Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

Metal Mouth

Jimmy was not happy about his new look. Even with his mouth fully closed it was obvious he had braces; his mouth and lips protruded more than usual, giving his face an apish look. When Jimmy talked, people didn't even have to look at him to know his mouth was filled with hardware; it's not easy to talk normally when the whole inside of your mouth is misshapen by unnatural metallic objects.

"Metal Mouth! Metal Mouth!"

Jimmy sighed. He had tried glaring at his tormentors, and he had tried ignoring them. Neither technique seemed to have the desired effect; the constant harassment continued.

Fifth graders can be so unkind.

He thought about going to Mrs. Phillips and complaining about the name calling, but he knew what would happen. She would scold the bullies, maybe make them stay in for the rest of recess, but in the long run, it would just stir up more trouble, once the well-meant but ineffective punishment was complete and the teacher's back was turned.

"Metal Mouth! Metal Mouth!"

Jimmy decided he'd had enough. He spun around to glare at the schoolyard bullies. There were three of them, and they were all bigger than him, but he didn't care. Sometimes the prey decides that enough is enough, and turns on his predators, no matter what the odds. Besides, they might have the advantage of size, but Jimmy had intelligence on his side.

"I may be a Metal Mouth," he retorted, "but at least I'm not a Mentally Mediocre Motor Mouth."

Jimmy had once heard that you learn something new every day. Today's lesson, it seems, was this: No matter how much it hurts to get punched in the face, it hurts ten times more if your mouth is filled with orthodontic hardware.

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