At the meeting, Ford explained to everyone what he knew about the enchantment. But the fact that he didn't have a cure was not received well. Indeed, a few howls and even some demonic whispering escaped the crowd when he got to that part.

"I am currently working on a physical remedy, but for now, I have a theory." Ford said loudly over the murmuring of the crowd. When they didn't settle down, Ford got impatient.

"QUIET!" He roared, his lion's voice making the ground rumble. The crowd fell silent. "All I can tell you is this. Each of us has changed into something that represents both our strengths and our weaknesses. The key to becoming ourselves again is to accept both, as we are." A few more whispers raced through the crowd, but no one dared speak up. "When you can truly accept who you are, then I believe you will be able to change back."

Everyone looked around at each other, unsure of how to take this news.

"Meeting dismissed." Ford said with finality. Then he spread his enormous wings and flew back towards the Mystery Shack.

As the crowd dispersed, Dipper, who had come back to see how the news was taken, noticed something odd. Everyone in town had transformed, and though most retained a fairly humanlike shape, he saw only two people who could have passed for truly human. One was Tad Strange, but the other he had never seen before, or at least, he didn't recognize him. It was a tall, lanky man with blonde hair, though the roots were black. He was wearing a snappy suit with a yellow vest and an eyepatch over his right eye. Something about this man unsettled Dipper, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Mabel, do you see that guy?" Dipper whispered, pointing. From their vantage point near the podium, they could see most of the people who had turned up.

"Which one?" She asked, her head poking out of the hole in the top of her ball.

"The one that actually looks human. With the eyepatch." Dipper said. The man, though a great distance away, turned his head and stared right at the twins. Dipper quickly looked away.

"Creepy," Mabel said. "He reminds me of someone…" She screwed up her face as though trying to remember.

"Me too." Dipper glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. He was still staring at them. Most of the other people had cleared away now, so Dipper turned his back and handed Mabel her hamster ball lid. "Let's head back. We can think about it later."

Mabel bit her lip. "Um, actually I might catch up with you later, Dip. I was going to go hang out with Candy and Grenda at the lake."

Dipper looked at her. "What? But we were going to-"

"It's just for today. You can come join us if you want, but I want to stretch my tail. I've got to have something else to swim in besides this tiny ball." She screwed the lid back on top and turned toward the lake. She looked back at Dipper and said, "I'll see you later, okay?" And without waiting for a response, she rolled the ball in the direction of the lake.

Dipper sighed and turned back to where the mysterious man had been standing, but he was gone. Grumbling, Dipper trotted into the forest in the direction of the Shack. But he didn't really feel like going back just now, not without Mabel. So he took a detour into the woods. He found a comfortable little clearing with good light and sat down on the soft grass. He took out his notebook, not one of Ford's journals, but the small spiral notebook he carried with him for his own investigations.

In it, he sketched the man he had seen. He wasn't much of an artist, but he got the basics of the man's appearance down. He wracked his memory for details, seeking clues to the man's identity. He had had a pointed nose, shaggy but somewhat neat hair, and a pointed face. What had he been wearing? Black dress pants and a white shirt, Dipper thought. And a yellow vest. Wasn't he wearing a tie? Dipper squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember. Eventually, he sketched out all the details he could muster.

It wasn't a very neat drawing, but it was accurate enough that the sight of the man bothered him, even on paper. He stared at it nonetheless, trying to place him.

Wait, that wasn't right. Dipper erased the long, formal tie he had given the man and replaced it with a bow tie. There.

Suddenly Dipper reeled back. He knew who it was now. It was a human version of Bill Cipher.

Dipper's mind was racing. Bill had become human? Was that the effect of the water? How had Bill come in contact with it? Did he still have his demonic powers? What did he want? As his mind flooded with worry and questions, he gasped. He had to warn Ford. He got up quickly to run back to the Shack, but someone stepped out from behind the trees in front of him.

"Not so fast, Pine Tree." Bill said. It was odd to hear Bill's voice coming out of a human, moving mouth.

"Bill!" Dipper cried. "What do you want?"

Bill leaned against a tree casually. "I just want to talk, kid. Nice legs, by the way, they really work for you." He smirked.

Dipper glared at him, his ears sticking out to the sides. "Why were you affected, Bill?"

He rolled his eyes. "You really expect me to tell you anything, Pine Tree? I'm asking the questions here." He crossed his arms. "Your know-it-all uncle gave a pretty decent explanation back there, but I know there's more to it than that." He approached Dipper slowly, glaring at him with his one slit-pupiled eye. "I know there's a way to change back without all this self-acceptance nonsense. And you are going to find out what it is for me. Got it, kid?"

"Why would I help you?" Dipper said defiantly.

"Because," Bill replied, "Even though my power is diminished while I'm in this form, there are certain rules that no longer bind me. I can hurt you, Pine Tree. I can hurt everyone you care about." His voice lowered threateningly. "And I will if you don't cooperate."

Dipper took a step back in fear, but Bill grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up into the demon's face. "You are going to cooperate, kid, or you'll wish you had never set foot in this town." Bill held up his other hand, and it was wreathed in blue fire. He held it close to Dipper's face. "You don't want to see the full extent of my power, kid. Even in this form I can do things you've never imagined. So don't cross me."

Bill let go of Dipper and extinguished the fire. "Well, nice chat, Pine Tree, but I must be going!" He said cheerily, "Things to do, people to see, you know! I'll be back to check on your progress later." He strolled out of the clearing, leaving Dipper shaking.