Up to the Roof, Down to the Bed

Bà Nội teaches her granddaughter the rule that has held for centuries in Hanoi: upper teeth go to the roof, where they reach for the sun. Lower teeth go under the bed, where they keep their feet on the ground. "Reach high but stay rooted," she says, tossing the upper tooth into the morning. The new tooth, she promises, will know exactly which direction to grow.