The Tooth Fairy

            by Caitlin Morrissey

 

Once upon a time, far, far away from here, there was a magical land full of all kinds of creatures. It was called Jamboria. Faries, trolls, the stork, witches, wizards, leprechauns, and the Easter bunny were all residents of Jamboria. Santa and Mrs. Clause even had a vacation home there. But this story revolves around someone special. This story is about Jezebel Lilypad Jones, also known as the Tooth Fairy.

            Jezebel, Jezzie for short, lived in a beautiful house made of teeth. Every surface of every counter was made of teeth. Her walls were made of teeth. Even her tables were made of teeth. In fact, everything in her house was made of teeth, except for her bed of course. It was made out of toothbrushes, with bristle pillows and silky floss blankets.

 

 

            The time had come for Jezzie to renew her flying license. It had been over ten years since her last test, and she kept getting letters from the DWV, the Department of Wings and Vehicles, telling her that she had to re-take her flying test or her wings would be taken away. Because Jezzie was somewhat new to her job, she had only been the tooth fairy for two hundred and twenty-four years, her wings were not permanent yet. When the last tooth fairy had handed over the job, she told Jezzie that there would be some very special moment in her life that would make her wings grow in. But since that special day had not yet come, Jezzie set out from her tooth house, and flew downtown to the gray building that housed the DWV, took a number and waited.

            After two and a half hours of paging through old magazines and flying manuals, Jezzie finally heard her number called.

            “Number eight hundred and thirty four?” the witch behind the counter asked.

            “That’s me!” said Jezzie, ready to take the test and get on with her day.

            “If you’d follow me outside, an instructor is waiting to take you on your test,” the witch said and walked outside.

            “Thanks,” Jezzie said to the witch who disappeared in a puff of purple smoke once she had led Jezzie outside. “So, are you my instructor?”

            “Yes, siree,” a small troll said. “Let’s begin. I want you to fly out of this lot, make a left and keep flying until I give further instruction.”

            “Ok, I can do that,” Jezzie said and began flying.

 

 

            Once her test was over, Jezzie eagerly waited for the troll’s evaluation.

            “I’m sorry Miss Jones, but you didn’t pass your flying test,” the troll told Jezzie for the third time. “You’ll have to re-take the test next week.”

            “But, but I don’t see how this happened! What am I supposed to do until then?” Jezzie asked.

            “Well, you know the flying regulations. We have to take your wings until your test next week. It’s the law,” the troll said.

            “But I can’t loose my wings! What will I do about all the teeth?”

            “You’ll have to make do, Miss Jones. Now I must take your wings.”

            Jezzie couldn’t believe that she hadn’t passed her test. She was one of the best fliers she knew. When she was younger everyone used to be jealous of the triple flips and flying zig-zags she could do.

            Reluctantly she began walking home. Jezzie had no idea what she was going to do about all the teeth she had to collect tonight. Walking to every house would take forever. She risked not making it to every house or being seen. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t look where she was going and ran right into a jolly, round old man.

            “Santa! I’m so sorry!” Jezzie said. “I didn’t see you there.”

            “Don’t worry Jezzie, my dear. But what has got to so troubled? You look so sad and melancholy.”

            “Oh, Santa. It’s awful,” Jezzie began. “I failed my flying test. They took away my wings! And now I don’t know how I’m going to collect all the teeth.”

            “Oh dear, oh dear. Oh, wait!” said Santa. “I’ve got it! You need a deer­– my reindeer! I’ll let you borrow Blitzen for the week.”

            “But, Santa, I couldn’t.”

            “You can, my dear. I’ll send him over to you this afternoon. Well, toodle-doo, I must be off. Good luck with your teeth!”

 

 

            That night, Jezzie got in the red sleigh and shook the reins.

            “Come on, deer, you can do it!” she shouted. The reindeer began to fly, and in a split second, they were at the first house Jezzie had to visit. “Now, we’ve just got to make it in this window,” she said, looking at the bedroom window. “But, I don’t know how we’re going to fit. Why, Rudolph is three times the size of that window!” Try as she might, Jezzie couldn’t make them all fit through the window without making too much noise. After several failed attempts, she pointed the reindeer home, distraught and discouraged.

 

 

            The next day Jezzie woke up sadder than ever. She hadn’t made it to one house last night. What will all the children think? she wondered. I can’t let them down.

            As she walked to the store, lost in thought yet again, she was startled when she walked in a big, soft bunny.

            “Easter Bunny! I’m so sorry!” Jezzie said. “I didn’t see you there.”

            “Why, it’s ok, Jezzie. But, what’s the matter? You look so sad,” the Easter Bunny said,

            “Oh, Easter Bunny, it’s awful,” Jezzie began. “I failed my flying test. They took away my wings! I tried to use Santa’s reindeer, but they were too big to fit through the windows. And now I don’t know how I’m going to collect all the teeth.”

            “Oh no,” the Easter Bunny said. “Well, you know, Jezzie, you could borrow my Eggmoblie 3000.”

            “But, Easter Bunny, I couldn’t”

            “Of course you can. I’ll drive it by later today. I’ve got to go, but I’ll come by later. Hope you get those teeth!”

 

 

            That night Jezzie got in the Eggmobile 3000 and started up the engine. The car was riding very smoothly. I might even get to every house from last night and tonight, Jezzie thought, But as soon as that thought popped into her head, she heard the engine start to sputter.

            “Oh no!” Jezzie said, as the engine made a huge Cu-lunk! sound. Slowly the Eggmoblie 3000 came to a stop. What happened? Jezzie wondered. She looked at the gas meter– it read EMPTY. “It’s all out of chocolate gas!” Jezzie said. “What am I going to do? How am I going to get to the teeth?” She couldn’t find a chocolate gas station around for miles. After calling for a troll truck, Jezzie took the car home, distraught and discouraged.

 

 

            The next morning, as Jezzie was walking down the street, she ran into a giant bird.

“Mr. Stork! I’m so sorry!” Jezzie said. “I didn’t see you there.”

            “Oh Jezzie-bezzie don’t you worry about it. But what’s wrong? You look so sad!” Mr. Stork said.

            “Oh, Mr. Stork, it’s awful,” Jezzie began. “I failed my flying test. They took away my wings! I tried to use Santa’s reindeer, but they were too big to fit through the windows. Then the Easter Bunny lent me his Eggmobile 3000, but it ran out of gas. And now I don’t know how I’m going to collect all the teeth.”

            “Well, Jezzie-bezzie, you could always borrow my wings,” Mr. Stork replied.

            “Really, Mr. Stork?”

            “Of course. I’ll bring them by later tonight. Feel better Jezzie-bezzie!”

 

 

            That night, after putting on Mr. Stork’s wings, Jezzie set off to collect all the teeth. However, because Mr. Stork was so big, his wings were also really big, and didn’t fit Jezzie’s small body. All of a sudden, Jezzie and Mr. Stork’s wings fell from the sky onto the ground.

            “Oh no!” Jezzie cried. “Where am I? How will I ever get home? And how will I collect any teeth? I bet the children don’t even believe in me anymore!”

            As she sat there crying in the middle of the street, she felt a little tap on her shoulder.

            “Um, excuse me? Are you okay?”

            Jezzie turned around and saw a little boy standing in front of her.

            “I heard you crying from my room and I wanted to see if you were okay,” the little boy said. “My name is Sam.”

            “Well, hello Sam. I’m Jezebel, Jezzie for short,” Jezzie said.

            “Jezzie is a silly name,” Sam giggled. When he opened up his mouth to laugh, Jezzie could see that he had lost his front teeth.

 

 

            “Sam? When did you loose your teeth?” Jezzie asked.

            “I lost them two days ago. I put them under my pillow, but the tooth fairy didn’t come.”

            “Oh no,” Jezzie said. “That is not good.”

            “Well,” Sam began, “I know that she hasn’t come for them yet, but I know she’ll come get them soon. I believe in the tooth fairy. I know that she’s trying to get my teeth.”

            “Oh I am!” Jezzie exclaimed. “I mean, I’m sure she is trying to get those teeth. What do your friends say?”

            “Well, some of them think that the tooth fairy is made up, but I told them that’s not true. She’s real. I know it. I tell my friends that they just have to believe,” Sam said.

            Just then, Jezzie felt sharp pain in her back. “Ow!” she said.

            “Are you ok?” Sam asked.

            Jezzie felt the pain again, and then touched her back. She felt two things poking out of her shirt. They started growing faster and faster until…

            “My wings!” Jezzie shouted. “My wings have grown in! My permanent wings!”

 

 

            “You have wings?” Sam asked.

            “Oh Sam! I do have wings. I’m the tooth fairy,” Jezzie said.

“Wow!” Sam exclaimed. “I knew you were real!”

“And I think that you standing up for your beliefs is what made my wings grow in.”

            “Really? You think that I did this?” Sam asked.

            “Yes I do! Thank you, Sam,” Jezzie said. “Thank you for believing in me.You have made this a very special moment in my life. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you– you saved the day!”

            “You’re welcome. I’m glad that I could help. Well, I guess I better go back to my room and go to sleep so you can take my teeth! See ya, Jezzie.” After giving Jezzie a big hug, Sam walked back to his house.

Jezzie slowly tested her wings out. They worked. They worked so well that Jezzie could even fly five times faster than she had before. That night, Jezzie collected all the teeth, even the teeth she missed the nights before. Right as the sun was rising, Jezzie was flying back to Jamboria to her little tooth house. She sorted through all the teeth until she found them: Sam’s two front teeth. She put the two teeth in a frame and placed it right next to her bed. And from then on, Jezzie always got to all the lost teeth every night with her beautiful wings, thanks not only to Sam, but to all the children who believed in her and who stood up for what they believe in.

 

 

The End