I do not own Gravity Falls.
Prompt: Jack Frost
A Mythical Encounter
Purple winter boots sinking into the snow, Mabel searched intently for pine cones. It was her holiday tradition to paint and decorate them so they could hang on the tree. It was difficult to find pine cones in Piedmont, and she often had to resort to shopping at craft stores if she didn't find enough of them.
But this year she was in Gravity Falls, her favourite place in the world, and there were pine cones aplenty.
Humming cheerfully, Mabel fished another prickly pine cone from the depths of the snow and slipped it into her almost full basket. She tilted her head back, smiling up at the light grey sky, and feeling the cool tickle of snowflakes on her flushed cheeks.
"I love snow," she said in contentment, sticking out her tongue in an attempt to catch one.
"Hey, that makes two of us!"
With a yelp of surprise, Mabel stumbled backwards and tripped, the side of her head smacking into the bark of a tree. Dazed, she slumped to the ground and pressed two fingers against her throbbing temple. "Ouch," she whimpered.
"Whoops. Sorry about that."
Phwomp!
A tall, thin male figure dropped from the treetops and landed neatly in front of the girl. His skin was as white as the snow itself, and so was his spiky hair. Silver eyes glinted down at her, mixed with amusement and sheepishness. He wore a long, light blue jacket that seemed to be covered in a thin layer of frost. It remained unbuttoned, the golden pieces seeming to wink at her. Baggy black shorts crept just past his knees, and he was barefoot.
"Hi," squeaked Mabel, eyes wide.
"Hi yourself." He extended a hand. "Shouldn't have startled you like that. My bad."
Mabel accepted the hand, and even through the material of her mittens she could feel the icy cold seeping from his skin. She got to her feet and looked up at him in awe. "Who are you? Aren't you cold?"
"Nope. Don't even feel it. I'm Jack Frost. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Mabel," she introduced, and a wide grin curled across her face. "Are you really Jack Frost?"
"The one and only," he replied cheerfully, slinging his hands into his pockets. "Again, sorry about scaring you like that. But I spotted you picking up pine cones and I was intrigued. Then you said you love snow and I just had to pipe up."
"Oh, yeah. They're going to be ornaments for the family tree," explained Mabel, gesturing towards her basket, which hadn't lost a single pine cone when she stumbled. "It's one of my Christmas traditions."
"Cool." He glanced upwards and spotted a rather perfect pine cone hanging from a branch high above them. "Hey, I found another one for you!"
He flew into the air and Mabel could not stop the delighted shriek from leaving her. Silver and blue sparkles followed the mythical being as he soared straight to the pine cone and snapped it neatly from its place.
"Here you go," he said, landing back down in front of her. "I think that's a beauty."
"Thanks!" exclaimed Mabel, sticking the pine cone on the top of her pile. "Do you live here?"
"Nah, just here for a visit. I don't live anywhere, really. Just come and go as I please. I can't stay still for very long." He stretched his arms over his head, expression suddenly thoughtful. "But you know, there's something about this place that keeps me coming back more than any other place in the world."
"Gravity Falls is a magnet for the strange and magical," said Mabel with a giggle.
"Do you live here? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."
"This is my first time spending winter break here. My brother and I are visiting our great-uncles. We live in Piedmont, California."
Jack wrinkled his nose. "The Sunny State. Nice place to visit, but only for very brief periods of time." He then came to a realization and grinned widely. "This is your first winter, then, isn't it?"
Mabel nodded. "Uh-huh. I mean, we've had a few soft snowfalls, but very rarely. Christmas is always pretty much a sunny affair." She crossed her arms and eyed him curiously. "How come you can't make it snow in California more often?"
Jack laughed. "Sorry kid, but even mythical figures like me have rules to follow."
"Someone makes rules for you?" asked Mabel incredulously.
He winked. "Yup, but I can say no more than that. In fact, I'm not really supposed to speak with mortals, but I make an exception once in a while. There's something about you that I like."
"Thanks. I like you too."
A loud, musical ding sounded out and Jack pulled back the sleeve of his coat, revealing a clunky, silver watch decorated in snowflakes. He studied it for a moment before pulling his sleeve down. "That's my cue to create more frozen fun somewhere else," said Jack, a bit regretfully. "Sorry, Mabel. I'm afraid I have to breeze off."
"Aw, too bad." Mabel's face fell slightly. "Will I see you again?"
"Maybe you will. I tend to appear in random places during the winter season, and when I'm on vacation during the rest of the year, I might take a trip to Piedmont." He shot her a smile. "But before I go, I think I should give you something to celebrate your first proper winter."
He pressed his hands together, and then slowly separated them. Bright blue light swirled between his palms and a medium-sized crystal snowflake materialized, its surface glossy and smooth and sparkling. Mabel accepted it with a joyful grin, gently running her fingers along the edges.
"Thank you!"
"No problem."
"Here, you can have a pine cone." She dug one out and held it out to the being of winter, who accepted it with a smile.
Jack gave a small bow. "Until another winter, Mabel."
He flew into the air, but before he could disappear the girl called, "Wait! Does Santa Claus ever take a vacation to California?"
Jack Frost paused and glanced down, a smile on his lips. "Well now, perhaps you'll find out one day."
And with a burst of blue and white sparkles, he was gone.
Mabel stared up at the sky for a moment before giggling giddily, carefully putting the eternal snowflake into her coat pocket. "Wait until Dipper hears about this!"
She spent a little while longer picking pine cones before making her way back to the Mystery Shack. She rushed straight into the living room, where Stan and Ford were fighting over the remote. "Guess what? I saw Jack Frost!"
The two immediately stopped their bickering to stare at their niece in astonishment. Stan took notice of the large, dark bruise on the side of her head. "Whoa, what happened to you?"
Mabel touched the sore spot, suddenly aware of the dull ache in her head as the excitement over her encounter dwindled. "I fell."
"Come here," instructed Ford. She obeyed and went to stand in front of him. He cupped her chin and studied the injury intently. "Follow my finger."
Mabel kept her eyes trained on the moving finger.
"Does it hurt?" asked Ford.
"I have a bit of a headache," she admitted.
"All right, squirt, go lie down and put a cloth on your head. I'll check on you in a bit," spoke Stan.
"But don't you want to hear about Jack Frost?"
Ford and Stan exchanged concerned glances. "Mabel, I think when you hit your head, you saw a figment of your imagination. A hallucination, if you will," said Ford carefully. "Why don't you go rest up? I'll be up to check on you in an hour."
Huffing, Mabel reluctantly went down the hall. She retrieved a cloth from the bathroom and soaked it. She pressed it against her bruise and went up into the attic, where her brother was bundled up in bed, recovering from a bout of sore throat.
"How'd it go?" rasped Dipper.
"I found lots of pine cones." She set her basket on her bedside table. "Ford and Stan didn't believe me, but I also met Jack Frost."
His eyebrows flew up. "Seriously?"
Suddenly remembering the gift Jack had given her, she pulled it out and extended it towards her brother, eyes dancing. "Wait until Stan and Ford see this."
Dipper gaped at the glittering crystal snowflake before pouting and slumping against his pillow. "Typical," he grumbled. "The cool stuff always happens when I'm sick."
