Twilight Valley Salon

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. The Valley was the tiny hair salon in the corner of the strip mall. Its full name was the Twilight Valley Salon, but no one paid it enough attention to bother with the proper naming. Truthfully, the small town of Dorbridge questioned how the salon was still in business.

The Valley was run by one woman, Crystal. A woman in her mid-30s, Crystal was a solitary question. There was always a natural smile on her lips, her own dyed seafoam green hair usually tied up in a bun or ponytail. She seemed nice enough, but when there were better looking salons around, each with a full staff, it was hard to justify visiting the Valley often. Though the faded purple window decals advertised sublime color services, it was known as a place for teens to go get a cheap haircut. Crystal never complained, just cut hair, did the occasional color treatment, and continued on her way. It was almost a given that things would close down sooner rather than later.

The change came with the updated storefront. The purple lightbulbs were changed, and all the swirly letters and designs on the window had been peeled off and replaced. A delivery boy from Tony’s Pizzeria next door was the first to spot it.

“There were little dragons putting up a “Grand Re-opening” banner,” the teenager told Tony as he came to pick up an order.

“What?”

“Grand—”

“I understand that part. Dragons?”

The boy nodded.

Tony was out the door faster than he’d moved in his whole life. He knew the boy was a bit scatterbrained, but this seemed too wild even for him. Unless he was on some new drugs the kids were doing these days. Tony couldn’t keep up anymore, truth be told.

Which was why Tony almost fell off his feet to see two dragons tying the banner to the overhang of the salon. They were about the size of large housecats. One was an emerald green, the other, a bright cobalt blue. As they finished pulling the strings taught with their little jaws, their wings gently flapped as they descended to the salon door. Crystal held it open as they flew by. She caught Tony’s eye and gave a brief wave before closing the door, the bell attached at the top jingling.

It didn’t take long for word to spread. Dorbridge was small, after all.

The first to brave the new experience was June Walton. June was visiting her parents on spring break from her junior year of college. Dying her hair a fun color was always something on her bucket list, and the unbelievable news of dragons in a hair salon was too much for her to resist. Why not? She loved playing Dungeons & Dragons; it would be fun to investigate whatever it was that Tony saw.

June had no trouble booking an appointment last minute; the thought of dragons brought business to a standstill. Her appointment took about four hours, thankfully she was already blonde and color wasn’t much of a problem. When she walked back in the door to her parents’ house, both her new jungle green hair and her face were beaming.

“So?” her father asked from the living room when she put her car keys away. “Any dragons?” he said it with a teasing lilt, but found himself muting the TV as his daughter nodded with an excited squeal. It was a noise June didn’t make often.

“Yes!” she whisper shouted, sitting on the couch across from her father’s recliner. “It was amazing! This green dragon just popped out one of its scales and the stylist rubbed it across my hair. Did you know dragons give great shampoos? And one of them curled up on my lap and let me pet it while she was cutting my hair!”

June was off on a million different tangents at once, all the while playing with her new vibrant green hair. Her father knew nothing about hair, but even he saw the different shades and shimmers to the color and was impressed. “Dragons,” he said, “doing hair. I’m sure that place’ll take off in no time now.”

He was right, of course. June told her other visiting college friends, who told their families, who told their neighbors, and the chain continued. Dragons shampooing hair? Scales as hair dye? At first it was just curiosity that drove the crowd.

And then, the most beautiful, dynamic hair colors began to pop up around Dorbridge. Just like that, the town was hooked.

The dragons were small, nothing like the fearsome, intense creatures of fantasy legends. These were akin to household pets. Their claws weren't sharp at all when they were allowed to shampoo. It was like a tingling massage, people said. When someone stared at the dragons for a while, they would flap their little wings and alight on the arm of the chair, or even in the lap of those who smiled as the dragons approached. Those who pet the dragons reported their scales were smooth, almost silky. Dye never came off on anyone’s hands, only on their hair as Crystal rubbed the scales on the strands with careful accuracy. The whole experience was a pleasant one. A calming haircut, soft chit-chat with Crystal, and small, purring dragons always nearby. There were at least a dozen in a wide range of colors.

As a result, the hair colors that came out of the salon were always just as unique and varied. Some would mix a deep royal purple with beautiful turquoise highlights. Others would go for a blonde with hints of gold that practically glimmered in the sun. Mostly it was the young people of Dorbridge getting their hair dyed interesting colors. Still, the older crowd received services of their own. One particular favorite was Mrs. Farraday, a kindergarten teacher at Dorbridge Elementary. Her long hair was now a luxurious, inky black, courtesy of a beautiful obsidian colored dragon with lava-like eyes. The dragon had nuzzled her hand as she’d gotten her service, an experience she recounted to her students who listened with wide-eyed fascination.

At the heart of it all, the town also couldn’t help but fall in love with Crystal as well. The gentle way she would stroke the dragons along their long necks, the soft tickling under her their chins, how she would gingerly coax the scale from their bodies, only for new scales to pop up immediately. She never confirmed where the dragons came from. Her answer was always that “they arrived when I needed them to.” It was clear there was a strong bond.

Her hair cutting skills were also top notch. She could tackle any hair length or type with practiced skill. When she would talk to her clients, she was always genuinely interested in everything they said. Whether it was work, or personal problems, good news or bad, Crystal always took it in stride. It made every haircut comfortable for each client.

After a few weeks, the town of Dorbridge came to accept that fun hair colors and talk of dragons was the new normal. It somehow felt like there was a spark of vibrancy was injected into the atmosphere. Maybe the smiles were a little brighter. Maybe neighbors would say hello to each other more often. Maybe, just maybe, the town of Dorbridge was a more exciting place thanks to the presence of the dragons.

When she had to return to college at the end of spring break, June Walton paid a visit to Twilight Valley to make an appointment for a touch-up. After the appointment was made, she said to Crystal, “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this yet, but thank you for this salon.”

Crystal waved her hand. As if on cue, a crimson red dragon alighted on her shoulder. “You don’t have to thank me. I do what I do because I love it.”

June shook her head. “You’ve made things better. It’s nice to have something exciting around for once. I hope you’ll stay here for a long time.”

Crystal smiled that warm, comforting smile she was known for. “Of course,” she said. “Like you said, it’s nice to have a little excitement around.” She lifted a hand to scratch behind the horn of the small dragon on her shoulder. It leaned into the touch before settling its gaze on June. June could’ve sworn the creature was smiling at her, like it understood everything she’d said, everything she was feeling. Nodding at the both of them, June walked out of the Twilight Valley Salon, excited for her next appointment.