The Tooth That Wouldn't Budge
On a recent trip to France, Alice, my daughter, fought a long battle with a very stubborn loose front tooth that simply refused to come from its gum. This inspired me to write another verse story for inclusion in my 'The That' Series of Picture Book texts.
Anyway, the other two stories 'The Star That Wouldn't Twinkle' and 'The Alien That Moved In Next Door' are also on my blog if you would care to look at them.
So this is very loosely based on a true story. I mean, Alice did genuinely have the bright idea to hit herself in the mouth with a book to dislodge it. She did... and missed, bashing herself on the nose :) So here's a picture of her after her victory, and here's the story.
The Tooth That Wouldn’t Budge
by Carl Ashmore
Alice had a loose front tooth,
As stubborn as could be,
She wiggled it and waggled it,
But it would not come free.
All day long she’d turn and twist,
And tug and pull and push,
She jiggled it and joggled it,
And jabbed it with her brush.
Then one day her frustration grew,
And all could hear her shout.
‘Look, Mister Tooth, enough’s enough.
Today you’re coming out.
Mum’s birthday’s a week away,
Sorry if this sounds brash.
But I need to buy a present,
So I need Tooth Fairy cash.’
Now Alice was a headstrong girl,
Fearless and full of grit.
And if she said she’d do something,
She’d never ever quit.
She thought and thought and thought again,
And then an idea struck.
‘Yes, now I know just what to do,
I’ll hit it with a book.’
So Alice found a hardback book,
And raised it in her hand.
Then swinging hard she hit her face;
It didn’t go as planned.
She missed her mouth completely,
And bashed her nose instead.
‘OWWW!’ She rubbed her swollen conk.
‘Bad idea,’ she said.
But Alice had another plan
To surely do the job.
She grabbed a piece of string,
And opened up her gob.
She tied one end to her loose tooth,
The other to the door.
Then closed her eyes and braced herself,
For what she’d soon endure.
She slammed the door with all her might,
And felt a mighty tug.
But when she opened up her eyes,
No tooth was on the rug.
Instead the door was lying there,
Its hinges broke and smashed,
The tooth had not budged from its gum;
Her hopes again were dashed.
But Alice would not be put off,
With one last thing to try.
A plan that simply had to work,
To bid the tooth goodbye.
She went down to the garden shed,
Found more string inside a jar.
And tied it to the bumper,
Of her father’s brand new car.
Then she fixed it to her tooth,
And hid behind a wall.
Because she knew on Saturdays,
He went to watch football.
Soon, she saw him leave the house,
And board the driver’s side,
Then heard him turn the engine on,
To power up his ride.
VRROOOOM - the car drove off at speed,
A CRACK rang all about.
And Alice knew it must’ve worked,
The tooth was finally out.
So just imagine her dismay,
When she looked up and found,
The bumper had been pulled right off,
And dangled on the ground.
The tooth was still there in its gum,
Rooted just like a tree.
Alice groaned and shook her head.
‘Why’s this happening to me?’
She chose to give up for that day,
But try the next morning.
And in her quiet moments swore
She heard the tooth giggling.
But something happened as she slept,
In the dim of night.
When she awoke her eyes took in
An unexpected sight.
The tooth was on her pillow,
Like a tiny block of snow.
And Alice panted with relief,
Spying her stubborn foe.
The next night the Tooth Fairy came,
And left a tidy sum.
So Alice popped out to the shops
And bought a gift for mum.
But she knew she’d learned a lesson,
One she always would endorse:
Sometimes in life you have to wait,
And let nature take its course.
