The Lost Sweet Tooth

Chapter 12

The inside of the gingerbread house was far less impressive than the outside. The wardrobe, table, and chairs inside were all a pale blue that reminded Jacob of a hospital waiting room. The children's drawings covering the walls provided a refreshing burst of color in the otherwise boring room. Whether they were baking a cake or playing the violin, all the kids in the drawings had one thing in common: they were all hanging out with Casey. One drawing of a young boy wearing a baseball cap looked familiar to Jacob.

Casey sat in one of the chairs. The sickly sweet smell of cotton candy drifted off of him as he spoke. "So," said a muffled voice, "I heard you need help finding someone."

Jacob could only nod as he trembled with fear. The last time he'd smelled that scent up close, his mouth had been full of blood.

"Hang on," Casey said. "It'll be easier for us to talk if I take this thing off." With that, Casey pulled off his head and put it in his lap.

Somehow, seeing an old man's head emerging from Casey's body made him less scary. "Hey," Jacob said, "you're the guy who was selling fudge."

"Yup," Casey said with a grin, revealing that he was missing several teeth. "I used to wear this ridiculously hot suit all the time. Nowadays, I like to spend my mornings selling fudge. Then I stick around in the air-conditioning until I have to go out to get my picture taken and sign autographs." He waved the memories away with a paw covered in matted blue fur. "Enough about me. You're looking for your brother, right?"

"He's obsessed with you, so I bet he'll come right out if you call for him on stage."

"I'd love to do that, but I'm not supposed to talk while I'm in the costume unless someone schedules a private party or something. I'm only doing it now because this is an emergency and we're alone. Hearing this old voice coming out of a youthful character like Casey would ruin this place's magic." He put a paw to his chin. "Only the gingerbread folks and I are allowed to come out the front of the house and use the microphone there too."

"Do you have any smaller costumes?" Jacob asked. "That way, I could go on stage without breaking any rules."

"Now that you mention it, I have some costumes my grandkids used to wear when they were little. Let's see if they fit."

By the time Jacob managed to squeeze himself into the dusty old gingerbread kid costume, sweat pooled in the suit as its foam lining pressed against him. On top of that, he could barely see. He nearly tripped over a chair after putting the Casey plush on the table for safekeeping.

"And yet people wonder why I prefer selling fudge now," Casey said before putting his costume's head back on. He hauled himself onto his feet with a grunt. "When we get out there," he said, "make sure you look down while you're walking. I tripped over a kid a few years ago and managed to knock one of the poor boy's teeth out."

Jacob looked up in surprise as Casey patted his back. "I'll never forgive myself for that," Casey said.

"It's okay," Jacob said. "I forgive you."