The Dark Forest: A Collection Of Erotic Fairytales(158)

He reached over the little table and traced my pinky again, following the line of bone from knuckle to nail. “I can give you that.”

“Really? You’ll let me sleep. No laughing? You won’t take my covers, or walk around the bed hissing at me?”

Unfolding like a cricket ready to spring, the man grew tall. “I’ll just stand here and watch.”

I scrambled out of the chair so quickly it fell over. I was up in the bed, the covers tugged to my chin when the grinning monstrosity leaned over me. Yellow eyes unblinking, he looked over the shape of my body under the quilt. “Shall I pat your head, child?”

“Mama gets vexed when I muss my hair.”

The man did not seem at all pleased with my answer. “Are you sure?” He held his hand up, the long fingers hovering over the top of my head. “All little girls like to be tucked in.”

Shrinking into the mattress, I shook my head.

To my ultimate relief he withdrew his hand and did exactly what he’d said he’d do. He stood at the side of my bed and stared down. My eyelids slipped closed, my breath changed, and for the first night in ages, I found sleep.





Chapter Three





“Look, sir.” Mouth open so my playmate might see what all the fuss was about, I used my tongue to wiggle a very loose tooth. “When it falls out, the tooth fairy will visit, and I’ll get a penny under my pillow. The new maid who builds the fires told me so this morning.”

Eyes narrowed so that the yellow glow of my friend’s stare was dimmed, he craned his neck forward and peered into my mouth. “I don’t see anything.”

“What do you mean?” I wiggled the tooth more frantically with my tongue, proud. “It’s going to fall out any moment.”

“What is?”

In a pique, I pointed to my tooth. “This!”

Long fingers released his tea cup and reached over our shared table. Just before reaching my lips, he hesitated. It was not until I opened my mouth wider in invitation that the pad of his pointer depressed my tongue. He grinned, positively gleeful, running a touch that tasted of dust over every last one of my teeth. I wanted to spit him out, anything to get that awful taste from my mouth, but even more, I wanted him to find the tooth and share my joy.

At last, his probe behind my lips found the loose tooth. After a quick pinch, he yanked.

The immediate taste of blood overpowered the flavor of moldy dirt. He had stolen my tooth, right out of my skull.

Already in a state of tears, eyes wet from his betrayal, I cried, “It’s mine. The tooth fairy won’t come if you don’t give it back to me.”

He was holding it up to the sliver of street light that penetrated the curtains, inspecting my tooth like a diamond. Ignoring my protests and weeping, he hummed. “There is no tooth fairy for you. Which one of them do you think would make way for your pathetic apparition? The boys would tear off her wings. The Red Queen would rip out her guts. The Laughing Man... you don’t want to know what he’d do to her.”

I had not cared about the penny, all that my little mind had clung to was that a fairy would come to my room. Fairies were good, she’d let me sleep, keep me safe for one whole night from the others.

From the glint in the Hatter’s eyes, I could see he knew my thoughts and was offended deeply by them. “I will give you the two pennies in my pocket for the tooth.”

He’d imprisoned my tooth in a tight fist, his other hand delving into his waistcoat.

“No.”

Hissing like a snake, he chastised me roundly. “You bad, thankless, Alice. There will be no more tea for you!”

I could see in him an impatience I had not noticed in our earlier playtime. Had his skin not been grey and dusty, I am sure it would have burned red in anger.

The bloody woman had kept me up all night the previous evening, the laughing man stealing my sleep the night before that. I was tired, and heartbroken there would be no tooth fairy in my future. In a tantrum, I threw my teapot, happy to see it roll and bounce over the floor.

Instantly I sat full of regret.

The handle had broken off. Even with it lying all the way across the room, I could see a great chip in the spout. My tears fell for another reason.

What had I done? My favorite toy was spoiled.

A great roar and the man was standing over me. “Open your mouth, Alice, and I’ll shove your precious tooth back in. I’ll then tell the boys to come. Oh, how they love to play with you.”

“NO!”

He was not done with me, not by a long shot. “The Red Queen then? Is it her company you prefer to mine?”

This night was not going right at all. The Hatter was the funny one who liked to share my tea and stand at the side of my bed as I slept. He was the one who always wanted to pat my curls, and offered over and over to tuck me in. It was not his part to yell and scare me.

That was what the others were for.

“You want the Cheshire, the fat man? He can drive you as mad as he is with that laugh!”

I fell to my knees before my friend. “Please, I just want my tooth back.”

His chin went to his chest, eyes blazing. “I’ve already lost it.”

I pointed to his clenched fist. “Sir, it’s in your hand, there.”

His boney fingers uncurled and it was there, my stolen tooth and a little mark of my blood resting on his cracked palm. “So it is.” His viscous mouth turned into a half-cocked smirk. “I’ll tell you what, child. I’ll trade it to you.”