Gabrys and Lena find a secret flap under the school bathroom sink and slip into a strange world where teeth rule and toothbrushes can move on their own.
Gabrys was half-listening to his nature lesson and half-rolling a peppermint gum packet between his fingers. It crackled too loudly, but he was too bored to care. Beside him, Lena leaned in and whispered, "Did you forget to brush your teeth after breakfast again? You've got crumbs on your cheek."
Gabrys froze, then hurriedly rubbed his face with his sweatshirt sleeve. Lena only smirked. She reached into her backpack, pulled out a tiny tube of toothpaste and a plastic toothbrush shaped like a dinosaur, and held them up like secret tools.
"I’m going to the bathroom," she said, already sliding sideways out of her seat. She tipped her head toward him, her eyes bright with mischief.
Gabrys waited exactly two seconds before following.
The first-floor school bathroom was strangely quiet. No shouting. No running taps. Just the soft hum of the lights and the smell of soap. Lena stood by the sinks, spinning her toothbrush between her fingers as if she were waiting for something. Gabrys slipped in behind her and glanced back at the door.
That was when he noticed it.
In the corner, under the sink, something silver caught the light. Not a pipe. Not a screw. A little flap, barely visible against the wall.
"Hey," Gabrys whispered. "Did you see that?"
Lena frowned and stepped closer. She knelt, pushed aside the purple mat, and traced the edge of the flap with one fingertip. There was a tiny catch hidden in the wall.
Gabrys swallowed. "Should we?"
Lena lifted her eyebrows, then gave the catch a careful tug.
Click.
The flap swung open.
Behind it was a narrow spiral staircase dropping down into darkness. A cool draft floated up from below, carrying the scent of mint and something sweet, like raspberries. Tiny lights flickered far beneath their feet.
"That is absolutely not a normal school pipe," Lena breathed.
Gabrys stared into the opening. The steps curved downward so far he couldn’t see where they ended. The walls around the stairwell gleamed white and smooth, almost like giant polished teeth.
"Do you think someone made this on purpose?" he asked.
"Only one way to find out," Lena said.
Before he could change his mind, they stepped inside.
The staircase seemed to go on forever. With every turn, the school behind them felt farther away, and the strange white walls grew brighter, shinier, almost alive. Then the stairs ended abruptly, and the darkness opened into something impossible.
A whole city spread out below them.
Teeth walked through the streets. Toothbrushes danced over the pavement. Bright strands of floss drifted above the roofs like ribbons. In the middle of it all stood a dentist in a long robe, watching the square like a judge.
"Welcome to Toothland!" a booming voice rang out.
Gabrys and Lena stared, speechless.
Then, from a dark alley behind the square, came a low, sly giggle.
Every toothbrush in the city stopped moving and turned toward the sound.