Once upon a time, there was a girl named Charlotte, and Charlotte had a loose tooth.
She had spent all day wiggling her loose tooth with her tongue.
It seemed like it had been wobbling for weeks now, and her mom said it would fall out any day.
Does it hurt when your tooth falls out?
Charlotte asked her friend, Aniela, during lunch.
Not really, Aniela said, as she showed the gap where her front tooth used to be.
It just feels weird and then it's over.
But Charlotte wasn't convinced.
This was her first loose tooth and she was kind of scared.
That night at dinner, Charlotte bit into her apple and she felt something shift.
Mom, she gasped, her eyes wide with panic, and her mother rushed over.
What is it, sweetie?
Charlotte couldn't speak.
She just pointed to her mouth.
Oh, your tooth, her mom smiled.
Is it ready to come out?
Charlotte nodded nervously.
Do you want me to help you?
Charlotte shook her head.
I'm scared, she said.
That's okay, honey.
It'll come out when it's ready, said her mom.
Later that evening, Charlotte was brushing her teeth when she felt it again, that strange wiggle.
But this time, something was different.
She started poking at it with her finger and then suddenly her tooth tumbled out and pinged against the bathroom sink.
Mom!
Dad!
My tooth just fell out!
Her parents hurried to the bathroom and found Charlotte grinning, showing off the new gap in her smile.
See, look, she held up the tiny white tooth in her palm.
It didn't even hurt.
Wow, your first tooth, her dad said.
You know what that means.
Someone just might get a visit from the tooth fairy tonight.
Charlotte's eyes sparkled.
She'd heard about the tooth fairy from her friends at school.
Wow, will she really leave me a dollar?
Charlotte said.
Well, if you put your tooth under your pillow, we'll find out in the morning, her mom said with a wink.
That night, Charlotte carefully placed her tooth under her pillow.
She could hardly sleep as she wondered about the mysterious tooth fairy and what treasures she might leave behind.
When the morning came, Charlotte woke up and remembered the tooth fairy.
Did she come last night?
She ran her hand underneath her pillow, expecting to find a crisp dollar bill.
But instead, her fingers touched something that felt like cool metal.
She pulled it out and gasped.
It was a small golden key, beautifully crafted with intricate patterns, and there, etched along the top, was her name, Charlotte.
Mom!
Dad! she called out, racing to her parents' bedroom.
Look what the tooth fairy left me!
Her parents exchanged confused glances with each other as they examined the golden key.
Did you know about this, her mom whispered to her dad.
No, her dad whispered back, raising his eyebrows.
Charlotte was too excited to notice their confusion.
What do you think it's for, she said.
What does it unlock?
I have no idea, sweetheart, her mom said honestly.
I've never seen anything like this.
And so Charlotte took her new key and ran all over the house as she tried to insert the key in every lock she could find.
She tried the front door?
No.
She tried the back door?
No.
She tried her dad's toolbox?
No, that doesn't work.
She tried the family safe?
Now nothing.
She even tried the car ignition when her parents weren't looking.
Nothing worked, but Charlotte wasn't discouraged.
Finding a golden key with my name on it?
It must mean something, she thought to herself, keeping it safely in her pocket.
The next day at school, Charlotte showed the key to her friend, Aniela.
Wow, Aniela said.
That's way better than the dollar I got.
I guess, Charlotte said.
I'm not sure what to do with it, though.
As they walked down the hallway after lunch, Charlotte was telling Aniela all about the places she had tried to use the key when something suddenly caught her eye.
Out of nowhere, in the corner at the end of the hall, almost hidden in the shadows...
Charlotte noticed a small hatch door with an old brass lock on it.
Hey, look at that.
Have you ever seen that before?
Charlotte asked.
Aniela squinted.
No, I've never noticed that.
It's really off to the side.
It's hard to even see it.
I'm surprised you even saw that.
And so the two girls slowly approached the tiny door, crouching down to get a better look.
It was about the size of a suitcase, maybe, with a worn wooden frame and a tarnished lock.
And just then, Mr. Jenkins, the school custodian, rolled by with his mop and bucket.
Hi there, girls.
What are you two looking at?
This door, Charlotte said.
What's it for?
Mr. Jenkins leaned on his mop.
Strange place for a tiny doorway, isn't it?
Most kids never even notice it, but it's always been there.
Years ago, when I started working here, we tried every possible way to open it.
We used every key we had.
We even hired a locksmith to come here and try, and he couldn't open it either.
Which never happens.
By the way, locksmiths can open darn near anything.
I even used my crowbar and a hammer and I tried brute force to open it up, but no one has ever found a way to get through that door.
At least, no one that we know of.
Charlotte felt a tingle of excitement.
So, what's behind that door, she asked.
No one knows, and I don't suspect no one ever will.
But what does it matter?
Most people don't even know it's there.
Being so small and out of the way that it is.
Might as well just forget you ever saw it and move on, kids.
Not much to see here.
And as Mr. Jenkins wheeled his bucket away, Charlotte looked at Aniela with wide eyes.
Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the golden key.
Charlotte gasped.
You don't think...
As she slowly walked forward and then knelt in front of the tiny door, her heart pounding as she brought the key up to the lock.
And she inserted it and it slid in perfectly.
And with trembling fingers, Charlotte turned the key as she felt a soft and satisfying click.
And then she pushed the door open.
Charlotte and Aniela both stared in wonder at what they saw.
But that's a story for another day.
