“All right, kids, you know the drill,” Justin says. “Dig a small hole!”
Joy and Charlie run forward, go down on their knees, and start burrowing in the desert sand with their hands.
For the last almost three years now, they’ve come here every time Joy lost one of her teeth. Yes, they know what to do. I’ve come with them every time, but they had never let me into the world of the Tooth Fairy because I couldn’t climb the Tooth Tree at my age.
“But, Justin,” I say. “You asked us to keep the tooth. How can you keep her last tooth if we’re going to bury it?”
Justin gives me a wink and a smile then returns to look at the kids.
“There!” Charlie jumps up first. “Done!”
“Perfect!” Justin says. “But now, for the last tooth, the rules are different. We must sprinkle Last Tooth Dust into the hole!”
Justin takes the tooth out of the jar Suzy had put it in and taps on it as if it was a salt shaker, right above the hole.
Sparkling dust falls from the tooth.
“Wow!” Joy says.
“Whoa!” Charlie says simultaneously.
The dust all falls perfectly into the hole.
“And now the last tooth is empty of its dust! I will put it back in! Children, cover the hole and let the Tooth Tree grow!”
Justin puts the tooth back in the jar, closes it, and hands it back to Suzy.
“We did it!”
“The spell,” Justin says, “creates a magical bridge to a land no one can ever go into unless they are worthy: A bridge to the Kingdom of the Tooth Fairies. It is our last journey there. It will be our greatest adventure. The Last Tooth Dust will create a bridge not only for those who climb the Tooth Tree, but for all the family who comes to witness this great day. It is a once in a lifetime event!”
I catch Joy whispering to Charlie, “I’m going to make the tree permanent!”
I see Justin looking directly at her, then ignoring it. “Kids! Are you ready?”
“Ready!”
“Family! Are you ready?”
“Ready,” Suzy says, trying to appear excited.
“Ready,” I say, trying not to appear excited.
“Master Mind?” Justin says. “Are you ready? You’re family, too!”
“I stand ready, and I am almost 18.5% excited!”
Justin nods. “That, uh, sounds good. All right, then. Let’s wait for the Tooth Tree!”
(To be continued…)
—Told by Grampa Walt