Careful, guys. Plot might actually Be Happening in this one.
Seriously, though, thanks for reading!
[]
"Hey Dipper! What's up?" Soos carefully maneuvers the ladder on his shoulder until he can slide it into the closet.
From the couch in the living room, I groan and roll my head back onto the cushions. "Nothing. Literally nothing. If I was any more bored, I don't know if I'd be breathing."
He laughs, closing the door. "Wow. Rough day, huh?"
"Please tell me you have something to do." I scramble onto the back of the couch, looking at him hopefully. "I can't take any more reruns of Arach-ninjas."
"Hm..." He scratches his chin. "Wanna see the project I'm working on?"
In answer, I try to jump off the back of the furniture, but my foot catches on the corner and I land on my face. Soos laughs again, but at least he's holding his hand out to help me up, too.
"Thanks." Wincing, I pull on his arm until I'm back on my feet. "It's in the spare room, right?"
"Yup. Mr. Pines said he won't need anything in there for a while, so I figured: Why not try to build something cool?"
"Huh. Yeah, why not," I say, glancing over to the hallway. "What is it?"
He grins. "Come see, bro."
I've hardly walked two steps before I see him smiling even more. Suspicious, I continue down the hall until I'm at the door that used to lead to a wax museum. Sort of. Still keeping an eye on Soos, who now looks like he's about to burst with excitement, I open the door.
There's, uh... nothing. It's a completely empty room.
I hesitate, but eventually walk further in, thinking that there's no way Soos is playing some elaborate prank. Although, with his mechanical smarts, he could probably hide something crazy in here-
I shake my head, derailing that train of thought before it gets too paranoid. "Um, Soos? What am I looking at here?"
I swear his eyes are actually glowing with happiness. "You don't see it?"
"Unless what you built is an entire fake room that's hiding the real room, no."
He chuckles, then simply points up. My eyes follow, and-
Whoa.
I blink a few times. "Is that... a map of the whole town?"
The scope is the first thing to surprise me. It's covering the entire ceiling, with some parts even stretching onto the walls where it looks like he ran out of room. All the major streets, intersections, and even downtown and the forest roads- it's all here.
Soos nods. "Nearly finished, and I'll be done as soon as I get that park by the window," he says proudly. "It's been a few weeks, but I think it's gonna be worth it when people get to see it."
I'm half-listening, but I've realized that the actual art is just as good. The Mystery Shack is over the entry, as dilapidated and uninspiring as ever, and there are even portraits of the lake and mountains. I can only imagine how much care and detail he'd need to pull this off. "Soos, this is incredible!" I say loudly. "I mean, did you tell Stan yet?"
A flicker of doubt passes over his face. "Er, Mr. Pines hasn't really had time to go over it, but I'm sure..." His voice trails off. "D'you think he'll like it, dude? What if, you know, he doesn't think it's good enough for the tours?"
I grin. "He's gonna love it, man. And if he doesn't want to keep it, I dunno, Mabel and I'll go on strike or something."
"Haha, yeah!" He looks up again, and I see him hesitate. Like he's still not sure.
"Don't worry about it," I say. "It's gonna be fine."
"...Thanks, dude."
[]
When I wake up, I'm not sure exactly where I am.
"Dude, is he dead?"
...What.
"Course he's not dead, idiot."
I blink a few times, waiting while the world comes into focus. I look up, but I can't really see much except a dim, pale orange light. Weird.
"Hey, uh, bro. Minibro." A face pops up, and I think I've seen this guy before, but my half-asleep brain can't come up with anything.
"'Minibro'? Smooth." Somebody else is talking. I try to turn my head enough to see.
"Oh, shoot, what'd we call him? Uh... oh yeah, Doctor Funtimes!" He grins, snapping his fingers and pointing towards me in one motion.
These guys? Really?
I sit up, then take in my surroundings. Lee is kneeling in front of me, halfway between smiling and looking worried. Nate appears off to the side, arms crossed. "Wendy's friends?" I manage. "R'you doing here?"
The half-question gets Lee to start laughing. "Geez, kid, say 'no' to drugs, remember?"
Nate shrugs. "That psychic show doesn't really use this place anymore, an' we started hearing some rumors. Creepy stuff." He raises his eyebrows. "We check it out, then you show up, flat on the ground, like you had a seizure or something. What gives?"
Fully awake now, I stand and look around again. Things are starting to make sense- I'm in the Tent of Telepathy, and the ceiling's only orange because it's probably evening, with the sunset and all. What used to be an aisle down the middle of the seats is now a scattered, haphazard lawn of overgrown weeds and a few fold-up chairs. Also, Wendy's friends are asking me about...
They don't know. I suddenly realize it- looking at their faces, they don't know. They're just looking for weird adventures, no different than something Mabel and I would do, because they have no idea.
Maybe Robbie kept it from them. Told them Wendy was just sick or something, to keep them safe.
Nate's still staring at me. I blink again and say the first thing I think of. "Exploring. I was just... yeah."
Lee gives his friend a look, but doesn't argue. "So, are you okay, dude? You're not sick or something? Or... geez, are you actually on drugs 'cause that would be insane-"
"I'm fine," I say quickly. "Just lost track of time, I guess."
I can tell from Nate's expression that he doesn't believe me. "So you took a nap? Here? On a dirt floor?"
"Um, I-"
"Wait a sec, how'd you even get here?" Lee frowns.
I fold my arms. "I, uh, walked." I try not to sound defensive, but I do anyway.
"...Alright then." Lee looks back at the entrance, then yawns. "Need a ride, man?"
More like I need a place to go.
I guess he doesn't notice me hesitating, because he's already pushing through the curtain. "You live at that weird gift shop, right?" he calls back.
Following, Nate snorts. "He works there, genius."
Once I'm outside, I realize how cold it's gotten again. "Yeah," I say absently. "It's... it's like a house. Has rooms and stuff."
"Bam." Nearing a beat-up minivan, Lee turns and spreads his arms, now walking backwards. "In your face." Nate rolls his eyes and gets in the other side.
I pause in front of the side door. This is just too strange. After everything going on- not just with Mabel and the others, but Robbie and Gideon, the police, the riddles, the Sight- it's just weird. I almost can't believe that something so normal could happen.
Lee nudges me out of the way, opening the door himself. "Zoned out there, bro?" At the same time, the front window rolls down, and I see another face I recognize.
"Was there anything in there, guys?" Thompson asks. I don't remember him all that well, but he seems as worried as ever.
Jumping in the passenger seat, Nate nods seriously. "Full a'ghosts, dude. Thousands. Good thing you stayed out here- being a chicken probably saved your life."
He sighs and turns the key. "I get it. Hilarious."
"I'm serious. They straight murdered Lee- he's not really here. He's a ghost now."
Lee starts punching the back of Thompson's chair. "Ooo. Your van's haunted, yo. Who ya gonna caaaaall."
Once I'm inside, I close the door, chuckling as a thought enters my head. Nate glances over. "What's so funny?"
I shrug. "Uh... I didn't expect you guys to joke about ghosts."
For a second, it's quiet, and all three of them are just staring at me. Finally, Lee starts laughing. "Know something? That's a good point."
It's... alright. Calm, I guess. Like everything's perfectly normal. I can almost picture Wendy and Mabel, and we're all going back to that convenience store. Nothing's wrong.
I blink, and it's gone.
"So, back to town?" Thompson asks.
Amused, Nate shakes his head. "Nah, we're giving this clown a ride to the Mystery Shack." He turns around to face me. "Right?"
Part of me wants to tell them. I wish I could explain that no one's there, and I'm caught up in this insane mystery, but part of me also wants to just stay with them. Regular people, who don't have to deal with this.
I ignore both feelings. "Yeah."
I guess I'm going home.
[]
The trip's pretty quiet. I try to join in the jokes once in a while, but half the time, I don't know what they're talking about. Besides, I can't stop thinking about the Shack itself- What's my plan? Go in, sleep some more, then wait for the next disaster?
Thompson peers through the windshield. "Here we are, I guess. Little Shop of Horrors."
Startled out of my thoughts, I look up. By the time I step out of the van, it's a lot darker, and when I look up I can see a few stars in the half-clouded sky. I stick my hands in my pockets. "Hey, thanks."
Nate waves his arm. "Don't mention it, man. Oh, say hi to Wendy, 'K?"
A dozen thoughts go off at once. I nod. "Sure."
Pine needles break under my feet. The steps are next, and they seem worse than before, with weeds springing out of the cracks. It's only been a few days, I know, but-
But I can't go in.
I'm standing here, in front of the door, and I can't make myself open it.
"Locked out?" Lee calls. I don't turn around, but I shake my head, finally reaching a hand out to the doorknob. Breathe.
I try not to think about them. Mabel won't be chasing Waddles around the Shack. Breathe. Stan won't be hustling tourists. Breathe. Soos won't be running from project to project. Breathe.
Wendy won't be behind this door.
...
I blink back tears and walk in.
I can't see much, but I eventually find the lightswitch, throwing the gift shop into clarity. The door closes. Hesitating, I finally make my way across the room, towards the hallway.
I think I expected to be frozen in place, attacked by memories- but for some reason, I don't feel that. It's just... empty. I've never seen the Shack like this. I turn on all the lights I can find, but it doesn't matter. The house is still dead. More than that, it feels useless.
I know the thought doesn't make sense, but... If they're gone, what's the point of this place?
Ignoring the living room, I trudge up the stairs. The bedroom's dustier than before, and I think I can see a few bite marks where the goat tried eating the mattress on Mabel's bed, but the room mostly looks the same.
Something is pinned to the wall on Mabel's side of the room. When I get closer, I can see it's a postcard- the side facing me is an artistic, faded photo of the town waterfall, with the words Gravity Falls Welcomes You stenciled over it all.
I smile. She must have snagged it from the gift shop- only Mabel would buy a postcard for a town she lives in.
But the picture and the words are somehow haunting. I close my eyes, sitting down on the edge of my bed.
When I first came here, things were... scary. I'll be honest. The mysteries, the secrets, it all seemed overwhelming. But after a while, I learned I really liked it. I wanted to keep finding more and more, and to keep asking questions that might not have simple answers.
Do I still have that?
Robbie said it: This is me. This is what I dream about, what I think about when I should be focusing on work or helping out around the Shack. Mysteries. Clues. Riddles.
And now, when the stakes are highest, I can't just give up. I've always found a way in the past, even when the darker side of the town showed itself.
...But I've never been alone. Not like this.
I bow my head, eyes still closed. What can I do? I can feel something, familiar and dark, waiting in the back of my mind. Telling me to despair, to give up hope and accept that no one's coming back.
Because of course they're not coming back how could they I can't save them I can't do anything-
I suddenly realize I'm dangerously close to panicking. I shut my eyes tighter, holding my head in my hands and focusing on the first concrete thought that comes to me. What can I do?
Nothing, because I failed.
My breath catches.
It's all over.
I can't think straight. I can't focus, because all I can think is that it's happening again, and I can't stop it. The attack. I'm not strong enough.
What can I do?
"Look up."
I don't wait for anything to seem better. My breathing is still shallow and ragged, my thoughts are still flying every way I can think of, and I'm exhausted- but I look up.
The postcard is hanging on the wall.
It's like Mabel is right here, standing next to me, cheering me on. Telling me I can do this. Mystery Twins, right?
I'm close. There's something here, something-
I freeze.
The first clue was... something both old and new. Maybe something that's been here forever, but seems new every moment-
Gravity Falls Welcomes You
-and when the Sight took Robbie, the voice whispered, 'The name'-
Gravity Falls Welcomes You
-back at the lake, when we were looking for the sea monster, my journal said something about a cave behind the-
Gravity Falls
-and in the second book, the author said there might be magical properties in the-
Gravity Falls
The postcard stares back at me, a flowing waterfall, streaming past treetops, shining golden in the sunlight-
GRAVITY FALLS
...
I can't believe it. I know where they are.
I'm numb. Quietly, I stand up, never taking my eyes off the picture. There's a small voice- telling me the Sight want me to solve the mystery, they want me to try to find them- but it's small. I don't listen.
It's not over, but for the first time, I feel like there's hope.
For the first time, I think I can save them.
It hits me all at once- suddenly I'm smiling, and I'm moving, running down the stairs. There's even a short laugh, or giggle or something, but I don't care so I keep laughing, and I'm just so full of energy and it feels like no time has passed before I'm back at the front door.
They're still here. Nate's leaning against the van while the other two argue about something inside, and he looks up as I'm sprinting across the lawn. "Huh? Something wrong, man?"
I skid to a stop, heart pounding. "No. No, it's... it's alright."
There's a weird pull in my chest, and I'm thinking of Mabel and the others- something like the despair is creeping up again, but it's different. This feels... bright. Free. I think it's making me cry anyway.
I wipe my hand across my eyes, still smiling. "Listen, can I get another ride?"