At 8:41 pm on a May evening when I was 11 years old, something significant happened in Rehoboth MA, where my family and I lived. We had a camper filled with chickens, and that night, my mom asked my 13-year-old older brother to secure the chicken coop. However, due to his laziness and stubbornness, he insisted that I go with him. Little did I know that this excursion into the woods behind our house would have a lasting impact on my life. Despite feeling uneasy about going into the dark forest at night, I decided to accompany him.
The scuba diving flashlight that belonged to our father was passed down to my brother and me by our mother. It was quite large and challenging to manage as we prepared ourselves for the adve
...nture. I didn't relish going out at night because of the intense darkness and unsettling silence that made me feel like someone was watching me. Thoughts of Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" being frightened in the forest by wolves kept recurring in my mind. The chicken coop was about 200 feet away from our back door, so I hurried as fast as I could.
In order to leave quickly, we headed towards the chicken coop. Our plan was for me to close the front door while he closed the back door simultaneously. Since I finished first, I opted to take a detour around the chicken coop and rendezvous with him at the back because he had the flashlight. Instead of communicating or using a rational method, he swung the flashlight overhead. The only memory I have is of
a sudden flash when the flashlight collided with my mouth.
In a whirlwind of events, I found myself unable to shed tears, shocked with my hands covering my mouth, while blood flowed uncontrollably. The sudden occurrence was difficult for me to fully comprehend. Beside me, my brother passionately apologized as if his entire life hinged on it. My curiosity led me to explore the inside of my mouth using my tongue and I discovered an empty space where my two front teeth should have been. One tooth dangled precariously and eventually fell out upon contact with my tongue. The whereabouts of the other tooth remained a mystery. Prompted by my brother, I swiftly went to locate our mother while he embarked on a quest to find the missing tooth.
I ran 200 feet to my house, shouting the entire way to get my mom's attention. I quickly went into the kitchen where my mom was surprised by seeing blood on my mouth and hands. My hands were still firmly holding onto my tooth, which was covered in blood. After helping me clean up, she called the dentist and explained what had happened. While she was talking on the phone, they suggested preserving my tooth by putting it in milk. This would keep it viable for 30 minutes. Alternatively, if there was no milk available, it could be kept in water for 20 minutes.
The issue was that my dentist’s office was located around 35 to 40 minutes away. Subsequently, my grandma was contacted and she came over to assist in searching for my lost tooth. Upon visiting the dentist, he evaluated my
gums and then examined the tooth. He explained that since the tooth had dropped on the ground, it had accumulated a significant amount of dirt. Although he could attempt to remove some of the dirt, there was a risk of scraping off parts of the tooth. Additionally, considering that approximately 45 minutes had elapsed, it was too late to salvage the tooth. At that moment, I realized I would forever crave my two front teeth for Christmas.
