"I spy… something green."
"Trees?"
"Wow, Dipper! First guess, again!"
Dipper grinned, shifting a little in his seat. "Eh, there's not that much else green out here."
"What about this mould stain on the ceiling?"
"Okay, except that." He peered out of the window. "Hey Mabel, I spy something that says 'Leaving Gravity Falls."
Mabel pointed. "It's that sign! I am nine hundred and ninety nine percent sure about that!"
"And you're right." He wistfully watched the board pass. "Goodbye, summer."
"Yup, onward to new adventures! Haha, ha… Goodbye, summer."
The two were quiet for a while, listening to the gentle rumbling of the bus and looking out at the blur of the forest. Mabel felt strange; a little sad, and a little happy. Sad because they were leaving, happy because of all they'd done. She and Dipper had amazing adventures, bought a pig, fought monsters, made lifelong friends, saved the world… It had truly been the best summer ever.
And it was at its end. It was time to grow up. What adventures would lie ahead?
Mabel looked over to her brother, about to share her thoughts when she realized his eyes were closed. Dipper was resting his head on a backpack propped up against the window, with such a peaceful expression you'd never know he'd been caught in the middle of an apocalypse last week. Mabel smiled, petted Waddles sitting by her feet, leant back and closed her own eyes.
Sleep came easily; for a bus, they had some pretty comfy seats. For a while there was only the calm darkness of her closed eyes, but then a faint noise came to her attention. A song? A whisper.
The whisper gradually became louder, until she could make out the content. They were letters being softly chanted, over and over again.
AOXLOTL
Mabel felt a rush of air on her body, like she was flying… or falling.
AOXLOTL
The darkness shifted, and something white appeared in the middle of her vision. The voices chanted louder.
AOXLOTL
The white was getting closer. She was definitely falling, her hair and clothes pulled upwards by the wind resistance. Mabel tried to find something, anything to slow her fall, but there was nothing to save her.
AOXLOTL
Mabel screamed as the ground continued to rush up at her.
AOXLOTL
She braced herself for impact.
AOXLOTL
Mabel felt her legs connect with something, and when she dared open her eyes she saw she was drifting in space again. Shards of white had scattered around her, slowly spreading out in what appeared to be an endless darkness. She wasn't falling anymore.
Mabel…
Mabel craned her head to look behind her, where she could see the hole in the wall of white she had broken through.
Mabel…
That voice. It wasn't like the chanting, it sounded like-
"Mabel!" Mabel jumped up to see her brother leaning over her, gently shaking her shoulders. "Hey, sis. I hate to wake you up, but we're here."
She sat up, rubbing her head. "Oh man, I just had the weirdest dream. And it wasn't like those times I ate Smile Dip, it was… just weird."
"What's Smile Dip?" At her brother's question Mabel looked up in confusion – he'd been there at the haunted convenience store – but he was already moving on, picking up his bags. "Nevermind. We can talk about it later. Let's get going; I need to stretch my legs after this bus trip."
Mabel smiled. "Oh, yeah. It's been so long, but I can't wait to see Mom and Dad again!"
"Mom and Dad?" Dipper rolled his eyes. "No, Mabel. Great Uncle Ford. We're staying at his place over the summer, remember?"
"Wait, but... but… what?"
"Come on, wake up. The bus driver's waving us off." Dipper wheeled his bags down the bus steps, towards a dusty bus stop backdropped by a forest of trees. A bus stop they had just left a few hours ago. "Welcome to Gravity Falls, apparently."