Again guys, I'm really sorry this is later than normal, but summer means vacations and camps, and I needed more time to get this chapter exactly how I wanted it. As for the rest of this month, there's going to be a hiatus until the end of the month. I'm sorry, but with vacations and school starting up again, I have decided to delay Carpet Diem until August 31st! But don't worry, I have a surprise planned to make sure the wait will be worth it to you guys. As for the Journal, I LOVED all of it (read in all in 2 days), but Dipper's real name was, honestly, kind of a disappointment after everything that's happened. Oh well, you can't win 'em all. Now then, shout outs!
Gamelover41592- Thanks a lot man
MyFavLineIs- I love that part too. Just wait until Tale of Two Stans; Willow and Ford will have an interesting meeting…
Cinnabon6- I know it's better when both are there, but if I put Alex in each episode, he'll get in the way sometimes and other times neither him OR Willow will have anything to do. But don't worry, there will be a bit more of him coming up soon. Just wait.
Disclaimer: I only own Willow and her creepiness. Everything else belongs to Alex Hirsch.
Dipper's POV (July 5th)
"Watch out, Gravity Falls, because at a 110 degrees, we're looking at the hottest day of the summer!" Toby Determined said over the radio. Yesterday we had fallen down a bottomless pit, but no time passed so we didn't miss the 4th of July celebration. Town tradition was a big cookout in the middle of town, then watching fireworks go off over the cliffs. It was a lot of fun, but today was TORTURE! It was over 110 degrees, and yesterday's 70 degree high made it seem even worse.
"Another squirrel caught on fire," Willow called from the kitchen. The five of us (Soos' car had overheated, so he was stuck here) were all lying around in the living room. Soos and I had taken our shirts off, the girls were wearing tank-tops and short-shorts, and Stan was in his lazy-clothes, his new fez next to his head. The new one had the same colors, but the design was less of a claw and more like Pac-Man with a tail. That was the fifth squirrel to catch on fire today. Even being used to California's hot temperatures, this was pushing the limit.
"All in favor of doing nothing all day say 'ugh,'" I muttered. All of them instantly grunted in response. The only one who didn't seem to be affected was Waddles. He walked over to Stan, who had ice cream all over his face from a failed attempt to cool off.
"I'm gonna throw this pig out of the house!" Stan complained. Waddles oinked and licked some of the ice cream off of Stan's face. "You called my bluff pig."
"It's so hot out there. I swear, if you put Waddles outside, we'll have bacon ten seconds later," Willow groaned, sprawling out on the floor.
"On the bright side, pun VERY much intended," Toby continued. "It's opening week at the Gravity Falls Pool!" That made all of us perk up.
"Pool?" "Today?" "Pun intended?" "We're gonna live!" "Quick! To the car!" All of us stood up and started to get our swimming gear, but Stan called us back.
"Kids, a little help here?" He called from the floor. This was the third time he had gotten stuck to the floorboards. We all grabbed spatulas and pried him off the floor. "Alright! Off to the pool!" He turned around and walked out the door, floorboards stuck to his back and a hole now in the floor. We were about to go get our stuff when Toby's voice came back on.
"And remember to be on alert for random wildfires!" On que, the sound of a fire started from outside, Stan screaming. Willow grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran outside with it. Mabel turned to me, smiling despite the heat.
"He'll be fine."
GFF
"Ah, the pool! Sparkling oasis of summer enchantment!" Mabel announced excitedly when we got to the pool. It was pretty big, with plenty of room for lawn chairs. On the left there was a snack bar and bathrooms, with a towel bin and storage area on the corner.
"Yeah, nothing like sitting in a giant tub with strangers. It's like the bus but wet," Stan replied grumpily. I think he was just mad about the heat. I glanced over at Soos' beach towel.
"Why would a sun need to wear sunglasses?" I asked him. Willow answered, being her creepy self again.
"I know why! Taking them off is what causes solar flares. If he takes them off, giant solar flares will happen and will kill most of the world population. Then a disease will get out and turn people into mindless, cannibalistic zombies."
"I think that disease already got to you," I told her.
"Probably," she said, her smile fading slightly as she remembered how THAT had turned out. Mabel stopped and her face lit up excitedly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop the presses! Who's that?" Not again, I thought, realizing what had caught her attention. There was a guy about our age in the pool. He had long brown hair, and judging from his skin tone, I was pretty sure he was Hispanic. He was wearing a seashell necklace and had a pool raft in front of him. I did see anything wrong with him, but Mabel was still going through her boy-crazy phase and I knew this would be her newest crush.
"Word is dude never leaves the pool. People say he's a 'mysterious loner,'" Soos whispered to her, backing away and eating his chips. She started waving her hands up and down.
"Is it getting hot out here or is it just that guy?"
"It's the hottest day of the year Mabel," I told her, not wanting to have to deal with this when I was practically melting. "Besides, can't you go for one week without having a new crush on some random guy?"
"Uh-uh," she replied. Willow smacked the back of her head.
"Mabel, do you really think it's a good idea? So far this summer you've had crushes on a zombie, a bunch of gnomes, and an evil psychic. With your luck he'll end up being a merman or something."
"That could never happen," Mabel told her, then gasped. "Look at his little mustache hairs!" Okay, maybe he was a bit older than I thought.
"You are clearly enamored. Go to him," Soos told her in a breathless voice. She ran across the area, jumping over lawn chairs (and the people on them) and knocking over a basket of beach balls. "It's so beautiful," Soos said, tearing up.
"Mabel's all talk," I told them. "Wanna know a secret? She's never even kissed a guy before. She always messes it up somehow."
"Oi, women," Stan said, resigned. Willow hit the back of his head.
"Not all of us are that crazy," she told him.
"You're one to talk!" He told her, then screamed when water exploded in his face, rubber bits going everywhere.
"Hey Mr. Pines!" Wendy called down to us. She was sitting in the lifeguard stand, a bucket of water balloons next to her. She was wearing a red swimsuit that made her freckles and green eyes stand out. I was trying really hard not to stare, but I don't think it was working very well.
"Wendy? Where's the lifeguard?" Stan asked her, wiping his face off.
"I am the lifeguard. I make the rules, sucka! Boosh!" She started throwing water balloons at Stan, making him run away screaming. The four of us laughed, watching him run away.
"You work here?" I asked her. To see her like that every day, I would visit even if it was 20 degrees outside.
"I found out lifeguards get free snacks," she explained. THAT made more sense. "Plus, I get the best seat in the house."
"Yeah you do!" I said enthusiastically, laughing. "I've been laughing for too long…" I whispered to myself, staring at her again, hoping it wasn't too obvious.
"Dude, are you and Wendy having a secret staring contest? Cause I think you're winning…"
"Soos! Not now!" I whispered, pushing him and Willow away, hoping Wendy hadn't heard Soos. "So, um, you wanna go chuck more water balloons at Stan?" I asked her.
"I'd love to, but I gotta spend the day doing tryouts. We're looking for a new assistant lifeguard," she told me, gesturing at the other stand next to her.
"Hey," I started, my voice really high-pitched. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Hey, um, what if I was assistant lifeguard?"
"That would be so much fun! You're totally in dude!" She threw a rescue raft down to me, then pointed across the pool. "You just have to check in with my boss first, Mr. Poolcheck."
"Your boss?" The guy she pointed at was wearing a red shirt and white shorts. He had the muscles of a body builder and was doing finger push-ups. He looked at me, the look saying 'don't even think about it.' I gasped, then brought myself under control and walked towards him.
Mabel's POV
One of the people at the pool brought the cute guy a glass of lemonade. He put it on the raft then continued watching everyone. I started swimming over to him. Something got in my mouth, but I didn't pay attention to it. I burst out of the water right next to him.
"Wow! Oh my gosh, how crazy bumping into you even though we don't know each other!" I said to him. One of the pick-up tricks I have been hit with/used is the 'Do I know you from somewhere?' line. Usually it works, but the guy just looked at me weird.
"How long have you been underwater?" He asked me, his voice really deep with a thick accent.
"That doesn't matter!" I told him, starting to cough. A band-aid flew out of my mouth. I looked at it for a second, then turned back to him. "So hey! My name's Mabel."
"Hola," he said in another language.
"Whoa! Are you Australian?" He started laughing.
"I am charmed by you sense of humor. And your bold lack of water-wings!"
"You're so funny! And your hair is beautiful…" He had really long, shiny brown hair. I reached out to touch it, but he grabbed my hand and stopped me.
"No, no it has silly tangles!"
"Mind if I…" I pulled out a comb and started running it through his hair.
"Why Mabel, you are so… forward!" He said, laughing again. This is it! He likes you! Go for it Mabel! It's time! Ask him out on a date! I took a deep breath and asked him.
"So, hey, you wanna go dry off? Maybe hit the snack bar or-?"
"I-I'm afraid I cannot! For I have a terrible secret! I must go." He swam a few feet away from me, looking down at his raft guiltily. Maybe it was my curiosity, or the look on his face, but something about how he reacted made me even more interested in him.
"I'm upset. Yet intrigued!" I said to myself, climbing out and trying to come up with a plan to find out his secret.
Dipper's POV
"…And that is why I think I'd make a good lifeguard assistant," I told Poolcheck. I had been BS-ing stuff to try to get him to hire me. He finished hammering a DO NOT TOUCH sign to the storage door and turned to me. He bent down and smelled me.
"SPF 100? Good, I like you. But this isn't an easy job. It's anarchy out there." I looked at the pool. Anarchy was one of the last words I would use. The only thing potentially problematic was Gideon walking over to where Stan and Soos were standing.
"I think I can handle it," I told Poolcheck.
"Can you handle this?!" He pulled his hand off his wrist. I screamed, but then I realized that it was just a prosthetic. "I lost my HAND to a pool filter. The pool may seem friendly, but she can turn on you in an instant. Which is why you must respect her rules! Do you think you have what it takes, boy? Huh? Do you?!"
I glanced over at Wendy, who was giving me a thumbs up. "Sure, I guess." He pulled a whistle out of his pocket and put it around my neck, then got down so we were eye-level with each other.
"Welcome to the deep end, son."
"Well, thanks, I-" I got cut off when he practically strangled me in a hug. "Yep, okay, this is happening. You can let go now sir." He nodded and let go of me, jumping on top of the fence. I looked down at the whistle around my neck, then ran over to where Wendy was locking Stan in pool jail. I knew better than to comment on that and instead focused on telling Wendy the good news.
"Hey Wendy! I got the job!" I told her when she secured Stan inside the area.
"Sweet! Wanna go abuse our power?"
"But what if Poolcheck catches us? He seems emotionally unstable," I asked her, looking at where he was doing sit-ups on the fence. Wendy brushed my comment aside.
"Don't worry man. We just gotta be sneaky about our rule-breaking. Race you to the no running sign!" She took off, me running after her. I glanced at Poolcheck, who for some reason was drinking the pool water. He looked at me, so I slowed down. As soon as he looked away, I took off after Wendy again, promising myself that I would do anything to make sure I could keep this job and spend time with her.
Mabel's POV
I grabbed a sandwich and jumped in the pool, swimming over to the cute guy. I poked my head out of the water, the went back under when he looked at me. We did the same thing again before I jumped out right next to him and made him scream.
"Hey there! I brought you a sandwich. It's sort of wet, but it's still good. Blop." I put the now soggy sandwich on his raft. "I like sharing things. Sandwiches, secrets," I leaned closer to him and whispered, "Share your secret beautiful stranger."
"That wet sandwich does look delicious," he said, a breeze coming and blowing his hair back. "Oh very well. But you must never tell another living soul my terrible secret. You have to stay away from me because I am…" He pushed the raft away, revealing that the lower half of his body was a teal mermaid's tail. "…A Merman."
"Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were going to say you had a girlfriend!" I said, relieved. Hey, after what happened with Gideon and the Gnomes, a merman would be no problem. Although that fact DID explain a few things. "A merman… I should have known from your strange foreign fish language."
"It is Spanish," he told me. I nodded, then started asking him questions.
"Your voice is so deep and masculine… How old are you?"
"I am 12 years old." Twelve? Sweet! "Merman's voices change when we are like 3."
"So what's your name?"
"There are some who call me…" He pulled a guitar out of the water and played a chord on it. "Mermando! This is because Mermando is my name."
"But I don't understand Mermando. What's a merman like you doing in a public pool?"
"It is a tragic story Mabel. I was swimming with my friends-the mighty dolphins-in the Gulf of Mexico, when I was ensnared! The cargo was headed for Gravity Falls. Using all of my strength, I tried to escape back home, but it was not to be. I would have died of dehydration, were it not for the kindness of the forest animals. I fell down a sewage pipe and ended up here, and then I met you. But now that you know what I am, you must be seriously weirded out."
"What?! I don't care that you're a merman. You're like the coolest guy I've ever met. And you can play at least one chord on the guitar."
"Oh, Mabel, I have never met another human like you. Most of them leave when I tell them the truth."
"Please. This is probably the least-weird thing I've seen this summer." And nothing could be worse than what happened between me and Gideon.
"In that case, would you care to join me in a game of the Marco Polo?"
"Oh, yes Mermando, yes!" I yelled, throwing my arms around his neck.
"You are covering my gills. I cannot breathe," he choked out. I let go and sure enough, there were gill slits on both sides of his neck.
"Huh-huh, weird." I said, laughing nervously. I went underwater and started counting, knowing this would go A LOT better than my other crushes.
GFF
We hung out most of the day, me grabbing us drinks and snacks. He had seemed really interested in learning about the human world, so I told him as much as I could about what happened up here. We were brushing each-others hair when a whistle blew.
"The pool, she closes. Can I see you tonight?" Mermando asked me, giving me the brush back.
"Sure. Where? Wanna go for a walk?" I asked, hopping onto the edge of the pool.
"Merman. I am a merman."
"Oh right. Then I'll be back tonight. Need anything before I leave?" He shook his head, smiling at me. I smiled back and left the pool, thinking about everything he had asked me.
As soon as Dipper and Willow were asleep that night, I grabbed one of my scrapbooks and drove the golf cart back to the pool. I parked it behind the bushes then jumped out and went to the fence. I threw my scrapbook over, then grabbed a pool skimmer and climbed over. I jumped in the pool with him and opened my scrapbook.
"This is a scrapbook of human stuff. Here's me and my siblings standing on our legs for the first time. And this is me and my sister kicking our brother in his legs. He couldn't move his legs after that! Can you imagine not having legs?"
"Let's skip this part," he requested. I nodded and flipped the page.
"And here's my whole family kick-boxing!" He sighed and swam away from me. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He pulled out his guitar and tried playing it, but it sounded weird. He turned it over and dumped water out of it, then turned to me.
"I too used to have a family once, back in the ocean. How I miss them…" He opened the seashell around his neck. In it was a picture of him, his parents, and his baby brother, all of them with identical necklaces around their necks.
"Mermando, why don't you just leave the pool?" I asked him as he closed his necklace.
"I tried only once, but escaping this pool required a plan that was bold and daring. I tried to jump out but didn't get far. I made a mess and got pecked by a woodpecker, then fell back in, and then the wolves came. But I'm glad I'm still here, because I met you." His eyes went up to the sky where a shooting star flew over the cliffs.
This is it Mabel! First kiss moment, here it comes! Just go for it! I puckered my lips and leaned in.
"What are you doing with your mouth?" I opened my eyes and saw that he was staring at me weird. Thinking fast, I tried to pass it off as something else.
"Me? Nothing. I was just eating some sour candy, so my lips were doing that, because the candy was so sour," I told him. He believed me too much.
"Can I have some candy?"
"No." We hung out a bit more, but he had kind of closed up after the family talk, so I left earlier than I normally would have.
"Will you visit again?" He asked me.
"Of course. I'll see you as soon as the pool opens," I promised. I jumped over the fence again and waved before I went back to where I had parked the golf cart. It was in the same spot, but there was something sitting in the shot-gun seat. "BEAR!"
"I'm not a bear, although I could go find one for you if you really wanted it," Willow said, climbing out of the cart.
"H-How long have you been there?" I asked her, hoping it hadn't been that long.
"Long enough." Great. She had heard everything. When Willow didn't want to be seen, she wouldn't be seen.
"So you know he's a merman?"
"Didn't until you told me."
"Wait, what?"
"I woke up because I realized I had left the hot glue gun on in my workshop and saw that you were gone. BTW, there's a leak in the gas tank. That's how I was able to follow you. I only got here a minute or two ago, but you told me all I needed to hear." We got in and I started driving back to the shack.
"Please don't tell anyone that he's a merman! I really like him, and he made me promise not to say anything!" I begged with her as I turned onto Gopher Rd.
"I won't tell anyone, but you owe me." Thank God. Willow might be creepy, but she ALWAYS kept secrets when she needed too.
"Thank you!" I told her, stopping the golf cart. She nodded and we snuck back inside and upstairs. Dipper was still asleep, kissing a pillow that had Wendy's picture on it. Willow grabbed a camera and took a picture of the scene. We laid down and started to fall asleep, me thinking about Mermando and his family the entire time.
Dipper's POV (July 6th)
"Nice one man!" Wendy told me. It was the next day, and we were playing ring toss. The rings were life savers and the poles were Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland. I had just thrown one over Blubs, trapping his arms by his side. Wendy threw another one around Durland's body.
"One hundred points!" I announced as they started rolling around on the ground.
"Dude, with this job, you and me are gonna be having fun all summer!" Wendy told me. Wait…
"All summer?" I asked, trying not to blush. "That's-" A whistle blew.
"PINES! HERE, NOW!" Poolcheck yelled up at me, pointing angrily at Blubs and Durland. I got down and followed him to the supply closet. He started pacing in front of me, yelling like a drill sergeant to the soldiers. "You gave me your word that you would RESPECT the safety rules of this pool!"
"Mr. Poolcheck, are you crying?"
"That's not important right now!" He yelled in my face, wiping his eyes anyway. "You're on the nights, boy! You wanna keep this job? Well some MANIAC broke into the supplies closet last night and broke our one and only pool skimmer! I want you on a stake out! If one more supply gets taken, you're fired!"
"I won't let you down!" I said, saluting him. Like I said, I promised myself I would do ANYTHING to keep this job, and I wasn't about to break it.
Mabel's POV
"Mermando, get ready! I'm gonna bring the heat!" I yelled. I hit a beach ball to him, but it hit his head. He didn't even react; just kept his head down towards the raft. "Mermando, are you okay?"
He swam over to me and I realized he was looking at his necklace. "Oh, it's your family, isn't it? Are you thinking about them?" He nodded slightly and made a dolphin sound. "Mermando, enough is enough! I care about you too much to see you like this. We're gonna bust you out of here and get you back to your family!"
"But Mabel, escape is impossible!" He told me, although he did seem to cheer up at the prospect of being with his family again.
"We're breaking you out of here tonight!" I yelled, slamming my fist into the water, splashing both of us. "Oops, sorry about that. Water."
GFF
"Willow, I need your help!" I said, walking into her workshop that night. Dipper was standing guard at the pool, and for some reason Grunkle Stan had left, so it was just the two of us. I had come up with a plan to get Mermando to the lake and back to his family, but I still needed to make it.
"What do you need me to do?" She asked, turning around from an old bigfoot exhibit. I handed her a paper with my plan on it.
"I need you to help me tape together fish sticks to make prosthetic legs for Mermando so he can walk to the lake and visit his family."
"Uuummm…" she trailed off, looking between me and the paper. "That won't… you can't… it's not… you know what, never mind."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Don't you think it would be easier to use the cooler from the pool supplies?
"Probably. Can you come with me?"
"Are you sure? I thought you said not to tell him."
"I did, but I might need your help. So will you help me?"
"You owe me big time," she said, walking out of the room. She grabbed the keys and drove to the pool. She parked in the bush and jumped out, looking through the bush.
"Coast is clear, but there's a giant hole in the fence," she told me, jumping back in and driving backwards through the fence.
"Mabel!" Mermando called. I went over to him as Willow grabbed the cooler from the supply closet and started filling it with water.
"Are you ready to see your family?" I asked him, pulling out my original design.
"Yes, but how can I, a merman, possibly escape?" I handed him the design.
"Okay, my original plan was to tape together a bunch of fish sticks to make you a prosthetic pair of people legs."
"Intriguing…"
"But then I told her it would be easier to use this cooler," Willow said, turning off the hose. Before he could freak out, she made him calm down. "Mabel didn't tell me anything. I figured it out myself. That raft may be effective from up high, but it doesn't do much underwater."
"But you're not going to have to worry about that anymore," I told him. We moved out of the way so he could get in the cooler. He jumped out of the pool, flopped around a bit, then hopped in.
"Hey! Who's there?" Dipper asked. He was walking over to us, flashlight in hand.
"Quick! Hide me! My kind must not be seen!" We crammed Mermando into the cooler just in time.
"Mabel? Willow? Is there anyone NOT breaking into the pool tonight? What, is Soos here too?" On que, Soos fell off the fence and landed on the ground.
"I'm okay," he called.
"Go home Soos," Dipper said without turning around. Soos started trying to climb back over the fence as Dipper turned back to us. "So why are you two here?"
"No reason," I lied. From the cooler, Mermando cleared his throat.
"Did that cooler just clear its throat?" Dipper asked.
"Don't be silly. There certainly isn't a merman in there, if that's what you're implying. Who said anything about a merman?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Willow getting in the golf cart.
"Mabel, I don't have time for your games. If you don't give me those supplies, I'll lose the coolest job ever!"
"Dipper, look! Wendy in a bikini!" Willow yelled. Dipper turned around and I jumped in the cart, flooring the gas.
"HAND OVER THE POOL SUPPLIES IN THE NAME OF POOL LAW!" I glanced behind me and saw Dipper following us in the pool mobile, a megaphone up to his mouth.
"Pool law is dumb! And so is your hat!" I yelled back at him. He started firing water balloons at us. Willow climbed over the seats and started batting the water balloons away.
"How much farther?!" Willow yelled. A sign for the lake came into view.
"3 miles!" I yelled back, turning right. She was doing really well knocking the balloons out of the way. They still burst, but I was still able to drive without swerving too much.
"Son of a-" "I cannot breathe! You must hurry!" I glanced back again and saw that the water was leaking out of the cooler. I floored the gas again just as the lake came into view.
"HOLD ON!" I yelled, slamming the brakes. The cart tipped over but I was able to jump out in time. Willow and the cooler were on the ground next to me. "I'm okay," I said, standing up. Dipper stopped the pool mobile and started walking over to us.
"Alright Mabel, the jig is up! Hand over that cooler!"
"Never!" I yelled, covering it with my arms.
"Why not? Why do you even need it?" I sighed and told him everything.
"I needed the cooler to save my new friend because he needs to go home and he's really nice and we combed each-others' hair and he needs to be in the cooler because he breathes water because he's a merman!" I knocked open the cooler and Mermando rolled out onto the ground.
"Hola," Mermando waved to Dipper with his tail. Dipper's eyes bugged out and he looked between the two of us.
"Whoa! Way to bury the lead Mabel." I helped Mermando sit up and made the introductions.
"Mermando, this is my brother Dipper. Dipper, Mermando the merman. He's a merman." Mermando waved again, this time with his hand.
"Nice to meet you. Also, I think I am dying." Wait, what? Mermando fell on his back and started panting, his face going blue. "Water! Agua! Yo necesito!" A fly came over and landed on his eye. He didn't even blink; just kept gasping. I waved the fly off and started trying to help him.
"Oh no! Mermando! Dipper, you're a lifeguard! Give him CPR!"
"Mermen don't breathe air!"
"Then give him reverse CPR! Doi!" He ran to the pool mobile and grabbed a water bottle, then ran back and got on his knees by Mermando's shoulder. He put water in his mouth then started giving Mermando mouth-to-mouth.
"I hate this!" He filled his mouth again and repeated the process. Willow grabbed a camera and took a picture of them, laughing to herself. Dipper pulled back and Mermando shot up, breathing heavy but alive. I threw my arms around him as he talked to Dipper.
"Gracias mi amigo, but why didn't you just roll me into the lake?" We all looked at the lake, which was literally only two feet away. Dipper smacked his forehead as Willow and I grabbed Mermando's arms. We carried him across the dock and threw him into the lake. He swam around a few times then came back to the dock.
He started making dolphin noises, but broke off and started coughing. "I am weak from coughing. How will I get my family to hear my call from the mighty depths of the ocean?"
"I got it, BRB!" I ran to the pool mobile and grabbed Dipper's megaphone then came back. "Problem solved!"
"Mabel, you can't!" Dipper told me, taking the megaphone. "This belongs to the pool. I'll get fired!"
I might be going through my boy-crazy phase, but this was different. My other summer crushes, the supernatural part of them drove us apart. This time it brought us together. I've seen how Dipper acts around Wendy, and I knew that we were both in the same situation.
"Dipper, pretend that was Wendy. You of all people should know what it feels like to fall for someone but know in your heart it will probably never work out, but you'd still do anything for them." I saw the pieces click in his mind. He sighed and held out the megaphone.
"Give Mermando the megaphone," he said, resigned. I promised myself I would make it up to him one day.
"Thanks Dip." I got on my knees on the edge of the dock and gave Mermando the megaphone.
"Mabel, I have never met another human like you," he said, taking the megaphone.
"Same here. Except for a zombie, a gnome, and a couple of cute vampires." Honestly though, I regret the vampires.
"I don't remember the vampires," Dipper said from behind me.
"Some things are just for girls. Now hush up or…" I was pretty sure she showed him the picture she had taken.
"Thanks Wills," I called over my shoulder. Then I turned back to Mermando. Man, goodbyes are rough. "Well Mermando, I guess this is it."
"Not quite. This is!" Before I knew what was happening, he was out of the water, our lips locked together. It was everything I was hoping for from my first kiss.
"Okay, that is gross!" Dipper said when we pulled back. Willow was looking at her camera, smiling at us. Then what had just happened hit me.
"OMG! That was my first kiss!" Then I turned to Dipper. "Hey, it was also kinda your first kiss too, huh? Huh?"
"Please don't involve me in this," he shuttered. I nodded and went back to Mermando.
"Goodbye Mermando," I told him, trying not to cry.
"Goodbye Mabel." He dove under water and swam away.
"Hey. I got this," Willow said to me. She handed me the camera. On it was a picture of me and Mermando kissing.
"It's perfect. And you did the right thing Dipper." We started walking off the dock.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dipper said, walking over to the pool mobile as Willow went to the golf cart. He and Willow started starting them up. I looked at the lake and saw a rock bed.
"Wait, wait! One more thing!" I ran out onto the rock bed, my hand in the air. Mermando jumped out of the water and flew over me. "Yes! I've always wanted to do that!" I walked back over to them.
"Look at this," Willow said, showing me her camera. I was on the rock bed, Mermando right over my head.
"Thanks Wills. The pictures you took are perfect."
"No prob. I'm gonna take the golf cart back to the shack. You coming with me or…"
"No, you go ahead. I'm gonna go with Dipper back to the pool." She nodded and left in the golf cart. I got in the pool mobile with Dipper as he started driving back to the pool.
"I'll tell your boss it was all my fault if you want me to," I offered him. Surprisingly, he shook his head.
"It's okay. You haven't met him, but trust me, he could make a drill sergeant cry. I'll take the heat."
"Are you sure?" He had taken the job to spend time with Wendy. Giving Mermando the megaphone would get him fired, so if I could make him be able to keep the job, I would do anything. He still shook his head.
"I'm sure. It's cool." I saw the regret in his face, and again I promised myself that I would make it up to him sooner or later.
Dipper's POV (July 7th)
Poolcheck was pacing in front of me again, yelling like crazy. Like I told Mabel, he was the drill sergeant of drill sergeants.
"A wrecked fence, dents in the pool mobile, and a missing megaphone? Who is responsible for this?!" I glanced over at Mabel, who was watching us from the edge of the pool.
"It's my fault sir. I'm sorry. I got in too deep." I know I promised myself I would do anything to keep this job, but no matter what, family comes first. If I had learned one thing from my parents, it was to protect the girls at all costs. I winked at Mabel, who mouthed 'thank you' at me, then I turned back to Poolcheck.
"Hand, over, the whistle, BOY!" I took the whistle off of my neck and handed it to him. He put it in his mouth and bit down, breaking it into pieces. I started to back up as he swallowed the whistle. "If one more thing goes wrong today-"
"You're free now! Free!" I turned around and saw Soos throwing the inflatable ducks over the fence. "Inflatable ducks untie!"
"YOU!" Poolcheck yelled. Soos climbed over the fence and started running. Poolcheck ran through the fence and started chasing him. I started walking away when a water balloon exploded in my face.
"Hey goofus," Wendy said, walking up to me in her normal clothes. "You'll never guess what happened. I just got fired."
"What? Really?" I asked, falling into step beside her.
"Yeah. I guess Poolcheck found out I was taking too many snacks."
"How many?" She took her hat off. Under it were three bags of chips. We both started laughing as we left the pool.
"Hey, wanna go break rules somewhere else?" She asked me.
"Of course!" I replied, happy I got the best of both worlds. Mabel had peace of mind, and I got to hang out with Wendy without feeling guilty.
Mabel's POV
I smiled as Wendy and Dipper left together, then looked back at the water, thinking about Mermando. My lips were still tingling from our kiss. I was glad he was going home, but I wished I could hear from him and make sure he got back okay.
A green bottle popped out of the pool vent next to me. In it was a rolled up piece of paper with my name on it. I pulled it out of the water and took the paper out. I smiled as I started reading it, Mermando's voice saying the words in my head.
Dear Mabel, I am home with my family and I am very happy. Our first kiss will always hold a place in my heart. Technically hearts. As a merman I have like, 17 hearts. Horrifying but true! *More bottles on the way!
Just as I finished, more bottles started popping out of the vents. I don't know why, but I started giggling like crazy, tears coming out of my eyes. I know knew how Willow felt when Alex was around. It was the best feeling ever, and I didn't even care that I had gotten hurt. Mermando was worth suffering for.
I can't take full credit for that last line. It was a variation of a famous Bob Marley quote. Again, I'm really sorry about the hiatus, but after that, things will be back to normal. And the #CipherHunt is over. A group found it last night. But, because of a very amazing group of people who continued working on the "puzzle from hell" we will be getting the Gravity Falls pilot very soon. Keep your eyes and ears open! Anyway, please leave a review and I'll see you on Dipper and Mabel's 17th birthday!