Rise of Mother Nature

Teeth

“I'm sorry, about the fairies,” Jack walked over to Tooth.
                         
“You should've seen them,” Tooth said, “They put up such a fight.”
                         
“Why would Pitch take the teeth?” I asked from my perch on a rock.
                         
Tooth looked broken down, “It's not the teeth he wanted. It's the memories inside them.”
                         
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
                         
Tooth lead Jack across the pond, the water freezing under his feet as he walked, “That's why we collect the teeth, Jack. They hold the most important memories of childhood. She directed him to a mural, with Tooth and her fairies presenting the memories to children, “My fairies and I watch over them and when someone needs to remember what's important, we help them. We had everyone's here. Yours too.”
                         
“My memories?” Jack looked surprised.

“From when you were young,” I said, “Before you became Jack Frost.”

“But, I wasn't anyone before I was Jack Frost.”

“Of course you were,” Tooth smiled, “We were all someone before we were chosen.”
                         
Jack looked at her, “What?”
                         
North chuckled, “You should've seen Bunny.”
                         
“Hey, I told you never to mention that!” Bunny pointed at North accusingly.

I grew some lilly pads beneath my feet and walked on the water next to Jack. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he turned and stared into my eyes. He searched mine and I searched his.

“That night at the pond...” Jack whispered, “I just, why I assumed...” he looked back at Tooth, “Are you saying, are you saying I had a life before that? With a home? And a family?”

“You really don’t remember?” Tooth asked.

“All these years, and the answers were right here,” Jack continued, “If I find my memories, then I’ll know why I’m here. You have to show me!”

“She can’t Jack,” I said as Jack flew over to a rock and crouched there, “Pitch has them.”

He looked at me and pointed his staff at me, “Then we have to get them back!”

Suddenly, a patch of Tooth’s feathers fell out, “Oh no! The children... We’re to late.”

“No! No! No such thing as too late!” North thought, “Hmm... hmm... Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! HAH! IDEA!!”

“What?” I said with my ears perking up and tail wagging.

“We get teeth! Children keep believing in you!” North exclaimed pointing at Tooth with one of his swords.

Tooth flew over to him, “We’re talking seven continents! Millions of kids!...”

“Give me break!” North grinned, “You know how many toys I deliver in one night?”

“And eggs I hide in one day?” Bunny added.

“And Jack,” I turned to him, “if you help us, we’ll help you get your memories.”

He looked at me and smirked, “I’m in.”

. . .

Soon we reached Shanghai in the sleigh. It was about 12:00 at night and we were beginning to hunt for teeth. Bunny and I ran on all fours across rooftops while North popped up and down chimneys. Jack and Tooth were flying around.

“Quickly! Quickly!” North laughed.

“Here we go, here we go...” I breathed as I ran faster and faster. I kept up with Bunny as we ran.

Jack flew into view, “Hop to it rabbit, I’m five teeth ahead!”

“Yeah right,” Bunny chuckled looking to his left at me, “look, I’d tell you to stay out of my way, but really what’s the point - because you won’t be able to keep up anyway.”

I giggled and my eyes glowed green in the darkness as Jack yelled over the wind, “Is that a challenge, cottontail?”

“Oh, you don’t wanna race a rabbit, mate.”

“A race?” I asked.

North popped out of a chimney, “Is it a race? This is going to be epic!”

Tooth hovered around in every direction, “Four bicuspids over there! An incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar? They’re EVERYWHERE!”

Not paying attention to where she was going, Tooth flew head first into a Chinese toothpaste billboard. How ironic, I thought.

“Ooh... are you ok?” I asked her as leaves gather beneath my feet so I could walk on air.

“Fine... sorry,” she shook her head and flew up to me, “it’s been a really long time since I’ve been out on the field!”

“How long is a long time?” Jack asked floating next to me.

Tooth blushed, “Four hundred forty years give or take?”

Then she zipped off to grab a tooth. Everyone parted ways to find their teeth too.
I flipped down through a little girl’s window and saw her sleeping quietly. I tiptoed over to her bed and slipped my hand under her pillow. I pulled out a bright white tooth. I smiled and put it in the small leather pouch that hung from my waist. Oh wait, I thought, I don’t have any quarters... oh well. I twirled my fingers in the air and a small doll in the shape of a fairy appeared. It was made of woven vines, flowers and straw with leaves for wings. I gently pulled it from above my hand and placed it under the girl’s pillow. Smiling softly, I leapt out of the window and ran across my path of leaves. As I exited another window, I saw Jack creating ice on a roof where Bunny was standing holding a tooth.

“Crikey!” he yelled as he slid down.

Jack laughed, “Yes!”

He held up the tooth but Sandy plucked it from his hand. After everyone had collected the teeth, we gathered on another roof. All of the boys stood next to each other in a line proudly holding their ginormous bags of teeth. I stood next to Tooth with my leather pouch and hands on my hips. My tail was blowing in the wind and my green curls were getting in my face. I blew a piece of hair out of my mouth and looked at the boys.

“Wow! You guys collect teeth and leave gifts as fast as my fairies!” Tooth exclaimed.

The boys looked at each other with worried glances. “You guys have been leaving gifts, right?” I asked.

Sandy nodded but then shook his head. The Guardians except for Tooth and I collected quarters from a dispenser in a laundromat while I sat on top of a roof entertained. Jack looked extremely embarrassed taking those coins. And I laughed. He came out of the building and looked up at me. I waved and he smiled and shook his head. Jack and Tooth entered another boy’s room and I followed close behind.