After a short period of wobbling, Freya’s first loose tooth came out today, to her joy. And then, later, dismay.

She had been quite excited at the prospect of losing it. Many of her friends have already discarded one or more ivories, which has left Freya disappointed at her tooth-full mouth. But this afternoon she could not be happier to show me the lack of a lower central incisor (the internet is a wonderful thing for the ignorant).

Then, when she got home, she was sad and scared by the look of the tooth. I suppose it is a strange thing for her to see something that has been inside her mouth for the last five years. Her sadness soon allayed and she started to talk excitedly about the Tooth Fairy. Or more precisely, tooth fairy logistics.

Like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy does throw up some interesting questions and conundrums. But Freya has worked out that she is a very small creature that can easily make her way under doors (and, presumeably, key holes and their kin). With the aid of her magic wand she can then transform into a larger being to take the tooth. I did not ask too many questions that would have upset the logic of her idea, though they were not far from being uttered.

We discussed where the Tooth Fairy got all her money from to pay for the huge number of lost teeth that we humans discard (no real answer), or what she did with all the teeth (they could be currency in her world, speculates Freya, which makes me wonder why she has not ever considered retiring – she must be loaded).

Part of me does not like lying to Freya, even about the Tooth Fairy. Which sounds odd considering a fair amount of my life has been given over to fantasy role playing games. But it did not stop me from creeping into her room a short time after she had fallen asleep to remunerate her for slipping her tooth under her pillow.