This piece was written for the weekly Unicorn Challenge to come up with 250 words using a photo as the prompt.

‘This is your inheritance? I thought you said your grandfather was a hairdresser. The sign says locksmith.’

‘It was his little pun on smithing locks of hair.’

‘Why aren’t there any windows, like most hairdressers?’

‘His clients demanded complete discretion. They didn’t want to be ogled by passers-by as they had their nascent moustaches blonded or had their down-there hair removed by Waxin’ Wayne, the disowned son of John. Besides, he preferred to soften the lighting for customers of a certain age.’

‘He must had some famous customers.’

‘Indeed, as you would imagine for a man whose forebears included the chap who invented the Pompadour for Louis XV’s chief mistress. One was Sinead O’Connor who, as you know, once indulged herself in the ultimate in hair removal. Although that upset him. Very dis-tressing.’

‘Any film stars?’

‘Naturally. Many would take a discreet day trip from Cannes before gracing the red carpet. He did a fabulous job on Madonna’s hair. Unfortunately, all the press were interested in was her pointy bra.’

‘When he died, was there no-one in the family that wanted to continue the tradition?’

‘No, his only child, my father, a very unprepossessing young man, ran off to become an apprentice wheeltapper for the railways. He died shortly after I was born, after an unfortunate altercation between him and the Paris-Marseilles Express.’

‘So, what do you plan to with this ‘inheritance’?’

‘The French love their game food so, in a nod to my grandfather, I’m going into hare-raising’.