The sun was setting over the Gravity Falls lake, a murky and fishy-smelling body of water, accompanied by Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy.
"…And then he goes and leaves me standing there in front of the biggest bob-cat you've ever seen and runs away screaming like a little girl." Wendy said pushing her red hair behind her ears and stretching out her long legs across the wooden dock.
"What a baby!" Dipper said laughing.
"Ha, tell me about it, dude." She said, gazing at the orange and pink sky. "Maybe I should just give up on guys forever. They're all gross, whining, pigs." She placed her arm over her propped up leg. She looked at Dipper and smiled kindly. "Not you, never you." She punched his shoulder lightly.
"Maybe not forever," Dipper said under his breath.
"And I've got colleges and senior crap I have to deal with when school starts, God I'm not ready to grow up and be an adult." She scowled. Dipper sat and listened, her face outlined by the sunset, he noticed the rich pink tone the sunset gave her hair. "You're so lucky man," She said not meeting his glance.
"Me? Gosh. I'm the biggest nerd in California, I practically repel girls and dream way too big for my own shoes." He said adjusting his trapper. "I'm turning fifteen tomorrow and I don't think I'm ready."
"Dude." She said. "You've probably got a 4.0, a ton of college options, you live in the state of opportunity; you can go wherever you want. I'll be lucky if I can get into a community college. You should be more than ready, you've got this in the back of your pocket, Dipper." Wendy gazed at the lake.
"But I'm not a badass lumberjack with killer social skills who everyone always wants to be around." He said making Wendy smirk.
"Ah shut up." She said shoving him a little. "You know, sometimes I just wish I could go back." She said.
"I think everyone wishes they could go back sometimes," Dipper sighed. "Remedy some wrong turns." She grabbed a Pit-Cola soda from the cooler and handed Dipper one. "If you could go back to any time you chose, where'd you go?" He asked sipping on the drink.
"Ah man," Wendy laid on her back and bent her knees. "I'd see my mom one last time." She said. Dipper laid back too but didn't speak. He acknowledged that Wendy had never mentioned her mom before this moment. "Woah, sorry dude. Shit just got real." She laughed and sipped her soda.
"You've never talked about your mom before…I just realized. " He said finally.
"She was a piece of work, let me tell ya." Wendy chuckled. "I've never told you all the stories about the adventures she took me on?" She put her hand under her head.
"Not once." Dipper laid down next to her.
"There's so many…" She said lost in her thoughts. "I've got one…" She said setting down her soda.
"Tell me." Dipper smiled.
"Well, I was like, eight." She said using her hands. "And it was my birthday, so it was late September." She told him. "And my, mom thought it was a good idea to take me blast fishing." Dipper sat up.
"Blast fishing?" He asked confused.
"Oh dude it's the best, it's when you throw dynamite into the water to kill fish for an easy catch." She frowned. "It sounded a lot more morally sound in my head."
"Well, that's one way to fish." Dipper shrugged.
"She caught at least twenty fish that day, just the two of us in an old boat my grandpa used to fish in. She even let me throw a couple of sticks into the water; I thought I was so tough." Wendy shook her head. "I used the fire from her cigar… She'd hold it out and bend down so I could reach. Once we set out the dynamite into the water, it was like it was raining fish." She laughed slightly. "She was a character, you would've liked her a lot Dipper." Wendy sat up and smiled. "But man blast fishing was like, how we bonded. It was our thing and we only ever did it on special occasions." Dipper saw the cogs turning in her head as a sly smile crossed her face.
"What?" Dipper smiled.
"I just had the greatest idea in the history of ideas." She crossed her arms.
"Well? Let me hear it!" He said excitedly.
"Nuh uh. It's a secret."
"What? Come on!" He said, a little flustered.
"No way man. You'll just have to find out what it is tomorrow." She smiled to herself.
"Fine. One guess though?" She looked to him with mischievous eyes.
"Not even one. My lips," Wendy locked the up with an imaginary key and tossed it into the lake. "Are sealed." They laid together in silence on the docks for a while longer, listening to the birds, the crickets and the slow moving water.
"Tell me another story?" Dipper asked quietly.
"Did I ever tell you about the time when my mom blew up a tree?" She said dissuasively.
"What?" Dipper sat straight up and smiled, wide eyed.
"Yup." Wendy smiled. "Took me down over to that very patch of trees over there at midnight." Wendy pointed to one tree in particular where all that remained was a small stump.
"That one?" Dipper asked.
"That one. With one of her cigars to be precise."
"I see where you get your spontaneousness from, to be honest."
"I guess, I never really thought I was really like her… Besides she was destined to for bigger and better things. Never left her deadbeat town and succumbed to family life. But not me. Quote me on that 'kay?" She snapped her fingers lightly.
"Promise me something?" Dipper asked not looking at Wendy.
"Sure, dude." She sat up.
"Don't forget me or any of us when you're off doing your daring do's?"
"Never." She said cooly. "Never."
Dipper woke with a shake, his heart filled with excitement: his and Mabel's fifteenth birthday had come at long last. He sat up and gazed about the old attic where he and Mabel had spent several years before. He lifted his shirt and smiled; three whole chest hairs had sprouted and more were on the way. He felt his chin, it was fuzzy. Well, at least it was something. He yawned, stretched and scratched his back, preparing to wake his sister. He glanced at his blue watch, six o'clock. Yikes, maybe it was a better idea not to wake Mabel.
He was about to snuggle back into bed when his phone rang. The theme song for "Space Wars" (his all time favorite movie series since last year) rang through the air and he quickly grabbed it from the side table, checking the caller ID and answered before it woke up Mabel. It was Wendy. He felt his insides shake a little bit, almost as if someone had set loose a jar of butterflies in his stomach. So what if he still had a few feelings for Wendy? Not a big deal. He pressed the answer button and stepped into the hallway, assuming everyone was asleep.
"Hey, Wendy!" He said a little bit too excitedly.
"Hey, stranger," she said on the other end. He almost melted at the sound of her cool, smooth voice.
"What's—what's up?" He asked, patting the back of his head.
"Meet me at the lake, on the docks, ASAP. You won't be disappointed." She hung up and left Dipper in the hallway in silence. He felt those pesky butterflies in his stomach again and shook off the goosebumps gathering on his small arms.
He quietly got dressed and tip-toed downstairs. He winced with every loud creak the stairs gave way, and shut his eyes quickly, figuring that would somehow not wake up Mabel and his Grunkles. He hopped on his bike and peddled in the early morning, not-even-sun-rise light to the lake where he and Wendy had spent the afternoon yesterday. As he saw the docks getting closer and closer, Wendy's red hair came into view—then her freckled face. She waved, her whole face lighting up.
"Hurry up, Dipper!" She called. He jumped off his bike and ran to her. She was wearing shorts and a white tank top, exposing her pale shoulders and the several freckles that resided there.
"Ta-da!" She said spreading her arms out in the cool, moving air. Dipper noticed a fat, brown cigar hanging out the side of her mouth loosely. She smirked at his confusion. "This," She picked up up between her fingers. "Is going to be the igniter."
"What are we doing?" Dipper looked at the bucket, then the stick of dynamite and the at the cigar. "Are you for real?" He squeaked and jumped up and down and studied his composure and cleared his throat. "Are you for real?" He asked in a calmer demeanor.
"Dipper Pines are you ready for your first blast fishing trip?" She put her hands on her hips and grabbed a piece of dynamite. Dipper laughed excitedly and grabbed a stick.
Wendy lit the tip with her cigar and juggled a few dynamite sticks in her hands and skillfully tossed them into the lake. After a large boom, a large wave sent fish flying into the air and one particularly sickly looking one straight into Wendy's open mouth. She gulped and felt her stomach.
"Ew!" Dipper laughed and bent over his knees.
"Woo, I'll be feeling that one later." She burped loudly and laughed.
"That was oddly perfect." Dipper said scratching his head.
"It's the magic of blast fishing!" Wendy said wiggling her fingers.
"Alright let me have a go." He took a stick of dynamite and held it to Wendy's cigar.
"Throw it, throw it, throw it!" She chanted with her clenched fists. He threw it pitifully into the water but with a large boom it shook the dock again and sent a wave of fish their way. They both ducked and laughed, getting soaked. Dipper shredded his wet shirt and threw it in the grass.
"Hey, mini-man," she pointed to his bare chest. "Your big boy chest hairs are comin' out!" She laughed. Dipper blushed and avoided her glance. He'd almost forgotten the age difference between them. "You're officially an adult. Welcome to the world of taxes and armpit sweat." She held out her fist and he bumped it lightly.
"Thanks," he said. "You know, under the circumstances…I really like—you know doing stuff without it being awkward and—" He said.
"Dude you're getting all red again." She said dryly. "...And I like hanging with you too, bud." She took another stick of dynamite and as she threw it into the lake just as a large shadow slithered near the surface of the water. Wendy dropped the other stick of dynamite and peered at the water.
"Uh oh," she turned to Dipper as if to say something, but suddenly a ginormous shadow was cast on them. The largest fish Dipper had ever seen rose from the water and came hurtling for the docks.
"Run!" Wendy yelled, but the fish slammed onto the wood breaking the dock and swallowing Dipper and Wendy whole before they could even take a breath.
They slid down a slimy, bumpy path and landed on their butts, with something squishy below them to break their fall. Dipper looked up and surveyed where they'd landed. It was moist, humid and the smell caused Dipper nose hairs to shrivel up and dissolve. He looked to Wendy who'd gotten to her feet and brushed herself off with ease. Her doogie was the only source of light in the dark hallows of the fish's belly.
"Welp," Wendy looked around with her hands on her hips. "This is happening."
"Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh," Dipper grabbed his hat and began walking in circles. "We just got eaten by a fish!" He yelled.
"Yep." Wendy looking around.
"How are you being so cool about this? We're fish food! Bait! Done for!" Dipper flunked down to his knees. "I never thought it would end like this. I never got to go to my high school prom, never got my master's degree, never won the nobel prize!" He pulled the trapper below his eyes and sulked. This was the ultimate end, he was sure of it.
"Dude," Wendy bent down on one knee. "This is actually seriously, depressing." She frowned. "Come on, get up." She laughed pulling him to his feet. "You know," she began. "I usually just crawl out the back way or something…"
"You mean this has happened before?" Dipper asked exasperated.
"Oh yeah," She laughed. "This is actually like the fourth time." She inhaled a puff from the cigar and exhaled in the shape of a circle.
"Wendy you never seise to amaze me." Dipper said.
"It's actually kinda relaxing in here." She said.
"Are you kidding me?" Dipper said bug-eyed. "We're in a fish's belly, probably never gonna get out and rot away into piles of flesh until our hearts stop beating! Not relaxing!" He yelled. Wendy sat down and patted the ground in the empty space next to her motioning for him to join her. Dipper sighed.
"You know, Dipper," She said as he reluctantly sat down. "It would defiantly do you some good to quit stressing about everything all the time. Live in the moment; live in the now." Wendy waved her arms slowly.
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" He said.
"You're gonna make yourself sick worrying about the future so much. Sometime's it's better to see what's right in front of you." She smiled and tilted her head slightly. Dipper felt his face go bright red, and the butterflies turned into a million flapping birds in his stomach.
"Yeah—yeah." He laughed nervously.
"You know when I was just a wee Wendy, I used to dream about the perfect guy. I used to believe that they came in the form of knights in shining armor or some shit. I stayed awake all the time imaging when my prince would come and save me from my boring life." She sat back and closed her eyes. "One day, came home from school and…" She paused. "…Found my 'Manly Danly' father crying in the kitchen and tearing up all our good pillows." Dipper noticed Wendy's eyes watering a bit. "I asked where Mom was and…" She laughed. "See, my father gives out hugs on really rare occasions; birthdays, when I won first place in the tree chopping race, my first broke bone…" She said. "And the day my mother died." She pulled her knees to her chest. "He said, 'Ma's been hurt really bad, Wendy.'" She closed her eyes and a tear or two fell down her pale face. "I kept her bracelet from that day on, never took it off." She lifted her wrist and revealed a woven blue brown and green bracelet. "That's when I needed my prince the most, and when I learned that there were no knights no fairy godmothers, no 'happily ever after' and no fairytales. She laughed silently and blew a subtle shape of a square out of smoke. "Then this one time, oh man." She laughed. "My mom bought this old cannon from one of my cousins in the traveling circus of Ireland or something," Wendy put her hands in the air and outlined shapes with her finger. "And when she brought it home the boys and I were so excited. She took me out to this field not far from here actually…Then with one shot and a flame from her cigar she shot me out of the cannon…The adventures we had together man. She wasn't like anyone on this planet." Wendy went silent; lost in thought.
"Wendy?" Dipper put his hand on hers and she smiled.
"Gosh, sorry. It's been a while since I went down memory lane." Wendy rested her head on Dipper's shoulder and sighed.
"Who knew that fish stomachs were the best places for deep self realizations?" They both laughed together and sat in silence for a moment. Dipper kissed her forehead slightly and rested his on hers.
"Seriously when did you get taller than me?" She asked laughing.
"Puberty is a crazy, horrible thing with a bunch of surprises you're not expecting." He said remembering the extremely trying 'talk' him and Grunkle Stan had just last year on his fourteenth birthday.
"Got that right, little man." She said.
They talked for a while, almost forgetting just exactly where they were and that they'd been eaten by a fish. She and Dipper shared a couple puffs here and there from the large cigar that never seemed to burn out. After a half hour had passed, they began to grow tired and agreed to try and find a way out of this fish prison. Wendy glanced at the cigar and noticed the tip in her mouth was beginning to spark slightly. She frowned and took it in her fingers and looked at it.
"Uh oh," she said dropping the cigar. She quickly covered her ears and took Dipper into ahead lock. The insides of the beast began to rumble. "Cover your ears!" Wendy yelled. With a large explosion, Dipper and Wendy were sent flying into the air as the fish was blown to smithereens, guts surfacing all over the lake. They landed in a near by a large and overgrown Vine Maple tree sprouting near the waterfall. "Aw gross!" He said pulling a piece of intestine from his hair. Wendy laughed and threw her head back.
"Hey look, we're in a tree!" Wendy grasped the leaves and sat up.
"Probably infested with termites or ants or worse…" When he caught Wendy's frustrated glance, he piped down. Wendy pulled a small pick axe and rope out of her boot and stood up, her hair gracefully blowing in the summer breeze. "Never go anywhere without one of these bad boys. Lesson number one." She smiled and held out her hand for Dipper. "Grab ahold." She said plainly. He took her hand and she pulled him towards her waist. "Okay hold on, this might be a little rough." Wendy and Dipper slowly descended down the tree with the axe and landed roughly on the ground. She blew astray hair out of her face and put her hands on her hips. "That's one for the books!" She rung out her hair and dipper rang out the trapper. "Now, if I'm remembering correctly, there's a certain set of twins that Soos is throwing top secret surprise part for?" She said faking surprise. "If we show up a little late you have to act surprised." She poked his chest with a semi stern look.
"I don't know anything about a top secret surprise birthday party!" He said smiling and surrendering his arms.
"Perfect." She said.
They rode together on their bikes all the way back to the Mystery Shack, but Dipper realized he didn't need a birthday party or presents, because he'd already gotten the best birthday gift in the world.