Lila and the Lost Tooth Letter
A funny, warm story about growing up, writing and wonder.
Lila’s tooth had been wobbly for two whole weeks. She wiggled it with her tongue when she was bored. She wiggled it with her finger when she was thinking. Finally, on Wednesday morning, while she was eating an apple, it came out with a pop.
“I have a gap!” she shouted. She ran to the mirror and grinned. It looked very strange, like a missing piano key. Her mother wrapped the tooth in a tissue, and put it in a little envelope. “For tonight,” she said.
Lila lay in bed, thinking. She had questions. What did the tooth fairy do with all the teeth? Where did she live? How did she get in without waking anyone? She decided to write them down.
She took a sheet of paper and her best pencil. “Dear Tooth Fairy,” she wrote, in careful letters. “Thank you for visiting. I have some questions. One: what do you do with the teeth? Two: do you have a wand? Three: do you like cheese?”
She folded the letter, and tucked it under her pillow, next to the envelope. Then she lay as still as a statue. She meant to stay awake and see the fairy, but her eyes grew heavy, and she was soon asleep.
In the morning, she looked under her pillow. The envelope was gone. In its place was a shiny gold coin, and a tiny note written in curly silver ink. Lila could hardly breathe. She read it aloud.
“Dear Lila, Thank you for your lovely letter. One: I build tiny castles from teeth, and each one is very beautiful. Two: yes, but it is no bigger than a grain of rice. Three: I adore cheese, especially on crackers. Love, the Tooth Fairy.”
Lila’s eyes were shining. She held the note against her heart. Her father peered in at the door. “Everything all right?” he asked, and winked. “Perfect,” said Lila. “She has a very good sense of humour.”
That day, Lila showed the note to all her friends. Then she tucked it in her special box, next to her first baby bracelet. She was already looking forward to the next wobbly tooth.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Growing up brings changes, and some of them are exciting.
- Writing a letter is a way to ask questions and share our thoughts.
- Little traditions make childhood memorable.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- What questions did Lila ask the tooth fairy?
- What did the answer say?
- What would you ask if you could write to a character from a story?
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