Flash Fiction - The Tooth Fairy

Based on the prompt, "A tooth falls out."

Will held up the shiny piece of porcelain, a gap-toothed grin on his face. “Look, Daddy, my toof finally fell out.”

Raising both hands in mock shock, Alan said, ‘“Well, would you look at that beauty. May I see it.”

His son giggled as he handed over the tooth, which Alan held up to the light, one eye closed, as though examining some precious gem. “This one looks very valuable indeed. I’m sure the tooth fairy will be willing to pay a pretty penny to get her hands on it.”

Now it was Will’s turn to look shocked, although his histrionics were real. “You think so?” he finally gasped.

Handing the tooth back to his boy, Alan nodded solemnly. “Only one way to find out. Better put it under your pillow now so that it doesn’t get lost.” Alan grinned as his son sprinted off, thundering upstairs to place the tooth in its rightful place.

Mel smiled, too, but always the more practical of the couple, she said, “You do have a few bucks in your wallet, right?”

“Shit,” Alan said as he plucked out his billfold, which was empty save for some old receipts and his credit cards. “I’ll run to the ATM while you get home ready for bed.”

“Deal,” Mel replied.

---

The fairy flitted through the night sky, avoiding streetlights as much as possible. She was a tiny little thing and would have been mistaken for a moth by anyone that saw her, but it was her current appearance that made her shy away from the light.

Her dress, once blinding white and spun from spider silk, was now grubby and in tatters. Her pale skin was dirty, black veins showing through, and her wings were now little more than thin, membranous pieces of worn flesh that looked ready to disintegrate. Her appearance had nothing to do with a lack of self-care, but rather a result of a lack of belief from little ones. In the digital age, the idea of the tooth fairy was diminishing, and it was leaving her hungry and close to death.

Feeling the pull of the tooth and the little boy’s belief, she darted ever faster, finally arriving at the house. She slipped through a slightly open window and flew into the boy’s bedroom. Instead of finding the tooth, there was nothing more than a colorful piece of paper under his pillow. She could still sense the tooth was nearby, and she finally found it in another bedroom, this one much larger.

Picking up the tooth, she flew back into the boy’s room and began to feast. The taste was extraordinary and her stomach continued to growl as she devoured the entire thing, her razor-sharp teeth making short work of the porcelain prize.

She thought about leaving and waiting for the next call, but when she looked at the sleeping boy, his mouth hanging open, she couldn’t help but notice the array of tasty white treats beckoning from within. “No, no, Nyxley, you must not,” she chided, but another voice from inside her head told her that the boy would lose them all in time, but would he still believe? Decision made, she flitted onto his bottom lip and peered inside.

---

Alan grinned as he heard Will tearing out of his room and thundering downstairs. His happiness turned to fear when the boy came into view. His lips and chin were coated in dried blood, as was the crumpled bill clutched in his balled fist. When he smiled, all that Alan saw was a mouthful of swollen gums, the teeth all gone.