Frank lay flat on his back in the dentist’s chair. The dentist had both hands, a bag of cotton wool and a drill in Frank’s mouth, and the assistant had one hand, a high-pressure hose and a suction pump. Frank wanted desperately to swallow, but there was no way he could manoeuvre any movement of his epiglottis.
And then he saw it. On the ceiling. A sticker of two frogs dancing. They were stuck on the ceiling. They were clearly put there so the patient had something to look at.
Frank started to giggle. The frogs weren’t even funny. When he thought they weren’t funny, somehow he found it funnier. Then he started to laugh. The drill, the hands and the suction pump were withdrawn. Frank had to sit up.
“What’s funny?” asked the dentist.
“Nothing,” said Frank. “It’s just the frogs.”
Frank could tell that the dentist was slightly annoyed.
“Well just recover and we’ll get back to it,” grumbled the dentist.
Frank recovered. The chair went back down. The drilling recommenced.
Frank started to giggle.