After my father died, my uncle would come and visit my mother quite often. He ate onions like apples. He said it was good for your health.
One morning he sat watching the news while I was playing with some toy cars on the floor. My mother was still in the bedroom, making up the bed, so I knew he might indulge me.
"Let me see it again, uncle. Come on. Again!"
He gave me an indulgent wink and smile and then turned to look over his shoulder to make sure my mother was still in her bedroom. He tilted his head back slightly and opened his mouth wide. I peered into it like a dentist. The warmth of his breath was mixed with the stench of onions. I had grown used to it. I even found it comforting.
His teeth were in fantastic condition. They were white, straight, and still intact except for one molar on the right side of his jaw. It was only a strong shell of a tooth. The inside was completely hollowed out, though not by rot.
At first, I couldn't see her, but then there she was. Surprised by the sudden light of the open mouth, she darted across my uncle's tongue to the safety of her tooth home. She was always naked, and though I wasn't even sure what it meant at the time, I lusted for her.
My uncle died shortly after that of the same disease that took my father, and to this day, I miss my Tooth Queen.
This story was made into a stop motion short in 2007