The Cabin In The Woods Part 2 by Jonathan

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My name is Ricky and I'm 12. I have just arrived 1 day ago for the summer at my good friend's uncle's cabin. My parents went on a month long summer vacation to Europe. They always traveled on a long trip in the summer. This year as in the other years I'm left behind. I've stayed at grandparent's,aunt's and friend's houses over the summer. This summer of 1976 was no different. My parents left me at my friend David's weird uncle's cabin.

It all started in early July when my father drove me up to Big Bear Mountains in California. I arrived about 1:00 in the afternoon. After some searching we finally were able to find this off in the woods cabin. It even had its own small dirt road leading to it. The place looks a mess. There are three rusting out old cars in huge front yard. They all three look like from the 1950s. One is a Cadillac and the two others, I don't know. The curtains are blowing out open windows. There is a wide variety of debris around the property. Little busted up bits from days long ago. The cabin is wooden and what may have once been painted long ago no longer has paint.

My dad quickly spoke to David's uncle who he'd briefly met before from a mutual family friend. I had seen this uncle and David's cousins about 4 times in the last several years. They came to my friend David's house down the hill and I'd met them there. By the summer of 1976 my parents had pretty much imposed on all other family and friends for me to stay the summer with. They really shouldn't have left me here.

This uncle guy smokes a lot, curse a bit and really drinks a lot of beer. The aunt just sits there in the house and says very little. She smokes a lot too. The inside of the house is pretty dirty and untidy like. I am surprised David's parents let him stay here for a month and a half too.

The first day wasn't so bad. Some hiking, playing games and watching t.v. The next day we spent the morning at the local game arcade in town. All six of us road into town in their beat up blue station wagon. We had lunch over their too. It was what happened when we got back to the old cabin that really made me uncomfortable.

We came home and the aunt, uncle, and two cousin's of David's went into the house. David and I were walking around exploring the vast yard of the cabin. Then out of nowhere David says my uncle is going to give us all balds this afternoon. At first I thought what's balds. Then it hit me, shaved heads! In was 1976 almost all young had their hair longer over the ears. My long dark brown hair was nearly to my shoulders now. I had dodged my way out of a haircut and was proud of my long hair. Shave it, no way! David had not mentioned me being involved in this whole getting balds thing. Soon I would sadly find out however they wanted my head shaved to.

We walked into this dark, dirty garage and the uncle was in there readying the clippers and metal stool for the haircuts. I had no where to go, it was just my second day here. My parents had left for Europe by then. No one had cell phones back then. I was stuck! To my shock the 11 year old cousin hops up on this wobbly metal stool and his head starts getting shave zero, bald! I watch all his hair come off. Then after about 5 minutes of me begging not to have me sit on this stool. I'm weakened down. I begged and tried all I could to save my hair. No, I'm going it out. No, please I don't want to. What a baby they keep calling me. Finally I walked over humiliated and defeated. The uncle is puffing on a cigerette and drinking a beer too. I sit up on the stool and he says you'll like your new haircut Ricky. Then he digs the warm humming clippers into my head. I know it's too late. Big chunks of hair are falling on the ground. I'm almost starting to cry, but don't. They'd all just laugh. Ater nearly 5 or 6 minutes the shearing is complete. I get up and rub my head over and over. It feels like sandpaper. There's no mirror so I can't even see myself. Whose next the uncle asks? Then my friend David willingly hops up on that awful wobbly stool. All four of them had shaved their heads last summer. I watch in horror as his head is shaved. I notice he kind of has pointy ears too. His long black hair is soon gone.

Finally it's the last cousin's turn, he's 10 and his name is Joey. The clippers dig into his head and his dark blond hair starts falling into the huge pile of hair of the ground. The pile is growing bigger now. It has all four boy's fairly long hair in it. I can still tell which hair in that pile was mine. Finally all four of our heads are completely shorn. I think the younger cousin Joey looks the most ok bald. The older cousin Larry has kind of a strange head to be bald. David looks good, just those pointy ears are kind of funny. I don't know how I look yet. David's uncle lights another cigerette. Hey boys I'm going in the house, you guys get the broom and sweep this mess up. The two cousins get the broom and play with all the hair for awhile. Finally they are bored of that and sweep it into the dust pan and toss it all away.

That's it it's over. If you asked me in 1976 what is one of my biggest fears? Well I would say getting my head shaved bald. Now it had just happened and David and I were going inside to play his basketball game. Just like that, it was over and all cleaned up. I wanted so bad to see myself bald. I told David I need to use the restroom. As I looked in the mirror I didn't know what to think. I looked so weird! It was me, same face and all. No hair at all. I moved my head in different angles. I realized my ears and head looked fine. I looked good compared to David and Larry. Joey was fine ball. He was the first to hop up on that stool. I used the restroom and went to play David's basketball game. The rest of that day and night I kept rubbing my newly shorn head. We played, at dinner and watched tv. That night I lay bald in that bunk bed and did actually feel homesick now. I wished I'd gone on that vacation, or spent the summer some place else. I finally fell asleep.

The next morning we all got up to eat breakfast, then head to the lake. We were going fishing and renting a boat. David's
aunt was going to stay at the cabin. Only the uncle and the four boys went to the lake. We all got into the old blue Chevy station wagon. All five of us bald. We loaded some old fishing poles and gear into the car and headed to the lake.

Soon we pulled up to the crowded boat dock where you rent the boats. We got a lot of stares! A few people whispered things about our shaved heads. The people couldn't help but stare. I was glad I was not going back to school yet like this. We all were bald so when it was just us, no problem. I realized in public was looked alien like, it being 1976 and all. Once or twice someone yelled "baldies". We loaded everything into the small outboard motor boat. Then David's uncle drove us out toward the fishing spots. We had no hats or sun block. Those freshly shorn heads did get sunburned fairly bad. We caught some bluegill fish. The day on the lake was fun. This trip was looking up a bit.

Now nearly a week had pasted. We spent our days playing and inventing things to do. Back then there were no video or computer games. A kid had to be creative. We were all settling into a routine and this was going to work out ok. I knew these people were kind of weird, but nothing worse than my head getting shaved had happened yet.

About three weeks into this whole thing Joey the youngest cousin tells me there is one of their cousin's coming to stay with us. He is 12 like me and his name is Jeff.
By now our hair is starting to fill in a bit. It wouldn't stay on our heads long however.

When Jeff's dad dropped him off I noticed he had a wild mop of brown hair. Jeff kept asking why are your guy's heads shaved? Well it didn't take too long, poor Jeff would be their next victim. They got him kicking and screaming into the garage. He cried awhile then they broke him down. He was soon up on that stool with those clippers shearing away that messy mop of his. Now he was bald. Crying a slight wiper now. Then David opens his big mouth and said look we aren't really bald anymore, we need another shave. Oh no! I realize school's coming in less than a month. My hair won't grow back much by then, not another bald! The two cousins and David took off their shirts and were ready to get up on that stool again! Now I'd have to be shorn again also. The pressure not to would be too great. That's exactly what would happen. All the hair I'd managed to grow, just barely an inch would soon all come off again the afternoon. I was last up on the stool this time though.

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