Day 24 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write a story that involves someone losing a tooth.
Erin: “This is your first chance,” my dad beamed as he showed me the little human in the mirror.
He was readjusting so the tooth would be centered under the pillow. “Stay put,” he whispered to his pillow and turned the light off. Once his head laid down he closed his eyes. Within a few minutes, he was asleep and I knew it was time to prove myself.
I strapped on my backpack, turned on my turbo boots and before I knew it I was flying. The wind was rough once I got to my first clients city. I went with it when I could and turned up my boosters when I was going to be derailed. Despite some difficulties, I made it.
“Ugh,” I grunted and I used my jack to crank up the window. Once there was a ½ an inch gap I knew I could get in. Turning my turbos back on would be easiest, but I heard horror stories of that waking up light sleepers. The little human was making snorting noises as he slept. I didn’t know if that meant he was a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper.
I grabbed onto the string hanging from the window fabric and slid down. Once I was in the carpet I almost got lost in the fibers. I continued in the direction of the snorting and before I knew it I had run into a piece of bed fabric. I grabbed a handful and started my climb. “But mom, I ate all of my peas,” I nearly lost my grip at his words, but letting go would have killed me on my first outing.
“Sleep dear child,” I started singing the song I heard had gotten some of our greats out of tight missions in the past. His snorting started back up and I was on the bed before I knew it.
Everything seemed to be going well as I made my way to the pillow when the bed surface started to shake. The little human was not so little when he was out of the job posting mirror. He was rolling and if he had rolled anymore he would have crushed me. That is when I started running. With a flick of my wand the tooth was in my backpack and the twenty was under his pillow. Despite the risk, I turbo blasted out, because my legs and arms had no power to be spared.
“You did great,” my father cheered when I came back to headquarters.
“Really,” I asked placing the tooth into the shadow box I bought in preparation of my first gig.
“Yes, you forgot to close the window behind you, but other than that I didn’t see any major mistakes.”
“The window,” I sighed. “I knew I forgot something.”
“We all do at some point. I remember my first time, back than it was a quarter a kid,” he smiled.
“Back then you could get a blue twill slurp for one tooth too. The more money we give the more children are willing to believe in us. We need all the believers we can get to make it as a tooth fairy in our society,”
“I am so proud of you for carrying on our legacy. That was a sight to watch.”
“It was a rush to experience too,” I couldn’t imagine any other occupation.
Shannon: “Did you see who they paired you up against,” Amber questioned immediately after she sat down across from me at the lunch table.
“No I was too afraid to look myself, but who is it,” I asked, trying to remain calm.
“Mags,” Amber barely uttered the word audibly. There was too much danger to speak openly about her without repercussions.
“So that’s what all the pity looks in the hallway were for,” I confirmed my suspicion as I looked around at all of the other students attempting to read my emotions. They were cowards themselves though as they always look away as soon as our eyes made contact.
“What’s your plan,” Jade spoke under her breath, as she looked me over.
I looked for Mags until I spotted her in the lunch line. I could only observe the back of her head, but everyone was giving her more than an arm’s length space to show their respect for her wishes. “I’m getting out of it,” I decided before standing up to walk over to her.
I cut in front of her and took the piece of dessert the chef had made specifically for her before she could grab it. My heart was pounding and I couldn’t look at her.
“What are you doing,” Mags growled. “That’s mine,” she grabbed my arm and I knew I couldn’t overpower her. I had to move fast, so I quickly shoved my face into the frosting taking a big lick and making a mess of face.
I could bare look up at her with a cocky smile, before her fist made contact with my face and I hit the ground. The lunchroom went into a panic, trying to get a look at our fight. I made a poor attempted to block with my arms to protect my face as she started whaling on me. Help eventually arrived in form a teacher. She broke us up with an ear-piercing whistle, “Enough, enough,” she yelled. “There is no fighting outside of our control locations,” she explained to both of us. Let this be a lesson to all of you,” she called out. “Both of you will be disqualified for the year. No more competitions, no more prizes. You’re done,” she said it like it was a bad thing. Mags immediately went to her to grovel.
My friends kneeled down to my level. “Are you ok? You’re crazy,” Amber checked my face, and I turned my head away to spit out my tooth into my hand, and then smile back at them.
“You’re a genius,” Jade smirked.
Someone is going to literally loose it.
Pelky Sisters 
Kate:
It was a perfectly normal, sunny day when I took my little sister, Abby over to the playground near our house and pushed her on the crooked plastic swings. All over the tiny park children in colourful outfits frolicked; playing on the faded wooden jungle gym my friends and I had played on many years ago. Turning I watched some kicking a worn soccer ball on the lime field. Firmly planting my feet in the soft woodchips I gave Abby a solid shove and she screamed with glee.
Her little six-year-old pigtails fluttered as she swung back into me, where I caught the chains in my hand. Sighing dramatically, like only a child can do, she hopped off the stationary swing. As she kicked at the ground she looked about to cry as I pulled her favorite snack out of my purse, dino crackers. When she saw them her high-pitched squeal attracted the attention of some of the parents watching their kids.
But watching her hungrily dig into the baggie they smiled warmly at me, the youngest guardian at the park. I sat down on the splintering bench with one of the moms whose name I couldn’t recall to save my life. As Abby ran over to a cluster of children this mom and I chatted idly about television shows and how the neighbours were doing. Really, I could care less about gossip but it was nice talking to an adult who treated me like one of them.
When it was time to go I stretched my back, sixteen years’ worth of stress popped down my spine, and glanced around for Abby. Calling her name emphatically, I wandered forward into the near-empty playground. To my surprise no lovable giggling greeted me when I crouched to check under the bottom level but I wasn’t worried yet; she was always trying to stay later than I wanted to stick around.
Somewhere nearby one of the mom’s was looking for her son and I backed out from under the play structure in worry. As I approached her, matching lines creasing our faces, she wailed, “I can’t find my son anywhere, his name’s Nelson and he’s six. Have you seen him?” In her distress she failed to attribute my expression as my own loss.
Shaking my head slowly I sighed, “I haven’t. Have you seen my little sister, Abby? She’s also six.” Horror dawned in both our eyes and we flew into full-on panic mode, shrieking across the tiny park. As I rounded the playground, screaming for my sister, I saw something shimmer in the uncut grass; a swath of plastic sheen.
I picked the bag up, watching the dino cracker crumbs shifting around an ivory lump. When I took a closer look I realized it was a tooth; Abby’s first baby tooth. Dad had wanted to tie a string to it last week when it got loose but mom had, thankfully, convinced him not to. The urge to smile at it was almost too strong to resist until the screaming of the other mother for her son went through me. Breaking out of my reverie I scoured the grass around me on my hands and knees before dino crumbs became visible; leading into the forest edging the park. Full of dread I sprinted to the nearest tree and nearly lost my voice as I screeched, “ABBY!?” at the top of my lungs.
Eight years later we still don’t have a clue what happened to Abby or Nelson. We’d scoured the woods for days before the search was called off as fluffy white snow began to fall. Everyone in our neighbourhood had been so helpful and concerned the first few years, mostly for my parents; they were falling to pieces every day. My mother would get up alright, make her coffee, open the cupboard for a mug and see Abby’s bright pink cup. Or my father would go to get the cereal and see Abby’s favorite sugary breakfast just sitting there, untouched. Suddenly they’d been in a pool on the kitchen floor.
Surprisingly I was the sane one those years; helping them to get dressed, making them meals and continuing to rally the search parties monthly. At sixteen I had to be strong for my parents or our family unit would cease to function. I couldn’t bear to show them the tooth at first. I didn’t know what it would do to them in this state. Somewhere along the way my grandparents had come to live with us, which was a relief. During the daytime, when I went to school, I knew there was someone looking after my folks; they weren’t going to fade away while I was gone.
After those first few years of hell they both began to climb back out of the shells they’d been hiding in. Mom went back to work at the middle school and dad started selling houses again. One day something just clicked and they realized their lives needed to go on. When I showed them the last tiny bit we had of her, they broke down in uncontrollable tears of joy; I had given them something they never thought they’d see.
The next day I had the tooth mounted in a pendant for my mom, so she could always have a piece of Abby with her, no matter where she was. Giving it to her hurt my heart; as I watched my mother break down at a piece of jewelry for only the second time in her life. There was something bittersweet in having that last little bit of my sister to have for always.
Decades later, when my mom finally snapped and we had to put her in a home, my dad called me on the phone, frantic. For a few moments he just stuttered somberly as I listened to his shallow breathing. When he finally calmed himself enough to put a sentence together he whispered, like someone was listening, “I’ve lost the tooth. I’ve lost Abby’s tooth.”
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Russell:
Fishel closed the steel barn doors behind him, the reflection of twin white moons of Nephthys five shimmered back at him. He shivered at the cold touch of a breeze as it brushed over him. He walked down a gravel pathway as solar powered lamps dimly glowed. He clicked the radio on his belt. “I’ve closed up the shed now, dad, I’m heading back.”
The radio blared back. “Big problem, the horse is out again.” It crackled as Fishel stopped in his tracks. “He got out before I could close the gates, I’m going after him right now.” The pattered hoof beats of the renegade horse echoed across the farm.
Suddenly a black horse galloped into view. Fishel jumped to the left as he screamed. He tumbled down the slope before barreled to a stop. He checked around the inside of his mouth with his tongue, feeling an empty cavity where his tooth used to have been.
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Created to Write:
When Heather was brought to Oyster Ravine Medical, a hidden SHIELD center south of the Grand Canyon, she was put into surgery again. But, now that she’s out of her coma-like state, she can feel everything. They can’t give her anesthetic because of her unique situation, so the doctor talks over what he is going to do before he does it.
Much to Heather’s panic, her arms and legs restrained so she doesn’t injure anyone in her pain. Her knee is the worst, so they do what the other doctors couldn’t, then encase it in a better brace than what she was brought in with. Heather’s arms strain against the straps, forgetting she’s in a safe environment with doctors that want to help her.
Heather breaks the straps on her arms and swings. A nurse hits the floor, holding her mouth. Other nurses hold her arm down. Steve insisted he help keep her calm, but he was told to stay outside the room in case. So he comes in and comforts Heather, taking the place of holding her arm down. But he wasn’t putting lots of force, just enough so that she knows it is him and that he is there.
The worst part was over once the brace was secure. The nurse was checked over before they bring him to another doctor. Apparently, he lost a tooth, with cracked ones around the open spot.
Heather is carted to a different room. The set up reminds her of the first thing done to her. But Steve stays by her.
“What’s going on?” She asks.
“They found a fake tooth in your mouth, Heather,” he says gently, “they are going to take it out. It could be dangerous.”
Heather nods, and allows the doctor to go to work. She squeezes Steve’s hand so hard he thinks it could be broken. When the tooth is out, with novocaine being of no help, Heather puts a wad of cotton in her mouth. Later, they’ll put a safe fake tooth in its place.
Heather stares at the bloody tooth on the tray. It is her tooth, but it has metal inlaid from the top. She remembers what Red Skull said, ‘A precaution.’
She’s given a room in the hospital wing and tries to sleep, Steve holding her hand with his other one while the other is being bandaged by a nurse.
(So, two teeth are lost. I was thinking of doing another one that is less… macabre, but I don’t think I have time…)
(Why not?)
“Come on, little girl. Didn’t Roberts teach you anything?” one of the Kaplite Bonder’s sent after Jacey taunts. The Novelty were all beaten by his powers, keeping Jacey alone.
A second Bonder sneers, “Roberts never taught her to fight. Only to change shape. But you can’t do that now, can you?”
Jacey had tried so many times; tiger, hawk, elephant. She even tried bumblebee. But nothing would happen. She looks at the two, one keeping the field of negative kaplite alive, the other holding her friends down with her living wires, standing outside the field.
She trained with them. Or watched them train. They saw the beginning of her training too. But they don’t know her.
She runs at the person with the field. She can’t move, or the field will weaken. So she didn’t plan on Jacey pulling right hook. The Bonder falls to the side. The field disappears. Jacey turns to the other opponent, changing to a tiger as she does. She roars.
He starts to run, but she catches up with him. She pins his back to the ground with one paw and roars in his face. He’s paralyzed with fear. Jacey pulls back and nudges him with her paw. But the power of the nudge sends him flying to his partner. The two get up, one holding their mouth, the other stumbling, a shriek/whimper on his lips. Jacey turns back.
“And that,” Finn says, standing, “is why you never anger Jacey.”
Jacey dusts off her arm, then looks over at the spot she decked the Bonder.
There’s a single tooth on the ground, with a little blood on one end.
(There we go! Two for one.)
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