Chapter 5 - Pannulum

Across Pannulum lies a diverse collection of landscapes, each offering a unique blend of sweetness and natural beauty.

Here, Delicazens live in harmony. Yet that isn’t to say that they all live unified. The diverse regions caters to distinct types of Delicazens, each thriving in environments suited to their nature.

To the northwest, the perpetual cold makes it an ideal home for those composed of cooler, frozen desserts.

In stark contrast, the southwest enjoys a more temperate, sunny disposition, nurturing tropical varieties of Delicazens.

Pannulum is vast, brimming with lands yet to be touched upon, but for now, the focal point lies on one particular area — the northeastern stretch known as the Hamarine Coastlands.

This oceanic region curves into a hook shape at the continent's edge, forming a large bay that opens to the inner sea. Though the northern winds are crisp and cool, the region has a pleasant abundance of sunshine, creating an ideal climate for a wide range of Delicazens.

At the far edge of this coastal expanse, facing the bay, lies a small town called Bounbay. Nestled between the glistening waters and the gentle rise of a mountain, the town exudes a pleasant charm with the hum of daily activity.

Although among the townsfolk, one figure stands out: a green gummy bear man, dashing through the streets in a hurried frenzy.

“Oh gosh, I’m gonna be late!” he exclaims, struggling to untie his apron from his last shift.

His tall, athletic frame bounds with each step, his movements imbued with a buoyant, almost elastic energy. 

His eyes, seemingly hollow, are accented with two lines under them, resembling drawn-on eyelashes, yet they shift seamlessly with his expressions as he scrunches his snout.

Small, rounded protrusions along his elbows and cheeks hint at the softness of his gelatinous body, while still retaining a direct semblance of fur. 

His ears, large and expressive, flap slightly in the wind, attuned to the bustling sounds of the street. Though in a rush, he instinctively slows his pace to avoid bumping into anyone, only to speed up again moments later.

The only interruption to his vibrant, green figure is his oversized light blue pants, clearly one size too long for him. The hems are rolled up to prevent him from tripping as he moves.

“I can’t afford to be late today!" he mutters to himself, stretching his legs slightly to cover more ground, his already exaggerated stride growing even more cartoonish.

After a few minutes, he reaches the entrance of the local hospital, breathless but relieved. With a quick adjustment, he places a nurse's cap atop his head, squashing his gelatinous tuft of hair.

“I’m here!” he announces, his voice tinged with exhaustion as he enters, approaching the macaron lady at the reception desk. “Sorry I'm late.”

“You're eight minutes early, Reese,” the receptionist replies with a teasing tone as she looks up from her notepad. "And I see you've grown a bit since last week."

She gestures toward Reese's legs, which are still stretched out, slowly returning to their original length.

"Oh!" Reese says, slightly embarrassed, "No, no, don't — don't worry about that."

“Well, Dr. Mallow is with a patient right now, but you can wait in the staff room until he's ready.”

“Ah, okay, no worries. Thanks, Macy!" Reese says, gathering himself. "Great to see you today!"

“Always a pleasure, dear.” she responds warmly.

Reese steps into the staff room and plops into a chair, trying to relax. But after bouncing his leg for an uncomfortably long time, he gives up and begins tidying the room instead. Papers get stacked neatly, furniture polished, and the sugar water dispenser refilled.

By the time Dr. Mallow arrives, the room is spotless.

The doctor lets out a weary sigh, giving Reese a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“Reese you’re volunteering as a nurse, pal, not a janitor," he jokes, his voice light despite his exhaustion.

“Oh, sorry Dr. Mallow," Reese apologizes, flushing slightly. "Just thought I should do something while I waited."

Dr. Mallow, a Delicazen made entirely of marshmallow, dons a pristine white coat and pants that add to his clean and orderly appearance. His chocolate bead eyes are tired, but his smile remains as warm and inviting as the golden-brown hue of his roasted head. 

He begins to step out the room, gesturing for Reese to follow.

"You being here is more than enough," Dr. Mallow assures him. "Come on, I'll give you the rundown for today."

Reese follows Dr. Mallow down the hallway, eager to begin.

“Today I need you to keep an eye on the clinic while I grab some supplies," the doctor explains. "It's been pretty quiet today but we're running low on key ingredients to handle more serious injuries. Especially with one patient in particular that I need you to monitor."

"Oh?" Reese asks, intrigued.

"A gingerbread man," Dr. Mallow continues. "Found washed up on the shore by one of the locals. His core was dangerously unstable when he arrived, but we managed to patch up most of his injuries and drain the water from his body. Unfortunately, though, his left leg was completely washed away."

Reese and Dr. Mallow enter a room at the back of the clinic. It looks like any standard hospital room, bathed in soft light from the window, creating a warm contrast to the otherwise sterile environment. In the bed lies the gingerbread man from Floracane Island, his soft breathing barely audible.

“I see..." Reese mutters, sympathy in his voice.

“Thankfully, his core has been stabilizing over the past few days, meaning that he’s likely to wake up soon. Although I doubt it'll happen before I get back, so I just need you to watch his condition until then."

The two leave the room and head toward a nearby exit.

"Right, you mentioned you were heading out," Reese recalls but then stops. "Wait... you mean you want me to watch the clinic all by myself?"

"Of course. You can easily handle things for a few hours."

"But what if something serious happens?" Reese insists. "C- Can't I just go grab the stuff for you instead?"

Dr. Mallow pauses and turns to face Reese, his smile fading into a tired, genuine expression. "Look, to be honest with you, kid, I'm also taking this as an opportunity for myself. I love helping everyone in this town but... there's only so much I can do being the only doctor around. I need a detox. And there's no one else I trust more to sub for me than you, Reese."

Reese looks down, still unsure. Dr. Mallow walks up to him and gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He looks up, taking note of the doctor's sunken eyes. 

"It'll just be for the day?" Reese asks.

"Just for the day." Dr. Mallow affirms with a nod.

"Okay. I suppose that won't be too hard."

Dr. Mallow perks up, already stepping toward the door. "Perfect! Tell Macy I'm heading out then! See you in a bit." 

Before Reese could respond, Dr. Mallow is already out of sight.

Reese lets out a sigh as he heads back into the main hall. For a moment, the empty corridors seem intimidating, but he shakes off his hesitation, patting his face to psych himself up. "Okay I got this."

For the next few hours, Reese diligently attends to the Delicazens who enter the clinic. Some come in for routine check-ups, others with minor injuries that he easily tends to. If anything, it almost seems too easy for the energetic gummy bear man.

Before he fully realizes it, hours have passed. As Reese waves goodbye to a recently helped patient, a thought crosses his mind. "I wonder when the doctor will be back."

But his thoughts are interrupted as he glances up at the clock on the wall. "Oh gosh. It's been a while since I checked up on that gingerbread man," he mutters, a twinge of guilt creeping in. "Now that I think about it, have his sheets been changed recently?"

"Well... it wouldn't hurt to change them, just in case," Reese says to himself, already heading toward the storage room. He grabs a fresh set of bedsheets and pillowcases, the quiet rhythm of his task calming his nerves.

As he makes his way to the gingerbread man's room, he can't help but think about the patient's strange situation. "Maybe I'll ask him about it if I get the chance."

He gently opens the door, glancing down to make sure the sheets are secure in his arms. "All right let's get those be—"

His voice falters as his eyes land on the empty bed.

Reese freezes, the bedsheets slipping from his grip and falling to the floor.

"...Huh???" he squeaks, panic immediately flooding through him. He looks toward the window — open, allowing the gentle breeze to flutter through the room, the blankets slightly swaying on the now-empty bed.

Reese simply stands there, his mind racing with questions. 

"When did he wake up? Did he walk out of here himself? But he only had one leg! He couldn't have gone far..."

A sense of dread settles in. "Should I get Dr. Mallow? No! What am I thinking? I just lost a patient. I'll be fired, blacklisted! I'll never work again. Out on the streets...!"

He slaps himself, trying to steady his thoughts. "No! No, everything's okay. I'll just... find him. It's a small town. But wait, I can't leave the clinic unattended. 

But I also can't leave a patient missing!" 

He buries his face in his hands, desperately trying to focus.

"Okay, okay. I'll just quickly go grab him." 

Reese bolts from the room and runs down the corridor, calling out to Macy at the receptionist desk. "Hey, uh, Macy! I'm going to use the bathroom for perhaps, a couple of minutes, okay? If anyone comes in, just... tell them to wait!" 

Without waiting for a response, he dashes back into the gingerbread man's room and hops out the window.

The cool air hits his face as he glances around, scanning the quiet streets, his heart pounding in his chest.

Despite the lack of crowds, Reese can't seem to spot the gingerbread man. His eyes dart from one corner to another, each passing second adding to his growing sense of panic.

He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself, before he sprints down the block, his legs moving faster than his mind can keep up. He turns each corner with mounting urgency, checking every building, alley, side street — anywhere the missing gingerbread man might have gone.

After what feels like an eternity of aimless running, Reese slows down, his breath ragged. He starts to approach the passing Delicazens, hoping for any clues.

He stops a nearby taffy Delicazen, who's humming a tune as he strolls by, and blurts out, "Excuse me! Sorry, have you seen a gingerbread man around here?"

The taffy Delicazen stops, furrowing his brow as he processes the question. "Erm... I think I might've seen some fella like that," he replies, a slight pause in his words. He scans Reese's anxious expression before adding, "What does he look like again?"

Reese freezes for a moment, his mind scrambling for a clear description. He never really saw the gingerbread man up close.

Unsure how to explain, Reese simply states, "Umm.. well y'know. He just looks like—"