five shapes stumbled through, their hair so long and tangled it completely covered their faces and dragged on the ground.

"Help us!" came a muffled voice from somewhere within the mass of greasy hair.

The boys crashed into each other, unable to see where they were going. One tripped over a chair, another walked straight into the mirror. Their hair was so matted and dirty it looked like old rope.

"We can't see anything!" another voice cried out. "Our parents dragged us here by our hair!"

Behind them, five angry parents pushed through the doorway.

"Cut it all off!" shouted one mother. "People keep thinking my son is a girl!"

Yuki stepped forward, her pink heels clicking. She could hear the boys whimpering behind their curtains of hair.

"We hate scissors!" one boy wailed. "They're scary!"

"Last time someone gave us terrible haircuts!" added another.

Maki and Yuko exchanged worried glances. The boys were trembling, bumping into walls and furniture like lost puppies.

"Please," whispered the smallest voice. "We're scared."