A Toothsome Tale

Open your mouth widely and show me your teeth. The final part of the bracing was complete. This was her third session, and Silvia grabbed the seat as the pain was unbearable. She was expecting a triumphant word of encouragement from the doctor for her patience, but the doctor was impassive. The doctor was thin, but her hair was thinner; only a few wisps of gray hair covered her almost bald head. Her fingers were long and slender; she almost looked uncanny, with big eyes and furrows showing up on her face.

A deathly silence prevailed. The room was dark and gloomy. As Silvia looked up, the high ceiling and the half-lit chandelier gave her an eerie feeling. It reminded her of some spine-chilling horror scenes from a recent web series. Every minute felt like a millennium. As the doctor was aligning her braces, the dental equipment pricked her through the layers of her gum. She felt like she was stuck to the chair, and her hands were tied so she could hardly move. Silvia tried her best to cooperate, as she had already paid a copious amount.

The room was big enough to accommodate two seating arrangements. Evoking rustic charm, the center of attraction was a wooden fireplace. And on the top of the mantel, decorative porcelain figurines were jutting out. The walls had a few old oil paintings of scenes in which the colors had faded out. All the furniture had rugs of random patterns thrown casually. The hardwood floor was heavily withered wherever visible. Silvia was conscious of her bad breath. The wires and brackets of the braces were relentlessly piercing inside her mouth, and the soreness caused tremendous discomfort. The doctor's assistant's unkempt look and his vapid expressions implied that he didn’t care much about what was happening. He looked jaded to the point of fatigue, probably because of his not-so-good experiences in this chamber.

On the leftmost corner of the same floor as the doctor's chamber, there was a big gathering. It was Lauden's teething ceremony. His proud parents had been very busy since morning, inviting and honoring the guests who had come to bless the child. His father's love for traditions and culture made him believe that Lauden's baby fangs were signs of growth and prosperity for his family. But in his mind, he kept conspiring on some wily plots on how they would use this event to raise their ranks in the family. Lauden's mother drew everyone's attention with her ghastly laughter while boasting about her son to the guests. She poured some red liquid into the glasses but could not resist the smell of the drink and sipped from all the glasses while arranging them.

The braces were finally done, and the pain had reduced due to the sedatives. Silvia came out of the chamber when the awkward signboard for a teething ceremony caught her eyes. She was curious, as she had never heard of such a thing, and decided to peep in through the doors and then leave in a few minutes.

The temperature inside was unreasonably kept low, almost to the extent of freezing. The guests at the party chose dramatic all-black fashion, and the ladies wore layers of makeup to create an unearthly vibe. Silvia felt like crossing the lines between reality and illusion, but she convinced herself that people arrange spooky parties these days for amusement. The ambience of the party made her feel uncomfortable yet enchanting. The party seemed to be centered around a little boy. Everyone gathered around and blessed him, but he took no notice of them as he was lost in his own world.

The hall room was well furnished and decorated in a luxurious manner; it had a very high ceiling and limestone walls, and the windows were upholstered with thick fabric to stop any external light from sneaking in. The dining table was filled with exotic food, meat, and drinks, but a filthy smell filled the air. Most of the guests seemed to be intoxicated; their faces had a glacial sternity, and their gory laughter bellowed through the room.

Silvia glanced at the little boy in awe. His face was pale and white, yet he was so full of life. She was conflicted in her thoughts.

Suddenly the little boy made eye contact with her, and out of joy, the baby burst into a broad smile,his fangs glinting in the firelight. His eyes fluttered a few rapid beats, but the unspooling look was so deep that it could almost penetrate within.

Silvia was scared to death at the sight. She started quaking in her boots and wanted to run but could not move. Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind at the same time. She took a deep breath that almost touched her chest, her heart thumping faster as she tried to scream but could not as her voice choked.

Gathering all the strength she had, she started to run as fast as she could without looking back again. She kept on running through the endless dark corridors until she came across a meandering staircase. Maybe she was having a bad day and was imagining stories in her head; maybe she saw something that no one was supposed to see; maybe they were following her; or maybe she would be killed. Thoughts kept rolling through her mind. She started to descend the staircase and almost slipped. Somehow, she gathered herself, but when she looked up, a hunched silhouette seemed to shuffle out of the dark. Panic surged through her, making her belly cram, while her body was cold with dread. She was so afraid that she closed her eyes. She seemed to have crossed the line between reality and illusion.

A flash of light fell on her face. She opened her eyes to realize that she had almost reached the main door. A few more steps, and she would be out of that place. Her eyes darted from left to right as she was moving, but still, everything was foggy.

Finally, she managed to step out of the house,but it was a bit late and dark outside. She rushed towards her car. Her hands were cold and clammy. She sat inside her car, adjusted the rearview mirror, and was about to start the car just when her braces fell out!