Tooth Fairy 1986, Lilburn GA

In the last 4 days before starting second grade, my daughter lost both of her top front teeth. The first one came out on Thursday night, and Friday morning Elizabeth came downstairs with a shiny quarter and a big slightly toothless grin. Her four-year-old brother tried with all his might to loosen any one of his teeth, to no avail. When the second tooth came out on Sunday, I noticed a strange look in Nathan's eyes, but attributed it to jealousy, an emotion heretofore unseen in his relationship with his sister.

Sunday night was the first night of "back-to-school bedtime" earlier than they were used to during the summer, and Nathan had some trouble falling asleep. He made a couple of trips downstairs before I finally convinced him to just play quietly in his bed. Finally, when I was certain everyone was asleep, I made my Tooth Fairy visit.

I felt under the pillow, where I had seen Elizabeth place the tooth when I tucked her in bed. No tooth! I picked up the pillow (Elizabeth always scoots toward the foot of the bed). No tooth could be felt or seen in the dark. I turned on the light. I looked under the covers. I did everything short of picking Elizabeth up, trying in vain to find that blasted tooth! Finally, deciding that it must have fallen to the floor behind the head of the bed, I left the quarter and hoped when the tooth showed up I would think up a good explanation.

Next morning, Elizabeth came downstairs with another quarter and a now almost totally toothless grin. No mention of finding a tooth in her bed, or of "hiding" it from the Tooth Fairy, so I started planning a thorough hunt as soon as she left for school. Until Nathan came down the stairs a few minutes later.

"Did the Tooth Fairy come, Elizabeth?" he asked. Upon receiving an affirmative reponse, he muttered, "Well, I don't know why, because I have the tooth!"