The key to a fresh look

His answer came in the form of a disconcerting tingling sensation on his scalp. As the brush continued its strokes, Alex's hair seemed to grow in turn, until the lathered clump of hair rested at neck level. Alex was mortified and, as a shower head descended from the ceiling to wash away the mixture of suds and tonic, his mind began to race. How would he explain this sudden change in appearance to his friends? Or better yet, how would he explain it to his mother? He didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts however, as the thunderous roar of a hair dryer began to work in tandem with the brush, resulting in a luscious, wavy and vibrant golden mess.

A tendril with a pair of scissors adorned at the end, began to clip at the end of the the new sprawling mass of hair, before the original hands focused on combing the hair into wavy strands, before locking it in place with some hairspray, resulting in a beautiful, feminine bob cut. Alex groaned in discomfort, before a series of clippers emerged from the chair sprockets. The beautification products, which looked like small predators to the teenage boy, began to swiftly pluck out any stray hairs around the eyebrows, nose and chin, whilst a small buzzing razor began working at his chest, legs, underarms and pubic hair.

Within minutes Alex was completed devoid of hair anywhere, except on his head and a new, neat pair of eyebrows. The boy winced in pain at the harsh plucking, before his eyes turned upwards to see the next wave of assailants: a transparent tube filled with a green, jelly-like substance and a host of beautification products ranging from mascara, lipstick and nail polish. Alex strained against the hold of the sprocket tendrils and restraints but found no purchase against the impromptu headlock.

Within seconds, his face was moisturised before, being laden with primer, foundation, concealer and blush, all whilst his lips were puckered together by two miniature tentacles to allow a third to apply a full coat of cherry red lipstick. Simultaneously two other groups of extremities, began to clip his fingers and toes, and coat them in a with a layer of deep purple nail polish.