G'day everyone!
Jack is probably 16 here. Rosie is 5. Another one in her perspective. Enjoy!
"Rosie, you know she's not going to come if you're awake, right?"
Rosie Overland, sitting up in bed in the middle of the night, turned her head to see the sleepy, if not rather amused, face of her brother. She smiled back at him and started to bounce on the thin mattress in her excitement.
"I know, I know. But it's the tooth fairy! I wanna see her when she comes."
A fearful thought seemed to cross over Rosie's face suddenly. She got real serious and quickly lifted her pillow, and her face relaxed considerably when she saw her tiny, pearly tooth still resting behind it. All was well; she hadn't missed her yet.
Jack laughed as he sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He pressed gentle hands on his sister's shoulders, coursing her head back to her pillow.
"Jack, tell me about the tooth fairy!" She asked while Jack repositioned the covers and tucked in her little limbs.
"Again?" He teased, "I thought mom told you earlier."
"Yeah but you tell it better. Momma always forgets about the palace. And the tooth fairy's name. And when she was little and stuff. Please, Jack?" Her puppy-dog eyes grew to the size of saucers.
Jack finished securing her arms and leaned in close to give her a butterfly kiss. They both giggled. "Well, first thing you gotta know is the Tooth Fairy's old. She's one of the oldest people in history. Older than Santa!"
If Rosie's arms were free she would have started clapping. This was how Jack always started out…
"She's so old that she was the world's first princess. She lived in a magical palace with her mother and father. Her name was Toothina."
Rosie smiled and dug herself deeper into her covers. She loved the tooth fairy's name. It was so pretty.
"There were two things in the world that Toothina loved more than anything, besides her parents of course: children and teeth. She loved them both so much and the kingdom started a tradition: whenever a child lost their tooth, they would bring it to Toothina and she would give them money in exchange. The man in the moon saw the joy and happiness she was bringing to the children, so, one day, he gave her a gift. He gave her beautiful wings so she could fly. That way she could get to all the teeth in the world. And he made it so she never got older so she could bring joy to children for the rest of time."
Jack paused in his story. He looked at Rosie's face to see if she'd fallen asleep yet. Her closed eyes fluttered open at his silence.
"Finish the story, Jack." Rosie said sleepily.
He smiled, "Okay, okay. Over the years she's made up a routine. She's got to work during the night, you see, because it gets too hot for her to fly during the day. And she tells children to put the teeth under pillows so she always knows where to look."
Rosie made a very soft, "Mhmm" at Jack's pause.
"Then in the morning," He continued, "you'll wake up and check under your pillow. And she'll have a present there just for you."
Jack paused a final time and checked to see Rosie's eyes firmly closed and her breathing deep. He smiled both in relief and amusement and settled himself into the covers as well. The siblings both drifted off, dreaming dreams of little fairies with sacks of teeth and stacks of coins.
Rosie didn't remember drifting off during Jack's story, but the next time she woke it was still dark outside. She sat up, trying to find what had woken her. It couldn't have been Jack's loud snoring, could it? Usually she slept through that… Her ears caught the faintest buzzing sound, like a bumblebee in summer. She looked around the tiny room and when she finally found the source of the buzzing, her quiet gasp flooded the room.
Fluttering just centimeters above Jack's mouth, seemingly admiring his flashing pearly whites, was the tiniest little person Rosie had ever seen, so tiny she could probably fit in Rosie's hand. Only, she wasn't really a person… She had a tiny set of transparent wings that sparkled green and purple and blue when they beat. And her body was covered in shiny green and blue feathers, almost like a hummingbird.
"The tooth fairy" Rosie whispered in awe, her eyes as wide as saucers.
The little fairy jumped at her voice, noticing the wakened child for the first time. But she only gaped for a moment before breaking her face into a cheerful, beautiful grin. It wasn't often that Baby Tooth saw children awake. Many said they would stay up all night to catch a glimpse of the great legend at her work, but so few managed.
Baby Tooth took the opportunity in full, flying around in front of Rosie and making intricate circles and loops in the air. Rosie clapped as quietly as her excitement would allow, "Pretty!"
Baby Tooth gave a little bow before stealing once last, noticeable glance at Jack's exposed mouth. Rosie caught the action, "Jack! I'll wake him up too. He'll be so excited."
Baby Tooth's little feathered face turned from green to pink as Rosie made to shake her brother's shoulder. She quickly held up her tiny hands and waved the back and forth in protest. Her blushing head shook violently.
"No?" Rosie asked. Baby Tooth nodded. "Why not?"
The little fairy's blushing continued; she clasped her hands behind her back and looked rather embarrassed, but wore an infatuated smile.
Rosie didn't get it.
She shrugged her shoulders and moved her hand away. Baby Tooth visibly relaxed. Suddenly Rosie remembered the reason for the tooth fairy's appearance. "Oh!" She quickly picked up her thin feather pillow and grabbed the little tooth under it, showing it proudly to the fairy. "Here's my tooth!"
Baby Tooth got very excited and did a small loop before accepting the tooth graciously. With the tooth under one arm, she used her other to fish out a shiny looking coin. She placed the shilling in Rosie's awaiting hands and the girl looked at it with awe.
"Really? A whole shilling?"
Baby Tooth nodded.
"Thank you tooth fairy!" Rosie beamed, "Oh, thank you so much. With this, I can buy my dolly!"
Baby Tooth didn't even have to know that Rosie had had her eye on the newest creation from the seamstress down the street. Baby Tooth didn't even have to see the old canning jar Rosie had been using to save her money for over a month. All she had to see was the smile on her face right now to know the significance of her gesture. This was why she did what she did, for moments like this.
Baby Tooth came back to reality realizing she'd spent way too much time already at the Overland household. There was a little boy three town's over in Massachusetts Bay Colony who'd lost his second lateral incisor that morning. She had to get going! She smiled again at Rosie, cast one final fond look at Jack, and buzzed out the window.
Rosie waved goodbye and eyed her shilling happily. Sleep wasn't even on her mind with her frazzling thoughts of what had just happened. But, before she knew it, she was being shaken awake to an excited pair of chocolate brown eyes.
"Did she come?" Her brother asked.
"She came, Jack! She was here!" She told him how she woke up to the buzzing of her wings. She told him how she'd described her all wrong and how she was smaller than she expected and how she, in fact, had feathers. She showed him her shilling proudly.
He hugged her tight, feeding off her energy and saying how happy and proud he was of her. Rosie drank in the feel of his cotton shirt, practically absorbing the love he gave her. Rosie loved her brother.
The siblings got ready for the day, Jack had promised to take her to the market to pick up her doll. But just as Jack was turning their door open, Rosie remembered something.
"The tooth fairy saw you too Jack!"
"Oh yeah?" He laughed.
"Yeah! Your mouth was open and she was looking at your teeth. I was about to wake you up, but the tooth fairy got really nervous when I said that. So I didn't. I think she likes you."
Jack's face couldn't have looked more confused. What was Rosie talking about…?
"I think it's because your teeth are so shiny," Rosie babbled on, "you do have really pretty teeth."
Jack just decided to play along, "Well, what can I say; your brother here has a gift. I guess I'll have to teach you my ways." He nudged Rosie's side playfully.
The pair giggled and continued on their way to the town. With one hand, Rosie jingled her heavy coin jar happily. With the other, she held her brother's, certain that things for them would never change.
I feel like I always end these with horrible foreshadowing. Oh, how I don't envy these character's futures.
This was another request from the lovely 'Cool and Creative' I know you asked for Tooth specifically, but it was fun to write a little bit of Baby Tooth, who, by the way, wins the award for longest, most devoted fangirl. Here's to Baby Tooth everyone! – Four for you Baby Tooth. You go Baby Tooth!- Hopefully this turned out okay.
I'll always take requests. But thank you so much for clicking and reading!