lurching rapidly towards the floor. I didn’ t have time to get my hands in front of my face before— Thud! We hit the floor. It felt like I had taken a ten-
HUD
hour nap before the next time it came to the hallways. So, I took her hand in mine, and we began skipping down the red and beige-painted hallway that smelled like paper, glue, and crayons.
That’ s when it happened. I heard a squeak, like a shoe getting caught on the floor. And then I was pulled forward, my eyes opened, but it was probably only two seconds or so. My vision wasn’ t blurred; I could see all too clearly two fragments of white, alright, maybe slightly yellow, and red on the brown argyle tiles in front of me. It dawned on me immediately what happened.
My teeth! My two front teeth!
24 TEMPO MAGAZINE— SPRING 2025