About a third of the way through, I thought it was fleas on a dog. Then a little later I realized the gate was a comb or brush, the storms were showers, and I thought the band was a hairband (scrunchie) worn for exercising. So I figured it was lice on someone’s head. And I thought, how gross! A story about lice. LOL! Then I read your reply that it was hair. DOH! Ha, ha. Tricky, very tricky. Well done.