Chapter 4
Wendy was walking to the Shack; she had promised Dipper that they could go mystery hunting today since the Shack had no customers. She walked straight to the door and opened it, not bothering to knock. "Dipper? I'm here. Ready to start hunting?" Wendy called out to the boy, knowing it was late morning and he would be up.
Dipper glanced over from where he was sitting in the living room, blinking. Oh. I forgot that Wendy was coming over. Right. Standing up and stretching his stiff muscles, Dipper smiled with friendliness and nodded, feeling for the journal in his vest. It's there. Good.
A few hours ago he had cleaned himself up for the day, getting properly dressed and ready to go out into town if needed. The boy didn't hear anything from Bill just yet, nor his sister, although he was sure that she was up by now. "I'll go and get Mabel," he told her. "I'll be back in a second. Wait right there."
Hurrying away, he climbed the steps up to their room, spotting his sister knitting on her bed with Waddles beside her, singing a pop song that Dipper never really liked under her breath. "Hey, Mabel, Wendy's here. We're going to go on a mystery hunt together. Want to come?"
The brunette beamed, looking up from her project. "Sure thing! That sounds like fun! The perfect opportunity for you to bond with her so you can romantically give her that gift! It'll be so sweet!" She broke off into cackling laughter, cheeks puffed up in her amusement.
Mabel must've seen his embarrassed blush because it didn't take anything out of his mouth to get her going. That didn't stop his protests, though. "M-mabel! I told you that ship would never sail! Wendy and I are just friends and —" he paused for a moment, thinking back to Mabel and his conversation from the day before, "I said that wasn't for her! I don't have a gift, anyway. Does it look like I do?" He showed her his hands, both of them empty.
"Hmm, maybe not, bro-bro," she said with a knowing smile, standing up and petting her pig on the head in farewell, "but you still can't get away from your true feelings, Dipper! I can tell when someone's crushing on another, and if anything, you've got that lovey-dovey look all over you! Come on, why else would my dork brother go to the store? It's gotta be for a girl! And if you aren't getting her a present then you're definitely getting her something else!"
Dipper frowned, wondering what he could say to turn her down without making her jump further to conclusions. If I deny her then she'll think I'm lying . . . He settled on letting her speak this out of her system.
The sweater-wearing girl punched his shoulder playfully as she passed him, heading down the steps with him following behind her. "What did you buy, anyway? I wanna know! She has to love it. You can't buy just anything."
Dipper couldn't help but answer, "I didn't buy anyone anything. It was just some salt and water. For . . . myself, you know?"
She kept her grin. "I knew it! Salt and water, both things used in recipes! You're getting ingredients for food! You're gonna make your lover something tasty to show how tasty they'll be when —"
"Ew! Gross! No!" Dipper cut her off, muffling the rest of the statement with his hand. "Don't you dare suggest that. That's disgusting. And I don't even know how to cook good anyway." He took his hand away from her mouth, letting her talk once they made it to the bottom of the staircase, where Wendy was waiting for them.
"Do you like Candy?" his twin pressed, yelling the question loudly.
"No! I don't like anyone!" he yelled back, causing Mabel to giggle, shaking her head. Why can't I just tell her the truth and get her to stop this? Dipper growled silently, knowing the answer already. Ugh, if only Bill didn't make this deal with me . . . Life would be a whole lot easier. He made a face, turning away to look at the redhead. "I-I'm sorry for all that, Wendy. Mabel just can't seem to understand my point of view," he apologized with light irritation, listening to the background noise of his sister making obnoxious noises in response to her boredom and impatience. "Well, I'm ready to go and I've got the journal with me. Is Soos coming with us?"
"Yeah, Soos should be here soon." Wendy nodded to the twins and flashed a smile.
Dipper smiled in return. "Okay, then let's go. I'm thinking of checking out the forest boundary today. Maybe we can find one of the creatures that try and get into town or something," he suggested, walking outside and onto the porch. Mabel followed them out, yelling a farewell to Grunkle Stan before shutting the door again.
Soos came up to them soon after they started on their way, panting heavily. "Dudes! I'm . . . here. I thought you were going . . . . to go without me!"
"Hi, Soos! We were just about to wait up for you near the forest. Ready for an amazingly spectacular mystery hunt?" Dipper greeted with a grin, pulling the journal out from inside his vest. "This is going to be great. It's been so long since we all went looking for monsters together."
"And romance!" Mabel added, suggestively prodding her brother in the side.
"No, not that," he frowned, scooting away. "But this is going to be fun! We'd better hurry up and get there so we can make the best use of our time. I have a really good feeling about today . . ."
"Me too," the chubby man beamed, holding up a large bag. "And I brought snacks! Anyone want some corn chips?" He stuffed a few in his mouth, talking when it was full. "No? More for me!"
Well, at least he's enthusiastic, the tween observed, turning back to the rest of the group. We're gonna be fine. And plus, I can actually think for myself! Bill's not here. I think.
"Last one to the forest is a grumpy old grunkle!" Mabel announced, taking off in a flurry of giggles.
"Hey! Not fair!" Dipper cried out a protest, running to catch up.
"Wait for me!" Soos tagged on behind them, very slow in comparison.
The twins didn't hear, too caught up in their game. They both sported large grins, happily competing with each other. Dipper could already feel that the day was definitely going to be amazing.
Wendy laughed and sped past the twins. "Haha! I won!" She giggled and ruffled Dippers hair."You lose!"
Ooh, mystery hunting. I think I will enjoy watching this. Bill's voice returned once again in Dipper's head.
Dipper playfully ducked away from her, stopping near the trees. His twin and him had tied for second. He would have said something in reply if it wasn't for the intruder in his mind, diverting his attention from the others for a moment.
"No, Soos loses!" Mabel laughed loudly in the background, playfully tackling the man.
"Oof!" the male employee exclaimed. "But dawg, I don't want to be a grunkle! It's too much responsibility!"
"Grunkle! Grunkle!" the girl chanted, making Soos dramatically flinch, frowning at the idea.
Dipper glanced away towards the forest, his thoughts a whirlwind. Bill? You're back? Why did you leave? Why show up now? Were you mad at me? I said I was sorry. I said —
Oh, shush. I just went to take care of some business. And no, I'm not mad anymore, so don't make me mad again. I wasn't bluffing, quite a few demons owe me . . . and humans. Anyway, I'm here to watch the show! Your mystery hunting will be a mess!
Bill laughed. He knew that it was going to be a mess-an entertaining mess.
If you say so . . . Dipper responded, feeling both uneasy and excited by the demon's comment. He then looked back at his small group, calling them over.
"What's the plan, bro-bro?" Mabel grinned.
"Yeah, dude. What kind of epic monster adventure are we going on?" Soos beamed.
The boy did his best to explain, serious, "Okay, we're going to look around the forest border for strange and magical creatures. The journal explains that many of them try and get into the town to steal food but we're going to catch them before they do. Today we'll have to find out what's getting in and where they're coming from and then we can set up some traps. How does that sound? Is it foolproof enough?"
"Sure, sounds cool." Wendy nodded to Dipper and gave him a thumbs up. Bill stayed quiet in his mind.
"Great. Wendy, go with Mabel and scout that end of the forest," he said, pointing to the left. "Watch for suspicious activity and meet back here if you find anything. Soos and I will take that side." He pointed to the right. "We'll search until lunchtime, so basically around one if we don't meet up sooner. But I have a good feeling about this hunt . . . Any objections?"
"Yup!" Mabel piped up.
"What is it?"
"If I'm going with Wendy then how are you going to propose to her?"
Dipper hurriedly shot down that question, "Nobody's doing anything romantic! I told you, Mabel. Also, Wendy and I are just friends. Ask her if you don't believe me. Okay? Alright, that conversation is over. Come on, Soos. Let's find us something special." With that, the two males headed further along the edge of the woods, leaving Mabel and Wendy to search the other end. He was glad to finally let himself relax, comfortable with mystery hanging in the air, its aura like a soothing, fun-filled waterfall. This is going to be amazing.
More like fun for me! Bill giggled, continuing to watch. He knew of the possible future outcomes of this adventure, and most of them weren't all that fun or amazing for Dipper.
Dipper didn't seem to understand Bill's meaning, simply continuing ahead as he listened to Soos walking along, snacking on his bag of chips. He peered into the forest, the layer of thick leaves blocking out much of the sunlight and engulfing most of the background in shadow despise the brightness and heat of the day. A woodpecker could be heard, tapping away at a tree. Cicadas buzzed from somewhere near them. Leaves rustled ahead to reveal the small shape of a brown mouse that watched them approach before scampering away. It was rather peaceful. Too peaceful. Dipper glanced over at Soos, seeing him calm as ever. Something doesn't feel right . . . it's way too normal around here.
You're right about that, Pine Tree. Very suspicious . . . The calm before the storm . . . Bill muttered the last part and then shut up, not wanting to give anything about his plans away to the boy. You might want to be prepared; something will happen any minute now . . . Bill warned.
Dipper, now more wary than before, scanned the forest, shoulders stiff. What is going on? What's here? I don't see anything . . . except trees. His gaze swept the area, once, twice, thrice. The undergrowth stood undisturbed.
"Dipper . . ." Soos started, alarm in his voice as he pointed ahead of them. "Dude! . . . I think I just saw that tree move!"
"What?" the twelve year-old glanced around, not spotting anything out of the ordinary. "Where?"
"Dawg! There it is again!" the man cried, throwing a corn chip powerfully at a nearby part of the forest. It hit the bark of an oak tree, it doing nothing in return.
Dipper lifted an eyebrow in slight disbelief, although Bill's warning coupled with Soos' alarm caused him to doubt the serenity of the area. "Are you sure you —"
"Oh my Stancakes, it's right behind you!" Soos wailed, turning around to take off in the opposite direction. "Run, dude! Before it makes us eat plant food or something!"
Dipper slowly followed his gaze. "That's ridicul— . . . oh."
Towering above them was a monster Dipper had never seen. It seemed to be a beast made of wood, its large head topped with leaves that resembled a human's head of hair. Its gnarled features were twisted with hostility, large, branch-like claws grasping at the air between them. There was a moment of brief shock where no one did anything. Then, the creature grimaced deeper, feet looking like roots beginning to close the gap as it advanced on them.
Dipper didn't need another hint from Soos. He ran. Quickly.
The . . . The whatever it was could be heard following them, loudly stomping through the forest to the side. Dipper, even in his frantic state, figured that it wanted to be kept hidden from the rest of town in the camouflage of the woods. The sound of dead logs splintering underneath its step could be heard every once in a while, sending an adrenaline-fuelled thrill through him as he made his escape, pushing himself to go faster. Soos was huffing beside him.
What are we going to do? What is that thing? It wants to kill us! he worried, hearing it still on their path. Bill! Help! I can't get you a body if I'm squashed by that thing!
Bill was laughing, watching the interesting scene play out. Ah, yes, I do suppose I have to help you now. I can't let my one chance at getting a vessel die, can I? Bill chuckled lightly. Now, these are Ents, otherwise known as tree giants. Mostly they just protect the land and don't like trespassers or threatening people. They do not speak English, but luckily I know the native language. Bill's smirk could be seen through his voice. That's where my plan comes in . . .
Whatever! That's interesting but I'm getting chased to my death! If you know how to talk to it then hurry it up! It's going to catch us soon! Dipper screamed in his head, breath heaving and sweat trickling down his forehead.
Beside him, Soos was having a hard time keeping the pace, getting slower by the second. Dipper feared he wouldn't make it.
"Soos! Run faster!" he yelled, catching sight of the angry Ent as it swerved around a large pine.
The man didn't seem to be able to pick up speed, exhausted.
"I . . . can't . . . Dipper . . . Too many . . . corn chips." Soos was jogging now, falling behind the tween. "Leave me . . . dude!"
"No! Soos! Come on!" he tried, running back to grab the employee's fatty arm. Dipper tugged, attempting to gift him energy. It was like dragging an elephant. Bill! Please, hurry!
Yes, yes. I'm getting to it. See I'm already in your mind, all you have to do is give me permission to control you for a minute and speak to the Ent. I'll tell him you didn't mean to cross his border and he doesn't have to kill you. It'll be fast and I promise to give you back control. If you want to live, you'll let me do it. Bill explained to him quickly. What do ya' say?
Dipper was about to deny the demon because of what had happened last time, but the looming face of the Ent made him reconsider, the monster getting closer by the second. The boy willed Soos to move, dragging the worn-out man the farthest he could in his attempt to escape. It wasn't working. Fine! Fine, Bill! Just do it! Hurry! Dipper cried out silently, hoping his plea and Bill's efforts would be enough to save them both.
Bill quickly took control of Dipper's body, using his strength to pull Soos with him. Bill ran faster than Dipper could run, dragging Soos, before turning around and standing his ground a good distance away. Bill started speaking; the foreign words seemed to make the Ent stop chasing them. The Ent grunted and spoke the same language back to Bill before turning around and walking away from Dipper and Soos.
Dipper watched it all from the back of his consciousness, the scene feeling strange and different than it had when he was possessed and stuck in the mindscape. It was like seeing through his own eyes but not being able to do anything. Bill controlled the movements, rendering him not even able to sweep his gaze across the outside world. If Bill looked up, up was what he saw. It was unnerving in a way, almost like viewing real life through a TV screen. "How do you deal with this?" Dipper couldn't help but ask once the beast left, noticing how his voice echoed in the mind.
The Ent finally disappeared into the forest, out of sight again.
Beside Bill, or Bipper, or whatever, Soos was freaking out. "We almost got caught, dude! Dipper, your running skills are amazing! And where did you learn to talk tree language? That's gotta take some real skill, dawg. Think you can teach me?"
"Haha! Sorry, Question Mark, I can't teach you, but the language was in the Journal. I remember reading something in there about it." Bipper smiled at Soos, surprisingly sounding a lot like Dipper. "Now lets go find Red and Shootin-err my sister. They would want to know what happened."
Saved your life, Pine Tree. You owe me even more, Bill thought to him.
Dipper huffed, submitting to that. "I know, Bill. Thanks. That was nice of you," he replied. "And impressive, too. I've never heard anything speak that language in my life."
Soos interrupted his next thought. "You're talking weird, dude. But yeah! Let's meet up with them." The man turned to start walking back to the meeting place. "All that excitement made me hungry. Good thing lunch is soon!"
"Yeah!" Bill nodded to Soos politely and followed him. Of course you haven't. It's a very old language. Even older than Latin. After all, the trees were first on this planet before humans. Bill thought to him. Um . . . as much fun as your body is, I'm not sure I would do a very good job talking to your sister. Plus, she knows it's me by now . . . you can have your body back for now, but you owe me, so if I say so, you let me back in control.
Soos took the lead, although he was walking rather slowly. The employee munched on the last crumbs of his snack, the consequences that that had caused before completely forgotten.
Dipper didn't pay much attention, caught up in conversation with Bill. "What? I never agreed to that! You can't have control whenever you want! Even if you did save my life!" The twelve year-old's voice was laced with distress. "Just give my body back. Please? I don't want to go through any of that possession stuff from before ever again. You had your time. So let me do my own thing again and we can go back to our deal where I'm making you a body for entertainment and you can frolic in the mindscape until then. Okay?"
Bill rolled his eyes, still walking with Soos. Look, if I promise to ask or warn you before I take control, would that make you feel better? heasked Dipper.
Dipper hummed in discomfort, mumbling something inaudible even through telepathy. "I-I guess it would . . . but I still don't like it that you can do that whenever you want to. How about you go back to the mindscape for now and then we can talk about this again when you want to have your pay or whatever? Besides, I'm already making you a body. That shouldn't take too long, right?" he chuckled nervously, trying to regain control somehow. Dipper stopped after a while. It seemed as though Bill had all say in the mindscape even when he was in the real world. If he wanted to keep Dipper trapped in there, he could. "Let me back in my body, Bill! Mabel could show up at any minute!"
Bill grumbled, Fine. Bill quickly went into the mindscape, pulling Dipper as they switched places.
Dipper jolted into consciousness once more, stumbling from the sudden gift of control. He steadied himself, walking again. Except everything hurt. Really badly. And his heart thumped like crazy, his head throbbing with each beat. What did you do, Bill? Hegasped for air, suddenly needing a bunch of it. You probably pushed me way passed my limit earlier, didn't you? I knew I couldn't run that fast without cramping terribly. Everything is burning and . . . he paused, frowning, were you holding your breath? Why? Dipper strolled along Soos, still trying not to pass out. I was just about to feel grateful, you know. Ouch, this is the reason I don't like you possessing me.
Well, yeah, you humans don't have durable bodies for demonic energy or power, so whatever I make you do when I'm in control comes out of your power reserve. Since you've done a few spells before, you have a bit more energy than most humans, but not much. The more you practice the spells in the journal, the more energy you gain, and when I posses you again you won't hurt as much, Bill explained to him simply. The kid wouldn't understand it if he had explained the full thing and why. Much too complicated for a human to understand.
That sort of makes sense . . . Dipper responded, not knowing if that was a good or bad thing. This just feels like I ran fifty miles in a second, though. I'm exhausted. Not really magically drained. Is this how I'm supposed to feel? He would have waited for an answer had it not have been for Soos, who called an excited greeting to two approaching females.
Mabel bounded over to them, braces glinting in the bright sunlight. "Soos! Dipper! Did you find anything shiny and mystical?"
"You bet we did!" the man cheered, eyes widening. "We were just walking on that one side of the forest over there and this giant tree guy appeared and started chasing us! He was really mad, too. And I think he either wanted to squash us with his enormous root feet or make us eat plant food. Anyway, so we were running and Dipper was all epic and saving me and then he turned around and talked in some weird and magical tree language. Then it just turned around and left us there! Spooky!"
The twelve year-old boy butt in immediately, not wanting to be questioned about their escape again, "I-I uh, found something on Ents while reading and I thought I could try and talk to it. They um, don't speak English like we do and they're really territorial. We're lucky we got back alive and it left us alone. That doesn't usually happen when it's around other trespassers and suspicious creatures."
His twin tipped her head. "If you say so, bro-bro. Does this mean we're not going to set up traps to catch it?"
"I don't think so. It'd be reckless and we've had a close encounter with it already. Going after it again would probably end horribly," he explained with a shrug. "What did you and Wendy find? Was there anything notable out there?"
"What about chip monsters? Were there any chip monsters?" Soos added, looking inside his empty snack bag with wistful eyes. "Because I'd really go for one of those right now."
Bill stayed silent since everyone was talking and waited for them to be quiet.
"Nah, you got the cool stuff. Mabel and I just sat and talked; nothing interesting happened. Although, we thought we saw a gnome guy again, but he didn't bother us." Wendy shrugged and smiled at Dipper and Soos.
"We'd better not mess with those guys again," Dipper shuddered, remembering how they were immensely unpredictable and hostile.
"Plus, they're probably still obsessed with finding a queen and all that junk. Not good."
Mabel made a face. "Those gnomes are gross! And they totally crushed my dreams about having a vampire boyfriend! I'm never ever going near them again!"
"Me neither," Soos added stubbornly. "They stole Lazy Susan's pie that one time, didn't they? I'm not letting them get my food!"
"Well," the twelve year-old concluded, patting the journal in his vest, "I guess I'll have to draw this mystery hunt to a close. We can try something else another time. But for now, let's go and eat lunch!"
Soos and Mabel cheered, glad to finally be able to have their long-awaited meal.
"Why don't we ask Grunkle Stan to take us to Greasy's Diner?" Dipper suggested.
His sister whooped at that, charging towards the Mystery Shack. "Pancakes for all!" she averred, beaming.
Dipper and Soos followed with a grin.
"Come on, Wendy!" the twelve year-old beckoned her with a joyful wave. "Stan's not going to motivate himself!"
Wendy nodded and smiled as she started a chant with Mabel. "Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!" She lead the chant as they walked back.
