Surrounded by hoards of people, clamoring for justice, pumping fist into the air, faces all around illuminated by the red blood coursing through their veins, screaming at the top of their lungs spittle shoots out in unknown directions as the judge walks up onto the platform where this court will be held. The crowd dies down in pure reverie of the man in the dark gown sauntering into position, fingers reaching out to his gavel, in a seemingly single movement, he sits and the gavel meets the wooden bench making a sharp crack as it meets its resting place to fall onto its side.

Feedback causing ears to go abuzz, the judge clears his throat and then speaks with an almost eloquent raspy baritone voice “you’ve all come here today to hear the case of” *looking about, shuffling papers before finding the leaflet that was needed clearing throat again* giving off a hint of irritation “Matilda”. The crowd rises in an uproar, the judge raises his hand almost as if instinctual and the crowd’s roar shifts to a slight din. “What might you have to say for yourself in these matters” the judge said with an air of regality. A slight woman, slowly looks up while bending towards the microphone mutters “um, well” which is met by the revolting crowd which is swiftly silenced by the judges rising hand. “You see, I’m no different than anyone else here” few in the crowd muttering profanities under breath, she looks about uncertainly, she slowly swallows and follows with “we have all the same features, if you’ll inspect my body, I am no different than you!” she screams almost begging the crowd seeking out a sense of humanity, scanning the crowd, she was met with disappointment as all are still engulfed in emotion. A man screams over the proceedings “she doesn’t look anything like us!” another yells “how can she even claim to be one of us?” The judge picks up his gavel and the crowd becomes hushed. “I’m not any different, I just have different color hair, I” some food scraps and a bottle go soaring through the sky as they miss their target and cause Matilda to wince. The judge looks up at Matilda and mutters “no one has ever seen hair that color, you’ll have to excuse my ignorance, but you mam are definitely not one of us” the crowd nodded and muttered “yeah”, “yes”, “uh-huh”, and “yup”. Matilda sighs as her head falls solemnly. The crowd reacts to the defeated manner that Matilda has taken on “cut her hair off!” one woman screams over the din of the crowd. Matilda looks up in horror as she realizes that she will soon be stripped of this unique hair that has been passed on by her mother and father, body contorting as she winces in pain imaging her tresses being shorn from her head.

Several days before these proceedings