Dipper pointed the camera at Lydia. Behind her, he captured the lighthouse. It was eerie, looming high over the shore. The colors were faded and mundane, washed out from the sun. With the sky turning a dark shade of blue, the lighthouse looked straight out of a horror movie. And right in front was Lydia.
"Are you ready?" She questioned. "Okay. My name is Lydia, and today, Dipper is here helping me prove that a ghost inhabits this lighthouse. The legend of Muriel has been around for a very long time and is a very popular tale in these parts. Here's how the story goes: in the 1980s the keep of the house had a young daughter, Muriel, who frequently played on the balcony. One evening when she was out there, the wind picked up, and before she could get inside it carried her over the barrier. After she died, her family left. They couldn't live in the building that killed their child. However, there were still a few more keepers before the lighthouse was decommissioned. The families who lived in the lighthouse after Muriel's death reported signs of mysterious laughter, handprints on the walls, the thermostat being altered- among other things."
"Alright," Dipper announced. "Let's get to this."
Lydia's eyes lingered on him for a long beat before she turned and headed towards the lighthouse. Her heart was racing. She was terrified. For months she had been teaching herself not to fear the unknown, whatever the circumstances. She wasn't sure what she feared more- the ghost inside the lighthouse or the home Dipper was constructing in her heart. Her mantra, however many times she repeated it under her breath, was useless in both situations. Behind her, Dipper was keeping the camera focused on Lydia. This was a routine case- or it was supposed to be. He wasn't afraid of ghosts and ghouls. Things that bumped in the night didn't scare him… what scared him was his feelings for this girl. Both walked in a tense silence, dripping with unspoken emotions.
The lighthouse was within a hand's reach. Lydia stood in front of the door and turned to look at him with a halfhearted smile. Behind her, through the glass, Dipper could see the outline of a child appear. He swallowed the lump in his throat and decided not to tell Lydia about the entity and instead zoomed in closer.
"Are you ready?" She questioned, her voice cracking.
The figure vanished and he refocused on her. It was obvious she was afraid. He tilted the camera down and walked over to her. After a moment of consideration, he reached up and touched her shoulder. Though she was warm, he shivered.
"Are you ready?" He mocked back. "You seem…"
"Yeah," She choked. "Like I said, I'm new to this stuff. It's safe to say I feel like pissing my pants and throwing up at the same time."
Dipper couldn't help but chuckle, though he said sincerely, "Don't worry, Lydia. I'll keep you safe."
She was thankful that the sun had set because her face turned bright red and her stomach danced with butterflies. She nodded and turned towards the door. Her hand lingered on the doorknob for what seemed like years before she turned it, letting the old door creak open. Inside, there was nothing but darkness. Her eyes were adjusted to the night, so she could make out the faint outline of some old furniture left by the last owners. Decrepit wooden chairs positioned around a fireplace, and a table pushed against the beginning of the staircase.
"Lydia, I need you to get in my backpack and get out some equipment. I don't normally deal with ghost cases, but I do have some stuff that should help us prove Muriel is here. First, we need our flashlights. I've got the camera set to night vision, but we're going to need some actual light. There is also a voice recorder in there, and an EMF device."
She gathered the supplies out of his messy bag and appeared back in front of him. She clicked on a flashlight and held it down in one hand, with the other two objects in her other. He reached out and stuck the EMF device in his pocket, instructing her to keep the voice recorder on her person. She tucked it away in her back pocket. She shined the flashlight around the cramped lighthouse, revealing the creepy interior.
The floral wallpaper was yellowed and peeling from years of element abuse and wear and tear. A brick fireplace was nestled in a corner, surrounded by a few chairs. A few feet away was an oversized metal basin. Some empty storage shelves lined one curved wall, the hinges falling off. Against the staircase was a desk. Closer inspection revealed a hole in the middle of the desk. Lydia pointed her flashlight to the stairs.
"Should we go?"
"I'm going to get a base reading down here. You're in charge of the voice recorder. If you hear anything, turn it on and record. Okay- so most people know that EMF meters are a necessity when ghost hunting. The devices are not complicated to use- so I'll give a brief rundown of what this thing will tell us. EMF meters detect fluctuations and changes in electromagnetic fields, which are created by everything from computers to solar flares. Entities are electrically charged, therefore they fall into this wide spectrum. An abnormality will give a reading between 2 to 7 milligauss- the name for the units with an EMF meter. My device isn't the industry standard or the best, but it gets the job done. It has 3 lights. When I press the button down, it'll show me one of the three lights. Green means no activity, yellow indicates a range from 2 to 7 milligauss, and a red is over 8… indicating hella activity."
Lydia watched as Dipper recited his narrative, holding the device in front of the camera. He turned it a few times in his palm to show off the small white device before he pressed down the button. Her breath caught for a millisecond before it flashed green.
"Okay. So down here there is no current activity. Up we go."
The camera turned to Lydia. She had been lingering on the first step of the spiraling staircase. She flashed her light up the steps then slowly began to walk. The boards creaked under their feet as they began to walk up the winding path. Behind Lydia, Dipper was regularly pressing the button on the EMF meter, flashing the camera down to note the green light was still present. After a big curve in the stairs, there was a landing that inhabited a broken down cot, tipped on its side and a dirty wooden dresser. Lydia's flashlight danced across the room as she caught every corner. Still a green light. Lydia looked at Dipper for confirmation to keep moving forward. He nodded his head, and they began to move up the staircase again.
Again, after another winding curve, there was a landing. This one was eerily empty. Lydia stepped off the stairs and onto the landing, tenderly testing the ground before she committed her weight fully to the boards. Dipper checked the light. It was yellow. He swallowed and followed her into the room, keeping the information about the light to himself.
"This is weird," Lydia mused, her voice echoing. "I wonder why the room is-"
She was cut off by a faint giggle. The color from her face drained, and her mouth slowly slid open.
"Voice recorder!" Dipper urged, frantically motioning for her to grab the instrument.
She complied, fumbling with the light and her pockets. She pulled out the voice recorder and pressed the big red button. The tape inside began to move. They waited in a thick silence for a moment before Dipper questioned,
"Muriel? Is that you?"
Silence. Dipper checked the meter, only to be met with a green light. He sighed and waved his hand towards Lydia.
"The light is green," He noted. "We're going to go up the stairs more- but be ready, okay? Trigger finger is acceptable with the voice recorder. There's plenty of tape in there."
Lydia slowly moved past Dipper, one hand holding the shaky flashlight, the other keeping a finger on the recorder. Every creaking step echoed, making her breath catch in her throat. She noticed it was getting colder as they progressed. There were no more landings woven into the stairs. Instead, just a looming staircase leading to the top balcony. The hairs on Lydia's skin were raised and her goosebumps were like mountains. Dipper, too, noticed the change in the temperature. He checked the meter, revealing a yellow light.
"It's getting colder," Lydia said, a hint of fear in her voice.
"I've got a yellow light," Dipper admitted. "Just keep going up the stairs. It's okay, I promise."
"Dipper."
His name dripped out of her mouth, each syllable laced with terror. She had stopped in her tracks. He moved closer to see what was the matter. Small, child sized hand prints, covered the stone walls. He kept the camera moving as they appeared and then disappeared, working their way up the staircase. He twirled the camera… and then they stopped. A string of loud giggles tore through the silence, echoing down the staircase. He whipped his head towards Lydia. She held up the recorder with a smile.
"I was ready!"
More laughter. Dipper couldn't stand on the stairs any longer. His stomach was in knots- he inched past Lydia and sprinted up the stairs. He chased the laughter. Behind him, Lydia tried to keep up. She was afraid of being alone, the haunting image of the handprints fresh in her mind. At the top of the landing, Dipper caught a glimpse of something. It looked like a wisp of white, and then it was gone. Lydia soon caught up to him.
Dipper held up the meter. It trembled on yellow before displaying a frightening red that seemed to illuminate the room. Lydia saw the color and pressed tight against Dipper. The room was surrounded in windows with the exception of the large French-like doors leading to the small balcony. The moonlight illuminated the room, catching the dust moving to the symphony of the night in the air.
"Voice recorder," Dipper motioned. Lydia held it out and pressed the button. "Muriel- you've been playing with us for a while now. Shouldn't you show yourself?"
A gust of wind appeared out of thin air, slamming the doors open. Lydia let a small 'yelp' escape her lips, and she grabbed Dipper's free hand. He moved his hand slightly to accompany hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. The wind swirled into a transparent girl. It was the same figure Dipper had seen in the door earlier. She looked at them and giggled. Lydia had a death grip on Dipper's hand. She was certain it would fall off if she squeezed any tighter. The girl turned and glided out to the balcony. Dipper stepped forward, pulling Lydia with him. She wanted to keep her feet planted where they were, yet she followed in amazement in fear. Another gust of wind dropped the temperature, though no apparition appeared. Through the open door, the wind travelled. Muriel's giggling face fell to a sad grimace of routine. The wind picked up, whirling around the room and out on the balcony, finally pushing her over the railing. A startling scream escaped Muriel's mouth as she fell.
Green. The light was green. The tightness of the room seemed to fall with Muriel. Not to say there wasn't an eerie feeling nesting throughout the lighthouse, but the tension had been lifted. Lydia's finger's loosened. With the threat gone, she realized she was holding his hand. Dipper immediately ached for the comfort of her grip, but he pushed the feeling to the bottom of his stomach.
He pointed the camera at Lydia. The moonlight made her even prettier, somehow. The silence, combined with the stare of the camera made Lydia blush.
"I'm ready to get out of this place," She announced with a tense laugh. "This has been enough excitement for me for the day."
She started down the stairs, and he followed silently. By the time they reached the bottom of the steps, the air felt lighter. Lydia turned to Dipper with a smile. Her mouth opened, and she prepared to say something, when another laugh echoed throughout the lighthouse once more, sinking into the furniture and walls. Lydia's mouth thinned.
"Nope!" She exclaimed, turning and quickly jogging out of the lighthouse.
Behind the camera, Dipper couldn't help but smile, though the reappearance of the ghost sent shivers down his spine. He, too, was quick to leave the lighthouse. He found Lydia leaned against her car. Dipper turned off the camera, putting it in his bag as he walked towards her.
"Are you okay?" He questioned.
"Yeah… just… that was real."
"Real as it gets," He confirmed. "I didn't sneak here earlier to set up a Scooby Doo rig to scare you and get content."
"No, I know," She said, almost annoyed. "That was the first time I've seen a ghost, so cut me some slack."
Her phone rang and her eyes lit up. A curse word slipped out of her mouth as she fished it out of her pocket, answering it.
"Hi mom… No, I'm sorry- I was out hiking and I took the wrong trail. It was a lot longer than I thought it would be… I'm fine, yeah… You know I'm careful. I know what I'm doing out there… No, there wasn't any reception. It's the middle of the woods… Okay, I'm sorry. I just got to my car, I'm leaving. I'm across town, so I'll be home within a half hour… Oh, you work tonight? Well, be safe. I'll see you in the morning… Yeah, I love you too. Bye."
She ended the call and looked at Dipper in slight embarrassment, "Sorry- it was my mom. We should get going."
He agreed, and they climbed into the car. As they began driving, he tried to think of a way to talk to her… to admit he wanted to see her more. Nothing he thought of sounded right. It was illogical and irrational. The entire situation was a mess in his head. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost didn't realize Lydia was talking to him.
"Are you going to try to drive home tonight?" She worriedly asked.
"I don't know," He admitted. "It's already 10- I'll probably just grab a motel room for the night. I'll have Soos- he works with me at the Shack- open the place up an hour or two later tomorrow and just keep an eye on it for me."
"Good. I didn't want you to leave tonight. I mean-" Lydia blushed and stumbled over her words, "It's not safe to drive that far again tonight. Stay at 'The Rock Inn', it's the least sketchy place in town."
Dipper smiled, "Thanks for the advice. Your parents aren't mad at you, are they?"
"No, they just get worried sometimes. This past year I've been hiking and like, embracing the wilderness more," She laughed. "I'm just outside a lot. I'm alone all the time, and I try to keep them updated so they don't think I fell down a hole or something."
"Oh. So the whole hiking thing wasn't a complete lie? I mean- we weren't hiking, but you actually do it?"
"Totally! I found a great little clearing about a month ago. It's up the Surges Mountains. Absolutely stunning, I'll have to show you sometime… or something, I don't know."
"Yeah," Dipper agreed. He wasn't sure what he was agreeing to. It felt like they were acknowledging the desire for a future, but he kept his thoughts to himself. In fact, the rest of the drive back to the coffee shop was silent. His car was alone in the parking lot. Lydia pulled up next to it and put her vehicle in park.
"Thank you," She awkwardly said. "Tonight was fun. It was a nice adventure."
"The pleasure was all mine, honestly," Dipper admitted as he looked at her. Her braided hair was loose and frizzy, and her face was flush. His stomach filled with needles of emotion that spread throughout his body. Lust, fear, and admiration- they flooded every inch of him. But no matter the adventurer he claimed to be, he couldn't bring himself to face his feelings. "Well, I should get going. I need to find that motel."
"Just go straight down this road through maybe 2 intersections and it should be on the left next to a car detailing place and a Wendy's. It's at the beginning of the strip, so it's pretty easy to find."
"Thanks," He said, half-heartedly, as he opened the door. "Be safe getting home."
"I will… bye… have a good night…"
Dipper mustered a 'bye' before shutting the door. He closed his eyes and let a deep sigh out. Every romantic comedy he'd ever seen told him to turn around and get back in the car, to kiss her and tell her he wanted to be with her. But if his life was a romantic comedy, it was a terrible movie. He climbed into his car. Lydia looked over at him and then drove off. He waited until her car was out of sight before he leaned his head back and muttered,
"Fuck."