Chapter 2
Dinner was done outside and though Grunkle Stan hadn't been entirely happy about using money on the remedies they needed for the fire, nevertheless he had given in (Mostly because of Mabel's constant pleading and nagging about it. You can't stop her the moment she's started).
As the sun had disappeared over the forest tops and was slowly vanishing below the mountains in the horizon; Mabel, Dipper and Soos followed Stan into the woods.
"I asked Wendy if she wanted to join." Mabel said to her brother and nudged him with an elbow, "But she said she had to babysit her little brothers." She added with a sigh and a shrug. "Wendy promised another time though so I'll make sure she keeps that." With a happy skip she went forward a little quicker than Dipper with Waddles following.
Dipper however had gotten the whole 'just a little brother' back into his mind, which he had finally forgotten but it was probably never gonna go away with Mabel around to remind it from time to time. Yet he couldn't really embrace the fact and besides; they were twins! Five minutes meant nothing.
Right?
He shook it off for now. It was fire and marshmallow time and after a few minutes of walking the reached a circle of rocks that seemed to have been used for firing up the ground. Old burnt twigs were spread out around the place together with ash that had yet to be caught by breezes.
Speaking of wind, an odd cold sensation hit Dipper and he looked the way it came from. A weird fog was appearing between the trees. In a brief moment Dipper could have sworn that he saw something move in the fog, something just as blurry as the rest; but it could just as well have been a hallucination.
The fire burnt nicely and Mabel was already smothered in her fourth s'more… the crazy amount of sugar had made a bit hyperactive and she was insisting on acting out the ghost stories as she told them. Though enjoying the evening Dipper was still feeling slightly uneasy about the thickening fog… it was as though it had a mind of its own and grew around the trees surrounding them but not actually swallowing them inside. It could also have been the fire, Dipper was unsure.
"And so the pig-monster swallowed the last girl in one last big muddy bite! Rawr!" Using Waddles she prodded Dipper's cheeks with the hoofs. "Ah Mabel!" He exclaimed waving the pig away. She laughed proudly before giving him a cheeky grin. "How'd you like THAT story bro?"
"It was the most ridicules story I've heard in a long time - what happened to the clown?" Stan asked leaning a little back; he looked tired and maybe slightly annoyed. "The clown was never heard from again, I told you that." Mabel said as-a-matter-of-fact but he didn't buy it.
"Okay - time for me to go home. Soos! Make sure to turn off the fire right and don't get lost and all that. I don't want to pay money for setting the forest on fire… again." He grumbled. Soos saluted with an expression of determination. "Ay ay sir."
When Stan was completely out of sight Soos turned to the twins. "Okay my turn to tell a story and this is a myth of the forest here in Gravity Falls… and it is crazy bonkers creepy." He started, wiggling with the fingers. His voice was in that 'This is true and scary' kind of tone which caught both kids' attention.
"It's said that whenever there has been a storm and rain has laid itself as a cover on the plants in the wood the ghosts of hateful animals rise and creates a fog out of it." Dipper's stomach turned, this seemed familiar? However Mabel was already wide eyed with interest.
"And they use the fog to capture humans inside in revenge."
"Revenge?" The twins echoed. Dipper's fingers were twitching over the book inside his vest and he was restraining a need to check up a page. Soos nodded in response.
"These animals are those who have been left for dead through out the years by humans. Mistake kills or they haven't been found by the hunters. They do not appreciate the treatment and demand the respect that they should have." Soos was searching their eyes for any kind of fear for the horror story. Mabel of course didn't seem to be affected in that way, except she seemed hurt for the animals and was hugging Waddles promising him a lot of things, but Dipper was staring quite nervously; not at Soos but around the fireplace.
"Of course nothing happens if you walk straight through the fog, getting out of the forest as quickly as possible. However!" He raised his right index finger, the last embers from the fire giving it all an eerie sense of light in the darkness. "Should it happen you gain eye contact with one of the animals you'll be cursed to join them in the forest always in pain and agony until the day you die."
Dipper swallowed a thick lump of spit at this thing and Mabel gasped hugging her pet pig tightly, almost choking the poor creature. "I'd never ever, ever, ever, ever, forever leave Waddles in the forest! Ever! And especially not to die! Waddles deserve the most beautiful funeral in the world. But of course you and I are gonna live forever! Aren't we buddy?" She pressed her nose against the pig's snout and it grunted causing her to squeal with happiness and press her cheeks against its face. "He said yes! Did you hear! He said yes!"
"That or doorbell." Dipper joked but she stuck out her tongue. "You're just jealous that I have a pet and you don't."
"To be honest I don't think I'm qualified to keep an animal… I'm not sure you are either but you don't see me walk around claiming that." He grinned but the knot in his stomach didn't seem to disappear. It was getting kind of foggy and they had to get back before it became too difficult to find their way back since Stan wasn't here.
"We should camp out here!" Mabel said raising her arms. "Won't you agree Soos!?" She was jumping around him as the big guy shovelled a bunch of dirt on the burnt out wood. "Camp out here? Tonight? I don't think that's a good idea. It's today those animal ghosts are haunting." He shivered. "Maybe we should head back." Dipper couldn't help but smirk, Soos was just as nervous as he was but the man had always been rather sensitive about stuff like that. Yet it was a nice feeling that he wasn't alone about turning back.
Mabel however let out a disappointed 'aw' but didn't object when they turned to walk back. Dipper wanted to check his book when he came back; actually he wanted to check it right this minute but it was too dark.
Soos lead the way. The guy had fortunately brought a flash light. Nice to know the handyman had a flashlight on him so Mabel and Dipper followed behind him. Mabel was still high on her sugar trip and was spitting words that didn't seem of this world while Dipper was falling behind, glancing around the fog. He felt the unease grow and the stomach twist the knot another time.
Then he saw it. In the fog was that other thing he'd only seen small glimpses of earlier. It was a creature of light and white except a pair of strong yellow eyes and an oval pupil. It was standing there clear as the day staring straight back at Dipper who had frozen in his tracks, forgetting that the other's were already disappearing into the fog. His mind blurred and he didn't blink or move at all. They were looking into each other's eyes for what seemed to be a long time until it turned around and walked further into the forest. No control of his motions Dipper followed. Step by step he walked further into the forest. The trees started to cover the starry night and it became only darker and foggier the more he walked. But Dipper didn't notice.
The creature walked, knowing the human was following it all the way. After a long time walking all there was left of any light source was the creature now clearly looking like a fox. Dipper blinked, his thoughts returning and the memory clearing. "Huh? Wha?" When he realised what had happened his heart dropped the pit of his stomach. "Oh no!" Not knowing what else to do Dipper turned on his heels and dashed the way he meant had been the trail he'd been walking. But no matter where he ran he always ended up with the fox creature standing in front of him.
Dipper was now shaking. "You're a ghost tale! This is a dream." He laughed nervously but it came out as a weird miserable sob. "I'm doomed. Aren't I?"
"Not as doomed as me"
A sudden and severe headache came over Dipper and he nearly tripped over a root, losing his balance. "W-What." Was all he could muster before bumped into a tree to keep himself upstanding. The creature vaporised into thin air leaving out one last glowing stare at Dipper and with that last picture to his mind, he blacked out.
"...pe.."
"...ey little... W...ke u.."
"Com.. on Dipp..."
"Let...ee if mon..works."
"Mone..only... orks on you grunk.. Stan!"
"...ooks like he's ...oving."
"...ipper?"
"DIPPER!"
Finally getting through the dream world, the twelve year old kid opened up his eyes to discover Mabel, Soos and grunkle Stan hovering over him. "HE'S ALIVE!" Mabel cheered and hugged him tightly.
"Urgh! Mabel! I'm not breathing!" He said with a raspy voice still trying to wrap his mind around the real world. Everything was still hazed and maybe spinning a bit too. When she lat go of him he realised how sore his body actually felt but then tensed up. "W-Where am I!?" Quickly looking around he discovered he was not in the woods but actually lying in his own in the very familiar attic at the Shack. He didn't remember walking all the way back.
"I'm home?"
"Yeah Dippy. The little waterfall discovered you hadn't returned with her and Soos so we all took out to find you."
"All of you?" Dipper asked in surprise and looked at his great uncle who snorted. "Oh come on. I'm not heartless." Dipper narrowed his eyebrows, not believing a single word of that. "Okay you're right I only have money on my mind, but your parents would kill me if I didn't find you." Now that seemed like a better excuse. Dipper leaned back into the bed with a tired groan, he felt sick. "Mabel and Soos took shifts looking after you after we found you. Though Mabel was a bit more persistent on staying up."
"I'll never leave my brother's side." Mabel said with a proud smile.
Dipper felt grateful for having a twin sister like that. He'd done exactly the same and even though Mabel could seem a bit over active from time to time she was the best sister to have. Always supported him and always helped him - despite their disagreements sometimes, but those are bound to happen when you have a sibling.
"But good to see you up squirt then I won't have to call anybody and save money on that." Stan said and left the room. Dipper grimaced. The man was in that typical nightwear consisting on missing pants and bunny slippers. Not surprisingly, Dipper felt ill again.
Not exactly the vision you like to see right after a black out. Dipper thought to himself before turning his attention to Soos and Mabel.
"Oh man little dude I am sorry for loosing you out there. It was entirely my fault." Soos said fidgeting with his fingers; the poor guy was feeling guilty and Dipper grinned softly. "Hey no man it was my own fault I got distracted and went a wrong way."
For the first time Mabel didn't answer and her smile was unusual. Not that kind of warm, wide grin she always had but a forced one. Maybe they should talk about this alone, as in 'without Soos' so getting him to leave without actually telling him to had to be done first. It was easy enough. "Oh hey. Is that grunkle Stan calling, Soos? Better go check out what he wants?" Dipper lied and pointed toward the door. Soos stiffened. "Sorry but I'm needed elsewhere! Call if you need me." He dashed out of the room. "I'm coming Mister Pines!"
Now to the harder part of this.
"Okay sister." Dipper said with a demanding tone of voice and sat up in his bed. "Spill."
"Spill? Spill what. I have nothing to spill - want me to get the can of beans so I can spill them?"
"Mabel." He was pressing on the name causing her to swallow before giving up. "Oh alright… though it shouldn't be me who's spilling, but you." Dipper's expression changed in a second from harsh to surprised.
"You never get distracted Dipper. And especially not at times when you're that scared."
"I wasn't scared!" He complained but she waved a hand and almost spat in his face with the tongue. "Oh please, you were shaking after that story."
"Story…? Oh!" He quickly pulled out the book, suddenly remembering what he had originally planned on doing when he came home. "Dipper, wait!" She pulled the book from him and despite a big effort on getting it back he still felt too ill to really fight for it. "You can look in the book when we've talked." She was using a tone of voice you usually only heard when your parents was lecturing you. "You disappeared all of sudden. As your big sister I demand to know what happened." Mabel was being commanding and oh joy she used the whole big sister issue again.
"Why do you insist on reminding me that you're five minutes older than me?" His words dripped quick and fluid, not that he was angry at her or anything but still; it was annoying as heck because it really didn't matter. Just like the issue about her being taller than him. They had finished that one so should they repeat this fight again? Because they definitely had had it before. At least once a year.
"Because a fact is a fact." She smiled warmly and Dipper sighed throwing his head on the pillow.
"Now tell me what happened out there." Mabel finished and sat down on his bed with a concerned expression and wiggling her legs back and forth. "You did kinda disappear out of nowhere. We found you sleeping in the middle of the forest hours later." Sleeping; of course she would use that term. With a silent sigh Dipper searched through his memory for 'last night' to see if he could come up with a good explanation.
Oddly enough most of the memory from after they left the fireplace was just a big blur.
"I don't… remember." He whispered, questioning himself; why he didn't remember and what exactly had happened at that time?
"You simply just don't remember?" She asked, obviously not satisfied with an answer of that level but Dipper shook his head telling her that he really didn't remember and his memory was like a fog. All unclear and white.
"Um… Mabel do you think I can read that book now? I want to see something. Maybe it can help me remember?"
"Oh. I had forgotten I was still having that." She laughed and handed him the book and Dipper sat up straight(Ignoring the stupid headache for now). The book opened and Dipper could feel the old parchment at his hands. He began searching the pages one by one. "I do however remember the story Soos told us yesterday. Remember it? The myth of the hateful spirits?"
"I do! It was not scary at all but it was sad! I feel bad for those critters." Mabel said and gave Waddles a few pets on its head making it grunt in response. "I was so sure I had heard that story from somewhere and I think I read something about it earlier - wait, here!"
Reaching the right page Dipper spread it out on the bed for to see. It was just like the other pages; old and yellow from time taking its toll on it filled with lots of scribbles and again a wonderful drawing of a mean looking deer in white surrounded by fog and trees of the woodlands.
"Legend has it that these Animal Spirits only come out when the ground has been covered in a thick blanket of water only possible from storms."
He looked at Mabel who returned the glance with raised eyebrows.
"Their eyes says to contains so much hate and pain from before their deaths that if humans look into them they'll disappear in the forest forever only to feel the agony these creatures ones did.
"I have little to no plans on trying to see if this myth is true but the creatures have been discovered in the fog from time to time."
Dipper skimmed the rest, it was exactly like the story Soos had told. Until he reached further into what was actually written on the pages.
"Deeper research has made me discover a theory of some sort of darkness or shadow very deep within the forest -"
'The Shadow…'
Dipper groaned loudly cutting off his reading and rubbed a hand against his head. Mabel looked up not liking to see her brother feeling this ill. "Want me to get some water?" She asked - it was so rare Dipper heard the worry in her voice that he always was caught off guard because of it. "Oh, umm no I think it's gone." He gave her a reassuring smile but both knew that he was lying, the headache wasn't gone. In fact it only seemed to have gotten worse since he woke up and (though he was keeping this fact to himself) Dipper was sure he heard a voice, a mere whisper in his head just now.
The same whisper as before?
A/N: I hoped you all enjoyed this second chapter :3
And I promise very much that stuff will happen in the next!
