I don't own Gravity Falls or Gravity Falls Characters. All credit to the creators (Alex Hirsch, etc...). I'm not making any money with this.
"Rowan, darling, it's time to wake up!"
A cheerful call echoed down the hallway, causing a mass of long, light brown locks to stir a little, as if in protest of the disturbance.
"Rowan?"
Groaning, Rowan pushed herself up to a sitting position. Blinking, she pushed away the darkness of sleep on her consciousness, and an awareness of her surroundings began to return. The morning sunlight poured through the windows in her room, highlighting small dust motes dancing about above the floorboards. Her sliver analogue clock said it was 8:30. With a sigh, Rowan pushed herself out of bed. Carefully dancing around the piles of clothes and books near her bed and desk, she managed make it to the door.
"I'm awake, Oma!" Rowan called, forcing a bit of a cheerful tone through her sleepiness. It wasn't her grandmother's fault that Rowan had stayed up late reading.
"It's time for breakfast, dear!" Oma called.
Rowan replied with a quick, "I'll be there in a sec!"
After throwing together an outfit of jean shorts and a tank top, Rowan headed down the hallway, following the smells of maple syrup, pancakes, and bacon. Yummm. At Oma's, breakfast was always the best part of waking up.
Walking into the kitchen, Rowan was greeted with the sight of her grandmother cheerfully humming as she flipped a pancake up into the air and caught it perfectly in the center of her pan. At the ripe old age of 58, Oma was a tall, wiry woman with a bit of a whimsical air about her. She was fond of plants and old, unique looking decorations, and filled her little cottage accordingly. She was a warm - but perhaps distant - person. Back when Rowan was born, she insisted on never being called "Grandmother" or any other "unfairly aging name." Eventually, she settled on "Oma." (It was a childhood nickname, a shortened version of her full name, Leoma.) Overall, Rowan liked her grandmother, despite her weird quirks.
When Oma saw Rowan in the doorway, she smiled brightly. Her smile was always cheerful, and kind. When Oma smiled, everyone else in the room smiled too. It was truly infectious. Fully wake now, Rowan chatted with her grandmother casually, keeping her company as she finished making breakfast. A few minutes later, and Rowan was stuffed with wonderful pancakes.
"Ooooh," She groaned, "That was really good, Oma. Thanks."
Oma chuckled, "You're welcome, sweetheart. I love it that I get to spoil you for the whole summer." Oops. A sadness settled over Rowan, stifling the fun of the moment. "I'm so sorry, dear. What I meant was… Look, I know the circumstances that brought you here aren't good, but sweetie – "
"It's alright. I understood what you meant," Rowan gave a sad little smile. "Let's just forget it, okay?"
Oma smiled in return. "Okay, sweetie." Giving a small glance at the clock, Oma suddenly jolted into action. "Oh dear, I've got to get to the shop." She bustled about the room, gathering her things and throwing them into her ginormous, multi-colored purse. "Rowan, I've really got to go; do you mind cleaning up for me, dear?"
Rowan's reply was quick. "Of course not. Do you mind if I stop by the shop later?"
"Not at all, dear. See you later!" And with that, Oma rushed out the door.
With a sigh Rowan glanced at the kitchen. There were batter drips on every surface, and mixing bowls piled up high with spatulas and measuring cups. This was going to take a while. The whole time she cleaned, she felt a heavy feeling weighing on her thoughts. She pushed it away though, not wanting to deal with it. She washed dishes and wiped down the countertops. Somehow the stovetop was spotless. Weird. Well, I guess it's just one less thing to clean. Cleaning up took the better half of an hour. When she was finished, Rowan realized that she didn't have anything else to do.
She tried to read a little, but she couldn't focus. Even mind-numbing television couldn't shake her dark mood. Next she just lay on her bed and thought. Eventually her thoughts pulled her back to this morning's conversation with Oma. She thought about her parents. About their divorce.
That was the reason why she was here. To "give her some distance from the situation." Rowan sneered, suddenly feeling all twisted up inside. Yeah. Ship your daughter off to the rundown town of Gravity Falls, making her completely helpless while you literally tear her family apart. That will make her feel better. Tears started to prick at her eyes. NO. I don't want to do this right now.
Taking several deep breaths, she cleared her mind, pushing away her concerns. Sitting up, she gazed out the window. The day was bright, and the nearby woods looked friendly. Thinking that maybe some sun would help, she slipped on a pair of converse and threw her book into a small satchel.
It was time for a walk in the woods.
.oOo.
It was HOT. From inside the cottage, the sun had looked inviting, but outside it beat down mercilessly. Sweat was already gathering on Rowan's forehead. She had been following a trail for about an hour now, and still had not found a comfortable place to read. Ugh, maybe this wasn't the best idea. But she had to admit, at least she wasn't dwelling on… on the thing.
Rowan took a deep breath. Looking around, she wondered if maybe the uncharted forest would be more intriguing. When she first arrived at Gravity Falls, Oma had told her to never wander off the paths. "There are many dangers out in those woods," She had said, "It would be easy to get lost and hurt." But who knows what secrets the woods in Gravity Falls held?! Besides, the worst that could happen is that I'd be late for dinner, right?
Two hours later, Rowan was hopelessly lost. Using her pocket knife, she started marking her path by cutting an "R" into trees as she passed them, but she wasn't sure it was helping. Trying not to panic, she sat down on a fallen log in the middle of a small clearing.
She was completely frustrated. Feeling the need to take out her emotions on the gentle peace of the woods, she cried out in to the silence before muttering, "Man, I am so stupid. No map, no plan, no path." She kicked at the dry, summer grass. Rowan took a few deep breaths to steady her emotions. This isn't helping. I need to figure out how to get home. When she looked up, she noticed a large, odd-shaped stone surrounded by wildflowers on the top of a small rise near the end of the clearing.
Wait, is that a statue? Who on earth leaves a statue in the middle of the woods?
She walked up the hill toward it, curious. It appeared a triangle about 18 inches wide and tall, with an eye, wearing a top hat and a bow tie? One of its hands was held out, as if it was reaching for something. What kind of statue is this? Baffled, she reached out and poked its eye. This is so weird. Knowing Oma, Rowan figured that this was something she might like. Well, maybe. Oma's things had a kind of elegance to them, and this almost seemed like a simple doodle-like creation.
Suddenly, struck by the absurdity of it all, Rowan snickered. Using a mock accent, she spoke to the figure. "You're sort of a dapper fellow, aren't you, Mr. Triangle Guy?" She laughed again. "I don't suppose you know the way out of these dreadful woods, do you? I'm terribly lost." She paused. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Rowan Davis." She stuck out her hand and grasped the outstretched statue's.
Fire. Blue flames jumped up from the touch. Screaming, Rowan tried to pull her hand away, but it was held fast. The dancing flames raced up the statue's arm engulfing the entire figure. Crying, Rowan pulled desperately on her arm. The stone of the statue's hand began to flake, and fall off, leaving an indescribable black surface. As the stone continued to fall off, the progression moving swiftly toward the triangle's body, Rowan began to feel energy leaving her body. Her struggling grew weaker, her sobs came softer and slower, and she found herself sinking to her knees, her hand still grasped by the strange arm.
When the stone cracked and fell off the eye, the dark, dark figure blinked. Instantly, all the rest of the stone shattered, and the figure began to lift off the ground. Finally, Rowan's hand was released, but she was barely conscious enough to be grateful that it was unharmed from the flames. Above her, the blacker-than-night creature stretched out its limbs. The body beamed a bright, blinding light before fading to a sickeningly cheerful yellow.
Well, well, well! Somebody's got quite the power source there!
Rowan sat on the ground. Shocked beyond reason, her tears stopped and her jaw chewed at the air, looking for sound. This creature spoke, without a mouth.
Oh, don't be so shy! All this was only a basic Axolotl resurrection spell. Heeeeeyyy! I think that's what I'll call you!
Rowan finally found her voice, but all she could manage was a feeble, "What …what are you?" The creature chuckled.
Jumping to the good questions are we, Axolotl? For now, you can call me Bill Cipher. He tipped his hat. Not that you'll remember, but I'm a very powerful dream demon, and this, he gestured to the black and white forest, is the Dreamscape!
Rowan didn't understand anything happening at the moment, but she knew that she wasn't going to forget any of this. "Why won't I remember?" She asked. The creature – Bill – laughed again.
There are some people who simply can't know that I'm back – NOT YET AT LEAST. At the last part of his sentence his voice dropped deeper, horrifying and immense, and he was suddenly massive and red. All of the forest burned around him. Rowan screamed again, lifting her hands over her head, trying to shield herself from Bill's presence. But as fast as it happened, he was back to normal size and color again, bobbing almost innocently in the air. Tears poured Rowan's face, and sobs racked her chest.
"Please, please, don't kill me. I don't want to die. PLEASE!" By the end, she was screaming at him.
Now why would I do a thing like that? You're much more useful to me alive, Axolotl. And with that, he snapped his fingers. Rowan was unconscious before she hit the ground.