My hair is gone

Julie Tang

Julie Tang

Age 13-17 category | Fall into Fiction Contest 2025 | San José Public Library


Mr. Clough was a man with the most fab hair in all the land. His super long, curly, luscious, blond-as-butter, Elvis-Presley-style hair bedazzled and bewitched any that looked upon him, even other men. Thus, he took pride in two things: his hair, and his part-time firefighter job. Unfortunately, Clough was the absolute worst firefighter to ever fight fire. But Clough couldn't see his flaws, so he continued to proudly join his comrades in battle, unknowingly slowing them down. 
Everything in his life was fine and dandy until one dreaded, stormy Tuesday. Clough was headed to the fire station for his evening shift. His hair, divine as it was, held waterproof properties, so there was no need for an umbrella, let alone a hat. When he arrived, they got a call about a tiny gray kitten stuck in a towering oak tree. Clough's fellow firefighters, being acutely aware of Clough's 7-foot height, believed he was the perfect man for the job. Clough, thrilled and touched by their absolute faith in him, promptly skedaddled to his tiny red fire truck that was the size of a porta potty. Putting his favorite artist Taylor Swift on the radio, he heartily sang off-beat to the songs the whole way to his destination. When he arrived, he quickly spotted his target: a lone oak tree the size of a two-story-house and planted in the middle of someone's front yard. He zeroed in on the helpless kitten at the top at the speed of a hawk's eyes. With the help of a ladder, he made his way up the tree with ease. But then, all of a sudden, just as he grabbed hold of the shivering kitten, a bolt of lightning struck directly upon his head.  The tree burst into flames along with his full head of hair, which quickly disintegrated. He instinctively jumped off the ladder, somehow landing without a scratch. Still cradling the now-petrified cat, he hurriedly ran back to the safety of his fire truck. But before he could even get to the first stage of grief, he subconsciously looked at the side-view mirror and instantly noticed that every single follicle of his beloved hair was now replaced by a glistening, bald head.  
In hysteric tears, Clough drove back to the fire station whilst blasting Despacito, sobbing and hiccuping as he tried to sing along throughout the entire trip. His weeps intensified when his coworkers couldn't recognize him upon his arrival, forcing him to show his I.D. before letting him explain what happened. When he was finished, Bob, his best friend, put a hand on Clough's shoulder. 
"Y'know, Clough, I think you look even better with no hair." (Bob was lying through his teeth, but Clough didn't need to know that.) 
"R-Really?" Clough asked, looking around at his other fellow firemen for confirmation. 
Said men sent hesitant glances between each other before giving half-hearted agreements. Clough responded with a relieved smile. 
"And look, you saved this cat too. Who knows what would've happened if you weren't there," Bob pointed out, blatantly ignoring that the lightning strike was likely due to Clough using a metal ladder. 
Said cat, which was still being held by Clough, purred and rubbed its head on his chest as if to show gratitude. Clough then realized that looks don't really matter in the end, because it wouldn't stop him from doing his favorite job: saving people and animals.   
 
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