Hey guys I'm back! I know this is a little late, but what with school starting up again I've been busy. Anyway, this story is just so fun to write I just can't wait to share it with you! Maybe with Halloween coming up in a month I'm thinking of a Halloween themed chapter-no promises but I'd really like to! I hope you all enjoy, and I'd love to have some feedback, it would really mean so much, just one review can make my day honestly! Again, I do not own Gravity Falls or Welcome to Night Vale, they belong to their respective creators! Okay, okay I'm not gonna keep you too long- so without further ado, here's chapter two!
The local radio host who is neither short nor tall sits at his desk, stacks of papers and diagrams of miscellaneous animals clutter the desktop. Boxes of glass spheres are piled beside him, the word "perishables" scrawled on the side in angry black marker. It was a routine Monday morning for Cecil Gershwin Palmer. His coffee was warm in his hand, steam rose from the cup and hung in the air like a fog, overbearing and humid, filling him with thoughts of past mistakes. he sighed, this is why he didn't drink decaf, but today that is what his intern Roland brought him.
He groaned in irritation "Still-" he murmured into the cup "It is coffee." he took a sip and enjoyed its warmth.
"Oh!" Cecil exclaimed, his eyes blinking in mild surprise when a scene manifested before him, an old car on a lonely desert road that stretched into the visible horizon, inside was the jovial laughter and playful jeers of three people- an old man with a fez, and two children in the back, one with an impish grin full of metal, the other with a goofy smirk- all of them looked very happy.
He raised a brow as he gazed upon the group, he'd never seen them before. He had no recollection of ever seeing anyone like them. Who were these mysterious people?
Trespassers perhaps?
No, perhaps not, he couldn't feel their presences in Night Vale.
"Hmmn" he grunted in befuddlement "I wonder-"
"Cecil" Roland's voice interrupted. Cecil blinked and the family, the car, and the desolate road vanished from his sight. "I finished editing your slash fic- it took awhile and I had to cut a lot but I finally managed to get it down to five pages." Roland continued, handing him the packet.
"Oh, thank you Roland." He nodded, taking the story and setting it aside for later.
"It's almost time to go on air now, so if you'd just...scoot please." Cecil shooed the intern back to the booth, the brunette shuffled back behind the glass and settled into his swivel chair. Cecil set into his routine of turning on his microphone, putting on his headphones and waiting for the "On air" light to blink on.
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, three in your hair, ten in your car, nineteen in your home- and so the nursery rhyme goes...Welcome to Night Vale." Cecil began.
"This just in listeners, interlopers have been spotted on the outskirts of town. They're riding in an old car on a desolate road just outside our little burg. They come in a group, an old man and two children, their laughter seeps from the car and evaporates into the dry, suffocating desert heat. What do these outsiders want? Why are they here- and what's with their unfashionable haircuts? We'll have to keep our guard up, Night Vale. More on that story as it develops. "
Meanwhile, on a dusty, lonely road the Pines family winds down from one of Stan's off handed jokes.
"Good one Grunkle Stan." Mabel chuckled.
"Well I am a comedy God ." He boasted.
"I wouldn't say that." Dipper laughed. "But that was pretty funny."
"Hey Grunkle Stan- are we there yet?" Mabel asked, her face scrunched into the window, the glass was warm and the sand outside reflected the sun into her face. "I'm already roasting!" she complained.
"Well, we haven't hit a town yet so...no." Stan replied from up front.
"Ugh we've been driving forever, I can't feel my legs! You'll have to chop them off Dipper!" Mabel cried dramatically, plopping her feet into Dipper's lap. Dipper rolled his eyes and pushed her feet back onto the floor.
"Mabel no one's chopping any legs off." he sighed.
"Yeah- we'll save that for next vacation." Grunkle Stan butted in from up front. "Anyway, if this map is right we should be there in the next 20 miles."
"Grunkle Stan are you sure you didn't find anything weird about that map?" Dipper inquired.
"Dipper how many times do I have to say no? Come on kid give it a rest already, sheesh."
Dipper insisted: " Stan I really think that there's something weird about Night Vale!"
"-Uh yeah, that's why we're going- for weird attractions." Stan blurted.
"No, I mean something really weird- something dangerous even!"
Mable piped up " Why didn't you say anything before Dipper?"
"Look, Dipper, there's really nothing to worry about except for this heat." Stan sighed.
"But-"
"We're almost there anyway, we'll be fine, keep your hat on kid!"
Dipper gave up trying to convince his Grunkle again, so he pulled out his journal from his backpack and started flipping through the pages. A gargoyle on one page, a mermaid on another, a potion recipe, a charm. He thumbed through the book again until he came upon a couple of pages stuck together with glitter glue, he groaned- Mabel. He carefully pried them apart until they were free. On the last page was a familiar mandala design sketched into the stained pages with a dark ink. Dipper's eyes widened as he scanned the page. "In my travels I have only seen one town more unusual than Gravity falls, a little desert town called Night Vale. If you do encounter this strange city- my only advice is to run." nothing else was written on the paper. The author had been here? This only confirmed Dipper's suspicion that there was something ominous about this town!
"Look! We're here, see- Welcome to Night Vale!" Mabel Cried, pointing at a dark blue road sign as they passed. Dipper felt a sense of dread settling in his stomach, the atmosphere was thick with something that made Dipper feel uneasy. "Mabel- we shouldn't be here!" Dipper hissed, obviously frightened.
"Chill out bro bro we'll be fine- we're always fine. If you're scared I'll hold your hand, but if Stan says it's fine then it'll be fine right?" Mabel smiled.
"Mabel you don't understand-"
"Look you two, civilization- what did I tell ya?" Stan called.
"More on the mysterious visitors." Cecil Palmer continued in his broadcast "They've just entered the city limits, two of them are smiling, a big, metallic grin on one and a small, amused smirk on the other. The boy in the back seat is petrified- with fear? With anticipation? I couldn't tell you dear listeners." He takes a sip from his coffee.
" What I can tell you is that there is something unusual about these interlopers, it's odd to see such visitors in our community in the first place, but to see such a small group and with children no less is rather strange. I mean, the last visitors to our town was that-awful carnival." Cecil shuddered. "No children in sight, just like how it is in Night Vale."
"But, Perhaps we should give these interlopers a chance, now I'm not saying let's pull out the welcome wagon- it's under maintenance anyway- no, This time I believe that we should, y'know wait to run them out of town, or at least find out why they're here." He shrugged, taking another swig of coffee. "Although these people don't seem unsavory, I could be wrong- even though that so rarely happens, I am practically a scientist."
His eyes flit to the booth where Roland is trying to get his attention. "Pardon me listeners but Intern Roland in the booth is trying to get my attention- he is waving his arms erratically- Yes Roland, I see you, what is it?" Roland points to the door "He is trying to tell the there's something at the door. Uh, who is it Roland?" Roland furiously scribbles down something on a notepad, he slams the note to the window. Cecil gasps "Steve Carlesberg- No, Steve I've told you not to bother me while I'm at work! I don't want you going on about those conspiracies Steve!" He groans "And now listeners, I take you to the weather."
"It's so quiet." Mabel remarks
"Yeah, kinda creepy." Stan replies. "How about we put on some tunes huh?" He turns on the radio and an indie band plays, sounding like something that Wendy and her friends would listen to.
They pass by the Moonlite All-Nite diner, and inside they can vaguely make out figures in the frosted glass windows. On the right a big sign that reads: Lucinda's Pawn shop, oddities can be seen overflowing the shelves. So far nothing all that bizarre stood out to them, but Dipper still felt apprehensive about the whole situation.
'First Bill Cipher and now the Author of the journals?' Dipper pondered 'So far there hasn't been anything to cause panic, but, i dunno- I mean if both Bill and the Author are scared of this place doesn't it make it dangerous?' He furrowed his brows 'Maybe if we can just hurry up and find an attraction quickly we'll be fine? For that matter will that novelty attraction be just a novelty?' He looked between his sister and Stan.
'For once I hope so.'
Just outside the city limits was one particular entity. Bill Cipher gazed upon the lonely desert town with his one eye, not daring to move an inch.
"Sheesh," He muttered. "This place looks a little worse for wear."
He looks up at the radio tower that blinked mutely in the desert sun. "It's been a long time Night Vale- a long time."