Chapter 18: Summerween and Insanity

Stan was walking through town when he noticed the townsfolk was putting out carved jack-lanterns out on their front lawns, except they weren't pumpkins… they were watermelons.

"Wait… what?" Stan questioned to himself aloud, putting his hand through his hair. Just as another person put their watermelon out the conman went over by the fence and asked, "Hey, um, excuse me, but what's with the watermelons with the goofy faces on them?"

The person looked at him oddly, then there was recognition on their faces when they saw it was Stan. "Oh, it's for Summerween," they replied.

"Summer… ween?" Stan stated in confusion. "What is that?"

"Well, we like Halloween here so much we like to celebrate it twice a year," the person explained. "Watermelon is in season right now… so that's what we use."

Stan gets a mischievous smile on his face. "So… it's just like Halloween then? Kids dress'n up as whatever and beg for candy?" he asks.

"Yep. It's Halloween, but in June."

Stan thanks the person and goes on his way, already getting excited. When he and Stanford were kids they loved Halloween, they had enjoyed going out trick-or-treating dressed up as some kind of twin themed costume. Suddenly with that thought, Stan's chest ached. He remembered one year that he and Stanford dressed like a cop and a robber, Stanford the cop and Stan the robber.

He shakes his head, trying to clear the wisps of memory. As he continued walking through town, he noticed there was a small store that was dedicated to Summerween. He goes inside and sees a bunch of decorations, candy, and even costumes of various kinds. People were walking around, kids excitedly running to the costume aisle and picking out their costumes.

Stan sighs at the sight of kids laughing and messing with each other. Ever since he was younger he always did like the idea of having a family. But that dream died a long time ago when he was forced on the streets a few months shy of turning eighteen. He couldn't support himself let alone a family.

What Stan always wanted to do was sail around the world with Stanford for a few years. He knew he and his twin weren't always going to be together, but he wanted the beginning of their adulthoods to start off with an adventure of a lifetime. Afterwards he would've started a family, telling his kids and beyond stories of him and his twin sailing around the world…

But that didn't happen. And it most likely will never happen.

Stan was in his thirties now, even if he wanted to start a family still he feels he wouldn't be up for it. He didn't have the energy he did over ten years ago when he was heisting in Columbia. And what would he tell his kids?

Oh yeah, you can't see Uncle Stanford because he's in another dimension.

Oh, I can't come to your football game tonight, I still have to try to get Uncle Stanford back form another dimension.

Stan frowns at himself. Yeah, he would never have a family of his own, he already figured that when he started living in his car by the time he was twenty-five.

He then walks through the store, picking up a bag of candy or two, maybe he'll pass some out to the kids if they stop by. When he saw the adult costumes, he couldn't help but grin mischievously. Halloween had always been his favorite holiday, him dressing up as some kind of monster and going around scaring some unexpected people.

So with that thought he went and bought a werewolf mask, he was after all Mr. Mystery, he had to have something special at the Shack for this Gravity Falls holiday… So he buys a few decorations and heads back home. He decorates the Shack, making it look even more haunted than usual, and he went and added a few new attractions.

Outside the Shack there were the Jack-O-Melons that he had carved in various expressions. The insides glowed a brilliant pink because of the watermelons' magenta interior, the flames dancing within casting a light pink shadow of light.

During the night he had the Shack open, which was something he never did, and did a special "Summerween" tour. He would start off scaring the group wearing his werewolf mask, getting a reaction out of the kids. Once everyone had a good scare and laugh he would do the tour, showing off the new attractions. Afterwards he would give the kids some candy and give a wave as the kids would run off saying thanks.

When the night of fun and fright was over, Stan closed down his Summerween Tour, him cleaning up some of his decorations. As he was shutting his blinds and drapes, seeing the last of the people heading off to go home, he couldn't help but think what Stanford thought of Summerween.

He probably didn't know it existed… just like every other Gravity Falls holiday.

"You really shut yourself in, Sixer…" Stan mutters to himself as he went to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whisky and a glass. As he pours the whisky into the glass, he could swear he heard some kind of laughter. He sets the bottle aside and raises a brown brow, looking around skeptically. "Hello?" he calls out, then he mentally hit himself, because why would he call out to a potential intruder in his – Stanford's – home?

Slowly, Stan grabs a knife from one of the drawers and walks around the house. His eyes were wide to examine all around him, the knife held up defensively. Sadly he was used to that kind of position…

Suddenly, there was a shadow of a triangle, and for some reason it looked like it was wearing a tall hat of some kind. Stan rubs his eyes with his free hand, the image gone.

"Maybe… maybe it's because of the holiday…" Stan whispers to himself, lowering the knife.

As he puts the knife away, that same shadow looms behind him…

Stan spins around, expecting something to be there. But there was nothing…

"I'm going crazy… is this what Stanford was going through…?" Stan mumbles, putting a hand to his head. He then gives a yawn, him becoming tired from the long day.

What did Stanford go through…?


A/N: I'm really sorry this was short and again didn't really progress, I'm still moving into my apartment and still setting things up! I hope you guys understand!

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~