True to her word, Hinawa insisted on taking Lucas to see the doctor. He wouldn't admit it, but he was nervous; he'd never been to a doctor before. It was also his first time going into town since he'd woken up in this strange yet familiar world the day before. Tazmily was mostly the same as it had been three years ago, with its dirt roads, rustic homes, and easygoing people. There were a few extra buildings around that he'd never seen before, though, and one of them seemed to be right where they were heading.

Lucas stuck close to his mother. He knew this town well enough to sleepwalk through it, but that only made the tiny differences stand out that much more. How could something so familiar – so warm and inviting – feel wrong? Maybe it was only nerves about seeing the doctor. Maybe his caution was well deserved. Lucas had dealt with too many bad people wearing friendly faces to let his guard down now. But if there was anything fake here, he couldn't tell. It wasn't like New Pork City where everything was so hokey and slap-dash. It wasn't like Fassad and his Happy Box sales pitch. The people were real. His mother and brother were real. Yet knowing that only got Lucas's hackles up even more. He expected the other shoe to drop at any moment.

The interior of the ramshackle clinic was simple and wooden like most of the town, with open windows for the breeze to blow through. There were a few chairs around the entryway and a desk on the far wall, positively covered in papers and unfamiliar doodads. There was a section of the building off to the right that had been partitioned off, and a set of stairs leading up.

"Oh, Doc!" Hinawa called out sweetly. "Do you have a minute?"

"Coming!" a voice hollered from upstairs. A moment later an older gentleman in a bowler hat and a tweed jacket came waltzing down. Despite the odd getup, Lucas wasn't fooled for a second.

"Dr. Andonuts?" he asked.

Dr. Andonuts chuckled. "You're always so formal, Lucas. Hinawa, you know I always make time for you! What brings you two around today?"

"Lucas wasn't feeling very well, Doc," Hinawa explained. "I was hoping you could take a look at him."

"A little under the weather, hmm?" Dr. Andonuts scrutinized Lucas. "Well you know, they say a slice of nut bread will cure what ails you, but it can't hurt to get a second opinion. Come on, my boy." Hinawa moved to follow, but Dr. Andonuts held her up. "Now Hinawa, I think Lucas can handle this on his own. We won't be long. You can even wait right here, if you'd like."

Hinawa thought for a moment. "Well, I do have a few errands to run in town. Would you mind if I stepped out for a bit, Lucas?"

Lucas shook his head. "No. I'll be okay." He didn't relish the thought of being alone with Dr. Andonuts, but he was sure enough of himself to handle it. Besides, this could be his best chance yet to find out more about what was happening.

"I'll be back soon, then," said Hinawa. "Oh, and Doc? If you do a good job, I'll bring you one of Mike's cookies."

Dr. Andonuts laughed at that. "Hinawa, you really do know how to motivate a man."

Lucas followed the doctor into the partitioned area. There was a bed, a few stools, and cupboards with some basic medical instruments; nothing fancy. He hopped up onto one of the stools at the doctor's urging, fidgeting as he tried to get comfortable while Dr. Andonuts washed up at the sink.

"So tell me, Lucas. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, s-sir," Lucas asserted. "I had some trouble sleeping last night, is all. And I was dizzy yesterday morning."

Dr. Andonuts nodded. "Mm-hm. Been running a fever?"

Lucas shook his head. "No."

"Coughing? Sniffles? Sore throat?"

"No, sir. I really don't think anything's wrong with me."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Dr. Andonuts, producing a tongue depressor. "Say 'ah'."

Lucas did as he was told. It was odd having someone check his throat, but hardly suspicious. "Haa-ah hah—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Dr. Andonuts chided.

Lucas quieted down to wait for the doctor to finish, which he did after a few more seconds.

"Well, it all looks fine in there," Dr. Andonuts noted. "Although you do want to be sure you get all the way in the back when you're brushing your teeth."

"Yes, sir. Sorry," Lucas apologized.

"Let's see about that blood pressure." Dr. Andonuts produced an unfamiliar contraption and wrapped it around Lucas's arm lickety-split.

"Hey, um, how long have you lived in Tazmily?" Lucas asked as the doctor squeezed one end of the device.

"Oh, pretty much my whole life, I'd say," Dr. Andonuts waxed nostalgic as he fitted his stethoscope into his ears and held the cold metal end against Lucas's arm. "Mind you in my younger days I took plenty of time to travel all over the Nowhere Islands, but I always wound up right back here."

"And things seem . . . normal?"

"Hmm?"

"After your trips," Lucas clarified. "You never came back to find that things were, you know, different than you remember?"

Dr. Andonuts chuckled. "That's the funny thing about getting old, my boy. Eventually you see so much change that it starts to look pretty darn familiar."

It wasn't much of an answer. Then again it didn't seem like Dr. Andonuts was trying to hide anything. He was friendly enough, but clearly took his job very seriously. That was especially surprising since, as far as Lucas knew, Dr. Andonuts wasn't a medical doctor.

"Hmm. Pressure's a little high," the doctor noted as he removed the sphygmomanometer. "But then that's not entirely unexpected. Could you lift up the back of your shirt for me?"

Lucas again did as he was asked and soon found the doctor's stethoscope on his back.

"Breathe in."

Inhale.

". . . And out."

Exhale.

"Did you ever run into anything dangerous in your travels?" Lucas asked. "Any monsters, maybe?"

"Heh heh heh," Dr. Andonuts laughed. "The only dangerous creature I had to contend with was me. You wouldn't believe some of the nasty spots I got myself into. Why one time I nearly broke my neck climbing up Mt. Oriander. Of course I suppose those wild times helped me in the long run; I wouldn't know much about medicine if I didn't have so many chances to practice it on myself."

"Did you ever run into any Magypsies?" Lucas inquired.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Lucas hesitated. "The, er, Magypsies."

"I can't say I've ever heard of them," said Dr. Andonuts. "Has Claus been telling you stories again?"

"No. I just thought you might have met them since you've been everywhere. Are you sure? They live in houses shaped like giant seashells."

"I've seen plenty of strange sights in my time, but that I think I'd remember. It sounds like somebody's bamboozled you, son."

Lucas tried to laugh it off. "Y-yeah. I guess they got me again." His mind was already racing.

"Well, the good news is you don't seem to be sick," said Dr. Andonuts, changing the subject. "You might be suffering from exhaustion though, so I want you to take some vitamins and go to bed early tonight. If you're still having trouble sleeping, try taking a soak in the hot springs to relax. You should be right as rain in a day or two, but if you aren't you should stop on by again."

"Thank you, sir. I'm sure I'll be fine." Lucas stood to go.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?" Lucas shrunk back instinctively.

"This." Dr. Andonuts held up a lollipop. "No patient of mine leaves here without one."

Lucas smiled and took the candy before going out to wait for his mom to return. He would need that time to think.