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Tales from Grandpa iii

As she turns the ruffled pages of  her childhood, vivid scenes come roaring and she wonders how quick did time fly!

She looks at her grandpa busy with his morning newspaper, reading bits of news with an unfaltering attention. Well, this has been a scene which never changed and somehow that has always assured her of permanence out of the world's transitoriness. She could still be that kid who could pester her grandpa for stories.

This morning it was a story about a gap toothed girl who refused to let go off her tooth so much so that she had to be told a story. The story runs as:

Mr MOUSE WHO FINDS THE TOOTH

It was one fine morning like two decades back when a girl for the first time felt her tooth was shaking. She was driven out of her wits and she ran to her grandpa as she trusted him more than anyone else. He took his torch and like an expert dentist examined her tooth and said, " Kid, looks like we will soon get a new tooth". And she was aghast, how could she possibly let go off something she had . She said she wanted to get it fixed and that she didn't want a new one. Hearing her, he laughed at her and said gently, "If only I could keep it, I would have done it for you but Mr Mouse is waiting for it since long". Hearing this, she got excited and wanted to know what Mr Mouse would be doing with her tooth. Grandpa in his deep voice added, Mr Mouse had always been the chosen teeth collector and that he collects milk teeth of children and gift them pearl ones which stay forever.

But, she was afraid it would hurt but grandpa had solutions to everything. He did some mumbo jumbo asked her to close her eyes and shook her tooth. She gave out a cry and he stopped and next morning, he tried again but the tooth refused to leave her. It was in the third day that it got plucked and she saw how terrible it was. She detested the idea that she would be having a gap toothed smile and so she asked her grandpa to ask Mr Mouse to send the new one fast.

Grandpa held her by her hand placed her tooth in his palms and said Mr Mouse here we are giving you a tooth please hurry up and send it back to this kid and he threw it up towards the sky and she tried to locate it but off it went and she couldn't see it.

Grandpa looked at her and said, Mr Mouse would soon be receiving it there and would send her one. This assured her and she seemed relieved.

Well, this is what she believed and when she got her tooth back, she thanked Mr Mouse for it. Today, when life demands a bed of sacrifices which are almost as painful as losing a tooth, she asks her grandpa if Mr Mouse would be able to help and he looks at her and smiles adding, Mr Mouse could still be around!

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