First Year
Pull on your face, pull on your feet, and let's hit opening time down on Fascination Street. -Fascination Street/ The Cure
Red hair, bright red hair, that’s what Mary saw first, as she stepped onto the platform.
She didn’t notice the steam, billowing out across the air, twisting like locks of shimmering, grey curl.
She didn’t notice the train, shining scarlet, with small faces already pressed against the glass, excitement blooming through wide open mouths and creased eyes.
She didn’t notice the boy, tall and gaunt, standing next to the girl with the red hair.
She only noticed the bright colour, darting out through the crowd.
And she thought, as she looked at it, how strange and different it was to her thick, black coils.
And she thought how, though the air was filled with magic, possibly the strangest part about that platform was the red hair, glimpsed through chattering people, more vibrant and more beautiful than any hair she’s ever seen.