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Grinning



Estimated reading time — < 1 minute

This morning I stepped out of the shower and this bathroom was fine: white walls, white tiles, sink and counter with toothpaste crusted all over. Three out of the four lightbulbs over the mirror were still good — 100 watt, clear bulb, blinding bright in the small white room. Like always I was late, so I skipped shaving. She liked it when I didn’t shave, anyway. I was thinking about doing mutton chops. She’d get a kick out of that. I passed the mirror and noticed I was grinning. I didn’t even know I was grinning.

I’m in the bathroom tonight before bed and there’s something wrong with the lights. All three are on again but they glow kind of brown and don’t really light up the rest of the room. I should get more bulbs from the kitchen. I should, but I’m busy. The date was shit and she shut her apartment door on me. You’d think that would wipe off the stupid grin from this morning. But I came back in the bathroom and, in the mirror, my face was still doing it. If I touch my face it doesn’t feel like a grin, but there it is in the mirror.

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In the brown light it’s hard to make out but — have you ever actually counted how many teeth show when you smile? I lean in close. One, two, three, four — I didn’t know my mouth was so wide. Nine, ten, eleven — I can’t do mutton chops after all. The corners of my lips are out to my ears. It still doesn’t feel like a grin. But keep counting, for curiousity. Thirty-six. Thirty-seven. Thirty-eight.

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128 thoughts on “Grinning”

  1. Leviathan brings up a good point. This mirror pasta is well disguised as a ‘half-cooked pasta’. The story itself is sound, and has an interesting ending. Obviously something was in the mirror, for if was actually him, someoe would have pointed out the fact that he was grinning in such an eerie fashion. Now can we please stop arguing about teeth.

    “Naru, what are you doing?”
    “Nothing, just looking at some files. I’ll be right out.”

    Gotta run guys.

  2. Whether or not the subject is the monster or not was never clear to me. But I enjoy that aspect. It seems plausible that either he is unwittingly becoming a monster (as the aforementioned picture would seemingly imply) or that what he is seeing in the mirror is a separate and menacing entity (as implied by the fact that when he felt his face, it did not seem that his mouth was grinning) seems left up to the reader.

  3. I’ll try to find it, and post it if I can, but this story seems incomplete because when originally posted on 4chan’s /x/ image board, the story was paired with a ghoulish picture of a figure in a brown dimly lit bathroom staring into a mirror with a monster staring back at him. I’m certain that either the writer created the image, or wrote the story after finding said image.

  4. I swear, this argument over teeth in the comments feels ridiculous. I can’t really explain it, but I’ll try my best to think of a similar situation:
    Three men are conducting an experiment in the forest-
    Person 1- Day 32 of ongoing observation, an-
    Person 2- That’s impossible! There are only 28 days in February!
    Person 3- Well, I suppose it could be a leap year. But how could that explain the extra days? Perhaps some ripple in the space time continuum is causing some kind of disturbance, or mayb-
    Person 1- WILL YOU PEOPLE FOCUS?!
    I’ll let you decide which people fit where.

  5. Wow, this character is dumb. XD

    Hmmn. I was also considering that his mouth was cut like the Joker’s…until the 38 teeth comment, which I’m pretty sure is intentionally written to dispel that interpretation. It must be a monster that eats dumb people who stop to count its teeth instead of running away. XD

  6. How can so many of you be so unintelligent and not be able to understand the story.

    1) He, himself, was not grinning.

    2) Whatever was in the mirror that looked like him was ginning.

    3) He leaned near the mirror to count the teeth, which was far more many then a human 4) This implies that it was not a “human” or reflection in the mirror grinning back at him.

    5) It cuts off at the ends like that also implies that he could have been devoured seeing as he was so close to the mouth or it might have been cut off for suspense like it really was indicated.

    @ Sarala @ Murr @ Cara
    You three seem to be the only ones here that seem to have brains, at least there are a few intelligent humans in the world.

  7. I think it’s creepy. How do you guys not see it? What I understood from this is that he wasn’t actually grinning–only his reflection was. I felt like it was pretty obvious… There’s something sinister in his mirror reflection, distorting him. Actually, if you really think about it, it may not have been his reflection, anyway. I can’t explain this very well, but it makes sense in my head.

  8. ;.; This brought up memories of the time I saw my reflection when I was younger. I kept on looking away from the mirror and back at it, seeing if I could scare myself. On one of the attempts, I slowly made myself smile, and once my smile was as wide as can be, the reflection suddenly looked evil. The eyes… They were full of hateful glee, and the grin was a little wider than it should have been

    I jumped back and flailed in the air at that. I haven’t had it happened since, but god damnit, if that ever happens again, I may have to shatter the reflective surface

    And crap, now I feel a grin creeping on my face ;.; And the black background lets me see my reflection in the screen ;.;

  9. You people don’t understand. The figure in the mirror is a beast of horror. It is grinning, and it looks just like him. Every tooth he counts he leans into the mirror more and more, until this thing can finally reach out and take him. When you lie around, bored, and count something, don’t you try counting them all? You get mesmerized. Count every letter in this post, and tell me you don’t get a feeling of being hypnotized.

  10. This guy’s a genius. Instead of getting a new toothbrush, he simply got a flip-top head. I always wondered if anyone actually did that

  11. To those of you who might be confused: Take a look at the picture that accompanies this story over on ED’s creepypasta page.

  12. I loved this one; it was able to be creepy even without mentioning gore or strange evil creatures. Very cleverly done, but perhaps a little too subtle for the majority of people. I don’t believe a lot of people know the standard is 32 teeth and this was the clever touch to the story. Maybe the author should’ve ended at forty? But that may have been overdoing it a bit too much.

    Maybe a less vague sentence could help this, but I cannot think of one right now.

    Definitely one of my favourites though.

  13. Personally it think that it has to do with something being on the other side, or inside of the mirror, staring back.
    Possibly hungry.

    Damn it, after reading hours of these I know I will have to sleep with the lights on.

  14. This one was one of the creepiest pasta I’ve ever read, even until now. Even when I read for the first time and didn’t quite get it, it creeped me out. For the second time, I had problems to sleep. That’s what I gain for reading creepy stuff at 2AM in a dark room…

    Anyway, these short ones are generally better than the longer ones. The swiftness and the open endings trick with the mind. And the wide smile… it’s just creepy…

  15. justthesweetweather

    reminds me of that pasta that if your reflection is smiling at you, it’s going to switch places with you and you’ll be the reflection or something to that effect.

    Teeth are really creepy to me, so not a bad pasta.

  16. Man. I’m caught between amused and ticked that the worst creepypasta I ever wrote is the one that’s been reposted the most.

  17. @People who think its skeleton
    LOL NO!
    aint it obvious?
    Its a clown disguised as him. And he just wants somebody to cuddle with. :3

  18. People have a hard time understanding even the simplest of creepypastas. Ok, for those who did not get it. The reflection is not him, but some sort of monster pretending to be him and mimicing most of his actions. It says in the pasta that when he feels his mouth, it doesn’t feel like a grin, even though that is what’s reflected. As for the teeth thing, no normal human has that many teeth. It’s a bit of the monster showing through the illusion.
    Some of you people are really dense. If everything isn’t spelled out for you, you don’t have a clue. The best creepypastas are usually vauge too.

  19. all of you who can’t find a story captivating unless it ends “AND THEN MONSTERS.” need to broaden your horizons a bit. for real.

  20. Damnit I was just about to shower when i read this, now I have to check myself when I get out, make sure i have the RIGHT number of teeth :(

  21. the comments were better than the story…-yawn-
    i don’t care about the character, or his bajillions of teeth…
    ever stopped to think that perhaps he is not human at all?
    he never once said that he had too many teeth in his mouth…
    he could be an alien with hundreds of teeth…

    that is all.

  22. Welldone… you know, smiting people with lightning, whilst something that was only really done in the days of the old Testament, is still one of my many abilities.

    …Right now, I’m getting the itch to bring it back into use…

  23. Howdy.

    I once farted in church.

    It was devilishly rank.

    I made the gentleman behind me puke.

    Also, human society is afraid of the

    dark. I am mysteriously devilish.

  24. Erm.

    For some reason, I got Jon Arbuckle in my head as the grinning man in the mirror, and it ruined this for me. Sorry. D:>

    Of course, there’s always the possibility of the Joker’s Chelsea Smile, slitting the face from ear to ear across the jaw…

  25. This story was okay. It didn’t leave too much of an inpression and i don’t understand the connection with the lights. But my interpretation of this is that the guy wasn’t really grinning, but his evil reflection was, and each tooth is each victim of the reflection.

  26. I’m glad some people like the pasta, and I’m also glad that it’s spawned this much of a discussion. At first I was unsure about submitting it, but I can see now that it was good idea. Carry on, loves. I do so enjoy seeing your point of view on these things…

  27. it seems like the persons mouth was cut from ear to ear…
    but wouldnt he notice it unless either he himself did it out of insanity…or he is insane and didnt notice.

  28. I didn’t read all of the comments, so I’m not sure if someone already suggested this-Is it possible that the man’s face is cut ear to ear like The black dahlia? and he’s dead but doesnt realize it?

  29. Good story, and slow down Cara! Everyone has there OWN interpretation of things, that’s what makes us individuals…and mirrors ARE reality once removed. The skeleton idea works. His mirror image grinning works. Open ended stories work so well BECAUSE they are left to one’s imagination. Ever seen Hitchcock or The Twilight Zone?

  30. ‘My, grandmother, what big teeth you have’ Said Red Riding Hood.

    ‘All the better to eat you with, my dear’ came the reply.

  31. “I do not ride Maran Doll’s flesh, and were I to choose to do so, I assure you all that Maran Doll would be wholly unaware of such an intrusion.”

    My God, you’re annoying.

  32. Hello.

    Maran Doll, you have my utmost sympathies.

    I do not ride Maran Doll’s flesh, and were I to choose to do so, I assure you all that Maran Doll would be wholly unaware of such an intrusion.

    No. I am not Maran Doll.

    I am Mr. Welldone.

  33. The majority of you people don’t seem to understand this creepypasta. As for the few who actually do, I applaud you. The simplicity and vagueness of the story I think helps it to be creepier and many of you don’t seem to understand he isn’t the one grinning. And the reflection in the mirror, is most likely not his reflection, or even human. I’m not sure if any of you seemed to understand when the character in the story commented on how wide the grin is; which would be inhumanly possible. And the cut off at the end I think makes the story even better. The naivety of the character I think is an interesting aspect as you think it will be even worse when he finally realizes the person in the mirror isn’t himself. This creepypasta I believe is very well written and very will executed.

  34. I liked this one… I took it as another mirror-related your-reflection-is-evil creepypasta. It doesn’t feel like a grin when he touches his face because he isn’t actually grinning. His reflection is.

  35. I like what brian sun. said about it being a skeleton, but for some reason this one doesn’t quite hit the mark I think it was supposed to. Sure the thing about too many teeth may be creepy but not in this case.

  36. As LMLYUT said that he/she knew of a person who had 40 teeth in their head. Maybe the person in the story was cutting his mouth open exposing all the teeth that he had. I think that is a good explanation?

  37. The person formally known as ‘noneya’: No it’s not.

    And I do believe that the whole point of the tooth-counting was to show inhumanity.

    Also, I’ve personally known people to have upwards of 40 teeth in their head at once. My mother had to have eight teeth total removed for her mouth to be in the correct configuration of 32, and most people have their wisdom teeth removed, leaving a grand total of 28 teeth. I have 27, as my right canine has refused to grow in at all. It’s been around six years.

    Just saying, dental anomalies are possible, and not all that uncommon. This is why we have dentists.

  38. Technorganic Hand

    The impression I got was that his grin was inhuman and huge…like cartoonishly large. Which would indeed be creepy as fudge to see on a guy in RL. I give it a 6/10.

  39. “Mr. Welldone is part of the EXPERIENCE.”

    No, he just kind of tries to come in and be creeeeeeepy and ~*mysterious*~

    And his ‘insights’ are just trying-too-hard-to-sound-intelligent pieces of nothing.

  40. Mr. Welldone is part of the EXPERIENCE.

    Let him be.

    I enjoy his insights. They’re almost part of the story.

    This is one of those anecdotes that gets creepier the more you think about it. I liked it…ten minutes later.

  41. The person formally known as 'noneya'

    . . .

    Is it bad when youre more interested in the little disscussion after the creepy pasta rather than the creepy pasta itself?

    . . .

    Miss Betterdone?
    Well someone has some competition.

  42. I’m just not informed enough to feel this is a possible reality. Most of what makes these stories creepy is that they’re in some ways plausible. It just leaves too much to the imagination. But it is a good idea. ^^

  43. I enjoyed this. I disagree with Comment Leaver, however. I think it is just vague enough to be creepy.

    Also, Mr Welldone’s first appearance was intriguing, but all of the things following it are kind of irking.

  44. I think the person is a skeleton. Makes sense right? skeletons always look like they’re grinning.. and thats why you would be able to see all your teeth. Also it would make sense that the person’s date would shut the door on them, amirite? Now the 38 teeth doesnt make sense, could be a writer’s error though as most people woudlnt know exactly how many teeth you have in your mouth.

  45. An adult human only has 32 permanent teeth, and if you count the wisdom teeth that is still only 36, I think that is what they were going for

  46. Miss Betterdone

    Hello.

    Miss Emogirl, I’d like to point out first of all that I’m not a ‘mister’, and second that I was making the statement for the better of those who were confused by the post.

    Thank you for your time.

  47. I personally think this would have been a little more creepy if say the story ended with only half of the last number, such as ‘thiry-eig…’ to perhaps imply a terrible end for the writer.

    Then again, who would have wrote it then? :P

  48. Mr. Betterdone, I think the person who wrote this knew the adult mouth has only 32 teeth. Just to let you know.

  49. Hello.

    Mirrors are captivating. I love mirrors. Humanity loves them too.

    But only when the light is sufficiently blinding.

    Human society is always afraid of seeing deeper than the superficiality of the flesh.

    Human society is afraid to see something it doesn’t want to see.

    How I love to show them.

    Darkness is unveiling.

    In Darkness, the secrets of the mind spill forth like the humours of a cracked egg.

    How I love to show them.

  50. I like it just the way it is. I don’t know why everyone seems to have issues with monsters sitting in your imagination, rather than needing to be explained in detail.

    The scariest things are the ones that go on unexplained, with a million horrific possibilities.

  51. @ufm – It’s possible that was cut off, though it was submitted to me that way. I got the impression that it was sort of intentionally vague, so that whatever was causing the strange light and grinning could be left to our imaginations. That’s only my theory, though.

    If anyone discovers a longer version of this, feel free to let me know, though.

  52. Weird, not exactly creepy. It seems this has left a bit off the end, there seems to be a little too much missing to be intentinoal. I cant figure whats with the lights, and the mirror…is there a connection im not seeing?

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