by Savannah Hendricks –
Emma took hopscotch steps over the cracks in the sidewalk on the way home from school. She passed the house with the enormous vegetable garden. This is when Emma would pause in her walk and wait for Ayden. He was blue with a short tail and gray eyes. Ayden was a dragon.
“Emma!” Ayden bellowed, climbing over the green bean bush.
“Ayden! You and those veggies,” Emma said, readjusting her tiara.
“So yummy,” Ayden added between bites of cucumber.
“Blah, gross,” Emma said, sticking out her tongue. “Princesses don’t have to eat vegetables.”
Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. The sugar melted into the spaces between her teeth.
“Ouch,” Ayden yelped. “Oh, ouch!”
“What is it, Ayden?” Emma asked, placing her hand on his scaly side.
Ayden placed his claw against his cheek. “My mouth is sore.”
“Let me look,” Emma said, motioning him down.
Ayden was a rather short dragon, as far as dragons go. He knelt down. Emma placed her hands on his cheeks.
“Now open wide,” Emma said.
Ayden opened his mouth. He was not afraid of blowing fire on her. He was born without the fire breathing power other dragons had.
“Ayden, your teeth! They look…dirty,” Emma said, her head nearly all the way inside his mouth. She pulled back and fixed her tiara.
Ayden stood up. “Why are they dirty? I eat vegetables and fruits.”
“I don’t know. Do you brush your teeth? Do you go the dentist?” Emma asked.
“No, I hate brushing. No dentist!” Ayden yelled.
“Why not? It’s not a big deal,” Emma said, popping another piece of candy.
“I’m a dragon. Dragons don’t brush their teeth or go to the dentist,” Ayden said as they started to walk again.
The next day, Ayden emerged from a garden, munching on strawberries. He held out his claw.
“No thanks, I have my strawberry flavored candy. Yum!” Emma said, crunching loudly. “Ouch! Oh, ouch!”
“Are your teeth dirty too?” Ayden asked, looking down at her.
“No,” Emma stated, rubbing her cheek.
“Maybe you need to brush your teeth? Or go to the dentist?” Ayden asked.
“I do brush my teeth. No dentist,” Emma replied, still rubbing her cheek. “They use those loud tools and tell me not to eat candy. I love candy.”
“But you said it was no big deal?” Ayden asked.
“It’s not a big deal for a dragon, but it is for a princess.”
The following afternoon Emma was walking home and rubbing her cheek at the same time.
“Emma,” Ayden muttered, not in his normal cheery tone.
“Ayden,” Emma mumbled. “No fruits for you today?”
Ayden stood without his normal claw full of garden finds. “It hurts to eat. Some days they hurt and some days they feel okay. I’m just giving them a break. They’re tired.”
Emma and Ayden walked on, both a little slower than normal, both rubbing their cheeks.
The next day Emma did not see Ayden. She was a bit concerned. Emma went to his cave, which was surrounded by willow trees. She could see him lying in his bed.
“Ayden, are you okay?” Emma asked, standing at the entrance.
“My mouth hurts,” Ayden moaned, barely able to lift his head.
Emma entered the cave and cuddled up to Ayden. “Mine too.”
“Maybe we should brush our teeth,” Ayden suggested.
“Maybe we should go to the dentist,” Emma added.
“Can we go together?” Ayden asked.
“I couldn’t go without you.” Emma grinned.
Ayden’s tail tapped back and forth. Emma rubbed the diamonds on her tiara. Ayden was not able to fit through the dentist office door, much less fit in a chair.
“Here we go!” exclaimed the dentist, walking outside. He had a few blankets and a small box of supplies. “Just lie down and put your head on the blankets.”
Ayden lowered his dragon body to the ground. Emma took hold of his claw. “You can do this,” Emma informed him with a smile. Ayden nodded his head slightly.
The dentist started to work on Ayden’s teeth, cleaning one at a time with the fast spinning brush and then flossing around each tooth.
“You are doing great,” Emma said, still holding his claw.
Ayden tried to say something to Emma, but with the dentist so far in his mouth he didn’t want to squish him.
“All done,” the dentist said, climbing out from inside Ayden’s mouth.
“They look so shinny!” Emma said. “Okay let’s go home.”
“Emma, we cannot go home until you have your teeth cleaned too,” Ayden said.
Emma took a deep breath. “Ayden I need you to be with me and you don’t fit inside the dentist’s office.”
“I can reach my arm and claw to the closest chair inside,” Ayden told Emma.
And so Emma sat in the chair, nearest to the door, while Ayden reached his arm in. Emma held on tight to his claw.
“Wait!” Emma told the dentist. She took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Emma sat very still, her mouth held open as the dentist worked. Just as Emma squeezed Ayden’s claw tighter, she heard him start to hum her favorite song. Emma listened to Ayden’s humming and it calmed her.
“All done, Emma,” the dentist announced. “I hope to see you both back here soon and with no cavities.”
The following day Emma saw Ayden stepping over a tomato plant on her way home from school.
“Ayden!” Emma called.
“Emma!” Ayden called back. “My teeth don’t hurt anymore and feel smooth.” Ayden ran his tongue over the front of his teeth.
“Mine don’t hurt anymore either,” Emma said, smiling wide.
“No candy today?” Ayden asked, munching on a bright red tomato.
“No,” Emma said. “I was thinking the dentist was not so bad and maybe I wouldn’t eat so much candy anymore.”
“But you love candy,” Ayden stated, looking at her with a raised dragon eye. “Is that…possible?”
“Yes, because when we go back for our next cleaning, I’m not going to have any cavities.”
“I’m not going to either,” Ayden stated. “I even brushed my teeth last night.”
“The dentist will say my teeth are the cleanest,” Emma declared.
“He is going to say mine are the cleanest teeth ever,” Ayden chimed. “And if my teeth are the cleanest, then you have to eat two vegetables.”
“Deal!” Emma said.
“Low five for me,” Ayden said, reaching his claw down.
“High five for me!” Emma reached up, while smiling a big, clean, princess grin.
the end.
Question Time:
1. Why did Ayden have a toothache?
2. Why did Emma have a toothache?
3. How did the dentist clean Ayden’s teeth?
4. What deal did Emma and Ayden make with each other?
