Zlaw’s Echo

As far back as he could remember, Herbert had never been like any other boy his age. It had all started when his teeth had first come out. They had not been quite right then, and remained so to this day, even though he had long since shed his baby ones for the adult version. Dentists never really could pinpoint what was precisely wrong with them, but they weren’t right all the same. It’s not that they were significantly sharper, or longer, or bigger than usual – doctors had taken measurements to be sure, and been unable to reach a definite conclusion –, it was just that they had always given anyone he smiled wide to an overall feeling of unease that they could never really explain nor suppress. Over time, Herbert had therefore taken to refraining from doing so, and simply came to be reserved in his expressions. He had also always had a ravenous appetite. At first, it had been excused by the fact that he was a growing boy, especially since he was growing so much faster and so much st...