“Of Teeth”

M.I.H. McCool

Content Information:

• Mention of child abuse

• Losing teeth

A memory I hold well of my dearest Alphonse during the darker moments of our childhood was a time when he was boundless with excitement. How that boy of ten could be so enthusiastic and bright despite what we underwent sometimes on a daily basis, I will never know, yet Alphonse always managed to remain light-hearted and innocent. He awakened with a start that morning. I did not pay him much attention. I was in the middle of a thread of thought that I had pondered for the majority of the evening. Then, I noticed as he shifted next to me. I turned my head to see what the commotion was, only to watch him rub his jaw.

“What is the matter?” I whispered, not wishing to awaken the other two boys in our quarters who still slumbered and greatly needed the rest for the upcoming day. Alphonse looked to me with a frown.

“Tooth hurts,” he whispered back. I sighed. My poor little friend complained the night before of this pain. He could not eat any of his evening meal, besides the goat’s milk, which he detested but drank upon my insistence that he needed the nourishment. 

“Come here,” I motioned for him to scoot himself closer to me, and he did. He turned onto his side and we faced each other.

“Open your mouth,” I commanded, and with only a breath of hesitation, he obeyed. I looked inside at the small bones, some crooked, some cracked from trauma, and several missing. Then, I saw the one in question. I reached into his mouth, and though Alphonse was surprised, he remained still as I touched the tooth. It wiggled beneath my fingertip. I smiled as I brought my hand back.

“It is a baby tooth. It will fall out soon enough,” I said reassuringly after I gave his forehead a quick kiss. 

“Baby tooth? It is so far in the back. Perhaps it was hurt when I hit my head on the table yesterday…” he said curiously, trying to understand. I giggled as I patted his cheek, though I still felt a twinge of sadness when he remarked about the table. 

“No, no, it is nothing that you did, Leofstan. A baby tooth is a tooth that you lose no matter what. Everyone loses their baby teeth…” I explained softly, until I began to think about myself. I knew well that I still possessed several baby teeth that had yet to fall out. 

“Will it hurt when it falls out?” he asked me with a bit of fear in his eyes.

“No. It will be a relief. You do not want to fret over a loose tooth forever, do you?” I asked. He smiled half-heartedly as he shook his head. I placed my hand against his cheek again, a thought suddenly overwhelming me. 

“Have you no recollection of losing your baby teeth before?” I questioned. He seemed puzzled.

“I have lost teeth before. But they fall out when I hit my head on the table… or when I am beat…” he said in a hushed voice. Again, I kissed his forehead and ran my fingers through his beautiful golden hair. 

“One day, we will leave this place… there is so much you have missed in your life,” I whispered. He smiled a little as he huddled closer onto my mat. We laid like this in the quiet of the early morning for a minute, before an idea sparked in me. I smiled to myself.

“So… I take it you have never seen the Tooth Fairy, then…” I said in a tone that was laced in deliberate mystery. He tilted his gaze up to me again, wonder overwhelming his eyes. 

“Tooth Fairy?” 

“Oh, yes! I happen to know the Tooth Fairy quite well -”

“Peter, what is the Tooth Fairy?!” he exclaimed in a hype. I pressed my finger to his lips to shush him and calm him. Again, I did not want to awaken the other boys.

“Do not be so loud! Do you want the others to know my secret?” I whispered severely. He shook his head quickly.

“The Tooth Fairy is a lovely lady fairy who comes in the form of a tiny mouse to take away the baby teeth of children. Once a baby tooth is cast from the child’s mouth, he must place it beneath his pillow that night. Then, the fairy comes while the child sleeps to take the tooth, and in its place she leaves him a gift!” I explained brightly yet still softly. He looked at me with amazement. 

“That is incredible! How does she know when someone loses a baby tooth?”

“She has a magic crystal that allows her to see all of the children who will be losing their baby teeth,” I said convincingly. 

“What does she do with so many teeth?” 

“She uses them to build her castle.” 

“Right… and what sort of gifts does she leave?” he pressed on excitedly.

“Well… she used to leave me peppermint candy. Once, she even left me a new marble!” I exclaimed, only to have to remind myself to remain quiet. Alphonse giggled. Then, his bright smile faded.

“Why has she never come to take my teeth?” he asked me sadly. I had to think quickly.

“She did not know where you were. Sometimes, her crystal ball is a little dirty and she loses track of some of the children. But with me here, she is sure to visit you and take your tooth! She and I are good friends,” I said valiantly. He raised a brow.

“Why are you such good friends with a mouse fairy?” he questioned. I shrugged one shoulder.

“Us supernatural beings must be acquainted, you understand,” I smirked. He laughed with a snort.

Despite my attempts, my friend’s loud snort is what caused the boys to awaken. Moments later, the bell rang for us to rise. Therefore, it was time for us to greet the day.

~

Alphonse and I went about our chores and activities as usual. During this, I was thought about what I had managed to do that morning. I instilled in him a dream, a story of wonder and mystery. If I did not provide him with a gift for his tooth, that dream would crumble. What could I possibly place beneath his pillow? Anything from the kitchen would be too dangerous to sneak away. The food we were given was in no way gift-worthy, and candy was simply not a commodity at the monastery. Money was also not something that I had and Alphonse had no use for it, anyway. In my haste to give my little friend something to look forward to with excitement, I had forgotten that I was not in a position to give him much of anything when the time did come for the tooth to fall out.

I was rather sullen. So much so that I did not realize he was missing from the afternoon meal before it was nearly over. I asked a few of the boys if they had seen where he went, and they simply shrugged and brushed off my concern, as they usually did when one of us was missing, for it usually meant only one thing. I felt my stomach tighten into a knot as I excused myself and left the table in search of him. 

Alphonse was in the infirmary. This was highly unusual for him, even after punishment, and I was immensely concerned. When I knew that he was alone, I rushed inside and closed the door behind me. He was asleep, but I could feel the pain resonating from him. I took his hand within mine and brushed his hair from his eyes. His cheek was bruised. 

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I lost…” he muttered, his eyes watering. 

“Please, tell me! What happened? What were you punished for this time?” I demanded softly. He shook his head.

“I do not remember… I think I did not fold the linen properly. I do not care. Peter, I lost it!” he whispered shrilly on the edge of tears. 

“Shh… what are you speaking of?”

“My tooth! I lost it! I bit my tongue, and I felt it break away. I did not think about it as I spat it out with the blood, as I usually do… I lost it! The Tooth Fairy will not come to see me,” he sighed dismally. I sighed, as well. This was what I deserved for creating this silly fantasy for him. Now he will obsess over a tooth and a lost opportunity. What a mess I manufactured!

“Leofstan… all is well. Do not fret over it,” I said in the most cheerful voice I could muster, but he shook his head as a single stream of a tear slipped down his bruised cheek.

“I wanted so much to see her. I wanted her to add my tooth to her castle. I wanted to be a part of it! Why am I never good enough?” he choked. I gripped his hand. 

“You are! Listen to me… I will find that tooth. I will find it, and we will put it beneath your pillow tonight. And my good friend will come and leave you a gift!” I said with confidence. His eyes brightened, though still glossy by those tears.

“Peter, it is too dangerous!” 

“I will be as stealthy as a cat. I will find it. You will get that gift,” I patted his cheek. 

~

I made well of the promise, though it was only half true. While Alphonse washed himself and changed his tunic, I set work to the first part of my plan. I had no intention of looking for his tooth, for I knew well that it had long since been discarded to Lord only knows where by the fathers, who were meticulous at keeping the room spotless after every punishment. No, my plan involved a tooth, all right. Yet it would not be Alphonse’s. 

It took me nearly ten minutes of painstaking labor, but I managed to push and pull and finally broke from myself one of my own baby teeth. I washed the tiny tooth, and after I helped Alphonse back to our quarters once he had washed up in the lavatory, I showed him the dismembered bone. 

“Peter! You found it! When could you have possibly done it?” he asked, astounded as he took it into his hands, as if it were a treasure. I smiled, but not too broadly. I was still working on regenerating the tooth. 

“Never underestimate my capabilities. Now, I want you to place it beneath your pillow now. That way, you will not lose it again,” I answered. He nodded brightly and did as he was told. 

But then, he gasped loudly. I could not see what was the matter, my sight obstructed by the pillow. He fell backward onto the mat, shock overcoming his face completely. 

“Whatever is the matter?” I asked, bewildered. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

“You lied to me…” 

I stood there for a good moment, trying to understand what he meant. How could he have known? I took a step forward to see what had happened, and then, I understood. 

The tooth had decayed into a tiny black, bubbling puddle on the mat. I let out a breath and looked back to my friend, who still stared at me for a response.

“Leofstan… I am sorry. You understand, I could not retrieve that tooth. The Fathers would have punished me -”

He stood quickly, and in great haste, he hugged me tightly, burying his head into my chest with a small sob.

“You gave me your own tooth. Peter, you broke your own tooth from yourself so that I can be visited by the Tooth Fairy!” he cried. I did not know what to do except to wrap my arms around him. I did not expect this reaction at all.

“Yes, well… that is what best friends do,” I said, a bit embarrassed by this reaction.

“You should not have done it. That must have been painful! You should not have done that to yourself,” he whispered. 

“I would do it again, if I knew that it would not end up the same way. I am sorry, Leofstan. I wanted this to be a happy experience for you. The truth is… there is no Tooth Fairy. It is only a story told to children so that they will not be afraid when the time comes for them to lose their baby teeth. It was such a happy story when I was little… I wanted you to feel that same happiness, as well,” I admitted. He smiled up at me.

“I knew that it was not true,” he said with a shrug. I raised a brow.

“Is that so?”

“Of course! Fairies do not exist. Especially mouse fairies who take away the teeth of children to build a castle. A little macabre, do you not think?” he winked at me as we parted. I crossed my arms.

“No! It is delightful! Do not tell me that you did not think that it was even a little true!” I called after him as he scrubbed one of his handkerchiefs against the mat.

“I know when you are fabricating something. I am only happy that you went through so much just for me to be entertained. You truly are my best friend in the world!” He giggled once more.

Alphonse lost approximately six more baby teeth since that day - two of which were within the boundaries of the monastery, and the rest were after we made our great escape. 

The last I checked, I still possess eight baby teeth - one of which was the tooth that I extracted from myself on that day many years ago to give to a boy who wanted so much to see a fairy that he apparently regarded as nonexistent. 

~

Author’s Note

This short takes place during Peter and Alphonse’s stay at the monastery in France in The Immortal Perception from Peter’s point of view.