I saw the youngish couple sitting on some steps below me as I approached from between two trees near the summit of the island. The boy - who I later learned was called Haruo - looked up and said some thing along the lines of, "long hair" or "nice dreads". I surprised him and myself by speaking in somewhat formal, well-rehearsed Japanese, "Thank you for saying so. Why should I thank you? Well, starting the other day, anyone who is kind enough to speak of my dreadlocks is invited to cut one off."
And I took my scissors out of my pocket and handed them to him.
Haruo seemed interested in my story and keen to take part in the exercise.
He cut off one of my dreadlocks near the roots, and I asked him what he thought we should do with it.
He quickly came up with the idea of decorating something with it. I noticed that one of the trees I had walked past had large exposed roots, and suggested that it would be good to adorn such a tree with a dreadlock that had been cut near the roots.
So Haruo tied the dreadlock to one of the branches, and there, as far as I know, it remains.
I continued to wander around the island, and had still not left when the next encounter occurred.
And I took my scissors out of my pocket and handed them to him.
He cut off one of my dreadlocks near the roots, and I asked him what he thought we should do with it.
He quickly came up with the idea of decorating something with it. I noticed that one of the trees I had walked past had large exposed roots, and suggested that it would be good to adorn such a tree with a dreadlock that had been cut near the roots.
I continued to wander around the island, and had still not left when the next encounter occurred.
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