What Was Found at the Orthodontic Office
By: Lamarun

Ann checked the computer to see who was next on the list to see Dr. Johnson. It had been a busy day. With Jennifer calling in sick and Ruth out on vacation she was virtually running the office by herself. It would be nice to get home and soak her feet in some nice hot water. A name flashed up on the computer monitor. Kari Winslow. Ann knew her well. She was a young student at the local college who came in once a month for a routine check-up on her braces. Beneath Kari's name were at least ten other patients still scheduled for this afternoon. It was indeed going to be a long day.

Ann opened the door and the sound of musak filled the air. "Kari Winslow."

Answering to her name being called a young blond woman put down the copy of People Magazine she was reading and strolled towards the door. "Hi Ann."

"Hi Kari, how are you today."

"I'm doing good."

"We'll be in room 2 today Kari," Ann said as she slipped on a pair of sterile gloves. The two women entered the room. Kari hopped into the dentist chair and tried to make herself comfortable. The musak coming through the rooms speakers was much louder than in the hall, Ann wondered if there was any sound more annoying.

Ann pulled her stool over beside Kari and pressed a switch at the side of the chair. The chair began to tilt backwards as the whir of motors momentarily drowned out the awful musak. Ann positioned herself over Kari's face and turned on the powerful overhead light.

"Dr. Johnson will be in shortly. I'm just going to check you out to make sure everything's alright. Are you having any problems?"

"Actually," Kari began, "it feels like something is caught in my braces. I've been trying to get it out for days but I can't dislodge it. It's back here"--Kari pointed a finger into her mouth--"towards my molar."

Ann grabbed a dental pick from the tray of instruments at her side. "Okay, let's take a look. Open wide for me please."

The girl did as she was told. The overhead light lit up the girls mouth. Ann took a moment to check that everything looked okay before she looked for the foreign object. All of Kari's teeth were in excellent condition, they were straightening up nicely. The braces looked good too. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Okay let's see if I can find out what's bothering you." Ann bent closer and searched around the girl's molars with her dental pick. She was probing deep in her mouth and Kari's overactive tongue was getting in the way. Using a finger from her free hand she gently pushed on the girl's tongue to keep it steady. Then her eyes found something. Wedged down in a gap between a one of Kari's molars and the metal band surrounding it was a tiny object. Ann grabbed a pair of long tweezers from the instrument tray.

"Hold still, I think I've found it." Still holding Kari's tongue steady, Ann reached in with her tweezers and pulled out the object. "Ahh I've got it."

"What is it? A piece of food or something."

Ann pulled the tweezers close to her eyes and tried to focus on the tiny object. She was totally amazed at what she saw. The object held in her tweezers was a shoe. It was white and the Nike symbol was plain as day on it's side. Ann's mind raced. What the hell. This cant' be. A shoe this tiny couldn't possible come from a toy. What was it doing in her mouth? Could this really be someone's shoe. No, that's silly. It's impossible, if this shoe came off of someone that person would have to be the size of an insect.

"What is it?" came Kari's voice. The girl was sitting up now, looking at Ann.

"You're not going to believe this, but it's a tiny shoe. Do you have any idea what this is or how it got lodged in your braces?"

Ann watched as Kari's face went pale. Something was wrong--very wrong. "Kari are you alright?"

"I suppose I might as well tell someone."

"Does it have to do with this?" Ann held up the tiny shoe which she still clutched in the tweezers.

"Yes. You see, that shoe belonged to my boyfriend."

Ann let a small smile spread across your lips. "Your pulling my leg right Kari?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Last week I caught my boyfriend with another woman. I was so upset that I totally lost it. I grabbed my shrinking spray--don't ask, I won't tell you where I got it--and I sprayed my boyfriend and the girl he was with. They shrank before my eyes. I just wanted to scare him, honest I did, but they kept shrinking and shrinking until they were the size of bugs. I picked them up in the palm of my hand and they were hugging each other. He was holding her in a way he never held me. I don't know, after that I lost it. Before I knew what I was doing I had opened my mouth and tossed them inside. I tossed them around with my tongue--the shoe must have come off then--and when I felt them fall into my throat I swallowed. My conscience has been bothering me ever since. I don't know why I did that, it was just the first thing that came to my mind."

Ann couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could it possibly be true? It was to amazing to be made up--and she did have the shoe to prove it. "Kari, if you--" she could hardly bring herself to say it, it sounded so absurd, "--if you ate your boyfriend and his mistress then you are a murderer." That got the girl's attention. Her eyes went as big as silver dollars.

"No! I didn't meant to. I was just so upset."

"Nevertheless if what you say is true then you have killed to people." Ann couldn't help but wonder if the two had drowned in saliva or perished in the pit of the girl's stomach. The thought of either was horrifying. "Kari if what you say is true then you have to go to the police."

"What...what do you mean."

"You have to turn yourself in and explain what happened."

"But what will happen to me? I'll go to prison!"

Ann couldn't believe a murderer was sitting right here in her dental chair. She tried to make her voice sound gentle. "I'm sorry Kari, but you have to take responsibility for what you've done."

Kari dry washed her hands and looked the orthodontic assistant in the eye. "Are you going to turn me in?"

Ann thought for a moment. She knew that she could not live with herself if she let a murderer loose. Maybe she would give the girl the benefit of the doubt. Tomorrow I'll go to the police station and see if they have any missing persons. Then maybe I'll report to them what Kari told me.

Kari jumped up out of the dental chair. "You are! You are going to report me!"

Ann still tried to keep her voice calm. "Kari listen. You've done is a horrible thing and you have to answer for it."

Suddenly Kari's hand flashed forward. In her palm was a small cylinder that looked like a can of mace. Kari pressed the trigger and Ann felt hot mist spray into her face. The mist stung her eyes and burned her nostrils and the strong fumes made her head spin. "What did you do to me?" she tried to say through the choking gas.

"I can't let you turn me in. I don't want to go to jail. I'm sorry."

Kari's voice had sounded somehow different just then. Ann opened her tear filled eyes and saw that everything around her was changing. She was shrinking. It's true! Oh my God it's real!

It took only seconds for the mist to take the desired effect. When her eyesight fully cleared Ann found herself immersed in the thick fibers of the carpet--and no more than a quarter-inch tall - if that! Looking up she could see Kari's giant hand reaching down for her. She screamed. Her voice was tiny and weak--there was no hope of summoning any help. Huge fingers wrapped around her tiny body and she was cradled in the girls palm.

Up she went. It felt like an elevator ride and the motion made her feel sick. There was no escape now. Even if she were to crawl out through a gap in Kari's fingers the thing awaiting her would be a fall to the office floor which seemed hundreds of feet down. Finally those huge fingers uncurled and Ann found herself looking up into Kari's giant face. Kari was seated in the dentist's chair once again.

Muffled voices came from the hall outside the office. Dr. Johnson was finishing up with his latest patient. He should be heading this way any minute! If only she could stall what Kari planned until the doctor came in then there may be hope of rescue. "Kari! Please let me go! I won't tell anybody I swear!" It was no use. Kari was staring at her but it was obvious she hadn't heard her tiny voice.

"I'm sorry Ann," came Kari's booming voice, "I can't let you turn me in. Since you're the only one who knows what I've done I've got to get rid of you. I'm sorry."

Pure terror coursed through every bone in her body as Ann saw Kari's mouth open wide. She now found herself gazing into a giant shadowed oral cavity. She had gazed into Kari's mouth every month but this view was beyond comprehension. Metal braces wrapped around giant white teeth reflected the light. A giant tongue, slick with a fresh coat of saliva gently rolled around as if it had a mind of it's own. Deep in the cavern of the girl's mouth was the scariest sight of all. The back of Kari's tongue dipped low revealing the dark outline of her throat. Her uvula hung down from her soft palate and swayed gently between her tonsils.

Ann froze. She was mesmerized by the gaping chasm that was the girl's throat. If she were to fall down that dark hole there would be only one place she would end up--Kari's stomach. Just for an instant she wondered if she would even survive the trip down the esophagus.

Kari tipped her hand and tossed the orthodontic assistant into her mouth.

Ann was aware of the intense smell of saliva only seconds before she found herself coated in the liquid. She had landed on the girl's tongue and was now looking up at her hard palate overhead. Kari's tongue rolled and Ann found herself tossed dangerously close to huge sharp teeth.

Suddenly without warning Dr. Johnson made came into the examination room. Kari shut her mouth quickly, she hoped he hadn't seen what she had just tossed into her mouth.

"Hello Kari. Where's Ann?"

Kari spoke carefully so as not to crush the tiny women between her teeth. "Uhhh she said she was done with me and she stepped out for a break." She could feel the tiny woman bounce on her tongue as she spoke.

"Oh, okay." Dr. Johnson sat down on the seat that Ann had used only minutes before. "Why don't you lie back and I'll take a look here."

It was now or never. If the doctor looked in her mouth now he would find Ann. Kari had to swallow and had to do it now.

Ann was screaming in the darkness. She had a death grip on the carpet-like fibers of the girl's tongue and could here Dr. Johnson's voice--but there was no way for him to know she was here. Saliva was everywhere. It coated her hair and had seeped into her clothes.

Wait! Something was happening. Kari's tongue was rippling, moving loads of saliva deeper into her mouth. She was preparing to swallow! Ann held on for her life, knowing that if she let go she would be swallowed alive. Powerful throat muscles clenched and with a rush of liquid Kari swallowed.

Ann spit saliva out of her mouth. She was still holding on the tongue! She had not been swallowed!

Kari thought the deed was done. She could not feel Ann's tiny body on her tongue. With confidence she leaned back into the chair. Dr. Johnson leaned over her face.

"Okay open up."

Kari opened wide.

Everything had shifted when Kari laid down in the chair. Ann found herself looking up through parted lips at a light in the ceiling that was as bright as the sun. The light illuminated Kari's mouth causing all the shadows to disappear. The whole interior was now a bright glistening pink. The detail was so amazing that Ann could see the taste buds all around her. Not wanting to but not quite able to stop herself, Ann looked below. As she suspected, Kari's throat was wide open but this time it was not covered by dark shadows. Her uvula rested neatly against the wall of her throat which was covered with a thick shiny coat of mucus.

Ann tore her eyes away from Kari's throat and once again looked up towards the light. To her surprise she saw Dr. Johnson staring down at her. She felt like she could cry she was so happy. "Oh thank God! Dr. Johnson help me! It's me Ann!"

Dr. Johnson saw a tiny whit speck on his patients tongue. "Oops, looks like you've got a piece of food on your tongue, hold on I'll get it."

Ann was almost bursting with joy as Dr. Johnson lowered a dental pick down to her. The nightmare was almost over. The metal hook reached her position and Ann reached out to grab it. Just then the worst thing that could happen--did. Kari's tongue rolled--couldn't she ever keep it still!-- and Ann flailed desperately to grab the hook of the dental instrument. That one moment of violent movement cost her--she lost her grip and fell.

Ann screamed as she bounced down the length of Kari's tongue. Past two giant tonsils she fell until she landed on her back on the wall of Kari's throat. She lay spread eagle on Kari's throat wall, her body sinking into the warm mucus as Dr. Johnson removed the hook that was suppose to save her.

"Oh, sorry," Dr. Johnson said. "It fell into your throat. Just swallow it." Kari just shrugged.

Ann was trapped. The mucus lining of Kari's throat wall held her like glue. From below came a sudden rush of air--it was a hiccup--but to Ann it felt like an explosion. Air rushed past her and before she knew it Kari's uvula had bounced up on top of her. Now she lay, her body almost completely covered by her heavy wet uvula. There was no hope of being seen by the doctor now. All that was left was to wait until she was swallowed and sent down the gullet of this young woman.

The examination only took a few minutes and Ann was forced to watch from her perch behind Kari's uvula. She heard the doctor say that everything looked fine and that Kari could leave. Kari's lips closed--immersing Ann in darkness once more. Then gravity shifted as Kari stood up from the chair and made her way to the exit. Ann took a deep breath as Kari's uvula fell away from her body and swung limply in front of her. It was a relief to have that weight off of her, but now she felt herself slipping slightly. The mucus that held her in place was sure to give out soon and every swallow from the young woman threatened to dislodge her from her sticky throat wall. There was nothing to do now but wait.

Dr. Johnson led his patient to the reception desk. "Hmmm, I guess Ann isn't back yet. Do you mind if I just send you a bill?"

"No problem doctor," Kari said.

"Okay then, I'll see you next month and we should be able to get those braces off soon. Good luck with your classes."

"Thanks, I'll see you later." Kari went out the door and through the full waiting room. Out in the hall she stopped for a second. Something was bothering her--there was something irritating her throat. It felt like something was lodged high up in her throat near her soft palate. The object made her throat itch. She swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva, but the object stayed put. She then tried to scrape at it with the back of her tongue--she felt the object move, but it still wouldn't come loose. At the end of the hall she saw a drinking fountain. A few gulps of water should do the trick.

When Kari's lips opened Ann found herself looking down at a huge faucet. Suddenly gallons upon gallons of water gushed up into Kari's mouth. The powerful flow of liquid ripped Ann from her position and pushed her down. With a powerful gulp she was swallowed along with a mouthful of cold water. As she traveled down Kari's esophagus, Ann prayed that she would drown in the icy water or pass out from lack of oxygen so as to spare her the pain of being digested alive.

Kari licked her lips. Whatever was in her throat was gone. She walked to the elevator and pressed the down button. For a brief moment she thought of Ann. She knew what she did was horrible, but she couldn't get caught--there was no way she was going to go to prison. As she waited for the elevator she fished out the small bottle of shrink spay from her pocket. This stuff had caused enough trouble. Kari walked to over to a trash can and threw the bottle inside. There--now she could never use it again--and maybe that was for the best. A soft 'ding' sound signaled the elevator's arrival. Kari walked inside and pressed button for the ground floor. All in all she had had a busy day, and it was not even noon yet.

THE END