Cool summer evenings, lit by stars and moonlight, and the smell of pine trees. This is what most people think of when they think of Oregon. Most people, of course, don't remember it by lawn gnomes kidnapping their sister, or triangle demons in top hats trying to ruin your life. In fact, most people wouldn't even come close to remembering Oregon that way. Even if they lived in Gravity Falls.
You, of course, remember all too well the strange things that occurred the summer you turned thirteen. It was the first time your parents had sent you and your twin sister, Mabel, to spend the vacation with your great uncle Stan, and you hadn't wanted to go at first. You'd been prepared to be bored out of your mind, but instead you found the journals, which unlocked a huge mystery for you.
So big, in fact, you were still trying to figure things out the next few summers you came back to the not-so-sleepy town of Gravity Falls. You adventured with your sister, and with Soos and Wendy, discovering more and more about the author as time went on. It was fun for a while, until people got started to leave.
Mabel quickly lost interest around the time she turned sixteen, after realizing her crush on her enemy-turned-friend Pacifica. Their relationship quickly overshadowed anything you'd want her to do with you. Wendy left around that time too, going to college before you really even got to say goodbye to her, which upset you. Soos had to take care of the Mystery Shack more and more as Grunkle Stan aged, leaving him with little time to spend with you, and left you lonely.
It didn't strike you how fast everyone was leaving until the evening your parents died. It had been storming out, and your mom and dad had been rushing to get to the birthday everyone at the Mystery Shack had been planning for you and Mabel. You two were going to be turning 18 that day, and it was supposed to be a fun time; you never expected a knock on the door from the two local police officers. Mom and Dad had crashed into a few trees. They were killed instantly.
The funeral was long and tear-filled, and it was one of the few times you can actually remember seeing Mabel cry. Stan couldn't bring himself to come, and all you remembered was feeling numb. It was this sort of aching emptiness that you'd never felt before, which hollowed your chest and made it hard to breathe. You didn't remember what the pastor said or any of the things people got up to read about your mom and dad, but you did remember one thing.
You were alone.