The heater

She stands by the heater. She turns it on. – I want to stand here, mommy. – You can, her mom says. I know you’re cold. – I’m cold. – Yes. But you have to brush your teeth. She doesn’t want to brush her teeth. She wants to go to bed. She says nothing. But then, after a moment, she turns the heater off. And then she gets up off the warm pillow and walks to the cold bathroom, where there is an electric toothbrush, which she can feel spin on her gums.