He Smiled—But He Wasn't a Child / Chapter 1: The Boy Who Won't Stop Asking
He Smiled—But He Wasn't a Child

He Smiled—But He Wasn't a Child

Author: Alexander Church

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Won't Stop Asking

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My best friend's little nephew is temporarily staying at my place. He's only nine—adorable and smart as a whip—but, uh, he keeps bugging me about taking baths together. I know that's kind of a thing in some families, but honestly, it throws me off every time. I mean, what am I supposed to say to that? I just end up making some awkward joke to myself, like, "Ha, not in this house, kid," and try to brush it off.

Honestly, it's kind of cute the way he asks, all wide-eyed and earnest, but every time he brings it up, I just kind of laugh it off and steer the conversation somewhere else. Kids, right? Maybe it's just a phase. I try not to overthink it. But it keeps happening. And each time, his insistence is just a little more intense than before.

That's when, completely out of the blue, something on the radio caught my ear:

"With advances in cosmetic medicine, you can't always tell someone's age by their looks. But teeth never lie. Teeth can reveal a person's true age."

But teeth never lie. Teeth can reveal a person's true age. The radio host let that hang for a second, and I swear the words kind of echoed in my head.

It was one of those random trivia segments they run between songs. I don't know why, but those words stuck with me.

I remember thinking, That’s a weird thing to say on a Tuesday morning. For a second, I just kind of paused, then started to tune it out, but then—

At that exact moment—

Bang.

I saw a set of dentures fall from the top bunk in the guest room.

For a second, I just stood there. Not moving. Mind blank.

The sunlight from the window caught on the shiny pink plastic, making it look almost cheerful. But my heart was pounding. Cheerful, but creepy.

I've never had a single cavity in my life. Where did these dentures come from?

And...

I grabbed a tissue, picked them up. They were... incredibly small.

Not adult-sized at all. In fact, they looked almost like a toy. But too real. Tiny teeth lined up in perfect rows. There was something about the weight of them in my hand that made me shiver.

They looked just like a child's teeth. Child's teeth.

About the same size as the mouth of my best friend's nephew—the one staying at my house.

A chill ran down my spine. Then my phone rang.

It was Jenna.

"Morgan! You won't believe it, I saw so many hot guys on the beach today!"

She sounded super hyped about her trip, but I couldn't care less. I cut her off: "Jenna, let me ask you—your nephew, Tyler, is he really nine years old?"

Just for the record, Tyler is Jenna's older sister's kid.

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