Young Writers Society

I was at the dentist when it happened.

It was all very innocent, really. There I was, lying against the sticky plastic of the examining chair, trying not to sweat too much. The dentist, a balding man who refused to wear gloves, always made feel as if I were an assaulted possum. Trapped and confused, I’d lie as still as could be, hoping he’d soon discard me in search of a fresher victim.

So still I lay, staring at the ceiling and trying hard not to blink. A photo of the rainforest was crudely taped against the light, and it made me feel suddenly angry. Was this his pathetic attempt at solace? Some sort of illusion to invoke feelings of euphoria? My god, what was this man?

My dentist soon presented himself within the doorway, shoulders stooped and jaw set. He looked thoroughly annoyed.

What fabulous timing, I thought to myself.

The anger soon drained away only to be replaced by needled suspicion. He ignored me, setting about his small dentistry tasks while I watched with narrowed eyes. Long fingers caressed the shined steel of each tool, and he laid them with careful precision against the pale green of the surgical napkin. I couldn’t help but notice the wiry hair that curled about each knuckle. Would I feel those bristles graze the lining of my gums? Would they scratch against the flesh of my mouth as he explored within me?

I visibly blanched, yet my dentist failed to notice. Instead, he turned to survey his surroundings. Nodding his approval, he snatched a file from the nearby table and glanced at the label. Apparently it wasn’t to his liking, and he stalked outside the room again. My jaw tensed in frustration. What was I, a mere spectator? Was I simply invisible to him?

A paper napkin had already been clipped around my throat, and my hands tapped a nervous tattoo against the armrest as I waited. Perspiration beaded my lip and the underlining of my hands. I felt clammy and cold, and my vision was starting to blur. What was happening to me? Hundreds of people had visited this room, had lain in this very chair, had…

Sitting bolt upright, I combed my hands through my hair. I was frantic to rid my mind of my progressing thoughts and images of people and their subsequent pain. My stomach was twisting, my mind racing, my heartbeat a sickening thud.

Just relax, just relax.

The mantra was useless and futile, and I shook like a leaf tethered by the wind.

He entered again, this time releasing a grunt by way of greeting. My eyes snapped up to meet his. He had watery eyes that were set and hidden within folds of aged skin. He stared back at me, then blinked before turning away. My mouth opened to speak, to utter some word of betrayal, but his coat tail had already whipped around the doorframe. He had left again, and I was blinded. What sort of trick was this? Was I nothing more than a readied pig for the butcher? Some sort of sick sacrifice for his own selfish entertainment?

His instruments lay on a small tray beside my chair, and they rattled as my fist slammed against its frame. Would this nightmare ever end? Would these lights burn harshly overhead forever? I jumped to my feet, no longer wishing to be bathed in its fluorescent glare, and nearly tripped over the platform of tools in the process. The tray slid away, metal glinting as they shifted position. I took a step forward, and my furious gaze fixated in the direction of their shine.

When he reentered, my file now in hand, I lay patient and waiting. My hands were folded, my smile demure. He didn’t seemed to notice that his room wasn’t as he left it, simply pulled his tray closer and focused on the manila envelope in his hands. He sat in the chair beside me, and I noticed there was dirt caked within his nails. My fist tightened beside me. A gesture, a quick cock of his head, and my mouth slowly opened. As he leaned closer, my fist slowly rose, the metal quickly flashed, and remarkably.. his mouth opened too.

I was at the dentist when it happened.

My mind simply left me. I felt utterly blank, and then so sure. It was something that needed to be done, and I listened.