The Tooth Fairy responsible for our area has her work cut out at the moment. My son has lost six teeth so far over more than two years, but his younger sister, my six year old, is challenging him on the growing up front. She has already lost four teeth in under a year, is nearly the same size as him and has that strangely appealing gappy smile at the moment. The tooth fairy can’t quite keep up though. With all the best intentions in the world, leaving coins beside our bed as a memory aid, I tumble into bed to sleep and only on waking remember, panicking, that the tooth fairy has neglected her duties.
It’s a weekend, the children have gone through to watch a DVD, leaving us to doze. Has she remembered to check yet? I sneak into the bedroom on the pretext of opening the curtains and putting back the covers. Last time the tooth was still there and I managed to effect the swap in time. Today though no tooth under the pillow. Foiled! I slip the R2 coin down the side of the mattress, where the tooth fairy might conceivably have left it if she was in a hurry and hope for the best. A few minutes later Jungle Book 2 ends and they troop back through. My daughter silent, her hand clutching something. Without saying a word she uncurls her fingers enough for me to glimpse the tooth still wrapped in silver foil. She has been nursing this disappointment all the time she was watching.
Guilt strikes me – the magic of finding a bright silver coin under your pillow in the morning when you wake is such a big thing and now one chance is gone. We hurriedly search the bed. My son is now an expert, his coins have mysteriously turned up inside the pillow slips, sometimes two days later. He inspects the pillows closely, then we discover the coin lurking down the side of the bed. But what about the tooth? Will the tooth fairy come back for it tonight? We put it carefully back under her pillow in case. What should the tooth fairy leave on her second visit for the same tooth, do you think? The coin has already been handed over, maybe she should just tuck a flower under the pillow as she carries off her bounty....if she remembers!
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