Sweet Tooth

The Tooth Fairy

Part I

The Tooth Fairy

                “Mommy, Mommy,” Emily yelled in a voice that was choked with tears. Her mother could hear her daughter’s small pale feet pounding the hard wood floor.  Emily’s powder pink oversized t-shirt flapped around her knees, and her long wavy brown hair flew out behind her as she ran. A few stray strands of her hair were plastered to her face with tears. An old ragdoll with yellow yarn for hair and a black button eye missing was clutched in her arms. Its abnormally long yellowed cloth arms flowed out of a red and white checkered dress, and dangled limply. With the doll in hand, she ran over to her mom who was standing by the stove.

                Emily’s mom Amanda Turner was preparing breakfast. Her own brown hair was pulled away from her face in a taunt pony tail. The roots were starting to reveal streaks of grey. She needed to recolor it, but she couldn’t seem to find the time. A carton of eggs was sitting on the counter beside her, in preparation for her to make breakfast. She only had to cook for Emily, and Emily’s older sister Samantha. Her husband was already gone, having left for work a few hours before, and she herself didn’t eat breakfast.

As Emily ran up to her the sun was positioned just right over the kitchen window allowing the faint color of autumn to color the kitchen; bathing it in warm colors and turning Amanda’s white scrubs into a light gold.

“What is it honey?” Amanda said, perhaps exaggerating the concern in her voice just a little.

“My tooth mommy, my tooth is wiggling,” she said looking up at her mom in utter terror.

                Amanda smiled at her sweetly, and crouched down to her daughter’s eye level. “Sweetie its okay, you are just losing your baby teeth.” Emily looked at her mom doubtfully, but Amanda continued, “Eventually you are gonna lose all of the teeth you have now, but that’s just so you can grow your grown-up teeth.”

                Emily buried her face in her ragdoll, “but I don’t wanna lose my teeth.”

                “Have I ever told you about the Tooth Fairy honey?” Amanda asked.

                “Nooooo,” Emily pulled her face away from her ragdoll and sniffled.

                “If you lose a tooth and you save it for the tooth fairy, she will take the tooth, and give you a treat in return.”

                “Really,” Samantha said looking up in her mom’s eyes, as if looking for any sign that she might be lying.

                “Yes, now let me see this wiggly tooth,” she looked at her mouth, and watched as her daughter wiggled the tooth for her with her tongue. “Yep, its loose alright, I know just the thing, when I was losing my teeth, my mom would give me food that would help them come out.”

                She pulled out Emily’s battered tin lunchbox that had a cartoon dog on the side. She snapped it open and began putting some food inside; including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a pouch of baby carrots, and last but not least a shiny red apple. The metal lunchbox snapped closed securely, and after a quick flick of the small lock, the lunch was secure and Amanda could once again return her attention to her daughter.

                “Now don’t forget your lunch before you leave for school, and if your tooth comes out don’t you forget to save it for the tooth fairy, or she won’t give you your treat.”

                Emily looked at her mom still unsure about the whole tooth fairy story. She just couldn’t imagine what someone would want with a bunch of teeth. What could she use them for?  She thought and what kind of treat will I get, I hope its candy, or money that I can use to buy some candy. Then as a dismayed afterthought she wondered if her sweet tooth was what got her into this mess in the first place. Her mom, constantly got on to her about eating too many sweets. You’re lucky that you don’t have teeth, she thought looking down at her ragdoll who was affectionately given the name of Annie. She used to belong to her sister Samantha, but the year before she gave Annie to her as a birthday present. Ever since Emily and the doll were inseparable, Annie had even become Emily’s only friend at school. The other kids at school thought that she was weird for talking to her, so Emily was constantly under the scrutiny of bullies.