Show and Tell

Samantha ran in the door, holding something in her hand. "Mommy, Mommy, I lost my first tooth today! Look! Look!" Depositing a Ziploc bag into her mother's hand, she proudly looked up. "Will the tooth fairy come visit me tonight if I put it under my pillow?"

"Whoa, whoa, who told you that?" Samantha's mom asked, a little alarmed at being caught unprepared for the first tooth.

"Molly, from school." Samantha continued on, "She says the tooth fairy has a golden wand, and that it sprinkles fairy dust on your pillow."

"Hmm. Well, I suppose you could try. How does Molly know all that, though? Doesn't the tooth fairy only come when you're sleeping?" questioned Samantha's mother.

Samantha shrugged. "That's what Molly told me." Her eyes were so innocent, Samantha's mother couldn't find the heart to tell the girl no. Samantha continued on. "Oh yeah, Mrs. Jones says we need to bring something for show and tell next week."

"Well, what do you want to bring?"

Samantha shrugged. "I don't know..." her face lit up with an idea. "Can I bring the dog?"

"Absolutely not, Samantha. You may not bring Pot Pie as your show and tell."

Samantha pouted. "What about....." her face scrunched up in concentration as she thought about another potential item to bring. "My tooth?" she gave her mother a huge smile.

"Hmm, weren't you going to give it to the tooth fairy tonight?"

"Oh yeah, then can I decide what to bring, tomorrow?"

"All right." sighed Samantha's mother.

After Samantha was asleep that night, her mother searched around the house. "I suppose I could give her this Miffy bunny." she murmured. "I've been saving it for a special occasion of sorts, but this could be her first tooth fairy present."

The stuffed Miffy bunny had a pink dress on, with a lemon-colored collar. It was sitting in a clear cellophane bag, which crinkled loudly as Samantha's mother toyed with it in her hand. Cringing, whispered to herself, "This will have to do. I'm not giving a six-year-old money for her tooth."

Waking up early the next morning, Samantha felt under her pillow- the tooth was gone! Flicking on the light so she could better survey her room, she saw something sticking up from her chair. Throwing off her bed covers, she ran to the chair and grabbed the present, happy dancing to her mother's room. "Mommy! Mommy! The tooth fairy really did come!: she exclaimed, leaping onto the bed.

"Samantha, it's 4 am. Go back to sleep." her groggy mother rolled over.

"But the tooth fairy came!"

"Why don't you show me in a few hours, okay? For now, go back to sleep. 4 am is still sleepy time, not playtime."

"Oh, okay" Samantha sighed. Falling back asleep was hard, she realized. She had a new toy- and she wanted to play with it! She must have fallen asleep, though, because the next thing she knew, her mother was waking her up for school.

Samantha heard her mother call her, "Hurry, Samantha, if you still want to show me what the tooth fairy gave you!"

Grabbing the cellophane-wrapped bunny, she ran out into the kitchen for breakfast. "It's a Miffy bunny!" She proudly displayed the present for her mom.

"Ooh! It is Miffy!"

"May I open her?"

"I have an even better suggestion, Samantha." her mother leaned in close. "Why don't you wait until after show and tell next week to open Miffy? Then you can bring her to school to show your friends, too!"

Skipping delightedly, Samantha hugged her mom. "I can bring her to school for show and tell?!"

Smiling, her mother nodded. "Now, eat your breakfast and hurry off to school before you're late. If the tooth fairy knows she made you late for school today, she'll feel bad and won't come back!"

Shocked, Samantha rushed through her morning routine, and slipped out the door right as the clock struck 8.

"Bye, Samantha! Have a nice day at school!" With that, the door closed and Samantha's mother went back to sleep.



Featured in "For Authors Newsletter (November 4, 2015)"