The Tooth Fairy
Part 1, Scary Stories
Alex watched as the six year old picked up the old pair of pliers.
“Bet you won’t do it!” He taunted at his younger brother.
“Will too!” Kyle yelled, opened his mouth, reached the pliers back into his mouth, gripped the tooth, and closed the metal around it.
“You’re not gonna do it! You’re chicken!” Alex laughed and started to make chicken noises.
“I’m not chicken!” Kyle tried to say around the metal tool in his mouth before he twisted his hand around, his face screwing up with pain as he pulled the tooth straight out of the gum lining. “See!”
Alex did see. There was blood all down Kyle shirt, making the six year old look like a murder victim. But he didn’t seem to even notice. He was prancing around uncaring as he held up his prize for all to see.
“Alexander Benjamin Maddoc! What did you do!” It was their mom, framed in the doorway.
“I pulled my baby tooths out!” Kyle held his tooth up proudly and grinned revealing the gap in his mouth.
“Good job, honey. We’ll take a look at your mouth in a second. And then we can put your tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy to come get. But first...” And her gaze returned to Alex, “You young man, are gonna march right up those stairs and sit in your room until I’m finished with your brother. You’ve got some explaining to do!”
“But mom––” He started and stopped as she raised her hand.
“No buts, Alex, upstairs now!” And that was the final word.
And Alex stayed up there for the rest of the night after his mother had heard the whole story about the pliers and the dare. He didn’t see either of them until later when she came and tucked Kyle in and placed his tooth under his pillow. She closed the door and click off the light, only the orange night light giving a strange hue to the bedroom.
“Alex.” It was Kyle’s voice, “Are you mad at me?”
“Go to sleep, Kyle!” Alex grumbled.
“Alex.” Kyle again, “I pulled my tooths out. Did you see?”
“Yes, now go to sleep.” Alex turned over and covered his head with his pillow.
“Alex.”
“What is it Kyle!” He sat up in his bed, ready to tackle his little brother.
“Is the tooth fairy really real?” Kyle was playing with the tooth.
“Oh, er, of course she’s real.” Alex said, and Kyle couldn’t see the grin that spread over Alex’s face. “In fact. I’ve caught her before.”
“Really?” Kyle sat up in his bed.
“Yip. It was when I was six years old. Almost two years ago.” Alex whispered.
“Wow. That was forever ago!” Kyle whispered back.
“I know. Anyway. I set a trap.” Alex didn’t get much further before Kyle interrupted.
“How did you trap her!?”
“Shush, it doesn’t matter.” Alex stammered, “Anyway. I trapped her in a jar and I said I wouldn’t let her out unless she took me to see her fairy kingdom.”
“Did she!?” Kyle bounced up and down on his bed, “Did she, did she, did she?!”
“Yes.” And Alex paused for effect, “But it wasn’t very nice at all.”
“Really?” Kyle gulped, looking towards the open window. “How come?”
“It was scary.” Alex whispered. “There were trees that tried to eat my fingers. And there were fairies that cut off your ears. And there was the Queen faerie. She was a witch.”
“A witch?” Kyle swallowed.
“Yes, and she said that she send the tooth fairy out to find kids who are naughty and who do bad things.” And Alex paused here. “Like tell on their brothers, for example.”
“I’m sorry, Alex.” Kyle stammered, “I didn’t mean to.”
“Too late now.” Alex said smartly, “But anyway. When a tooth fairy finds a little boy or girl who is being very very bad. She sends... more faeries.”
“Good or bad ones?” Kyle asked, inching under his blanket more.
“The worst ones.” Alex said darkly.
“What was that!” Kyle yanked his blanket up further, “I heard something. By the window!”
“Maybe that’s them.” Alex couldn’t believe his luck with the timing of the branch outside. “Anyway, they’re the worst because they have pale white skin, small beady black eyes like a beatle, and long thin fingers with razor sharp claws that can reach in between the space between doors and windows and open any of them.”
“Any of them! Even our door!?!” Kyle asked, clutching the blanket. “Go on, and then what!?”
“They slowly turn the lock on the window frame.” Alex said, not noticing the lock on their own window frame turning slowly.
“And then?” Kyle was shaking.
“They raise it just barely. Just an inch. Just big enough for them to slip through unnoticed. Like shadows.” Alex spoke darkly, not noticing the small gap between the window and the window sill or the darkness on the floor.
“And then what?” Kyle asked his heart beating hard.
“Then they wait.” Alex spoke solemnly. “They wait for someone to come along and step into the shadow.”
“What happens if you step into the shadow?” Kyle was on the verge of tears.
“They get you!” Alex yelled and jumped at Kyle’s bed.
Kyle screamed and then kicked Alex off, the older brother laughing, “It’s not funny, Alex!”
“You should have seen your face!” Alex laughed, “It was priceless.”
“Boys! You better be in bed!” Their mother’s voice rang out.
Alex quickly jumped over into his own bed and dover under the covers. He wasn’t sure what woke him up several hours later. It was the middle of the night and he was cold. He saw the faint gap in the window and shivered, pushing himself out of his bed. He walked to the window, stumbling over toys in the dark. He was certain they had closed the window before they got into bed. He snapped it shut and as he did, he realized he was standing next to the nightlight. And in its orange glow he finally saw the puddle of shadows he was standing in.
He felt their small claws before he could see their pale skin and black beady eyes. He didn’t even have enough time to scream before he fell into the puddle of darkness. The room was silent. In the morning they would wake up to find Alexander Benjamin Maddoc missing and no matter how long the police would look they would never find the boy again. But in those last few moments of midnight hour, a small form fluttered and sparkled across the room before landing next to Kyle’s pillow. She was small and dainty and had eyes like black beetle eyes. She picked up the tooth and examined it. Nodding with satisfaction she produced a coin and left it in place of the tooth. And then with a wicked giggle she was gone.
“Bet you won’t do it!” He taunted at his younger brother.
“Will too!” Kyle yelled, opened his mouth, reached the pliers back into his mouth, gripped the tooth, and closed the metal around it.
“You’re not gonna do it! You’re chicken!” Alex laughed and started to make chicken noises.
“I’m not chicken!” Kyle tried to say around the metal tool in his mouth before he twisted his hand around, his face screwing up with pain as he pulled the tooth straight out of the gum lining. “See!”
Alex did see. There was blood all down Kyle shirt, making the six year old look like a murder victim. But he didn’t seem to even notice. He was prancing around uncaring as he held up his prize for all to see.
“Alexander Benjamin Maddoc! What did you do!” It was their mom, framed in the doorway.
“I pulled my baby tooths out!” Kyle held his tooth up proudly and grinned revealing the gap in his mouth.
“Good job, honey. We’ll take a look at your mouth in a second. And then we can put your tooth under your pillow for the tooth fairy to come get. But first...” And her gaze returned to Alex, “You young man, are gonna march right up those stairs and sit in your room until I’m finished with your brother. You’ve got some explaining to do!”
“But mom––” He started and stopped as she raised her hand.
“No buts, Alex, upstairs now!” And that was the final word.
And Alex stayed up there for the rest of the night after his mother had heard the whole story about the pliers and the dare. He didn’t see either of them until later when she came and tucked Kyle in and placed his tooth under his pillow. She closed the door and click off the light, only the orange night light giving a strange hue to the bedroom.
“Alex.” It was Kyle’s voice, “Are you mad at me?”
“Go to sleep, Kyle!” Alex grumbled.
“Alex.” Kyle again, “I pulled my tooths out. Did you see?”
“Yes, now go to sleep.” Alex turned over and covered his head with his pillow.
“Alex.”
“What is it Kyle!” He sat up in his bed, ready to tackle his little brother.
“Is the tooth fairy really real?” Kyle was playing with the tooth.
“Oh, er, of course she’s real.” Alex said, and Kyle couldn’t see the grin that spread over Alex’s face. “In fact. I’ve caught her before.”
“Really?” Kyle sat up in his bed.
“Yip. It was when I was six years old. Almost two years ago.” Alex whispered.
“Wow. That was forever ago!” Kyle whispered back.
“I know. Anyway. I set a trap.” Alex didn’t get much further before Kyle interrupted.
“How did you trap her!?”
“Shush, it doesn’t matter.” Alex stammered, “Anyway. I trapped her in a jar and I said I wouldn’t let her out unless she took me to see her fairy kingdom.”
“Did she!?” Kyle bounced up and down on his bed, “Did she, did she, did she?!”
“Yes.” And Alex paused for effect, “But it wasn’t very nice at all.”
“Really?” Kyle gulped, looking towards the open window. “How come?”
“It was scary.” Alex whispered. “There were trees that tried to eat my fingers. And there were fairies that cut off your ears. And there was the Queen faerie. She was a witch.”
“A witch?” Kyle swallowed.
“Yes, and she said that she send the tooth fairy out to find kids who are naughty and who do bad things.” And Alex paused here. “Like tell on their brothers, for example.”
“I’m sorry, Alex.” Kyle stammered, “I didn’t mean to.”
“Too late now.” Alex said smartly, “But anyway. When a tooth fairy finds a little boy or girl who is being very very bad. She sends... more faeries.”
“Good or bad ones?” Kyle asked, inching under his blanket more.
“The worst ones.” Alex said darkly.
“What was that!” Kyle yanked his blanket up further, “I heard something. By the window!”
“Maybe that’s them.” Alex couldn’t believe his luck with the timing of the branch outside. “Anyway, they’re the worst because they have pale white skin, small beady black eyes like a beatle, and long thin fingers with razor sharp claws that can reach in between the space between doors and windows and open any of them.”
“Any of them! Even our door!?!” Kyle asked, clutching the blanket. “Go on, and then what!?”
“They slowly turn the lock on the window frame.” Alex said, not noticing the lock on their own window frame turning slowly.
“And then?” Kyle was shaking.
“They raise it just barely. Just an inch. Just big enough for them to slip through unnoticed. Like shadows.” Alex spoke darkly, not noticing the small gap between the window and the window sill or the darkness on the floor.
“And then what?” Kyle asked his heart beating hard.
“Then they wait.” Alex spoke solemnly. “They wait for someone to come along and step into the shadow.”
“What happens if you step into the shadow?” Kyle was on the verge of tears.
“They get you!” Alex yelled and jumped at Kyle’s bed.
Kyle screamed and then kicked Alex off, the older brother laughing, “It’s not funny, Alex!”
“You should have seen your face!” Alex laughed, “It was priceless.”
“Boys! You better be in bed!” Their mother’s voice rang out.
Alex quickly jumped over into his own bed and dover under the covers. He wasn’t sure what woke him up several hours later. It was the middle of the night and he was cold. He saw the faint gap in the window and shivered, pushing himself out of his bed. He walked to the window, stumbling over toys in the dark. He was certain they had closed the window before they got into bed. He snapped it shut and as he did, he realized he was standing next to the nightlight. And in its orange glow he finally saw the puddle of shadows he was standing in.
He felt their small claws before he could see their pale skin and black beady eyes. He didn’t even have enough time to scream before he fell into the puddle of darkness. The room was silent. In the morning they would wake up to find Alexander Benjamin Maddoc missing and no matter how long the police would look they would never find the boy again. But in those last few moments of midnight hour, a small form fluttered and sparkled across the room before landing next to Kyle’s pillow. She was small and dainty and had eyes like black beetle eyes. She picked up the tooth and examined it. Nodding with satisfaction she produced a coin and left it in place of the tooth. And then with a wicked giggle she was gone.
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