Magic Potion Hair Dye

You know, I've colored my hair before, people! There was another time when it turned out very very dark, and no one said much then. What is going on? This time people act like they're under some kind of spell.

See I dyed my hair Saturday. It was supposed to be medium ash brown, but turned out black. Okay, whatever. A few shampoos, and it will fade quickly. I didn't think it was anything remarkable. Well, check out the reaction I'm getting. All day long at work, all sorts of people, people I don't really talk to, people I don't really know, see me in the hall, or walk by the desk and their head jerks like it's on a spring and they say "You dyed your hair! I like it!"  "Your hair is darker! It looks good!"  "Is that new? When did you do it? It's nice!"  Everyone says it fast, without hesitation, as if they are being poked. As if their voo-doo doll self somewhere is being poked. And they sound enthusiastic. I think they really are enthusiastic. So I've begun to conclude that the bottle of Nice and Easy Foam Hair Color I used was infused with a magic potion that makes people dig my hair so intensely they are overcome with a need to say so. They can't help themselves.

I'm telling you, it's spooky, the reaction I've gotten. Perhaps it's more than the hair. Perhaps it's the way that spring has warmed up my blood and brought me out of my cave. The hunch has receded from my back, the shadows have fallen from my face. I am feeling human again. Perhaps this is what people are seeing.

The one person immune to the power of the spell has been, of course, my daughter Lilah, whose immediate reaction was to ask me how long before it washed out. She said I looked goth. But the next day, she conceded that it didn't really look bad. She just wasn't used to it.