Chapter Three: The Mystery Hack
The twins were amazed and disappointed at the same time. Well, Dipper was disappointed – Mabel was too excited to speak properly. She had gasped and jumped onto the couch where their great-uncle was sitting. Great-Uncle Stan was something to behold, yet something to be steered away from as well. He was dressed nicely in his navy blue suit, yet the greying stubble and cockeyed fez atop his head told a different story; there was a tassel wedged in the top, and a strange symbol in gold decorated the front. Mabel grabbed Dipper's arm and whispers in his ear, "He looks like a magic man!" She adjusted her black headband in her hair and bounded back up onto the couch. Great-Uncle Stan gave a wry laugh and smiled; he looked like a happy man, but Dipper saw something else in the wrinkles and slight frown on his face. "Who's this – is this my little Mabel?" he asked, reaching for Mabel's waist with one hand and grabbing her hand with the other, lifting her princess-style off the couch. She laughed and played along, a brace-filled smile painting her face. "I'm Mabel – that's little Dipper," she added, pointing to Dipper as he stood awkwardly on the rug. He was so ecstatic to finally meet someone that had been shrouded in mystery for so long, but now…there was simply nothing interesting about this man other than his hat, and that could easily be a symbol painted on by hand.
There was silence, and his father gently nudged his shoulder. "Go on. Introduce yourself." Dipper felt his feet moving towards Stan; words filled his throat, and he swallowed them down to find the right ones to introduce himself with.
"Um…hello, sir. I'm Dipper." He gave a weak smile, and there was that eerie silence again. "…uh…I'm 12 years old, and I like mysteries." Behind him, both his parents sighed, but Stan leaned in closer till they were almost touching. Dipper felt his heart thudding in his chest, and his great-uncle began mumbling under his breath. "Yes, you'll do."
"What?"
"You got much bigger than last time I saw you. That must mean…yeah, you'll do." Dipper took a few stumbling steps back towards the couch behind him. "Wait, what?" he blurted out, concerned for what was to come next. Stan reached into his inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a pamphlet. Dipper's mother let out a prolonged groan and rolled her eyes; she reached up to snatch the pamphlet out of his hand but Stan pulled it away. "God, Stan, don't give him that! He's already up late at night as it is!" Stan glared at her and pulled the pamphlet away from her grasp. "If I don't tell him about the shack, he'll just be as boring as you!" he said through gritted teeth. "He has to know." Stan held out the pamphlet and shoved it into Dipper's trembling hands; Stan's hands were rough and calloused, as if he did hard labor. Dipper took a glance down at the paper in his hand. What was so special about this pamphlet? He flipped it open and almost immediately he was greeted with a picture of a house in the center of a forest boarded up with wooden planks and a large, flashing sign that screamed Mystery Shack from the rooftop of the building. Plastered all around its sides were signs and flyers of multiple colors and sizes, yet they all said the same things – Come Visit the Shack! Free Admission! Bring Your Friends and Family! Not for the Faint of Heart! Dipper pulled a face. What kind of shack was this? Dipper continued to flip through the pamphlet; on the third page adjacent to the gaudy shack picture was a full-blown picture of his great-uncle's face, and he quickly turned the page to avoid its eerie gaze. On the next page was a long block of text explaining exactly what this "Mystery Shack" was.
Welcome to the Mystery Shack! I know you're probably asking yourself, "What's so great about this run-down house?" Well, let me tell you! Every year, during the summertime, little kids like you are released from school with nothing to do. That's why you should come down to the shack, where your imagination can run wild and your parents can pay for it! Mysterious artifacts, rare creatures and more mysteries than your little brain can handle are packed into this little Mystery Shack, so come visit today! Summer staff members are limited to three spots, but if we decide that you got the right stuff, we might have a spot for you. We have two spots filled, so sign up now!
Underneath the block of text was a pair of pictures, one of a redheaded woman and the other of a portly Hispanic man wearing a hat that bore the same question mark symbol that was printed on the front of the pamphlet and scattered throughout its pages. Dipper laughed a little at the man's appearance – portly, round yet stocky and tall – but as his eyes wandered towards the female's face, he felt his face light up in a blush. Wow…she was beautiful. She had long red hair that was brushed behind her shoulder and tapered at her waist; her big green eyes were like jewels shining from the curved expanse of her face. She was –
"So what do you think?" Dipper gasped and dropped the pamphlet in surprise as Stan patted his shoulder. He was smiling from ear to ear, and Dipper felt his blush deepen. "It's just a shack," he stated, and Stan looked taken-aback. "Just a shack? Just a shack? Kid, do you know what we have in that shack?"
"Badly-stuffed taxidermies and creaky doors? Not to mention dirty floors and peeling wallpaper?" Dipper's mother scowled, but Stan shot her a cold glare and continued. "In my shack, we have imagination as far as the eye can see!" He rose to his feet and thrust his cane into the air. "We got all kinds of weird, mythological animals!"
"They're fake."
"We got all sorts of mysterious artifacts!"
"Which look like they were done by a third-grader."
"Dang it, Rachel, have a little imagination for once! You were always a stick in the mud." Stan pouted and waved the tip of his cane in her face. "My niece is so pessimistic," he grumbled, setting his cane back onto the carpet. Dipper was looking up at his great-uncle with amazement in his eyes. "What else?" This was something he was sincerely interested in – the unknown. The paranormal. His fingers twitched with excitement, and now he could see what Mabel was so excited about.