The day was dark and dreary. The rain hit the side of the house, making sounds like a drum echo through the house. The rooms had a dark grey overcast looming about them. The little girl I was babysitting had been pouting in the corner all day, it seemed, since I promised her that I would take her to the park that day. We both sat, staring out the window, watching the rain hit the blacktop. This wasn’t what I had planned for a fun day of babysitting. Suddenly, I got an idea for something to make this day much more interesting.

I quickly stood up in excitement while the blood rushed to my head, making me see stars. “Izzy, do you want to do something really fun today?!” I asked in a very childish voice. She bolted up, with a grin appearing from ear to ear over her freckle-filled face.

She ran into the kitchen and jumped up on to the counter stool, her short legs swinging off the side. I walked into the office to gather up the arts and crafts supplies while she patiently waited for me to return.

I set the supplies down on the counter, and immediately, Izzy grabbed anything she could and started scribbling on her paper.

Seeing as Izzy took all of the paper for her “artwork,” I walked back into the office to search for some more paper. While I was looking, I could hear the faint, screeching sounds of markers and scissors.

After finally finding a piece of paper, I walked back into the kitchen, and I couldn’t believe what I saw.

“Izzy! Stop!” I screamed, but it was too late. I heard the snap of the scissors closing shut and watched as a fist-sized clump of her dark brown hair fell to the cold kitchen floor. Izzy’s eyes darted up at me, suddenly realizing what she had just done.

I was in shock and didn’t know what to do. I could feel my face turn a ghostly white color. I slowly bent down to the pile of hair on the floor and just stared at it. I finally decided to carefully clean up the hair and throw it away, making sure not to leave any behind. Izzy started to worry about her hair, but I told her that everything was going to be fine. I carefully put her hair into a ponytail, making sure the pieces she cut couldn’t be seen.

When her parents got home, I sadly told them about the incident with the hair and scissors, thinking they would be disappointed with me. They were surprisingly okay with it all, saying that she has done it before. I was shocked. I thought they would never let me babysit ever again. I guess things are never as bad as they seem.