Dipper stepped off the bus and immediately melted into the never-forgotten summer of Gravity Falls, Oregon. The whole town seemed the way he had left it, five years before.
The pines trees swayed in the wind and seemed to whisper to one another. A slight breeze blew over the town like a lullaby, and the world seemed to be quieted by it. The usually cloudy sky took on a rusty appearance as the sun dipped its fingertips into the horizon. The mountains glistened, and the canyon's caramel colors seemed to drip down and color the town.
He sighed heavily as he remembered the old times he had here with Mabel, his sister. She was gone with some friends to Alaska for the summer. So here he was, back in the mysterious town: alone. Not that he was really alone, with his Grunkle Stan, Ford, and Wendy. It was just not with Mabel.
Dipper started walking to the Shack he had called his home many years ago. It seems just like yesterday he found the first journal, discovered the monsters and secrets of Gravity Falls, and fought Bill Cipher.
Bill Cipher.
D ipper hadn't thought of that name in a long time. The only time that name was in his nightmares, which he seemed to be getting every night nowadays. He could not remember the dream once he woke, but he knew they were the same ones every night. Maybe Gravity Falls could help clear his mind.
He continued to walk down the path. It was worn with footprints big and small, human and non-human alike. The trees let in parts of sun rays, making a chess board of light along the path that led to the Shack.
And there is was, hidden among the trees, in shambles as usual.
The truck wasn't there, so Dipper knew that Ford and Stan were out. He went to settle in before they came. Dipper turned the knob and opened the door. Immediately the rustic smell of settled wood and dust hit him. The Shack wasn't covered in cobwebs, but it was obvious that Stan and Ford had not been here long. The dust particles danced in the sun rays, and the floorboards creaked with every foot step. He quickly placed his belonging in the attic, and shut the door. The empty bed on the right was too hard to look at. Dipper slipped out before tears could start to form.
He texted Ford that he was home, and sent a photo of him with Stan's famous fez on his head. Ford replied, saying that they would be home later. Ford went to exorcise the old grocery mart Wendy's squad had once terrorized.
Having time to himself, and getting tired of the dusty atmosphere of the Shack, Dipper walked around the premises. He wandered into a path he seemed not to remember. It was still full of trees and speckled sunlight, but none of it was familiar. This path winded down, and the further it went, the more silent the forest got. The trees stopped whispering. The chattering of squirrels went silent. The rustling of the leaves seemed to forget their rhythm. Dipper got an eerie feeling but continued the path, and then stopped when he realized what lied at the end of the path.
His nightmares flashed back to him. All of them, ending with him. He was the reason for Dipper's therapy and why he started getting anxiety attacks. He was the reason for Mabel's sleepwalking and depression. The essence of Evil had drawn him here. This trip to Gravity Falls was not for Dipper, Ford, Stan, or anyone else. It was for him.
Bill Cipher.