I was roughly woken up from my sleep. After weeks of sleeping on the road I had been enjoying the comfort of a proper blanket, but something else had been planned for me on that day.

My mind still half-asleep, I noticed that the white haired man was shaking my shoulder to wake me up as the other children chaotically got out of bed and huddled together in the middle of the room.

I wiped the lazy tears at the corner of my eyes and got up as well.

I went to join the others but he held me back by the shoulder. I looked up at the man’s face and noticed his expression. The man was angry. He was shouting something at the kids gathered in front of him.

They looked bewildered and confused. Amongst them I noticed some of them sneaking confused looks at me. Despite their overall pitiful expression, I noticed that some of them seemed very amused.

Whatever the kids were being scolded for, it was in my regards.

Did they play pranks on me while I slept? I hadn’t noticed anything as of yet and I surely hadn’t had time to complain to the white haired-man yet.

I scratched my head, wondering what was going on, and when I retrieved my hand, I noticed pink hair stuck to my fingers. At first, a feeling of disgust filled me as I remembered the events of the previous night, but then I came to a realisation.

I looked at the hand the man had been waving around for several minutes now. Clasped between his fingers was a lock of pink hair. Mine.

He thinks one of them cut my hair! They will probably get in trouble… I need to say something.

I pulled on his sleeve, but he didn’t seem to notice me as he continued his tirade, so I grabbed his sleeve again with both my hands and pulled as hard as I could.

Although it still wasn’t enough to shake him, he noticed my efforts to get his attention.

He kneeled down.

[I cut it.]

He ignored what I told him and showed me the strands of hair in his hand and pointed at the kids.

I shook my head.

[I said that *I* cut it!]

He still didn’t listen and instead resumed scolding the other kids while kneeling in front of me.

I know that when I speak others only hear gibberish, but I have had enough of not getting heard.

I yanked his hand as hard as I could to force him to watch me.

Before I lost his attention again, I took a deep breath and puffed my cheeks. I would get him to understand even if it was the last thing I ever did

[I]

I put a hand on my chest.

[CUT]

I motionned the movement of scissors with my fingers.

[IT]

I yanked on my own hair angrily and pointed at the hair in his hand.

He looked at me stunned. I could see the children in front of him muttering amongst themselves and pointing at me.

He frowned and mouthed something with an incredulous expression.

Without hearing what he said I knew he was saying.

[‘You cut it?”]

I nodded vehemently.

I could see the children reacting. Some were chuckling while others looked at me with pity in their eyes while he only looked at me in silence.

Will I be punished? It was too late to regret it now anyway, but I was scared of the type of punishment I would get in an orphanage. My sister had read me terrible stories of orphans being beaten by the people who ran these places...

He let out a sigh and dismissed the other children. He looked at me for a moment before taking my hand and walking me to his office.

He made me sit on a chair at the center of the room.

I waited anxiously as he dug for something in his desk drawer.

To my surprise he pulled out a hand mirror and made me look at my reflection.

My hair was a mess, the front looked like it had been ripped apart by a monkey while the back still reached down to my shoulders.

“You look dumb!”

Darkie said mockingly.

I let out a grunt which only brought a chuckle out of the man and Darkie.

Something else caught my eye when looking in the mirror, or, to be more accurate, my eyes caught my eye. While before they had been a reflective silver, they were now bright gold.

I took the mirror from him and brought it closer. I blinked and moved my head and eyes around, but it was no trick of the light, my eyes were no longer the same they had been before.

[They look just like Goldie’s…]

The thought made my chest feel warm, but at the same time I was at a loss. How had the change occurred who, what, how and when did this happen?

[Why are my eyes gold?]

Confused, I tried to ask the man but all I received in return was a curious look. I tried gesticulating and pointing at my eyes to get my point across like earlier, but my question didn’t get across. He took away the mirror, much to my disappointment, and took out a pair of scissors from his desk.

He started chiseling away at my hair. After several minutes he showed me my reflection once more.

[...I look like a boy.]

I let out another grunt which only earned me an unimpressed look from the man.

By Physhstu

After cleaning up the hair on the floor, I stayed in the man’s office for the rest of the morning. He was probably reluctant to leave me on my own after yesterday’s incident.

It wasn’t until noon that we left his office for the dining room. During lunch, the other children glanced at me from the corner of their eyes, but none of them addressed me.

I didn’t know what to make of their stares. Some were obviously very amused at my appearance while others looked worried or downright angry at me.

After lunch, all the kids gathered in the main playroom. The younger kids were getting seated around a small platform as the older kids set up curtains and decoration on the scene.

[A play?]

The man left me to my own device as he went to help them set up the. I looked around for somewhere for Darkie and I to sit. I spotted the girl from yesterday waving at me, but I turned away. I don’t want to be friends with someone that would hurt someone as nice as Horsie for fun.

I found an empty space toward the opposite side and sat down. The kids in the front were starting to get up to the side of the stage in costumes. They were cheaply put together with pieces of fabric, but the characters were recognisable.

“Do you know what play this is?”

Darkie asked me.

[Of course, I’ve seen it before. This is the only story you can read in every god scriptures: Roots.]

The play began and I watched as it reenacted the very beginning of our universe.