Here's a request I did for someone, involving how they imagined what Wendy's mother would be like.
Blast from the Past
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls and make no profit from this story.
The skies were clear that morning over Gravity Falls. A gentle breeze blew over the surface of the local lake, making the water ripple as it went. It was warmer than average that day with low humidity, making it excellent weather for an outing. However, there weren't quite as many people out on the lake, or even very close to it in general. This was because a well-known local had planned a very special outing that day with her daughter, who had just turned eight years old.
Wendy Curdoroy hopped out of the back seat of her mom's old ford pickup and made a mad dash towards the water. She had already ditched her flannel t-shirt in the vehicle and was working her way out of her shorts, leaving herself in her swimsuit. She kicked off her sandals as she got to the shore, running into the water until it was halfway to her knees.
"Come on, Mom!" Wendy called as she jumped around in the water, her pigtails bouncing with each movement. "The water is great!"
Mrs. Charlotte Curdoroy was a young French-Canadian woman who was rather petite and feminine. She had long, well-groomed blonde hair that reached past her waist and green eyes behind a pair of big, round glasses. Her choice of attire was a forest green dress, white heels and a beret which matched her dress. Despite her appearance, she was a very outdoorsy woman who loved nature and any activities that allowed her to be outside. She worked as a demolitionist, enabling her other love of blowing things up.
After locking up her car, Charlotte began strolling over to join her daughter. There was a big, fat and fancy looking cigar with a maple leaf on its band sticking out of the corner of her mouth. She was always seen with one, usually her preferred brand that were only available from a little shop in her hometown up in Quebec. When lit, they smelled of pine needles and maple syrup.
"Now Wendy, we aren't here to splash around." Charlotte called to her in her light French accent, a bit of smoke escaping her mouth. "We came to catch some fish, remember?"
"Can't I swim for just a little bit first?" Wendy asked, giving her mom puppy-dog eyes.
Charlotte smiled and shook her head, her golden locks swaying with the motion. After taking a moment to flick some of the ash from her cigar, she waved her daughter to come back as she turned around and walked to her truck. It had been parked backwards, the bed facing the lake. A tarp covered the back, concealing something large. Charlotte removed the tarp, revealing a cannon very much like the ones they used to fire people out of at circuses. Wendy had seen her own mother get shot out of it plenty of times before, to raise money for charity.
"So, how about you do a real cannonball for once?" Charlotte asked, unable to keep herself from grinning.
Wendy began to bounce up and down excitedly. "Yes, yes, yes!" She exclaimed giddily. "That would be so cool!"
"Then climb in and get ready for a blast." Charlotte chuckled.
Without a moment's hesitation, Wendy scrambled up onto the back of her mom's truck. She got over the tailgate and then climbed into the cannon, legs first. Charlotte got into the bed as well, flicking some more ashes away as she climbed. She angled the cannon so it would arc out right into the water, but not so much as to send Wendy more than a good fifteen feet or so. Then she took her cigar from her mouth and lit the fuse.
Seconds later a loud blast sounded, followed by the happy giggling of one airborne eight year old. Wendy arced through the air and did a few summersaults as she began to descend. When she hit the water, a mighty splash resulted as she sank down below the surface. Charlotte applauded the show and watched closely to make sure her little girl made it up to the surface alright.
After Wendy breached and gasped for air, she waved to her mother. Charlotte waved back and then set to work getting things ready for their time fishing together. However, instead of rods and tackle boxes, Charlotte took something very different out from the bed of her truck. A pair of buckets and a large box full of dynamite sticks. Like her cigars, Charlotte got these made from a little place she knew about up in Canada and she used these ones exclusively for her favorite past time of blast fishing. The fuses were waterproof and they had only enough kick to them to send a fish sky high. She had even had them customized with a cute little cartoon fish that was in the middle of an explosion bubble.
Charlotte stacked the buckets on top of the box and lifted it all up. She walked down to the water and found a good spot to set them down. Taking a look back out onto the water, she spotted her daughter and waved to her, calling out her name. Wendy began swimming back to shore, practically aglow from the rush she had just experienced.
"Can I go again, Mom? Please?"
"Sorry Wendy, but we don't want to give up precious fishing time, do we?" Charlotte replied, adjusting her glasses. "Another time, I promise."
"Okay."
Wendy picked the buckets up and carried them over to her mother's boat. It was a small craft with enough room to seat four and an outboard motor, affectionately named the S.S. Firecracker. Charlotte returned to her truck and got a cooler full of ice they were going to use to store anything they caught to bring home for supper. She carried it out to her boat and set it down, placing the box of dynamite sticks underneath her seat before she climbed in. Wendy put on her life jacket and hopped into the boat, seating herself beside her mother.
"Can I start the motor?" She asked.
"Of course you can. You can even steer us out onto the lake." Charlotte told her with a warm smile.
Letting out a happy giggle, Wendy pulled the cord on the motor. It roared to life and with a bit of guidance from her mother, Wendy steered the boat away from the dock. They went out a decent distance, the shore of the lake still within sight. Charlotte dropped the anchor and then pulled out her box of dynamite sticks, prying the lid off. Wendy watched as her mother picked up the first stick, admiring it as she sat back up.
"Hey Mom, I was wondering something." Wendy asked. "Doesn't the explosion hurt the fish?"
"Well, I heard somewhere that fish can't feel pain." Charlotte replied, adjusting her glasses again. "Of course I have no idea if that's true or not. But fish are also easily spooked. The minute the dynamite hits the water, it will scare off any that are close by. Besides, the fish are still being taken out of the water in the end, so does it matter how we catch them?"
"I guess not." Wendy said, shrugging a bit.
Charlotte flicked a bit of ash off of her cigar and then used it to light the stick's fuse, tossing it out into the water. After a few seconds a huge blast made the water erupt and then rain down hard back into the lake. A fish had been blown upwards by the blast and it flailed as it flew through the air and began falling back down. Wendy grabbed her bucket and excitedly stood up, rocking the boat a little. She kept her eye on the fish as it came back down and when the time was right, she reached out to catch it with her bucket.
The fish landed smack in the middle, Wendy wobbling a bit as she felt the impact. Charlotte placed her hands on her daughter's sides to help her keep balanced and Wendy slowly sat back down. The two then checked on their catch, Wendy grinning widely.
"It's a trout!" She exclaimed joyfully.
"And a nice, big one too. That's going to make a nice meal." Charlotte noted. "A very good first catch. Now let's see what the next blast gets us. But remember to stay seated this time, Wendy."
"Yes ma'am." Wendy said, setting her bucket down. "Can I light the next stick?"
Charlotte took a moment to think. "I suppose that would be alright. But let's just keep it between us. It'll be our little secret, alright?"
Wendy nodded eagerly and grabbed a stick of dynamite from the box. Then she grabbed the cigar straight out of her mother's mouth and put it in the corner of her own. As she lit the fuse with the tip of the cigar, she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a slightly amused smile on her mother's face as the woman extinguished the fuse with a pinch from her fingers and then took her cigar back.
"Ah, ah, ah… pas si vite " Charlotte said in French, her voice soft yet firm. "I said you could light the dynamite, not that you could take my cigar. You're far too young for these, Wendy."
"Sorry Mom." Wendy replied.
She started smiling a little to herself as she thought about all the pictures of her mom, all of which had her with her signature cigar in her mouth. It wouldn't surprise her if there were some pictures of Charlotte as a kid, still with the cigar. The sound of her mother clearing her throat caught her attention and she looked up to see her mother still smiling at her with amusement.
"You didn't inhale any of it, did you?" Her mother asked. "Be honest with me."
"Uh-uh." Wendy said, shaking her head. "I only held it with my mouth."
"I certainly hope so." Charlotte told her, putting her cigar back in her mouth. "Now, let's get back to our fishing. Go ahead, light it up."
Wendy held the fuse of the stick up to her mother's cigar, watching with delight as it sparked. She then quickly threw it as hard as she could. The stick flew way out into the lake and a blast disrupted the water seconds later. Just like before, a fish was launched high into the air and arced over towards the boat. However, it didn't get close enough for them to catch in their buckets.
"Aw, darn it!" Wendy pouted.
"Well it was a good throw. But the problem is it was too good." Charlotte said. "We don't need distance, just toss it a far enough that it won't rock the boat. Here, try again."
Charlotte handed Wendy another stick, which she lit right away. The sparks of the lit fuse reflected off of her mother's glasses, almost mesmerizing her. Wendy gave the dynamite a gentler toss than before, grabbing her bucket immediately afterwards.
Just after she threw the dynamite, a largemouth bass leapt up out of the water and swallowed the stick whole in midair. The fish landed on the boat, leaving both Wendy and her mother staring in silent shock. Before either could do or say anything, the fish exploded. The two used their buckets to shield themselves as meaty bits went flying everywhere. After a few seconds, they dared to peek and saw a scorch mark where the fish had been only moments ago.
"Wow. I think we just found the fastest way to make chum." Wendy noted.
Charlotte suddenly began laughing, her daughter joining in seconds later. The sound of their joyous noise echoed across the lake for the next minute. Once they calmed down, Charlotte removed her glasses to wipe a mirthful tear from her eye and Wendy began looking around the boat. They took a moment to clean up a few pieces of fish that had not flown from the boat and then resumed fishing.
Over the next several minutes, Charlotte and Wendy went through most of the sticks still left in the box. Explosion after explosion erupted in the water, some sending fish flying and the rest only serving as entertainment. Soon enough they had caught enough fish to fill the cooler up most of the way. By then only half a dozen sticks of dynamite remained.
"Aw, we're almost out." Wendy pouted. "Do you have more in the truck, mom?"
"I'm sorry Wendy, but I only had on box left." Charlotte replied. "But I'll be sure to bring more the next time we come out to fish. For now, let's wrap up things with a bang. Want to see how big of a splash two sticks can make?"
"Do I?!" Wendy exclaimed excitedly. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Wendy grabbed two of the remaining sticks and held them up. Charlotte leaned over a little as Wendy lit both fuses at once. The sparks reflected off of Charlotte's glasses again as the fuses began to burn down. Wendy tossed both sticks quickly, the two detonating with a blast louder than the others.
Charlotte grabbed her bucket, handing Wendy hers as well. She had seen something go flying up when the blast happened. But the blast had been so strong that the fish had gone high enough to vanish from sight. Charlotte tilted her head backwards, using one hand to block the light from the sun a little. Wendy copied her mother's actions, standing up to try and spot the fish.
"I think I see it!" She said, pointing directly upwards.
"Where?" Her mother asked.
"There! It's coming down right on top of us!"
"I still don't see… ULP!"
Wendy's jaw dropped in shock. The fish, a little perch, had landed right into her mother's mouth while she had been speaking,. Charlotte, having been caught by complete surprise, ended up swallowing the little fish whole, her cigar remaining in place. After a moment she let out a heavy belch, a plume of smoke in the shape of a fish escaping her mouth. She stared forward in silence for a moment and then she let out a laugh.
"Let's hope that won't spoil my dinner!" She joked, fixing her glasses after they had gone askew.
"Are you going to be okay, Mom?" Wendy asked.
Charlotte patted her daughter's head. "I'm just fine. Although I feel a bit silly after that. In all my years of dynamite fishing, I never had that happen to me before. Now, let's just move on and try using the rest of the sticks this time. Make sure to throw them good and far, okay?"
Wendy nodded and watched as her mother took out some waterproof tape from under the seat. She wrapped it around the four sticks to bind them together and then handed it to Wendy. Then she took the three fuses and twirled them around each other for easier lighting. Wendy held the combined fuse up to her mother's cigar, it looking like a massive trick birthday candle when it lit. She tossed them out with a swing of both arms, the three landing with a big splash a good couple of yards away.
A massive explosion erupted, sending a pillar of water straight up. Wendy cheered, both from witnessing the awesome sight and for seeing a huge sturgeon be launched out by the blast. The fish flew in a wide arc right over their boat and all the way to the edge of the lake.
"Well that was a sight." Charlotte noted. "I've never seen that before."
"Where do you think it went?" Wendy asked.
Charlotte shrugged. "I have no idea. It could have flown all the way out into the middle of the woods. We'll probably never know."
The sturgeon had in fact landed much closer than either of them would have guessed. By the unlikeliest of chances, the poor creature had landed right in the cannon in the bed of Charlotte's truck. At that moment, a young Soos was passing by and noticed the peculiar sight. He climbed into the bed for a closer look and suddenly felt very tempted.
"I really shouldn't." He told himself. "But when am I ever going to find myself in this situation again?"
Giving in to desire, Soos pulled out a book of matches he had in his pocket. He aimed the cannon almost straight up and lit the fuse on the cannon. Then he hopped back out of the truck to watch from a distance. As the fuse burned down, he plugged his ears with his fingers, smiling with childlike glee.
The cannon fired and the fish was once again airborne. It flew over the trees and landed on someone's property, smacking directly on the front door. The owner of the house, one Stanley Pines, opened the door to see what had made the noise.
"What the heck? Is someone throwing fish at my house?!" Stan barked, looking around for the culprit but finding no one. "Well the jokes on you, you punk!" He shouted, grabbing the fish and stepping back inside. "I just got a free meal! HA!"
Back at the lake, Wendy and her mother were getting ready to pack it in and return to shore. Wendy took a peek at their catch, smiling to herself at what a successful trip it had been. Her mother pulled up the anchor, taking a moment to flick a bit of ash off of her cigar once she was done.
Unknown to the two, danger was lurking nearby.
Deep down at the bottom of the lake, where the light of the sun barely reached, a massive fish lurked. The creature, a massive catfish the size of a small house, had been swimming slowly along the lakebed in search of its next meal. While it had been moving about, the large blast from the four dynamite Wendy had thrown caught it's attention. The catfish, not spooked in the least by the noise, had moved towards it and spotted something up on the surface. Something it considered to be a good fit for its next meal.
The catfish swam faster, headed for its target. As it neared the surface, the mass of its huge body swelled the water up briefly and then it breached. Opening its mouth wide, the behemoth of a fish swallowed the boat in a single gulp, the two inside helpless to do anything before it was too late.
Having finished its meal, the catfish drifted lazily at the surface, it's backside like a tiny island poking out of the water. Inside of its belly, the boat sat in a pool of stomach juices which were already eating away at the metal. It was pitch dark, the only light coming from the glowing tip of Charlotte's cigar. The fish had gulped down a good amount of air with them, allowing them to breath.
"Mom?" Wendy asked, sounding terrified. "What happened?"
"Stay calm now, Wendy." Charlotte replied. "We were swallowed by some kind of giant fish. Probably a catfish. This lake has a few massive ones."
"And one of them ate us?"
"Yes it did. Swallowed us right up." Charlotte answered with a nod. "Our boat is in its stomach right now."
"We're going to get digested!" Wendy cried.
Charlotte chuckled. "No we're not. I've gotten out of this sort of situation before."
"You have?"
"Would you like to hear the story of what happened?"
"Uh-huh."
After a moment of silence, Charlotte flicked on her lighter to give them more illumination. She exhaled a bit of smoke from her mouth and then used her free hand to manipulate it as it floated into the light. The smoke took the shape of a little human girl, making Wendy gasp in awe.
"Wow…."
"When I was your age, I went swimming in this very lake." Charlotte began. "I was having a great time, splashing around in the shallows. But then I saw something very amazing. A mermaid."
Charlotte exhaled another puff of smoke, shaping it into a mermaid. Wendy hugged her knees to her chest, watching with a sense of wonder in her eyes as her mother continued the story.
"I swam out to get a closer look, going out further than I ever had before. But when I met the mermaid, she grabbed me and pulled me under the water. The next thing I knew, I was on a shipwreck on the shore of a tiny island way out in the middle of the lake. There were lots of mermaids, all surrounding me. That's when I learned they were pirates."
With several more puffs of smoke, a crew of mermaids joined the first along with the little smoke girl. Charlotte then added another mermaid to the group, this one with a captains hat and a cigar in her mouth.
"The captain of the mermaid pirates was a large and intimidating woman. She had a wild head of green hair, like seaweed and her eyes were colder than ice. She had a big cigar made of broken coral wrapped in kelp."
"What did she want?" Wendy asked, nervously.
"To take my valuables." Charlotte answered. "But I didn't have anything on me aside of my swimsuit. So they decided to feed me to a giant catfish. They planned to fire me out of a cannon, right into its mouth."
A cannon made of smoke was added to the scene and Charlotte manipulated it some more. Now the little smoke girl was being ganged up on by the mermaids. Then she made the girl run towards the captain. She opened the cooler and took one of the smaller fish, a perch, out and had it moved it around near the smoke figures.
"So I did the only thing I could. I charged at the captain and stole her cigar. She hadn't expected me to be so bold. After I stole her cigar, I ran to the cannon and adjusted it so it would aim higher. The pirates were confused, they had no idea what I was up to."
"What were you trying to do?"
"I was making my escape." Charlotte said. "They had a box of dynamite near the cannon, so I lit one with the captain's cigar and tossed it back into the box, shoving it towards them. Then I lit the fuse on the cannon and climbed inside. The dynamite all exploded, scaring off the mermaid pirates their ship was destroyed just seconds before the cannon shot me." She told her daughter, manipulating the smoke figures again to make the mermaids frenzy and the little girl jump into the cannon. She then made it look like the smoke cannon fired and the little girl flew out. "But things didn't go as I planned. The big fish jumped out of the water and I still got swallowed up. Just like this!"
Grabbing a small fish from the cooler, Charlotte swallowed it whole along with a big gulp of air. She then belched out a mass of smoke and shaped it into a huge catfish that swallowed the little smoke girl and then she had it fly over to Wendy, who let out a shriek. She covered her head with her arms as the fish made of smoke 'swallowed' her and dissipated as a result. Charlotte chuckled and Wendy slowly raised her head again.
"But even though it ate you, you still got out." She noted. "So we're going to be okay?"
"Of course we are." Charlotte replied, patting her daughter's head. "Now stay down, we're going to be moving very fast and I don't know where we're going to land."
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, now seeming more curious than afraid. "What's going to happen?"
"You'll see, sweetie. Now hold on to me nice and tight." Charlotte said, feeling around for a set of noise-cancelling headphones she had in the boat. "And wear these too."
Wendy did as instructed, putting the headphones on and then clinging to her mother. Charlotte put on a second set herself and then pulled her cigar from her mouth. Her past experiences had taught her something about these monstrous fish. They were easy to deal with once you knew that their stomach juices were highly combustible, at least as long as there was some air in their bellies. That along with how oily they were made them very vulnerable to an open flame. Or in this case, a bit of ash from a big, fancy cigar.
Charlotte flicked some of the ash out in a random direction and then braced herself after putting her cigar back in her mouth. The moment the hot ash hit the juices there was an instant reaction. A gigantic explosion was created and the boat with the mother and daughter was rocketed upwards into the sky along with several bits of the giant catfish. It went so high up that the two inside got an amazing view of Gravity Falls in its entirety.
The boat began falling, both Charlotte and Wendy leaving it as they fell. The parking lot came into view and the two cried out in terror as they feared they'd hit the pavement. Their boat and the items that were in it drifted away from them as they continued to plummet. The objects all landed in the shallows of the lake, the chunks of fish raining down all over the water. By some miracle the mother and daughter landed in the cannon on the bed of Charlotte's truck.
Soos, who had been skipping rocks at the time, saw the whole thing happen. He rushed back over to the truck and looked around for the people who he had seen falling. The sound of voices coming out of the cannon caught his attention and he climbed into the bed of the truck.
"Hello?" He called. "Is someone in there?"
"Oh, good. Hello, young man." Charlotte replied. "I need to ask a favor of you. We're a little stuck. Aim my cannon lower and face it towards the lake. Then light the fuse for us, would you?"
"Would I?" Soos asked happily. "You bet! Man, this is turning out to be a great day!"
Taking out his book of matches, Soos lit on and put the flame to the fuse. He went to leave, but then remembered he was supposed to re-aim the cannon and hurried to do so. Then he scrambled out of the truck's bed and ran a short distance away to watch. As the two inside were fired out, he clapped happily and cheered at the sight.
Charlotte and Wendy landed in the water a fair ways out. They surfaced and gasped for air, the soot washed from their persons. Then the two started to laugh and made their way back to the boat, Charlotte finding the cooler as well. After a short break to catch their breath, they went back to shore. Charlotte retrieved some towels she had in her truck so they could dry off and then the two got ready to return home.
"Hey Mom?" Wendy asked, as she climbed into the truck and put her seatbelt on. "Do you think I can have a boat one day and go out fishing like we did today, but all by myself?"
"You could. Or maybe one day you can take some friends out and show them how we Curdoroy women like to catch our fish." Charlotte replied, taking her cigar out of her mouth a moment to kiss her daughter's forehead. "I'm counting on you to keep our ways alive. Can you do that for me, Wendy?"
Wendy nodded, a big grin on their face. "You can count on it!"
-Twelve Years Later-
An old, beat up Dodge pickup truck rumbled into the parking lot of the lake. She found a spot to park and turned the engine off. The driver's side door opened and Wendy stepped out. Now a young woman of twenty, Wendy had made a reputation for herself. After turning eighteen, she had taken up on her mother's habit and had also followed in her footsteps, becoming a demolitions woman as well. Many commented on how very much she had become like her mother, right down to her laidback attitude and the large, fancy cigar she often had in her mouth.
Wendy grabbed a hard hat she usually wore at work and a slightly worn set of goggles, putting them both on. She was wearing a long-sleeved green flannel shirt with a vest over it and a pair of tan cargo shorts. The pockets of both the vest and shorts had sticks of dynamite in them and were lined with fireproof material for safety purposes.
The passenger side door of the truck opened and the Pines twins stepped out. Mabel and Dipper had just recently celebrated their eighteenth birthday and as a present, Wendy had offered to take them out on a fishing trip. She had even gone as far as to pick them up from their hometown to bring them to the lake.
"Okay you two, start unloading the truck." Wendy said, heading toward the water. "I'm gonna check the boat and make sure everything is ship shape."
"Aye-aye, cap'n!" Mabel said, saluting Wendy quickly before jumping up on the truck's tailgate. "Here, I'll pass the boxes down to you Dipper and you can bring them to the boat."
"I still don't know about this." Dipper said, hesitantly accepting a box of dynamite from his sister. "This seems really dangerous. And possibly illegal."
Mabel scoffed. "Stop being such a wet blanket. It's going to be fun! Lighten up and live a little."
Dipper grumbled and began bringing the box to the boat. While he was on his way, a baby-blue Porsche rolled into the lot and parked beside Wendy's truck. The driver stepped out, one Pacifica Northwest. Wendy spotted the new arrival and walked over, waving at the blonde.
"Heya boss. What brings you here?" she asked.
Pacifica was the owner and manager of the demolitions company for which Wendy worked. She was currently in a fancy looking sundress, the same color as her car and she had golden earrings shaped like little bombs. In her hand was a long, elegant cigarette holder with a menthol cigarette set into the end, something which she was seldom seen without. She held it out for Wendy, who leaned over to allow Pacifica to light it off of her cigar.
"I figured since I gave you the day off, I may as well stop by. Thanks to you we got that old factory demolished ahead of schedule, so I have some free time as well." Pacifica answered, her eyes roaming over to the twins. "And I wanted to see some familiar faces. Hello Mabel." She said before focusing on the other twin, a flirty look in her eyes. "And hello to you too, handsome."
"Uh, hi Pacifica." Dipper replied, looking a little nervous. "Thanks."
"He's still single, by the way!" Mabel blurted out, pointing excitedly at her brother.
"Mabel!" Dipper cried out in embarrassment.
Pacifica giggled. "Well, isn't that lucky for me? How about you stop by after you're done out on the water and we can catch up?" She offered, blowing a heart shaped puff of smoke in his direction.
"You aren't gonna join us?" Mabel asked.
"I'd rather watch from back here." Pacifica replied. "Oh, but first I have a little something for you, Dipper. Happy belated birthday."
She took out a large and fancy cigar, not too different from the one Wendy had. It had a little, red ribbon wrapped around the middle with a pink heart in the center. Pacifica bit off the end and then stuck it into Dipper's mouth. Then she pressed her cigarette to the tip to light it for him, keeping the holder in her mouth at the same time.
Dipper quickly pulled the cigar from his mouth and gave Pacifica a nervous smile. "That's alright, but um, polite pass. I'm not really a smoker."
"I dunno, it looked like a good opportunity dude." Wendy commented. "If you know what I mean."
"Indirect kiss." Mabel said, pretending to cough at the same time.
"Thank you, Wendy, Mabel." Dipper replied through clenched teeth. "But anyways, I appreciate the gesture. It's um, really nice looking. Thanks Pacifica."
"No problem. Have fun out there." She replied before strolling away.
"We will! Thanks!" Mabel said before heading over to the truck again. "Hey Dipper, do you think we'll get to see any giant catfish or mermaid pirates?"
"You mean like in the story Wendy told us on the way up here?" Dipper asked in reply. "Please, some of that may not be weirder than what we're used to up here, but I still kinda find it hard to believe. We so would have seen either of those when we were here that summer when we stayed with Grunkle Stan."
"Dude, there is always something weird in the world that you haven't seen yet." Wendy told him. "I didn't think I'd get eaten by a giant fish when I was eight, but it happened."
"So we might get to see one?" Mabel asked hopefully. "Maybe a mermaid pirate too?"
Wendy shrugged. "Maybe. In my mom's story, she destroyed their ship but that doesn't mean they're still out there."
"And we know mermaids are in the area." Mabel noted, a giddy smile on her face. "Ooh, I hope to run into Mermando again."
"I still think a lot of that story was embellished." Dipper said. "If a fish swallowed you, there's no way you'd be able to breathe."
"Well maybe you'll find out today." Wendy countered, a cheeky smile on her face. "Don't worry, I promise to get us out when that happens."
"Um, don't you mean if it happens?" Dipper asked, gulping audibly.
Wendy chuckled and went back to her truck to grab a cooler and the food they had packed for the trip. As she began heading back to her boat, a familiar ford pickup drove in and came to a stop close by. The driver's side window rolled down and Charlotte Curdoroy leaned out, signature cigar in her mouth. She had aged remarkably well over the years. The only indication being the minor wrinkles under her eyes.
"Bonjour!" She greeted, lifting her beret momentarily at the group.
"Hey Mom." Wendy said. "Glad you could stop by. Are you can't join us today? I'd love for the twins to see the expert at work."
"Thank you, Wendy. But I have to head out shortly to do my next job up in Canada. Maybe next time." Charlotte replied. "But I do have time for a little fun."
She parked her truck in the available space besides Wendy's and killed the engine. After she got out, she joined her daughter and gestured to an old tree that was standing a short way from the edge of the lot, with a large knothole in its trunk. They each took out a stick of dynamite and lit the fuses with their cigars. Then they tossed them simultaneously, both sticks going right into the knothole. A big explosion occurred seconds later, obliterating the tree and sending splinters of wood everywhere.
"Whoo!" Mabel cheered, pumping both fists into the air. "That was awesome!"
"Wasn't it?" Charlotte said, chuckling and turning to face her daughter. "By the way, I have the item you asked me for."
Charlotte went over to her truck and got a long case she had sitting in the bed. She brought it to Wendy who took it and set it down on the ground, the twins stepping over to get a closer look. When Wendy opened it up, the two both gasped, Mabel in awe and Dipper with shock.
"A rocket launcher?!" he exclaimed. "That can't be legal!"
"It is when you're a Curdoroy." Charlotte said with a playful smile. "I've got a permit as does my daughter here. So no one should be able to give you any nonsense about it."
"Why does she even need that?!" Dipper asked.
"For giant catfish of course." Wendy answered. "Thanks Mom, I'll be sure to use it when the time comes."
"You mean if, right?" Dipper asked, paling noticeably.
Another hearty chuckle came from Charlotte. "This one is going to need a bit of help if he wants to catch any fish the Curdoroy way." She said. "Anyway, I should be going. But before I do, I have one more thing for you, Wendy. Took me a while to find it, but it's something I've been wanting to give you for luck. Here you go."
She handed a small box over to Wendy and then began heading back to her truck, climbing into the bed. Then she removed the tarp which covered her cannon and aimed it upwards a bit, facing north. Wendy walked over and gestured to the twins to follow, as well as Pacifica. They all gathered in the bed of the truck where Charlotte was putting on a parachute before climbing into the cannon.
"Ready whenever you are." She told them.
Wendy nudged Dipper and gestured to the still lit cigar in his hand. She then leaned over a bit and got ready to press her own to the cannon's fuse. Pacifica did the same and Mabel grabbed her brother's hand, moving it into position. Dipper watched in mild awe as he and his twin, along with Pacifica and Wendy, all lit the fuse together. It burned down and they all hurried out of the truck, covering their ears as they watched the cannon fire.
Charlotte was launched way up and out over the trees. She let out a hearty cheer as she vanished into the horizon, vanishing with a twinkle in the sky. Wendy watched until her mother was gone from sight and started heading towards her boat. The other three tagged along, Pacifica glancing over in the direction in which Charlotte had vanished.
"That thing is pretty powerful." She noted. "I didn't realize it would send her flying so far."
"My mom plans to reach space one day using her cannon." Wendy said with a chuckle. "I'm kinda surprised she hasn't managed that yet."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Mabel said, hopping up and down, throwing both hands into the air. "Can I get shot out of the cannon?"
"Sure. But after we finish fishing." Wendy replied. "And I've got some fireworks we can set off as well."
"I'm down for some fireworks later on." Dipper began. "Um, say… If you don't mind me asking, what was that other thing your mom gave to you?"
"No idea. Let's find out."
Wendy turned to face them, holding out the box before opening it up. Just like with the other case, the twins looked on curiously as the contents were revealed. Wendy gasped and then smiled as she lifted the item inside out for them to get a closer look. It was a very old cigar. One made of broken coral and wrapped with kelp. With it was a handwritten note that read, 'Show this off just in case any thieving mermaids show up.'
The end.