By EstherYanquoi
The tooth fairy was in no mood to go out on her rounds. The joy she usually felt each night just wasn’t there. Lately, she hadn’t been finding the bright, sparkling teeth that she wanted because the children were just not brushing their teeth like they should.
She knew what was wrong; she could see the tricks the children were playing on their parents. She could see Tanue standing in the bathroom with the water running to fool his mother when she told him to brush his teeth before bed. And there was Johnny swishing water around in his mouth to make his mom think he had brushed his teeth. Little Abby actually licked the tooth paste tube so when her mommy kissed her good night she would smell toothpaste on Abby’s breath and think that she had brushed her teeth. Mya just wet her tooth brush to make her dad think she had brushed.
The tooth fairy was very, very disappointed with these little boys and girls. The teeth she was finding were brown and full of cavities and it made her very, very sad. She was so sad, in fact, that she decided it was time to give up being the tooth fairy and to look for another job. Maybe she could send a letter to Santa to see if he needed another helper for Christmas. Or maybe she could collect adult teeth instead—but then adults didn’t lose many teeth. She wasn’t sure what job she might like, but she did know that she just couldn’t look at one more unhealthy tooth.
Soon, the little boys and girls began to wonder why the tooth fairy didn’t come for their teeth anymore. They were concerned and wanted to know what had happened. They asked their mommies and daddies about it, but the grownups didn’t have any good answers for them.
Seeing how unhappy the children were, the tooth fairy decided to write to the grownups. Each child’s parents got a letter from the tooth fairy saying how unhappy she was with the teeth she had been finding. She told them that the children were not being honest with their parents about brushing their teeth. She promised to return if the children stopped playing tricks.
When the children heard about the letters, they all decided to write to the tooth fairy. When the tooth fairy checked her mailbox, she was pleased to see hundreds of letters from children from all over the world promising that they would start brushing their teeth twice a day. They also said they were sorry for playing tricks on their parents, and asked the tooth fairy to please come back.
The tooth fairy was so happy with the letters that she decided to give the boys and girls another chance. She printed a letter for each child to sign. The letter said “Dear Tooth Fairy, I promise to brush my teeth twice each day.” When the tooth fairy got all of the letters back, she agreed to go back to work the very next month.
All of the children kept their promises to brush their teeth twice a day and at the end of a month, and just as she promised, the tooth fairy went back to work. The boys and girls were so excited that they couldn’t wait to go to bed; they put their teeth under their pillows and tried very hard to stay awake so that they might see the tooth fairy. But, of course, she did not come until they were all fast asleep. Then she took each tooth from under its pillow, and left the owner a prize in return.
That night the tooth fairy visited all the children in the world that had lost teeth. She loved all the teeth she gathered that night. They were pearly white and clean, and they were so bright and shining that they were easy to find—even in the dark.
When the children woke up the next morning and looked under their pillows, they were very pleased to see that the Tooth fairy had finally returned, and they silently promised to keep brushing their teeth twice a day from that day forward. The tooth fairy was so very happy to be back at work that she bought a brand new tooth fairy bag to hold all of the teeth she gathered.
A few days later, the tooth fairy had one more special surprise. She got a lovely letter from Santa thanking her for forgiving the children and saying that he was very glad that she was back at work. That letter really made her smile.