When the World Turned

I hold a petri dish under his mouth and catch some of his drool. Luckily, there’s a lot. I place the dish under the microscope, hoping this will be the cure we’ve been looking for. I study the movement of the bacteria and write down as many notes as I can, in case something like this is to happen again. While I’m doing this, Bull grabs Toothdecay and pretends he’s on Broadway.

“We found a cure.
At first we wasn’t sure.
But Toothdecay licked my knee,
And suddenly our curse was free.”

He’s actually getting better at this songwriting thing.

“I hope the cure doesn’t sucko,
Because I really would like to eat a taco.”

Perhaps it was too soon?

After studying tooth decay’s drool for about an hour, I can’t seem to find what it could be that we’re missing.
“This just doesn’t seem to add up.”
“What doesn’t add up, Spanky?”
“What could have happened when he licked you? How is his saliva the last ingredient? What part is the missing link?”
“Have you ever noticed how ugly your dog’s teeth are? You should make him go to the dentist when we fix the world.”
“That’s it! Bull, you’re a genius. That’s it! I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”
“Thanks Spanky. I think you’re pretty smart too.”
“I knew we were meant to find each other, boy. I just knew it!” I say, scratching behind Toothdecay’s ears. He barks as if he understands what we’ve just learned. “It’s his teeth Bull. His teeth are the cure!”
“I’m not sure that’s a good thing Spanky. He doesn’t have very many left. How are we going to save the world with that?”
“No, Bull. There are bacteria in his mouth that cause his teeth to rot. It’s the bacteria that cause the infection. That’s the cure!”
“I always thought infection and bacteria were bad. How is his good?”
“Bull, you have a lot to learn my friend. And after we give you this cure, you’ll be able to understand better. According to Dr. Belington’s notes, this cure is supposed to regenerate flesh, muscle, brain, even bones. Bull, we’re going to be human again. We’re going to have a normal life. We can find our parents, go to school, and hang out with friends.” He seems confused, almost sad, but I don’t have time to worry about that. I’ve got a cure to test and create.
“Spanky?”
“What is it, Bull?” I say, frustrated.
“When everyone is normal again, we’ll go back to our normal lives, right?”
“Well, that’s the plan. Sure, there are a few things that need to be fixed and towns will need to be rebuilt…”
“We weren’t friends before the curse.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends after.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Bull. We saved the world. You, me, and tooth decay saved the world. We’ll always be friends. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through this with anyone else.”
“Thanks, Spanky. When we are human again, I’ll make you a friendship cake, chocolate with chocolate icing, and sprinkles.”
“That sounds like a plan, Bull.”

After a few more hours, we finally have the right calculations. According to the notes, one vial should cure about six of the infected. I put a couple of the vials in my backpack and we gather up our things.
Once outside, we realize it’s at least four o’clock in the morning. We have to get back to Uncle Jimmy. He’ll know what to do now. A few more hours, and we’ll be one step closer to normal.

Uncle Jimmy’s house is just around the corner. We almost didn’t make it back. We stopped to play basketball, and a couple of “bad zombies” tried to steal our stuff. We decided against making anymore stops after that. It was too risky and we needed all our strength. Soon we’d be human, so would the rest of the world. The excitement was getting the best of me.
Finally, the house was within our view, but as we approached the driveway, there was a car that wasn’t there before. Did Uncle Jimmy live with other humans? Why didn’t he tell us? Was he afraid we’d try to turn them?
“Hey, Spanky, who’s car is that?”
“I’m not sure Bull. We should be really quiet, in case Uncle Jimmy is hiding, or worse.”

The house is empty. There’s a faint noise coming from upstairs, but it’s inaudible and I can’t tell who, or what, it’s coming from. “Do you think he’s upstairs again?” Bull asks in a hushed voice.
“I don’t know. Let’s go look.” I say, heading up the stairs.
The noise is coming from behind the same door as before. I quietly move closer to the door, so that whoever is on the other side, won’t hear me.
When I was younger, I used to eavesdrop on my parents conversations. That’s how I first learned of the curse. Remembering this, I press my ear to the door and listen, thankful that I no longer have to breathe. “There are two voices.”
“What do you mean?” Bull whispers.
“There’s someone in there with Uncle Jimmy.”
“How do you know?”
“Listen.” I say, motioning for him to move closer to the door. He leans against the door, placing his hand around the knob. The door opens and we both fall into the room.
I’m afraid to look up and see who Uncle Jimmy was talking to, but I know I have to. What if he turned Jimmy and he can’t help us with the cure? I look up and am surprised. It’s another human. One who looks a lot like my Uncle Jimmy, or strangely enough, like me? “Dad?” I’d think I was dreaming, but I’m almost certain, that isn’t the case. Dad’s still alive.