Olive and her dog Pucio step through a mirror into the Land of White Teeth, where minty magic sparkles everywhere. But just as the parade begins, Mr Próchniak appears with a dark warning.
Olive was seven, and she never brushed her teeth without Pucio waiting by the door. One warm evening, as she swirled her toothbrush in the glass, a quiet whisper came from the bathroom mirror.
Olive froze. The silver glass shimmered, then opened like a bright gate. On it was a shining sign: Welcome to the Land of White Teeth! Pucio gave a happy bark, and before Olive could even blink, they stepped through together.
Everything on the other side gleamed. The grass looked soft and green, the trees wore leaves shaped like toothbrushes, and the air smelled cool and minty. Tiny toothpaste tubes with legs hurried past in neat little rows. Then Susie, the cheerful toothpaste fairy, zipped up to them with a sparkling smile.
“Welcome, Olive! Welcome, Pucio!” she said. “You arrived just in time for the Big Clean Teeth Parade!”
Olive laughed and followed her to a silver hill where Mr Toothpick, the oldest tooth in the land, was waiting. He was round and bright and wore a tiny crown of shine. He lifted a paw and pointed toward a wonderful spinning ride called the Tooth Carousel. “It only turns,” he said, “when every tooth gets a proper brush.”
Olive leaned closer, but before she could ask anything, the sky went grey. The minty wind stopped. From behind the toothpaste trees came a slow, crunching step.
Out marched Mr Próchniak in a dark coat and a hat made of sticky old candy. His smile was crooked and brown, and when he laughed, the whole parade fell silent.
“At last,” he said, spreading his arms wide. “Now the Land of White Teeth belongs to me.”
Pucio growled softly. Susie’s sparkle faded. And the Tooth Carousel gave one lonely, shivery creak.