October 21, 1920
The mood at the Treehouse is rather somber. Summerlee’s dea… disappearance has left a void in our group,
which is painfully felt every day. I miss the old man and his warmth and calming influence on Marguerite.
Marguerite… Veronica told me that she had been very upset when I was presumed dead after falling off the bridge.
Unfortunately Marguerite’s behavior towards me since we returned to the Treehouse indicates no tender feelings. She
is often aloof and didn’t even bother to comment on my new hairdo. Very surprising since she was the one who pressed
me so often to take drastic measures regarding hair length. I’m very disconcerted about her silence. It can only mean
one thing – she doesn’t like it. I suspected that it wasn’t a good idea to get an emergency haircut in the
middle of a river.
October 25, 1920
What a day! Marguerite finally made a comment about my new hair length. And it was most flattering! All happened while
we had a little outing to the Inland Sea. We told Challenger we would look for a rare plant he needs for one of this experiments, but the truth is we both
felt the need for a quiet afternoon at our favorite beach. We often joke that it is like Brighton Beach. What a welcome reminder of our far away
homeland. We took turns swimming and when we were lying on the beach, she looked at me quizzically. I wondered briefly whether
I had left any unsightly chest hair when I shaved my chest this morning. Then she said to me in an unusually sweet and endearing
tone: “Didn’t I tell you that a shorter cut would be much better for your curly hair? It makes you look younger
and I bet you’ll find that the shorter cut is also more practical.” I was speechless for a moment. I’m glad
to say that I recovered quickly and replied that I was much too busy fighting for the survival of our group to pay much notice
to my hair. She scoffed and said: “Yeah, RIGHT!”
November 12, 1920
An encounter with a mythical tribe of warrior women has left us all exhausted. Challenger nearly died after a raptor
attack and both Malone and I were subjected to horrifying torture at the hand of those fierce female warriors. Marguerite
and Veronica saved us from our cruel fate and both women insist that we enjoyed the treatment at the hands of the Amazons.
I have no idea how they could get that impression.
The Amazons aren’t only warriors and experienced healers, they also have several beauty secrets which Hippolyta
shared with me after we helped them defeat the men. A balm that helps undo sun damage, a herb tonic that works like a charm
against enlarged pores and a potion that cures the biggest worry of any wearer of boots – foot odor. No more cracks
from Miss Krux that the worst assignment anyone could get on the Plateau is to wash my socks!
November 22, 1920
An incredible crisis in the Treehouse! Malone, Veronica and Challenger were off exploring and I was alone with Marguerite.
We were planning to do some maintenance work on the perimeter fence and a harmless little joke of mine about split ends sent
Marguerite off the edge. She immediately began to examine her glorious curls and looked frantically for split ends. I felt
like a complete cad seeing her reduced to panicked curl examination. I tried to explain that I had been only joking, but that
completely infuriated her. “How can you joke about hair? Don’t you have any decency?” She turned on her
heel and went up to the Treehouse. But I knew what to do. I had acquired a secret deep conditioning treatment from a nomadic
tribe that I would offer her to make amends. I found her in her room, sitting in front of a mirror, inspecting strands of
beautiful thick and curly hair. “Go away,” she yelled at me, but I was not to be deterred. The flask wasn’t
much to look at, but Marguerite had heard the legends about this deep conditioning treatment. She understood the largesse
of my gesture very quickly. I offered to help her shampoo her hair and then apply the deep conditioner with the utmost care.
She accepted and we spent a wonderful afternoon on hair care. The results were spectacular! Her curls were shinier and bouncier
than ever. No split ends would ever threaten this perfect mass of hair. She kissed me on the cheek to thank me. I asked for
a real kiss, but she just slapped my arm and pretended to be shocked. Then she relented… What a sweet reward!