You swept the short hair cuttings with a broom onto a dustpan and threw them into a garbage bag. A gusty wind sounds off through the tightly closed windows. Because of the sudden storm in the city, the government issued a work and study stoppage order for the whole city for four consecutive days. You tied up garbage bags that had piled up for several days, opened the door, and planned to toss them outside. Even though you knew the cleaners wouldn't be on duty until tomorrow, because you have just cut off too much hair, you must clean them all up as soon as possible.

 

A year ago, the government announced a new hygiene policy stating that no one's bangs could exceed three centimeters. Although the social events that triggered this policy are unknown, there were no protests from the city's citizens, there has never been. You guessed that this policy was aimed to increase job possibilities. As every new law needs corresponding law enforcement. These enforcers, called "Hair Executers", patrol the streets, determining if a person's bangs violate the law by visual inspection , their own eyes. Every citizen has the chance of being a "hair enforcer". Who is chosen is decided by a draw, and the selected person is paid for their duty.

 

This policy also promoted the development of the haircutting industry, because every barber shop received government permission. Citizen must have their hair cut in a barber shop and choose a hair style from the menu. After their haircut, customers receive a "Haircut Paper" which indicates that they have already had their hair cut in the last week. If the length of a citizen's bangs is visually inspected by "Hair Executers" which is deemed to be more than three centimeters, and he cannot show his "Haircut Paper" to prove that his excessively long hair only grew longer after a few days of his hair cutting, it will be considered as law violation.

 

Over the first few months, you noticed that the streets had become much cleaner. However, everyone's hairstyles looked much the same; side-swept, cropped, and parted, among others. When the National Health Department announced that your city defeated its neighboring cities and became the cleanest city, you felt more at peace.

 

 

Over the first few months, you noticed that the streets had become much cleaner. However, everyone's hairstyles looked much the same; side-swept cut, buzz cut, and parted, among everyone. When the National Health Department announced that your city defeated its neighboring cities and became the cleanest city, you felt more at peace and no longer care about it.

 

when you opened the door, the wind outside operated like a vacuum cleaner, sucking dust and dirt from your house outside. You leaned forward, covering your eyes with a hand, and threw the garbage bag outside. You vaguely observed a short hair on the floor. Just a single one? It was swiftly taken by the wind outside. In response, you darted outside and chased after the short hair from your home.

 

 

The weather forecast stated a return to work tomorrow. But because of the storm, you had not been able to leave your house and go to the barbershop to get a haircut for a few days. You knew when you went to work tomorrow, a "hair executer" would surely notice that your hair was outrageously long and announce that you have violate of the rule. Therefore, you faced your full-length mirror at home, fingered your bangs with your index and middle finger, and started cutting your hair using a pair of home scissors.

 

You'd been running on the street for quite some time, but you couldn't trace the hair. You have been wondering is it possible that it is your own illusion, there were no hair cuttings left on the floor at home? So, with a messy haircut, fatigue creeping in, and a worried heart, you went home. The next day on the way to work, you noticed there are few passing people with distinctive hairstyles on the street. Even though they were comply with legal requirements, but their bangs were uneven, unlike the usual styles you had previously encountered on the streets.

 

The streets seemed clean as usual, but you were panic, looking at the ground beneath your feet, trying to find that imagined or non-existent strand of hair. Therefore, you didn't notice those two people coming towards you, until they spoke and stated their identity, at which point you finally looked up.

 

"Are you trying to find something on the street?" one of them asked.

 

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Our streets are clean...... Yes, they always have been," you answered.

 

"Your hairstyle seems weird, it meets the standards, but it is not as uniform as the craftsmanship of the barbershop," one of them queried.

 

"No... No... It might just be a little messy because I got up in the morning and rushed out, without...," you nervously touched your nose in response.

 

"Show me your Haircut Paper," one of them demanded.

 

You hand it out a piece of paper tremblingly. There are only two words and a string of numbers on it. "Haircut Paper, 25/09/2020". It was the Haircut Paper from ten days ago, but they are the "executors", and you had no choice but to show this expired proof.

 

"This policy is simply un..."

 

Out of nowhere, a cough broke out on the street, followed by another, interrupting your speech. You heard a heartbreaking cough that differed from the common flu-induced coughs, sounding like human body's rejection response when someone speaking something they shouldn't speak.

 

"It's an allergy!" the executor said.

 

How could it be? Since the hair order was announced by the government, the streets had become exceptionally clean, you can't even see stray dogs and cats around. Their fur no longer appeared in the city because the food they relied on to survive had been indirectly cleaned away. But you could clearly listen that the man's coughing was the reaction of respiratory allergies. That symptom hadn't occurred in your city for quite some time, so the hospital replaced the pulmonary specialist outpatient department with hair transplant department.

 

The executor returned your Haircut Paper and briskly walked towards him. You carefully tucked away the small piece of paper and silently headed towards your new company.

 

He told the executor he was heading to the company, but suddenly inhaled a short, prickly thing. He didn't know what it was and also stated that he hadn't had respiratory issues for quite some time. The executor took him to the emergency department of the hospital. But after being transferred several times, the hospital declared they could not help him due to the disappearance of the specific specialty doctor alongside the specialty department.

 

His breathing symptoms became increasingly severe, reaching a point where he couldn't breathe smoothly. He finally approached the government complaints department and wrote a letter requesting the government reinstates the pulmonary specialty. At the end of the letter, he claimed he was a victim.

 

Several days passed and he still hadn't received a response from the government. With that, he decided to return to the street, leaning on a crutch, wearing a backup oxygen mask given by the  hospital. He bowed his weighty head, trying to find that piece of evidence proving his innocence.

 

"Are you trying to find something on the street?" a man asked.

 

He lifted his head, looked at the two strange people before him, and replied, "Our... cough... street is not clean... cough... there should be some.. some hair..."

 

"Hair? Your hairstyle is weird, it doesn't meet the standard!" one of them scolded.

 

"No... No... I have been running around... for several days...I didn't have time... for haircut..." he said firmly as he looked at them.

 

"Show me your Haircut Paper."

 

Later, you went to work as usual, the streets were as clean as always and people's hairstyles were still from the few designs you knew. As your city, it was again awarded the "Cleanest City Award".