Charlie’s Tooth, established in 1902

[Deals with a very simplistic view of First Nation's people using the term "Indian" but not in a derogatory manner but as the term was used in historical reference.]

"Come on, Mr. Charlie Craig. The last of your teeth will be pulled tomorrow at Dr. Scootman's office. How are you feeling okay about it?" Charlie's nurse, Rachel, said.

"What? Tomorrow? What do you mean? Dr. Scootman hasn't had to pull a tooth from me in years. I was a child the last time that happened to me, and I'll tell you, I didn't know the likes of you then."

"Oh, so you forgot about yesterday already? Did 'ya?" Rachel said.

"Not at all. Why do I remember it like it was yesterday, then?" Charlie snapped. "I'm not that old, you know, that I cannot remember what I did with a dentist named Dr. Scootman," Charlie said.

"Do tell. What do you remember then? Go on. Do tell. Go on then," the young nurse said. "Spill it," Rachel said.

***

Desperate and wearing his favourite jungle attire, Charlie sprints to the forbidden side of the house, fearing a return to the dentist. He encounters Scooter, a male spirit. Scooter finds a solution to Charlie's problem.

“One way or another, Charlie, you will go to the dentist tomorrow.” “That baby tooth is coming out,” Rita promised her youngest son.

No, I am not. I will endure the pain. He won't come near my mouth again. Charlie zipped off to the forbidden haunted side of the house. 

His older brother and sisters warned him that the other side of the house brimmed with unhappy ghosts seeking pure souls. They considered Charlie's soul the purest in the house, making him their primary target. 

“Watch out, Charlie! The ghosts are coming for you!” Last night, we attended a seance, and the ghost they summoned explicitly asked for you.

“Did it?” “Why?” 

“Come on, Charlie, the ghosts will steal all your teeth; we’ve gone through this many times. They match your size, and they desire your teeth. Next, they will eat your body, then your bones, and finally your brain. “Do you remember?”

“Yes, I recall. I’ll never get caught. I will never go over there alone. “Never.”

“Don’t do that.” The darkness envelopes the room, yet the opulent decor shines through. Imported marble floors, walls, ornate hand-carved woodwork, and gilded accents showcase the owner’s extravagant tastes, revealing sophistication and refinement. “But all that aside, it’s enough to scare you, little man.”

“Oh yeah, I’m not scared.” I can go there whenever I choose. “You will see.” 

***

He shut the door, caught his breath, climbed a few steps, and froze. Charlie recalled that conversation, and as the stairs showcased ornate hand-carved woodwork with gilded accents, his nerves shot up. 

A young boy standing next to Charlie giggled and shouted, "Boo!" "I guess I don't scare anyone," Scooter said. “I’m Scooter.” I reside here. “What do you have?”

"You don't scare me." "But are you truly a ghost?" Charlie took a sharp breath. Charlie here. I’m happy to meet you, Scooter. "Do you want to play?"

Sure. What brings you here? We haven't welcomed guests in the office or the house for so long. But where are my manners? Kindly. “Come in.” 

I'm running from my mother. I have to go to my dentist's appointment tomorrow but don’t want to go. I need to get a tooth pulled. "If I stay here, she can't find me in time for the appointment." Charlie smiled at Scout after finishing. His look told Scooter that he had planned little and merely put a band-aid on the problem.

“Okay, will you stay for dinner?” Let's play in my father's office until it's ready. “You can have the only chair in the room.”

Okay! It sounds like a blast! What kinds of things exist in there? 

“Let me show you.” “Will you follow me?” Scooter guided Charlie up the winding staircase with deep steps. The sounds echoed just like footsteps approaching Charlie on a dentist’s office floor. Scooter led him into his dad’s office, and he noticed the marble floor, just as his brother and sisters had described. Perhaps they told the truth. Sooter mentioned that they hadn't welcomed visitors in a very long time. Who told the truth? He spotted the chair. It appeared comfortable. He ran from his mother and forgot about it. He relaxed his body as he sat in the chair. Charlie received a teddy bear from Scooter.  

Play with any of the toys you see. I'll return with my dad shortly. He will discuss the dentist with you more. Scooter pointed to other toys, all homemade from wood or cloth, hand-sewn carefully.

I will be here. Teddy and I.

***

"Who do we have here, Scooter?" 

Charlie from the other side of the house speaks up. I avoid my mother because I have a dentist appointment tomorrow to have a tooth pulled. 

Scooter’s dad smiled at Charlie, who shrugged. 

“I’m Robert. It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.” Charlie felt the man's hand patting his head. “What’s going on with the dentist?”

"I needed to get my teeth cleaned. I disliked the noises and the dentist's hands in my mouth, but that wasn’t the worst part. He said I needed to have a tooth removed."

"Scooter, go get your diorama! He has a good one, and now you should see it. Do you want that? Do you want to see the diorama?” 

The office lights brightened. Charlie caught a devilish grin on the man’s face. He was sure he saw the lights dim in the hallway and grow darker.  

"Sure, okay. I want to see it." 

“Great!” Scooter zooms down the hallway. Scooter. “Please bring your diorama now.” 

Scooter poked his head in the door and said, "Okay, Dad, I’ll go get it and return with it immediately." He vanished as quickly as he showed up.

"Hey, Charlie, you've put on your hiking gear for a safari." Do you enjoy doing that with your family members? 

“Yes, sir. Papa and I do. We hunt big game like the first people of our land. It’s enjoyable."

Scooter returned with his diorama, interrupting him. 

"Scooter, come, show Charlie the forest diorama we made while I check inside his mouth. is that okay with you, Charlie?”

“Okay, but please stay away from the sore tooth that needs to come out. It stings."

“Oh, it feels like a breeze on a summer day. You will not feel anything. Trust me.”

“Are you serious?” Awesome! “Go ahead and take as long a look as you need.” 

Scooter said, "Now, Charlie, this is the important part." “Hear my voice and focus on the diorama.” “Do you promise?”

“I promise.” He failed to understand what they were doing or why Robert wanted to examine his mouth.

Robert rubbed liquid opium on his gloved fingers and touched it all over Charlie's mouth, where the tooth needed pulling. A tiny bit slid down Charlie's throat.

Charlie's body turned liquid, and his gaze blurred while Scooter spoke softly, as if Charlie had drifted into a dream. Scooter painted the scene of the diorama in Charlie’s ear in a whisper.

“This place is amazing,” Charlie exclaimed. "Natural branches creak, and twigs lie around. Wild berries and wild onions mix with pine, filling my nose with their scent." He quoted exactly what his dad always said while they hiked. "'I’m walking on uneven ground and watching for those nasty knobby roots underfoot,' just like Papa always points out. A spider web clings to my face, covering my cheeks with creepy crawlies. Scooter, do you see the spider anywhere?" Charlie stated.

“No, I’m sorry, Charlie. I cannot see it. But you should keep going, Charlie. What else do you see?”

"Oh, Okay." Charlie stepped forward a few more steps. “An Indian,” Charlie said. "I see an Indian."

""Yes, Charlie, he stands over his fresh kill, giving thanks," Scooter tells Charlie. 

"He killed that bison. He'll use every part of the animal. He made one kill, providing enough food to feed his family and enough materials to create outfits for the winter." Charlie paused and widened his eyes as he exclaimed, “Ouch! Pain strikes me. Oh, but I feel the pain. Scooter, I think, I feel the bison’s pain. Ooh! It's in my mouth. A sharp pain pierces my gum. Aagh!" 

"Charlie. Focus on the Indian. What does he feel thankful for?"

"The animal moved swiftly through the forest but wasn't afraid. Relief washed over the animal as the worry faded, and it realized the land gave the animal what he needed when needed. Same with the Indian, which was provided with the animal when it needed it for survival."

“Good, Charlie. What do you think now? What are you thankful for? Do you relate to the Indian or the animal?" 

“Suddenly, relief washed over me, too—through my mouth. I suddenly felt so much better. I thank you for—" Charlie closed his glazed-over eyes, heavy with slumber. He doesn't remain conscious for the rest of their time together.

***

Charlie awoke and blurted, “I hope it's supper time. I could eat a horse since I'm so hungry right now." But when he glanced down and saw his tooth in his left hand and Teddy snugly in his right with a note affixed to Teddy, he looked about nervously, rapidly turning his head from side to side.

The note read, Thanks for the fantastic time we shared together! Please come back and play with me again. You brought me a mouthful of fun and made me smile so often. 

"Thank you, Scooter and Scooter's dad. I had a great time with both of you." Charlie said aloud, wishing they would return to see him off. He waited until his grumbling stomach could no longer tolerate it. Then he stood up from the chair and put Scooter's teddy in it.

The note showed a picture of a boy closing a door. The picture said, "Please close the door when you leave. Thank you, come again." 

Charlie closed the door. He saw a nameplate on the other side. A chill ran down his spine, and the hair on his neck stood at attention. He rubbed his jaw as the feeling returned slowly, laughing aloud and nervously.

It dawned on him that while he was being told about the diorama, the excellent dentist pulled his tooth inside the 1902-established Dentist Office of Robert “Scooter” Scootman.

“How can that be?” 

Charlie gasped as he descended the stairs. “Did you say Scooter was the dentist?” But the little boy and his father were together. “That’s some freaky stuff! I’m glad I didn’t learn about it until now.”

Charlie convinced himself into a frightful state and raced down the last steps so quickly that it was debatable whether his feet touched them. He slipped through the door and slammed it, hoping his mother or father would come to see what the matter was about. When nobody showed up, he kept moving, and Charlie shouted, "Mom! Dad!" Come quickly! I am scared.”

His mother, wearing her apron, met him in the dining room. They collided head-on. 

“What's your trouble, bubble? What scares you so much?”

“The ghosts from next door, on the other side of the house, hold secrets. I know I shouldn’t have gone there, but I did, and now I'm scared." Charlie huffed, catching his breath as he stared into his mother’s eyes.  

“Calm down, Charlie; it's okay. Now, you're safe. Take a moment to unwind. What's in your hand?”

“I lost my tooth!” Charlie lifted it up. “The dentist upstairs pulled it. The one who practiced here in 1902, named Dr. Robert “Scooter” Scootman, was his name. 

“Yeah, we knew that when we bought the house. But how do you know that?” 

“A kid my age met me on the stairs and took me to the dentist," Charlie said. "He claimed the dentist was his father, but I later discovered it was him. You know what that means, right?”

“Not exactly.” 

“Mom, he’s a ghost! I woke up alone in his office chair after he put me out with something. I stepped down from the chair, closed the door to leave, and noticed his sign. I ran straight here then. And here I am."

His mother knelt to meet his gaze. She was face-to-face with Charlie and said, “Good job, Charlie; I knew you could pull it out yourself.” She tousled his hair and turned to go back into the kitchen. 

“But what if they chase me? Isn't there something you can put over me so they can find me on this side of the house at night?”

“Anyone from that side of the house upstairs who wants to get to you at night must get by Papa and me first. Don't worry. You will be fine.” 

"Mom, does this mean I don’t have to go to the dentist tomorrow?"

"Correct. But, Charlie, what did you do on the forbidden side of the house anyway?

“Mom, I already told you. I hid from you and ended up at the dentist's office," Charlie said. "My jaw still aches, but I only experienced some pain. He must've been a good dentist in his day; he filled his office with children’s toys." 

“Charlie, your imagination always amazes me. Come on, seriously, how did you do it?"

“I didn’t, Mom. The 1902 dentist performed the procedure. Honest.” He raised his palm as if swearing on the Bible. “He lives upstairs, on the other side of the house. I already told you. Haven't you been listening to me?" 

His mother shook her head in disapproval. 

“Well, Charlie, you earned an A+ for creativity.” She smiled at him and shook her head. She turned to go and said, “Oh, and Charlie, remember to place your tooth under your pillow tonight. You know that thing is worth money." She winked at him and said, "You’re not the only one with secrets in this house, mister.”

***

"And there you have it. That was the last encounter I had with Dr. Scootsman so long ago. His dentistry techniques weren't that bad if you ask me."

"I see that. It seemed to have worked out well for you, too," Rachel said.

"If I recall correctly, I received so much money for that tooth since I didn't cost my parents any money for the tooth to be pulled. That must have been the reason since it was the only time I got $10.00 for a tooth," Charlie said.

"Yes, that's quite the story," Rachel said.