Karen's Toothache

  The author gratefully acknowledges

  Stephanie Calmenson

  for her help

  with this book.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1 Madame Valerie

  2 What Is a Two-Two?

  3 Karen’s Horoscope

  4 School

  5 Ouch!

  6 Dr. Rice

  7 The Fortune-teller

  8 Madame Karena Brewena

  9 Special Powers

  10 A Prediction for Ms. Colman

  11 B-A-B-Y

  12 Albert’s Toothache

  13 Hiding

  14 Very Big Trouble

  15 The Return of the Powers

  16 “Be Careful!”

  17 The Amazing Dr. Celenza

  18 Mush for Dinner

  19 The Tooth Necklace

  20 Fuzzy

  Acknowledgment

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  Madame Valerie

  “You will grow green antennae on your head.”

  “The man in the moon will visit you tonight.”

  “You will grant your sister three big wishes.”

  “No way! Those fortunes are goofy,” said Andrew.

  “They are not,” I replied.

  I was writing fortunes in my Cootie Bug. A Cootie Bug, in case you do not know, is a piece of paper folded a special way, with fortunes written inside. I make excellent Cootie Bugs, even if Andrew does not think so.

  Andrew is my little brother. He is four.

  I am Karen Brewer. I am seven. I have blonde hair, blue eyes, and some freckles, and I wear glasses.

  Andrew and I were in the playroom at Mommy’s house. We had already finished eating dinner. And I had finished my homework.

  The TV was on. A lady came on the screen and said, “Hello, everyone. I am Madame Valerie, your local fortune-teller. Have you questions about your future? I can answer them all.”

  I could see that Madame Valerie was a real and true fortune-teller. She was wearing a long skirt, a lacy blouse, lots of beads and bracelets, and gigundo gold hoop earrings.

  Madame Valerie waved her hands over a shiny crystal ball. She gazed into it. Then she squinted. (Maybe she needed glasses, like me.)

  “Ah, yes. I can see it all now!” she said. “Good news awaits you at sunrise. But look for trouble when the moon is full.”

  Hmm. Watching Madame Valerie gave me an idea. When the show was over, I turned off the TV and got busy.

  I searched the shelves in the playroom. Boy, were they a mess.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Andrew.

  “You will see,” I replied mysteriously. Then I cried, “I found it!”

  I held up an old snow globe. It was a souvenir Mommy brought back for me and Andrew from Denver, Colorado. Some little plastic people were inside it. But that did not matter. It would make a fine crystal ball.

  Next I found our Magic Eight Ball. It said yes, or no, or maybe so, when you turned it over.

  The last thing I found was our Ouija board. That was a very important thing for a fortune-teller to have.

  I lined up my fortune-telling equipment. Crystal ball. Eight Ball. Ouija board. Not bad, I thought. (I decided that if anyone asked about the people in my crystal ball, I would tell them they were my fortune-telling advisors.)

  I was getting ready to ask my Ouija board a question. But something was bothering me. It was a tooth at the back of my mouth. I set the Ouija board down.

  Yesterday my tooth had felt funny when I ate chocolate chip ice cream. Tonight it hurt a little at dinner when I chewed on a carrot. I hoped I did not have a cavity.

  I decided not to think about my tooth. I decided to think about my weekend instead. The next day was Friday. Andrew and I were going to Daddy’s house. And my toothache was not invited!

  What Is a Two-Two?

  Mommy’s house. Daddy’s house. Little house. Big house. Andrew and I have two houses. I will tell you why.

  When we were little, Mommy and Daddy got divorced. They loved Andrew and me very much. But they did not love each other enough to live together anymore.

  So Daddy stayed in our big house. (That is where he grew up.) And Mommy moved to a little house. Both houses are in Stoneybrook, Connecticut.

  Andrew and I live with Mommy most of the time. But we live with Daddy every other weekend, and on some holidays and vacations.

  After the divorce, Mommy got married again. The man she married is Seth Engle. He is my stepfather. He is very nice. When he came to live with us, he brought his two pets. Rocky is a cat. Midgie is a dog. Now they are our pets, too.

  Daddy got married again also. He married a woman named Elizabeth Thomas. Now she is my stepmother. When she moved into Daddy’s house, she brought four children from her first marriage. They are David Michael, who is seven; Sam and Charlie, who are so old they are in high school; and Kristy, who is thirteen and one of my favorite people ever. They are my stepbrothers and stepsister.

  I have one other sister. She is Emily Michelle. Daddy and Elizabeth adopted her from a country called Vietnam. She is two and a half. (I named my pet rat, Emily Junior, after her. Emily Junior lives at the little house.)

  Nannie is Elizabeth’s mother. That makes her my stepgrandmother. She lives at the big house, too, and helps take care of Emily Michelle.

  These are the pets at the big house: Shannon, David Michael’s great, big Bernese mountain dog puppy; Boo-Boo, Daddy’s meanie cat; Crystal Light the Second, my goldfish; and Goldfishie, Andrew’s polar bear. (Just kidding! Goldfishie is really another goldfish.)

  I have a special name for my brother and me. I call us Andrew Two-Two and Karen Two-Two. What is a two-two? A two-two is anyone like us who has two houses, two families, and two of lots of other things.

  For example, we each have two bicycles — one at each house — and two sets of clothes. That is so we don’t have to keep bringing everything back and forth. I have two stuffed cats. Moosie lives at the big house. Goosie lives at the little house. I even have two pieces of Tickly, my special blanket.

  Plus, I have two best friends. Nancy Dawes lives next door to Mommy’s house. Hannie Papadakis lives across the street and one house over from Daddy’s house. We go to the same school, Stoneybrook Academy. We are in the same class. Our teacher is Ms. Colman. And we like to do everything together. We call ourselves the Three Musketeers.

  Having two of lots of things is all right. But you do not want to have two toothaches. One of those is plenty.

  Karen’s Horoscope

  It was Sunday morning at the big house. I was sitting at the table with Daddy, David Michael, Nannie, Kristy, and Andrew. We were eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. I felt very grown-up.

  I used to think newspapers were boring. Then Hannie, Nancy, and I started one for kids called the 3M Gazette. Now that was interesting. We stopped publishing it, though, because we needed the time for our school work.

  But guess what. A friend of Mommy’s who writes for the Stoneybrook News thought the 3M Gazette was great. She started a kids’ page in the grown-up paper. Sometimes I write articles or make up puzzles for the kids’ page. I did not have anything in the paper this morning. But it was still fun to read.

  I finished the kids’ page. Then I flipped through the grown-up news.

  “Boring. Boring. Boring,” I said as I turned the pages. “Hey, wait!” I cried. “I found something new.”

  I saw a headline that said: Your Daily Horoscope. Below it were short paragraphs in two columns. That was good. It looked easy to read. The other pages in the paper had way too many words.

  But I wasn’t sure what a horoscope was. So I asked Kri
sty.

  “For every birth date, there is a special sign,” said Kristy. “The signs are astrological. That means they have something to do with the stars and planets. All you have to do is look up the sign for your birthday. Then you can read your horoscope.”

  I ran my finger down the columns until I found my birthday.

  “Listen to my horoscope, everyone. It says, Today is a day for opening up to others. The results will be rewarding.”

  “I want to hear my horror-soap,” said Andrew.

  “The word is horoscope,” I told him. “If you wait a minute, I will find yours.”

  Andrew’s horoscope said: “Opportunity awaits you. Watch for the signs.”

  I looked up Daddy’s sign next. “It is time to review your finances. Taking risks will produce great profits.”

  “Here’s yours, Nannie,” I said. “You work hard all week. Make today your special day.”

  Kristy’s horoscope said she should get out in the fresh air and enjoy nature. David Michael was supposed to look for answers in unexpected places.

  I read the horoscopes for everyone at the big house. Then I read Mommy’s and Seth’s. I would have read the horoscopes for our pets, too. But I was not sure when their birthdays were. Anyway, I had read all the horoscopes on the page.

  I went back to eating my Krispy Krunchy cereal. It was still crispy and crunchy. While I ate, I thought about my horoscope. I was supposed to open up to others for rewarding results. I would have to pay close attention today to see if my horoscope came true.

  “Ouch!” I cried.

  “What is wrong?” asked Daddy.

  “Nothing,” I replied. I was rubbing my cheek.

  Then I thought, this is it! This is my chance to open up to others! So I told Daddy about my tooth.

  “Well, be sure to tell your mother tonight. She can make an appointment with the dentist for you,” said Daddy.

  That night at the little house, I forget to tell Mommy. Well, I did not really forget. I decided that opening up to Daddy was rewarding enough for one day. Besides, my tooth was not bothering me. So why bother Mommy?

  School

  On Monday morning at the little house, I read my horoscope. It said, A friend will help you today.

  Do you know what? My horoscope came true.

  On the playground at school, the Three Musketeers were playing hopscotch. All of a sudden Hannie called, “Karen, look out!”

  I ducked just in time. A Frisbee whizzed past my head.

  On Tuesday, my horoscope said, You will learn something new today.

  I did! I learned how to spell chrysanthemum.

  By Wednesday morning, I did not even have to ask for the horoscope page. Seth put it at my place at the table. (Mommy and Seth get The New York Times and The Hartford Courant at the little house. The Times does not have horoscopes. The Courant does.)

  This was my horoscope: Watch out for enemies today.

  Uh-oh. I had a best enemy at school. Pamela Harding. I would have to watch out for her.

  I read more horoscopes while I waited for Mommy to drive me to school.

  “Are you ready, Karen?” she called.

  “In a minute!” I replied.

  Reading all those horoscopes had given me an idea. I ran into the playroom and found my crystal ball. I slipped it into my backpack.

  That morning, I was the first one in the classroom. My desk is at the front of the room. I used to sit in the back with Hannie and Nancy. But when I got glasses, Ms. Colman moved me up front. She said I would be able to see better.

  The other kids who wear glasses and sit up front are Natalie Springer and Ricky Torres. (Ricky is my pretend husband.)

  Addie Sidney sits up front, too. But she has a different kind of desk. It is the tray of her wheelchair. She uses a wheelchair because she had cerebral palsy.

  “Hi, Karen!” called Hannie.

  I pulled out my crystal ball.

  “Hi! Do you want to hear your daily fortune?” I asked.

  “Sure,” said Hannie.

  I had read Hannie’s horoscope in the Courant. But I checked my crystal ball to make sure it was right.

  “The stars and the crystals are in agreement,” I said. “A happy surprise awaits you.”

  “That’s neat!” said Hannie. “I can’t wait to find out what it is.”

  Then Nancy came into the room. “What is my fortune?” she asked.

  I closed my eyes and passed my hands over the crystal ball.

  “Someone close to you will need your help today,” I said.

  “Hmm. I wonder who will need me,” said Nancy.

  Ricky arrived with Hank Reubens and Bobby Gianelli. (Hank and Ricky are best friends. Bobby is sometimes a bully.) I checked my crystal ball.

  “You will be a winning team today,” I said.

  Terri and Tammy, the twins, showed up next. Guess who came in behind them. Pamela Harding, Jannie Gilbert, and Leslie Morris. (They are good friends.)

  I put my crystal ball away. I did not want Pamela to see it. Today was the day to watch out for my enemy.

  Behind Pamela was Ms. Colman, who is the best teacher ever. Later, I would read Ms. Colman’s fortune. I would make sure it was a very happy one.

  Ouch!

  After Ms. Colman took attendance, she made a Surprising Announcement. (I love Surprising Announcements!)

  “This afternoon we will have an Autumn Leaves Party,” she said.

  “Yes!” I cried. Then I added, “Indoor voice, please.”

  “Thank you, Karen,” said Ms. Colman. She was smiling. (I think she was happy I had remembered the indoor voice rule, even though I had forgotten to follow it.)

  “This morning we will make leaf decorations. After recess we will bake leaf-shaped cookies,” Ms. Colman said.

  This was very good news.

  “But first we will have our math quiz,” added Ms. Colman.

  Boo. This was very bad news.

  When I got my quiz, I went right to work. I was careful to keep my eyes on my own paper. (I had made the mistake of copying from Ricky before and I had been very sorry.)

  The math problems were hard. I had to count on my fingers. My head started to ache. No, wait. It was not my head. It was my tooth again. (I had not remembered to tell Mommy it was bothering me.)

  I did not tell Ms. Colman either. I waited for the ache to go away.

  My tooth felt better when we started making our autumn leaves. Maybe I was just having too much fun to think about it.

  “Would you please pass the brown crayon?” I asked Addie.

  “Sure,” she replied. “Here is the red one, too. Autumn leaves have lots of red in them.” (Addie is very good at arts and crafts.)

  By lunchtime, I had made piles of autumn leaves. They were gigundoly beautiful. Ms. Colman strung all the leaves across the room.

  When we came back from recess, we baked the cookies. My job was to beat the egg yolks. I am very good at beating eggs. Ms. Colman says it is because I have so much energy.

  “Hey, Hannie,” I said. “Why are cooks mean?”

  “I don’t know,” said Hannie.

  “Because they beat the eggs and whip the cream!” I said.

  I just love parties. I love baking cookies. And best of all, I love eating cookies.

  When the cookies were all baked and cooled, Ms. Colman gave each of us three on a colored napkin. My first cookie was shaped like a maple leaf. I took a big bite.

  I wanted to say, “Yum!” Instead I yelped, “Ouch!”

  “Karen, what is wrong?” asked Ms. Colman.

  I pointed to my tooth.

  “I think you should see the nurse,” said Ms. Colman. “Nancy, will you go with Karen, please?”

  Nancy walked me to the nurse’s office. Then she went back to the party.

  “What brings you here, Karen?” asked Ms. Pazden. (She is the school nurse.)

  I pointed to my tooth again.

  “Is this the first time it has hurt you?” Ms. Paz
den asked.

  I decided I better tell the truth. I told her about the times it had bothered me.

  “I do not want to go to the dentist, though. I do not want to get a filling,” I moaned.

  “But Karen, your tooth will just keep hurting you if you don’t go,” she said. She picked up the phone and called Mommy.

  “I think Karen should see her dentist as soon as possible,” Ms. Pazden said.

  Bullfrogs.

  Dr. Rice

  Mommy and Andrew were waiting to pick me up after school.

  “I am sorry your tooth hurts, Karen,” said Mommy. “I am sure Dr. Rice will be able to help.”

  Dr. Rice is our family dentist. He treats everyone: Mommy, Seth, Andrew, and me.

  “Maybe you have a cabity,” said Andrew.

  “The word is cavity. And maybe I do not have one,” I said.

  I was feeling pretty grumpy. I did not feel like thinking about cabities, or cavities either.

  We pulled up in front of Dr. Rice’s office. His office is in a white house with blue shutters. Inside, the walls are covered with pictures of people with shiny teeth.

  “Hello, Karen,” said Dr. Rice. “I hear a tooth has been bothering you lately. Let’s see if we can make it feel better.”

  I followed Dr. Rice down a hallway. I sat in the chair. Dr. Rice stepped on a pedal and the chair sailed up. (That is one part of going to the dentist that I like.)

  “Can you point to the tooth that is bothering you, Karen?” asked Dr. Rice.

  I pointed.

  “Good. Now, if you will open your mouth a bit more, I can take a look at it,” said Dr. Rice.

  “May I have some water first?” I asked.

  “Of course,” said Dr. Rice.

  There was a sink next to the chair. I pushed a little button and a cup filled up with water. The water did not run over the top. How did it know when to stop? (Filling the water cup is the other part of going to the dentist that I like. But that is all.)

  “Ready?” asked Dr. Rice. (He was smiling. He is a very nice man.)

  “Ready,” I said. I opened my mouth wide.

  Dr. Rice tapped my tooth with a shiny metal stick. It did not hurt. My tooth just felt kind of sore.