The Toothbrush

David rubbed his eyes and absently looked into his bathroom mirror. He ran his hands through his thinning hair and sighed. He opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. It looked like an old sweaty gym sock had been stuck over this thing protruding from his mouth. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He was not hung over though. Just tired of work and tired of life. He picked up his blue toothbrush and suddenly noticed another one sitting next to it in the water stained cup that sat on the windowsill.

David looked at the red toothbrush. It shouldn’t have been there. He knew this for three reasons. 1) David lived alone and had the need therefore for one toothbrush not two. 2) It was red and he always bought blue toothbrushes. 3) He had only one mouth and had the need therefore for one toothbrush not two.

Where had this toothbrush appeared from? Everything else this morning had been like normal. The sun had risen. The alarm went off at the same time. He got out on the right side of his bed. He had stood on the same bare patch of brown carpet that had worn through with his repetition of always getting out the same side. He had gone to the toilet first. He had then looked in the mirror after rubbing his eyes. He had run his hand through the same thinning hair. David put down the blue toothbrush that he was going to use. Why had this red toothbrush appeared? David looked at the red toothbrush and picked it up and began to brush his teeth.