A boy who didn't Brush his teeth

A Boy Who Didn’t Brush His Teeth
It was a cold January Morning, neither birds nor trees moved. Everything lay silently enveloped in the dense mist that had descended over the town.
“Wake up Andy, my boy…Now Get UP!...you’ll be late for school.”
Mummy had been trying to wake Andy for the past half an hour. A tiny, red, nose showed up behind the covers.
“Brrr…” said Andy and rolled over to sleep again. But Mummy would put up no more. She yanked off the covers, and Andy sat up almost immediately.
“I’m NOT going to school anymore,” yelled Andy trying to reach out for his quilt, but Mummy was too quick for him, “NO, Andy!, and why is it that you don’t want to go to school?”
“I’ve decided to be a Hunter-Gatherer, when I grow up! I’d be living naked in a tropical forest, living on berries, grubs, and the occasional frog, and spending my free time grooming for Lices!”
Mummy chuckled, then straightened up,
”I really don’t know how you fill your head with such wonderful nonsense, but today you are heading straight for school…first to the bathroom…and DO brush your teeth!” said she, pushing the reluctant boy into the bathroom.
Andy was seven, and a very dirty little devil. He went inside and heard the bathroom door lock behind. There really was no escape. He opened the basin-tap and touched the icy water with the tip of his finger. He drew it back immediately.
“No way, it’s too cold”.
He lifted up his toothbrush from the stand, ran it under water for sometime and then put it back. Not even the mint flavored toothpaste could tempt him to brush his teeth. Quickly he washed his face, (else Mummy would notice), and angrily banged at the door.
“Let me out Mummy!”
“Too quick”, said mummy looking at him reprovingly.
“Now, did you brush his teeth, Andy?”
“You’d want to check the toothbrush, I suppose”, said Andy putting up a scowl.
“No, I’ll believe you!” said Mummy sweetly.
“Now change in your school dre…NO Andy!!… I don’t remember telling you to sleep again…Out…Out!!”
It was afternoon until Andy returned from school. He was positively delighted to see Daddy home too.
“Hi Daddy! Are we going out of town again…wow! No, we must be going to the amusement park. Right?…oh! But there aren’t any new rides…how about a nice movie…my friend told me about this one…”
Daddy stopped him midway, beaming at him, ”Now don’t get cheeky, my boy, I’m early so that we can keep up your appointment with the dentist”.
Andy’s face fell, how he hated to go to the dentist. Although, the dentist was his father’s friend and great with children, Andy wasn’t too fond of him.
His last visit wasn’t too encouraging either. The dentist examined his teeth in light of a tiny torch and jabbed at his tongue, which Andy made no efforts to keep still, here’s where Andy began wailing out for Mummy.
“Now, don’t you laddie!”, said the dentist, now people don’t seem exactly benevolent when you see then lying on your back, that frightened Andy.
“Patricia, hold this boy, I haven’t even touched his teeth.”
A menacing looking fat nurse held Andy tightly, Andy felt choked. He felt nauseated at the sight of all those metallic sharp instruments, that awful, awful drill.
“Great”, said Andy bitterly, and withdrew from the room.
Only if, he stayed away from home for an hour or two, the appointment would be cancelled and since other Kids kept the dentist busy, the next appointment will be no sooner than a week away. Great scheme, but where would he go?
Of course to Martin’s place, he doesn’t even have a phone. He’s new in school and Mummy doesn’t know where he lives. Pat on back!
Andy slipped out of Home in just about time, when Daddy was taking out the car in the driveway and Mummy was locking up the front door.
Moments later they sat in the front seats, turned to each other and asked this wonderful question,
“Where’s Andy?”
After some wait, they went in the house thinking that Andy might have been locked in. No good.
They searched high and low. Mummy tearfully called all of Andy’s friends and daddy drove up to all the houses he knew.
A few hours later Andy was back home, and headed straight for his room innocently, as if nothing had happened. Mummy and Daddy went after him.
“Where had you been?”, Daddy asked him rather sternly.
“Do you realize, how worried we were?” added Mummy.
“It’s not the first time he has done this, believe me I’m never going to take him to the Dentist again, even if all his teeth rot, and I’m NOT reading him any stories tonight.”
Daddy stormed out of the room. Phew!
But Mummy stayed,” Look Andy, it’s just two of your teeth now, but if you don’t go to the dentist, you’ll loose all of them soon. I really don’t think it’s a cool idea to wear denture at seven” ,she said worriedly.
“Not two, just one Mummy,” said Andy and spread out his fist. Apparently one of the rotten tooth had yielded and that poor, tired thing lay there in his tiny pink palm.
He did look very funny with one of his tooth missing, so Mummy could not hold back a smile.
“Put it under your pillow, the tooth fairy will leave you money for it.”
Andy, knew what Mummy meant.

Look, the tooth fairy visits every child who has broken a tooth, and in lieu of it, puts back money under your pillow. Now you’re not supposed to see her and in the night if you feel some movement under your pillow, you’re not supposed to open your eyes, that’ll spoil the magic.
Andy often wondered what she did with so many teeth, must be a difficult assignment, first you go around the globe giving out money to children at night, and then you come back carrying loads of milk-teeth you have nothing good to do with. May be she just likes collecting them, like Andy has a fetish for toffee wrappers, he has a mighty collection of 504 and it’s secret too.
Andy went to sleep, with the tooth fairy on his mind. He dreamt he was floating above the soft white clouds and then they began parting. Something like moonlight shone all around him, and far away stood a lady figure in red, with her back at Andy.
She was a fairy, and you could tell that by how moonlight played about her translucent wings. Her soft brown tresses swayed gently in the wind. Then she turned, a gasp escaped Andy, she was so beautiful and looked so oddly familiar. Kind, brown eyes, smooth milky skin, a perfect chiseled face, but she didn’t look happy.
She looked as if she is in great pain.
“Fairy, why are you so worried?”
“Oh, Andy you’ve given me a rotten tooth.”
“Did I? No, it can’t be, You see I brush regularly, may be some other kid’s.”
“Is it so Andy, then open your mouth and let me have a better look.”
“No, No, it isn’t necessary.!”
“Andy! You don’t brush your teeth and you tell lies as well. You are a horrible boy Andy.”
A thousand voices yelled around him,” You are a horrible boy Andy!”
“Go away. I am NOT giving you any money!”
“Nooooo…..Please …I’m sorry.”
Andy woke up; he felt a movement under his pillow. He shouldn’t have turned, but turn he did. He was so sorry, he wanted to apologize to the tooth fairy. But…who was this? This wasn’t the tooth fairy, this was Mummy?
“Mummy, what are you doing here?”
Mummy went red in face; she had been caught putting money under Andy’s pillow. Now, that she’ll have to tell Andy that there is no tooth fairy, mothers all over the world become tooth fairies to keep alive a particular lady in red, in their youngster’s dreams. Nevertheless, this dream had ended soon, too soon.
However, she was relieved of the responsibility for a few more years, by Andy himself.
“You put back the money, the tooth fairy left for me!” Andy shouted in indignation.
“Well, the tooth fairy told me to keep it with me, till Andy starts brushing his teeth,” how clever of Mummy!
Now, it was Andy’s turn to go red in face. The blow was well aimed.
“Yes, she did tell me that she was angry, for I had given her a rotten tooth,” Andy admitted.
“And she told me, that Andy must see the dentist, and brush his teeth, and be a good boy, and eat vegetables,” added Mummy, well, this was her moment.
“You’re wrong! She didn’t say anything about vegetables!”
“She did to me.”
“You know her?”
“Of course I do, she’s very beautiful isn’t she?”
“Yes…she is. And did you see that red dress she wears?”
“Oh yes! Splendid isn’t it? Just as wonderful as that pearl necklace she wears.”
“There’s no necklace!”
“She must have taken it out then,” Mummy said tucking Andy back.
“Mummy, are you a fairy?”
“No, dear why?”
“…Because you are so beautiful.”
Mummy smiled.
“Goodnight Andy.”
“Goodnight Mummy.”
“Mummy”
“Yes Andy.”
“Tell the tooth fairy that I’ll be a good boy and brush my teeth.”
So, the dream lives on.