Habak ni Doctor Quack

Chapter 4

It was barely mid-morning when Doctor Quack's clinic door burst open with a loud bang, startling Pipoy, who nearly dropped a stack of jars he was organizing. A booming voice filled the room before the figure even fully stepped inside.

"Quack! Where are you, Quack?!"

Pipoy squinted at the doorway, his hands still hovering nervously over the precariously balanced jars. The familiar silhouette of Don Isko, the town's larger-than-life mayor, filled the entrance, his face contorted in pain. Sweat dripped from his brow, and he was clutching his head with both hands as if it were about to split open.

Doctor Quack looked up from his desk, unphased by the sudden entry. He stood up calmly, smoothing his coat. "Mayor Isko, what brings you here this early? Problems with the barangay?"

The mayor let out a low groan as he stumbled toward the patient chair, collapsing into it dramatically. "It's not the barangay this time, Quack—it's me!" he moaned. "I've had this blasted migraine for two days straight, and none of the usual remedies are working! I can't think, I can't sleep, and I have a council meeting later! If you don't fix this, I'll be running the town from my bed!"

Doctor Quack strolled over to the mayor with an air of confidence, nodding thoughtfully. "A migraine, you say? That's no small matter. But don't worry, Mayor Isko—I have just the thing."

Pipoy raised an eyebrow. He had learned by now that whenever Doctor Quack said, I have just the thing, it usually meant something odd was about to happen.

The mayor groaned again, clutching his head even tighter. "I've already tried everything, Quack! Medicines, balms, even the cold compress my wife insists on, but nothing works! I need to be at that council meeting later, or half the barangay will lose their minds without me!"

Doctor Quack rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Well, Mayor, sometimes traditional medicine doesn't reach the root of the problem. Luckily for you, I have a more... unique solution."

Mayor Isko squinted up at him, still in agony but clearly intrigued. "Unique? What do you mean by that?"

"Acupuncture!" Doctor Quack announced proudly.

Pipoy's eyes widened in surprise. "Acupuncture, Dok? But we don't have—"

"—Toothpicks, Pipoy!" Doctor Quack interrupted with a grin, striding toward his cluttered drawer and pulling out a small wooden box filled with toothpicks. He held them up like a magician revealing his grand trick. "We don't need fancy needles for this method. My special toothpick technique works wonders for migraines."

Mayor Isko blinked, staring at the toothpicks as if he hadn't heard correctly. "Toothpicks? You're joking, right?"

Doctor Quack shook his head, deadly serious. "No joke, Mayor. These humble toothpicks, when used with the proper pressure points, can work just as well as any traditional acupuncture needles—sometimes even better."

Pipoy, standing by the counter, couldn't help but interject. "Uh, Dok, are you sure about this? You've never... well, we've never actually tried this, have we?"

Doctor Quack waved him off. "Nonsense, Pipoy. I've studied pressure points for years! It's all about targeting the right areas."

Mayor Isko, still squinting in pain, grunted. "Well, if it'll stop this blasted headache, I'll try anything. Just... get on with it!"

Doctor Quack smiled, already selecting a handful of toothpicks from the box. "That's the spirit, Mayor! You'll be feeling right as rain in no time."

Pipoy stood by nervously as Doctor Quack approached the mayor with the toothpicks. The mayor looked uncertain as Doctor Quack placed his hands on either side of the mayor's head, feeling for the pressure points he claimed would bring relief.