Enchanted hair

Ann Jones was my shell friend Lisas little infant. She had not do any(prenominal) particular impression on me. Among the children in her class she was not cognize for brightness at her lessons, or for forwardness in class. But, by the time Lisa utter to me intimately her, I was aw ar of Ann as a particularly stable and good-natured missy. Stable seems an odd word to fall upon a six-year-old, yet it seems to be her zippy quality. She was ever so polite and friendly.Her appearance was no government agency exceptional, yet at that place was some topic refined ab pop step to the fore her. Her shining pig was fair, beautifully brushed and neatly plaited her big grizzly eye were eternally adept to what was passing play on. She seemed a model pupil, and, though she neer came top in any theater of operations apart from spelling, she seemed un wantly ever to piss her pargonnts or teachers the slightest worry.It was, therefore, a huge ramp when Lisa came to see me, cl early distressed, one dark besides as I was about to go to bed. Tiffany, Im naughty to trouble you so late, but Im worried about Ann, I dont know what to do for the best.About Ann? I was actually amazed. But shes the quietest little girl I know.I know and shes always been at home, but just recently somethings got into her.Well, everyone goes phases, I began vaguely. Whats wrong with Ann?Its to do with her whisker.Her hair?Then it did occur to me that for the last hebdomad or two, Anns hair had not been so shiningly neat.What about her hair, then, Lisa?Well, I dont know how to dedicate it so you wont figure either I or my sister is crazy I noticed that Lisa had tears in her eye but shes got this notion that theres people lifetime in her hair.A tie of possibilities flashed by and through my mind. Youre quite sure, Lisa, that its not a straightforward case of nits, or something manage that?Tiffany How could you ring such a thing? Anns always washed her hair every nigh t. Her hair does always look clean. I regularize quickly, so I wont polish offend her.Well, if that is the case, you dont think its possible that she imagines she has something of the sort? Kids sometimes subscribe to such odd worries.No, tiffany, no, its not akin that. No, its people she verifys are living on top of her head. In among the hair, she says the hair seems like a forest to them.Shes playing a support with you, Lisa, I suggested. A game it may be, sir, but its dead serious to her, Lisa say worriedly. Every day I absorb the job, to get her hair brushed. Dont do that, Lisa, youll drive them out of the forest, she says, and screams and screams. And lately, Ive begun to wonder if shes sledding mental. All about chariots, armies and temples, its not right, it really isnt. And sometimes what she says doesnt make sense at all, I cant understand anything she says, and shell go on like that for hours.Did you mention this to Dr Somers?Well, I did. I didnt take Ann to the surgery because I ruling It may scare her, I just told him, and he fairly snapped my head off and said she was a perfectly hygienic child and not to fuss him with a bit of kids play.Well, what did you want me to do, Lisa?Oh, tiffany, if you could just slop to Ann about it a bit She thinks the valet of you could just reason this nonsense out of her head She looked at me rather blankly, so I promised that I would see what I could do. Supposing I take Ann for a walk, tomorrow, by and by school. So it wont seem like an interview.Tiffany, I dont know how to thank you -I pointed out that I progress tont done anything yet, but she went off clearly relieved to father pushed the tariff on to somebody else, even if moreover temporarily.Next afternoon Ann agreed, to take a walk with me. I thought there was no sense in place off the question, so as presently as we were away from her house, I said, Your sister asked me to talking to to you, about this idea you have that er, that people are living in your hair.She looked up at me calmly, with a amazingly adult expression in her greyness eyes, and said, Yes, I thought perhaps she had.I said, gently, not wanting to seem disagreeable or mocking, What sort of people are they, Ann?She answered at once, Theyre a tribe of Gauls, the Veneti. They were defeated, you see, by the Romans, in a big sea-battle, and driven out of their homes. They built a new-fangled township, but then it was destroyed it sank in the sea. And so they collected up what they could of their prop and now they live in my hair. Its like a forest to them, you see.I was startled, to say the least.But, Ann how did you come to know about the veneti?I can realise them, talking through my skull.I said, How could they all get on to your head, though?She gave me a look as closely approaching to impatience.Things seem a different size, dont you see, when theyre in different places. If I saw you a long way off youd look small, wouldnt you? Or i f I saw you beside a huge monster. Her eyes widened, and I remembered that, after all, she was still further a six-year-old.What sort of language do they talk, these people, Ann? I wondered where she read or comprehend of the Venti, who, I recalled, had been conquered by Caesar in Brittany.Well, they talk two languages, she told me. basis you remember any of the words?She spoke a saddle of words, which was meaningless to me full of x sounds and ch sounds.And what is the new(prenominal) language?She then startled me by replying, Una salus victis nulam sperare salutem (there is but one safe thing for the vanquished not to hope for safety).Where did you hear that Ann? unmatched of them up there said it. heap you remember any more? sight nunc it per iter tenebricosum Illuc, I said it with her, unde negant redire quemquam.You know that withal? she said, turning the grey eyes on me.I have heard it, yes. What was the peoples town called, the town that sank in the sea?It was called Is .Can you hear them now? I asked.Yes. safe now their holy men are very worried, she said, turning to me, frowning she looked funnily like her sister.Why are they worried, Ann?They have signs from, the ones who can guarantee the future, that there is expiration to be another very horrid happening and that they are going to have to move again, and all the people with their things. Oh she cried, I hope Mum isnt going to swerve off all my hair She said she might do that Please tell her not to, TiffanyAll right Ann, dont worry. Ill tell her.I, needless to say was wondering what to do, and but looked where Iwas going. Which is why I didnt hear the car till it was right shadower us.It was young, feckless Jack Fish. Hes now in jail, doing time for manslaughter.People said Id had a breakdown after that, and everyone was very sorry for me. But actually its a lot simpler. What happened was, the Veneti transferred from Anns head to mine.