September 28th
Dear Wendy,
Hey, it's Dipper. Well, I guess you already know that. Because my name and return address are on the envelope…that you had to open to get this far. So… yeah. Moving along.
How has the start of your school year been? Mine has been so lame. Mabel keeps me entertained, at least. She somehow talked our doctor into declaring Waddles an "Emotional Support Pig," so he comes to school with us, and the mall, and the movies… She made him a bedazzled vest. She calls it his work uniform.
Piedmont is so boring compared to Gravity Falls. I guess it's nice that there's a lot less running for our lives, but that's pretty much the only positive of being back here. Oh man, I have to tell you though—my English teacher assigned us one of those "What I did over the summer" papers. I probably should have made something up, because she gave me the first F I've ever gotten. She told me to hold onto it for when we do our creative writing unit on fiction. Like I'm actually creative enough to make any of that stuff up: A huge gnome monster, made up of individual smaller gnomes. A cyclops demon triangle, bent on world domination. Heh… me hanging out with a cool chick like you.
Anyway, I wanted to catch up with you and see how you're doing. I miss our B-movie marathons. "Rainstorm of Blood 2: The Bloodnado" just isn't as fun to watch without your running commentary.
Please write back, I'm so boooooored!
Dipper
/
October 15th
Hey dude,
It was really good to hear from you. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. High school is no joke, man. I think the teachers all get together and plan exactly how much homework it will take to ruin our social lives. It's brutal, dude.
I'm still slumming it part-time at the Mystery Shack. With your great uncles gone it's a lot quieter, but Soos' abuelita makes some bangin' churros. Also, I talked Soos into giving me a pay raise… he didn't actually know what I was making before, so I got him to up it by like three dollars. Niiiice.
Freaky happenings have been surprisingly few since you and Mabel left. Well, there was this thing with a haunted pie at Lazy Susan's diner… that was… different. I've tried taking the gang out into the forest and searching for all the crazy stuff you used to find, but it's like all the forest creatures are laying low. Adventuring with them isn't all that great, anyway. Tambry and Robbie are like, glued together at the lips, and Nate and Lee are always daring Thompson to do something dumb, like eat unidentified mushrooms. They thought it would be funny if he got high off them, but he just ended up in the ER getting his stomach pumped, because whatever he ate was like, toxic or something.
I miss our adventures. You always knew about all the cool, spooky stuff, and Mabel was like always there for comic relief. Remember that time I had to fight a shapeshifter that took my form? I've thought about that day a lot. How did you know who to hit with the axe, anyway? What did the shifter do that tipped you off? It's kind of weird that he's still down there, cryogenically frozen, looking exactly like you. I'm half-tempted to go back down there and get a selfie with it. That'd be awesome!
Oh man, Mabel getting Waddles declared an emotional support pig is totally her, isn't it? And I needto see this bedazzled vest on him. You better include a picture for me when you write back! Don't leave me hanging, dude.
I miss you.
Wendy
P.S. Did you hear that they're making "Rainstorm of Blood 3?" I think this one is going to be called "Bloodicane." You're totally watching it with me next time you visit.
/
October 31st
Hey again Wendy,
Enclosed is your requested picture of Waddles, Emotional Support Pig Extraordinaire. I also included a picture of me and Mabel in our Halloween costumes. In keeping with our twin costume tradition, we dressed as Stan and Ford! Ha! … too bad nobody but our parents get it. Several people have asked Mabel if she's supposed to be a Shriner. And me? I've gotten "generic college professor?" You can't see me right now, but imagine me making a very unimpressed face.
Now onto your other question… involving the shapeshifter… and one of the most awkward moments of my life. When I asked for a sign that would let me know who the real Wendy was, you zipped your lips, remember? Shapeshifter Wendy winkedat me. I knew immediately. You'd never winked (wunk?) at me before, so why would you think I'd recognize you based off that? But zipping your lips? Yeah, it was easy.
Ugh, looking back on that day, though… I was socringey. I mean, I know I've never been a smooth operator, but confessing my love for you…to a shapeshifter…in front of you? I'm glad you let me down easy, for what it's worth. And that it didn't make things awkward between us. I really value your friendship, and it would have been awful to lose it due to my sappy preteen crush. And… I'm probably starting to make it awkward now. I'll stop.
Oh yeah, and as for watching "Bloodicane" with you? You're on. My parents are letting me and Mabel visit Gravity Falls over Christmas break. We are stoked. Mabel is literally counting the days, hours, minutes, andseconds. We'll be there the week before Christmas, through New Years day.
Well, I need to wrap this up. Mabel is dragging me out to her friend's Halloween party. Oh, and Mabel says hi!
Later!
Dipper
/
November 12th
Dude! Dude dude dude! I am totally stoked that you get to visit over Christmas break! You have no idea. I was planning on trying to get out of Apocalypse Training this year anyway (hello, I survived an actualapocalypse), and I'm definitely going to make sure my dad lets me out of it now. This year has been super boring. Soos tries to make things at the Shack fun, but his abuelita hasn't been well lately, and it's taking a toll on him.
Oh, get this, Dip—since he isn't around the shop as much due to abuelita's health, Soos hired another part-time lackey to help out. You'll never guess who; it's too good: Pacifica Northwest. HAHAHAHAHA! Her parents decided that it would be important "life experience" to get out in the real world and work with the little people before she grows up and goes off to do whatever it is rich people do. What is hilarious, is that she hasn't figured out yet that I don't really have any authority over her…so I've been getting her to do the really gross or boring jobs around the Shack. A kid barfed in the gift shop the other day, and I got to for realsay "Clean up in aisle 4!" She was pissed, and it was amazing.
I almost forgot, sweet costumes, dude. You pull off Ford really well. That trench coat looks good on you—you should totally start wearing it on the regular. You look kind of different, though… did you have a growth spurt or something? Mabel looks about the same height, but you look almost as tall as me now—unless you're standing on a box or something. Oh man, I bet Mabel can't stand being the short twin now!
Speaking of Mabel, tell her Waddles looks fabulous.
Oh, and about that awkward shapeshifter-day convo? No worries man, you're an awesome guy, and I'm lucky to know you. If you were my age I'd totally be crushing on you.
Write back, or else!
Wendy
/
December 1st
Hey Wendy,
Sorry it's taken so long to reply! My parents made me sign up for the science fair, and my project took up like allmy free time. I won second place though, so that's good, I guess.
I told Mabel about Pacifica cleaning up barf at the Shack, and she laughed so hard she had an asthma attack… and she doesn't even have asthma. You should start making up random tasks for her to do that make no sense, and see how long it takes her to catch on.
You're right about my growth spurt. It seemed to happen almost overnight. And you're right about Mabel, too. She threw a fitwhen she realized I was taller than her. Not gonna lie, it was pretty great.
How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was pretty uneventful, except that we got a call from our Grunkles. They're somewhere in Africa, I think. Unfortunately, it looks like they won't be home for Christmas.
It really sucks, because we were planning on staying with them. Mom and dad aren't sure they want us to come visit now. We've begged, and they said as long as we can find somewhere to stay, they'll still let us go. I think Mabel is going to be staying with Grenda. I've tried getting in touch with Soos, to see if I can stay at the Shack, but I guess he's still spending most of his time with his sick abuelita, because I haven't been able to get hold of him. Mabel said she'd ask Grenda's family if I could stay with them too, but, uh, no. I don't think I could handle two straight weeks of SLUMBER PARTY!
Could you do me a hugefavor, and have Soos call me when you get this? I really need to have a place to stay lined up, like, yesterday.
Oh, and in regards to you saying if I was your age you would totally be crushing on me? Are you trying to make me blush? Cause dude, I'm blushing.
Your awkward friend,
Dipper
/
December 6th
Hey Dip,
Soos is still really preoccupied with taking care of his abuelita, so I didn't ask him to call you. I know what you're thinking, dude, but DON'T PANIC. You're staying at my place! My dad is still taking my brothers out to the mountains for apocalypse training, and wanted to take me too, but I reminded him that I was the only one of the family that didn't wind up as part of Bill Cipher's freaky people throne.
I'm so psyched, man! We're going to have so much fun! We have so many movies to catch up on. And we totally have to find ourselves an adventure while you're here. I know you won't let me down, dude. All that freaky supernatural stuff seems attracted to you, like flies to manure. Sorry, I guess that's not a very flattering comparison. But still, you gotta admit, there's something attractive about you. … … That sounded different in my head.
Anyway, we are going to have an awesome time. We'll have to have a big Christmas party and invite Mabel's friends, and Soos and the whole gang. And maybe Pacifica. She's a stuck-up nightmare most of the time, but every once in a while, I could swear there's an actual person underneath there.
Well, I'm going to wrap this up now. Since we normally aren't here for Christmas, we don't have any decorations or anything—I gotta go shop for some! I'm so freaking excited to actually decorate and do the whole holiday thing.
I'll see you next week, dude!
Wendy
/
Dipper Pines grinned to himself as he re-read Wendy's letters. He tugged the hat she had given him at the end of summer more firmly onto his head. As the bus rumbled slowly into Gravity Falls, he tucked the letters away in his backpack, and nudged his sleeping sister with an elbow. She gripped her pig, Waddles, more tightly, and murmured sleepily.
"Mabel, wake up! We're finally here," he said, excitedly.
As the bus lurched to a stop, Dipper peered out the window, his stomach in knots. There, standing near Grenda's family, was a tall, willowy redhead, a blue and white baseball cap with a pine tree on it perched on her head. A smile split her face as they made eye contact.
"We're home."
