Week Two ~ The Thooth Fairy Thief

Prompt
The Tooth Fairy visits your house in the middle of the night, only she isn't just taking you children's teeth. What else is she stealing from your house, and how do you attempt to stop her?

My Creativity
As a single mother, I was very excited when my only child lost her first tooth. I'd already done the Santa thing and the Easter Bunny thing, now I would get to do the Tooth Fairy thing.

When I tucked her into bed, I made sure that she'd placed her tooth under her bed. I told her all about the magic of the Tooth Fairy, "While you sleep at night, a lovely fairy will come down to visit you. She will use her fairy magic to take your baby tooth and leave you a small gift. She will collect other children's teeth throughout the night and then return to her world. There she will add your tooth to the collection. She has a special place for your tooth, a spot where she will eventually put all your teeth. So close your eyes and sleep tight; you don't want her not to come, do you?"

Of course she shook her head and rubbed her eyes. A final big yawn and she closed her eyes. I sat at the side of her bed and rubbed her back and ran my hand through her thick curly brown hair. Where had all the years gone? When I thought she was almost a sleep, I quietly left the room. As much as I enjoyed my daughter, I also enjoyed my evenings alone.

Popcorn in one hand and iced-tea in the other, I went to the family room. What better way to unwind than to watch some TV. As I sat there flipping through the countless channels, wondering how not one of them could have a descent show, I heard a small thump. I sighed heavily thinking for sure that it was my daughter coming to ask for a glass of water or another story. I flipped some more, hoping that I was wrong. Just when I was starting to think that I'd imagined the thud, I heard another one. So, I slowly got up. What part of the Tooth Fairy won't come if you aren't asleep didn't she understand? I was certain that tonight we would have avoided all the usually nighttime games.

I headed towards her room, annoyed and ready to tell her to get back to bed, when I saw a strange shadow in her doorway. I wondered if maybe I left the window open and something was blowing oddly. I could have sworn it looked like a fairy's shadow. I peeked my head into her room and saw nothing, so I returned to the couch. When I heard a third thud, I decided that I must be really tiered and headed for bed. First, I stopped in the kitchen to grab some change from the drawer. Of course, the bowl was empty.

I headed towards my room, to grab some change from my purse, when I saw the strange shadow coming from my room. It very clearly looked like a small body with wings. I figured exhaustion must be kicking in. When I turned the corner to enter my room, I saw it. I really saw it - the Tooth Fairy. I rubbed my eyes and wondered what I'd done that would make me hallucinate. It got worse when she started to hum. This couldn't be real! The Tooth Fairy was a myth. Every child grew to understand this. Another one of life's shattering realities. As strange as it was to see the Tooth Fairy, I decided just to go with it. If this is what my imagination wanted to see, then so be it. Maybe I was dreaming? Perhaps I'd fallen asleep on the couch.

The next thought that entered my mind was rather simple, 'what was the Tooth Fairy doing in my room? I had no baby tooth under my pillow'. Not wanting to startle the little fairy, I was still in the hallway and now watching through the door crack. I noticed that while she hummed, she was trying on my jewelry. Rings were being used as bracelets and bracelets were being used as necklaces. I half-smiled; even little fairies liked to play dress up. However, then I noticed that every so often, rather than return the item to its spot in the jewelry box, and item or two would find its way into her bag. The Tooth Fairy was robbing me.

My first thought was to run in there and smoother the little thing, but I worried that she'd use her fairy magic and escape. If this wasn't a dream, there was no way I was going to risk never seeing my valuables again. Ok, so most of the pieces were fake, but they were mine. My next thought was to catch her inside a butterfly net but let's get real, how many of use have a butterfly net sitting there ready for a fairy intrusion. Could I temp her with cheese or peanut butter? Who was I kidding, she wasn't a mouse. That's when it hit me.

I went to my daughter's room to make sure her tooth was still there. Thankfully it was. I knew the Tooth Fairy wouldn't leave without it. So I went to the kitchen and looked inside the junk drawer and found just what I needed. I went back to my daughter's room and slowly lifted her pillow. I gently reached in and grab the tiny tooth. I placed it in the mouse trap as bait and then put it all back under her pillow. I went to the corner of her room and sat down in her rocking chair, where I closed my eyes and waited.

I'm not sure how long I sat there before I heard the quit little grunts, but I opened my eyes and very slowly crawled over to the bed. I didn't want to walk in case my big shadow scared the Tooth Fairy away. When I got to the head of my daughter's bed, the tooth fairy was busy trying to avoid the trap and pull out the tooth. I reached up and grabbed her wings, "Drop the bag and put your hands up".
I'd always wanted to say that. The fairy struggled in my arms and eventually the bag fell. Still holding her wings, I picked up the bag with my other hand and dumped out the contents. Thankfully it was only my stuff and no teeth once belonging to strange children. I held out the now empty back; she grabbed it. "Now take your bag and don't come back. You are banished from my home." Would this work on her? Could fairies be uninvited in like vampires? Although, I'd never really invited her in to begin with?

As I contemplated these strange ideas, the Tooth Fairy continued to struggle in my grasp. "There is only room for one Tooth Fairy in this house, and it is me," I whispered in as threatening of a tone as one can whisper. I let go of her wings and watch as she flew away.

It had been an odd evening. I looked down at my peacefully sleeping daughter, kissed her head gently, and went to my room. It was time for bed.

In the morning, I felt a slight tug on my arm. When I opened my eyes, my daughter was looking at me with some degree of confusion.

"Mommy, why did the Tooth Fairy leave me a mouse trap?"

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