Flickering Senses and Dinosaur Cookies
Flicker, flicker. Vision slowly blinking out of sync.
Along with it, the senses of my entire body grew sharp and clear. The moment I realized I was wrapped in a plush, cozy blanket, I sat up. A sharp, stinging pain flared, accompanied by the distinct smell of medicine wafting past the tip of my nose.
"Ugh..." I groaned, clutching my forehead. Through the silky strands of my fine white hair cascading down, I felt the rough texture of a bandage.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked around. A stark white room. Next to the soft bed I lay on, a small humidifier hummed quietly. It was Rabin's Clinic. But Rabin was nowhere to be seen. In the empty, silent space, an unfamiliar sense of isolation made my fingertips tremble. I pulled the blanket back up, burying myself beneath it.
"Shine...?"
My ears felt muffled. The realization that I was completely alone brought an unexpected wave of sorrow. Hot tears quickly welled in my eyes.
"Amy..." I mumbled blankly.
Then, a burning thirst caught up to me. Slipping out from under the covers, I noticed a small bottle of water sitting on the bedside table—almost as if someone had left it there specifically for when I woke up. Next to the bottle lay a piece of my favorite chocolate.
I reached out and grabbed the water bottle. It was the perfect temperature—neither too cold nor too warm. Twisting the cap off, I brought it to my lips. The lukewarm water slid smoothly down my throat, its mild coolness easing the tension in my body. *Why am I here?* After quenching my thirst, I tried to piece together my last memories. The exam. Right. I remembered taking the exam with Shine. Did I seriously pass out in the middle of it?
Scratching my cheek, I picked up the chocolate. It was just the right size to pop into my mouth all at once, and even through the wrapper, it seemed to exude a sweet aroma. Licking my lips, I peeled back the foil and popped it in.
As I sat there chewing happily, a rattling sound came from the firmly shut door. *Click.* With a soft noise, the door began to swing open. Standing in the doorway was the petite girl I had been looking for. She was waddling into the clinic, grunting under the weight of a massive pile of things cradled in her arms.
"Shine!"
"Jeff? You're awake!"
Shine's eyes widened in surprise at the sound of my voice. She instantly dumped the mountain of items in her arms onto the floor and rushed over to me.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Are you even allowed to sit up?"
Flying across the room, Shine clung to me, her eyes scanning every inch of my body. Her gaze lingered on the bandages wrapped around my head before shifting back to my face. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Shine's hand reached up toward my head. At her gentle, cautious touch, I closed my eyes. I could feel her soft fingers pressing lightly over the rough bandage. Shaking my head, I replied, "No, I'm fine."
"Really?"
As if testing my words, Shine pressed down a little harder on the bandage.
"Ah..."
A sharp sting pricked the wound beneath. Under the gentle pressure of her hand, I found myself pushed back down onto the mattress.
"You still need to lie down."
"But it's so stuffy..."
Shine ignored my complaints, pulling the blanket all the way up to my chin. While the plush covers felt nice, staying cooped up in bed was suffocating.
"Don't you dare get up until you're completely healed."
I pouted at her stern tone. "Where is everyone else?"
"Amy and Rain had to step out for a bit because of work."
Hearing Shine's explanation, I rolled over onto my side. I knew Amy and Rain were incredibly busy people. It was only natural that they couldn't stay by my side forever. Still, knowing they weren't here when I was hurting made me feel incredibly petty. I knew it was a childish tantrum, but I couldn't help the sudden surge of grumpiness. I pulled the blanket over my head, burying myself completely.
"Are you sad because Amy and Rain aren't here?" Shine asked.
"Yeah."
Shine was always highly perceptive of my emotions. She immediately saw right through my behavior. An inescapable wave of embarrassment washed over me, making my face burn. I rubbed my cheeks against the pillow under the covers.
*Patter-patter.* I heard Shine hop away from the bedside. As her presence drifted, I peeked out from under the blanket to see her picking up the items she had dropped by the door.
"What's all that...?"
"Gifts from Rain and Amy."
"Gifts?"
Shine walked back over and dumped the armful of treats onto the bed. They spilled across the sheets in a colorful heap—candies in pretty wrappers, chocolates, and even cookies. I carefully picked up one of the cookies.
"A dinosaur cookie..."
It was shaped exactly like my favorite dinosaur.
"Amy made them for you," Shine said.
"Amy did...?"
"Yep."
I tore open the packaging and bit off the dinosaur's head. The rich, sweet, and fragrant flavor exploded in my mouth, instantly melting away my grumpiness. It felt like dinosaurs were dancing on my tongue.
"How long was I out?"
"Hmm..."
At my question, Shine began counting on her fingers. One, two, three... As the number kept growing, my face twisted in horror. Had I really been asleep for that long? Shine's fingers passed five.
"Did... did I really sleep for that long?"
"Yeah. You were asleep for five hours, Jeff."
"Five hours...?"
"Yep."
I let out a sigh of relief. If it had only been five hours, it meant I hadn't missed the broadcast of The Grand Adventures of the Little Witch.
"Hey, Shine."
"Yeah?"
"I failed the exam, didn't I?"
I asked, grabbing her hand. Shine fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding her head.
"Yeah. You failed, Jeff."
I fell silent at her response. A crushing sense of being left behind washed over me. Shine was sprinting far ahead, while I was forced to stand still, blankly staring at her back. It was unbearably frustrating. Unconsciously, my grip tightened, snapping the dinosaur cookie's body in half. *Snap.*
Shine watched the crumbled cookie in my hand, then gently lifted my hand up.
"It's okay, Jeff."
With those words, Shine leaned in and took the broken cookie straight from my hand. Her soft lips brushed lightly against my skin. After snatching the dinosaur cookie, her tongue darted out like it was playing tag, giving my finger a quick lick. The strangely ticklish sensation made me jerk my hand back in a panic. Shine let out a playful giggle at my reaction. My entire face burned red.
"Hey, Shine. Where's Rabin?"
"Rabin?"
"Yeah."
"I guess he's not back yet," Shine replied, looking around the room. "He said he was going to the restroom and left..."
"How long ago was that?"
"About an hour?"
I shut my mouth at her answer. It seemed Rabin had some unspeakable business to attend to.
"Why do you need Rabin?"
"Well, Rabin is a doctor, so I wanted to ask when I can be discharged."
I said that, but honestly, I felt like I could go back to my room right this second. Aside from a slight headache, everything felt perfectly fine. I stood up and sat on the edge of the bed.
Ever since I woke up, I had this strange feeling that something inside me was changing. Or rather, it felt more like something was finally waking up. My senses were growing sharper by the second. Something deep within me was filling an empty void. It wasn't a bad feeling at all. In fact, it felt completely natural, as if everything was finally falling into its proper place.
"You shouldn't be up yet."
Shine tried to push me back down, but I slipped past her hands and sat on the opposite side of the bed.
"Jeff!"
"No, it's boring lying down."
I popped the remaining cookie straight into the huffing Shine's mouth. Caught completely off guard by the sudden counterattack, Shine's eyes widened as she began to chew. *The cookies are delicious, Shine. Don't you think so too?*
"Maybe we should just head back first," I muttered, hopping off the bed. Shine gasped in horror and rushed over.
"You can't yet!"
"Why not?"
"Because you're sick, Jeff."
"But Shine, I can move perfectly fine."
*Watch this.* As if to prove my point, I started doing light calisthenics right there on the spot. One, two, one, two. It was the routine that Shine, Rain, and I—and sometimes Victor—always did.
"See? No problem at all."
Moving my stiff body actually made me feel refreshed. I took a deep breath. The smell of medicine was still strong, but I didn't mind it.
"Jeff..."
"Yeah?"
"Never mind..."
Shine's eyes were filled with confusion. What was wrong with her? I popped a candy into my mouth while looking at her. A rich, sweet peach aroma filled my senses. Suddenly feeling mischievous, I blew a puff of air right into Shine's face. *Whoosh.* A thick scent of sweet peach washed over her. Shine's face flushed bright red at my prank.
"Here, you have one too."
I held out the remaining peach candy to her. After a moment's hesitation, she took it from my hand. For some reason, I felt incredibly light on my feet. I wandered around the clinic with airy steps, the dull throb in my forehead doing nothing to slow me down. I sank deep into the plush sofa where Rabin usually sat.
"Oh..."
It was incredibly soft. Soft enough that I could easily fall asleep right here. Sitting on the sofa, I called out to her.
"Shine!"
"Yeah?"
"Come here."
Shine approached at my gesture. I grabbed her hand and pulled her down. Being small meant that a sofa meant for a single adult male could easily fit the two of us. I wrapped my arms around Shine and pulled her onto my lap. She squirmed a bit, trying to find a comfortable spot, but soon settled in and let out a soft sigh.
"Comfy, right?"
"Yeah."
I swung my short legs back and forth. As we sat there passing the time, Rabin finally returned from his epic journey to the restroom.
"Oh, you're awake already?" a gentle, warm voice called out.
Standing at the clinic door, Rabin blinked in surprise as he looked at Shine and me.
"Yes, sir."
"Are you feeling alright? Any pain?"
Rabin asked, stepping inside. He walked in a wide circle around me with relaxed, easy strides. Every single one of his movements showed how deeply he cared for his patients.
"I'm perfectly fine!"
I stood up with Shine and walked over to the bed. Rabin watched our movements closely before finally heading over to sit on his sofa. As he sat down and looked at me, one of his eyebrows arched high.
"Jeff?"
"Yes?"
"Hmm..."
He let out a soft grunt, staring intently at me. Was something wrong? When I tilted my head in confusion, he gently shook his head.
"No, it's nothing. You're fine."
Rabin muttered, beginning to write something down on the documents on his desk.
"Do you want to head back now?"
"Am I allowed to?"
"If there are no issues, of course."
"I'm completely fine!"
"Then I should contact Amy."
I nodded vigorously.