Scarlet and Fluffer.

Words: Spray bottle, mouse hole, pubic hair

Making a living is part of everyday life for all of us. We wake up every morning; we shower, have breakfast and go to work to make a living. The sound of the door closing, the ignition of the car and the car driving away is the last thing you hear. Everything is quiet in the house… so you’d like to think. A faint and distant sound can be heard. There was a buzzing noise of an alarm going off. Just when you thought that the house was empty, there was something else that needed to get ready to go to work.

Past the living room, making a left into the hallway past the family picture taken during a Christmas getaway was a four-panel closet. Inside this closet were jackets, scarves and boxes filled with everything you can imagine, but going past these things is a wall. If you follow this wall down to the floor, you will reach a tiny mouse hole that can only be described as a door into another world.

Scarlet had just woken up. She was a white-furred mouse with intriguing pink eyes. Scarlet was an aspiring hairdresser at the notorious hair salon called the Pubic Hair. If you’re a mouse, you got your hair cut at the Pubic Hair. If Mickey Mouse had hair and wasn’t the size of the Statue of Liberty, he would get his haircut here.

Scarlet arrived at work. The typical crowd was present including Fluffer. Fluffer was the house cat. She was the storm on a sunny day; the cause for the hair on their backs to rise. I guess it was nature for Scarlet and Fluffer to not get along considering their stereotypical scenario. Scarlet didn’t think much of Fluffer and ignored her most of the time. However, today was different.

Fluffer was on a rampage. She was running all over the place; terrorizing all the customers at the salon. The crowd at the Pubic Hair was growing irritated; all but Scarlet. Scarlet had a curious look on her face and the more she stood there, the more she was inclined to get closer to the opening of the mouse hole.

She stuck her tiny little mouse head to take a peek outside. She figured that this was not the norm and that although Fluffer was a cat, this was not her usual behavior. To her surprise, she saw that Fluffer had gotten something stuck in her eye. It must have been to small for her paws to brush away ,which explains her odd display of aggression. Being quick on her toes, Scarlet ran to her station to grab her spray bottle and headed back to the mouse hole.

She slowly stepped outside showing the crowd caution and stood face to face with Fluffer. Seeing this tiny mouse in front of her, Fluffer came to a halt and stood still. Fluffer didn’t know what to think of it. Scarlet took a step forward. Then another. One foot after the other, she slowly got closer and closer. Hands up in the air, spray bottle clearly visible, she showed no threat to Fluffer. Fluffer feeling safe and exhausted, she laid down on its belly showing distress. Fluffer was in tremendous pain.

Scarlet was now face to face with Fluffer. You could feel every mouse inside the hole staring, eyes focused on Scarlet and Fluffer. With hands still up in the air, bottle facing forward, she snuck a quick squeeze of the bottle spraying water into Fluffer’s eyes. Surprised, Fluffer jumped back. The crowd instantly froze and you can hear every breath stop. Some had already said their goodbye’s to Scarlet in their hearts.

Scarlet was still standing in the middle of the room vulnerable to attacks from any direction, but nothing came. Fluffer stood still staring at Scarlet. She was staring with both eyes open and was no longer in pain. Scarlet had washed away whatever was in Fluffer’s eye and she was no longer in pain. Fluffer leaped at Scarlet and some in the crowd instantly fainted. They expected the worse, but the worse never arrived. Fluffer had leaped at Scarlet to hug her and show her how much she appreciated her help. The crowd blew a sigh of relief that the mayhem was over.

The Pubic Hair was once again back to its normal routine and atmosphere. Scarlet was cutting hair and was well-known among all mice in the neighborhood. She is still the top hairstylist at her salon with the biggest clientele around. Literally. Since that day, Scarlet has been giving Fluffer haircuts and to this day are still friends.