That night, everything blurred as my head throbbed from the impact with the table. The blackout was brief, and I owed my awakening to Dipper, who found me sprawled out on the floor.
In that moment of stillness, something shifted. The relentless ticking in my head, a constant reminder of impending doom, momentarily ceased. It was like finding a glimmer of clarity amid the chaos.
**Tick!**
Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. I knew what I yearned for.
I needed that Amulet. I needed to possess it. I was its rightful owner, enduring its curse, not that scheming child perpetuating deceit.
With the Amulet, I could survive. I could withstand Bill and the impending weirdmageddon. I no longer depended on those troublesome kids for my survival. Babysitting was a thing of the past.
All I needed was that Amulet. And, as I had contemplated earlier, I could enlist Mabel's help in obtaining it.
"Dipper, where's Mabel?"
"She's... She needs some alone time, Ray. This situation with Gideon has pushed her to her limits. I told her I'd assist in ending the relationship."
I raised an eyebrow at his statement. Dipper? Assisting Mabel in ending her relationship? Would Gideon willingly accept that? I had my doubts.
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Well, after Stan suggested that Mabel should marry Gideon, she's had enough. I'm her brother, you know. I need to help."
"...So, you're planning to confront Gideon and tell him that Mabel doesn't want to see him anymore?"
"Exactly. What could go wrong?"
I nodded thoughtfully. Dipper remained unaware of Gideon's Amulet and its mysterious powers. But how could I persuade Mabel to meet with Gideon?
...Ah, I had an idea.
Following Dipper's intervention with Gideon, things seemed to be looking up for Mabel and Dipper. But for me, it was a different story. I had just met my demise, impaled by an umbrella through my stomach, and I still hadn't obtained the Amulet.
By the way, it appeared that the curse might not be affecting me mentally as I had feared earlier. My sanity remained intact.
Now, I contemplated how to teach the cunning Gideon a lesson about the consequences of meddling with another's belongings. And then it struck me. I could pass this curse on to him by deciphering how he had transferred it from the Amulet. It would be quite entertaining to watch him meet an absurd end. Ha.
Lethargically, I watched the kids playing with Soos. The painkillers I had consumed were causing my head to feel fuzzy. It was strangely liberating not having to worry about their well-being any longer. Once I obtained the Amulet...
Then, the telephone rang.
"Your turn!"
"Your turn... Aw, man." Dipper reached for the phone. Usually, I would have answered, but my voice was compromised after all the coughing. Thus, the kids had taken up the responsibility.
Dipper answered the call, initially wearing a displeased expression. However, his mood swiftly transformed into one of delight. Who could it be? Certainly not a customer.
"...Oh, finally! I thought nobody would ever ask! I have notes and theories! Uh huh, uh huh. 412 Gopher Road. Tonight? Got it... Yeah! Ray, Mabel! Check this out! Toby Determined said he's going to interview about the 'weird' things happening in this place! This might be a chance to tell people about everything we know!"
...412 Gopher Road. According to my recollection, that was the location of a warehouse on the hill, owned by the Gleeful family. It couldn't be a mere coincidence. Undoubtedly, it was Gideon's trap. But did I care? I no longer needed Dipper; I needed Mabel and that Amulet. They served no further purpose to me.
"Wow. That's amazing. You should definitely go," I encouraged Dipper. "So, when are you heading to that place?"
"I heard... about 7 o'clock. Haha, yes!"
"Good for you, bro," Mabel chimed in. Now, it was time to persuade her to meet with Gideon...
And then, the Amulet would be mine.
Dipper ventured toward the warehouse, his enthusiasm palpable. I sent him on his way without a care because I no longer had to look out for him.
**Tick!**
My condition was deteriorating rapidly, so I needed to expedite my plan. I glanced at Mabel, who was twirling her hair with a grave expression. This was the moment. Knowing her straightforward nature, she was undoubtedly contemplating Gideon.
I stepped outside and settled beside her.
"...Mabel, if you keep chewing your hair, you might experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
or even develop a trichobezoar. Trust me, I've read some medical books."
Mabel immediately released her hair, her face transitioning from surprise to concern. Excellent.
"Ray, I need some advice. You've broken up with girls, right?"
"...No."
"...No? So, you have a girlfriend?"
"No. I.."
"You don't have a girlfriend?"
"No. No! I don't have a girlfriend. Seriously...ask Wendy more about romance. She's an expert at that."
Mabel looked at me with a surprised look on her face.
"But you're tall, nice, and have that smooth, clear skin!"
"...I had no time to do that, okay? I was busy studying, and I'll probably be busy for the next 90 years. Anyway, let me guess what you were thinking of. Is it Gideon?"
Mabel sighed.
"Yes."
"Why, are you feeling sorry for him?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought everything was back to normal, but I still feel all gross..."
"Uh-huh. Go on."
"Maybe letting Dipper do it for me was a mistake. Gideon deserves an honest break-up."
"Maybe he does. So, what are you going to do?"
"...I'm going to go tell Gideon honestly."
"Great. Let me..."
"Thanks, Ray!"
Without giving me any time to react, Mabel hopped on her bike and pedaled away.
-Tick!
"...Darn it, I have to follow her!"
Coughing, I quickly chased after Mabel because... I needed her when I confronted Gideon. But my body wasn't in full condition, and Mabel was on a bike.
Also, my luck was bad, trying to kill me every second. Just as I thought of it, a single leaf fell from a tree and...
"AAHHHHHGHHHHHH!"
I was sliced through my eye. I fell on my knees, seeing nothing but my blood.
I guess this is going to take more than just a few deaths.
...But for the Amulet...? This was hardly a problem for me. Come on. I'd die as much as you want... Give me what I deserve.
"Ha!"
"Gideon, we have to talk!"
I swung open the door to the warehouse that Gideon and I used to access the roof
with our
opera glasses. I had no time; Gideon was attempting to harm Dipper with that strange power!
"Mabel! My Marshmallow! What are you doing here?"
I had to approach him and get that weird tie thingy out to save Dipper.
"I'm sorry, Gideon, but I can't be your marshmallow. I needed to be honest and tell you that myself."
"I...I don't understand."
"Uh, Mabel!? This probably isn't the best time to be brutally honest with him!" Dipper shouted from mid-air, being choked, but I couldn't lose my composure now. I had to approach... just a bit closer...
I walked toward Gideon with a regretful expression.
"Hey, but we can still be makeover buddies. Wouldn't you like that?"
His face brightened. He'd completely let his guard down now. And I just had to grab that Amulet... out of his hands!
-Slam!
The room fell silent with the forceful sound of the door bursting open. Someone strode into the warehouse. Gideon dropped Dipper from surprise, and I looked at the person who came into the warehouse, trudging.
"...R..Ray..?"
"Hi, Mabel. Good day, isn't it?"
Ray's tidy dark clothes were tattered, and he had a bleeding cut on his face. A stick was stabbing one of his shoulders, but he didn't seem to care at all.
The mask he was wearing because he was sick was now ripped off, hanging on one of his ears, showing the insides. It was dark red, the color of dried-up blood.
His eyes were dilated awkwardly and were bloodshot. But he was smiling. He grabbed a shear from the ground and held it.
Wha... That's not the Ray that made me waffles with rainbow sprinkles on them! He's not his usual self!
"Gideon Charles Gleeful. Recognize me?"
"...Aha, you're that employee from the shack, aren't you? Why are you here?"
Within a moment, Gideon grabbed me with his weird powers and pushed me away.
"Funny you ask this every time. I've tried for a few days to get this far, you know. Each try took about 30 minutes on average, so...I guess I died more than 96 times just because of you. Good, Gideon. Good. Now give me my amulet."
"...The curse...? It made you mad, didn't it? How...How did you know it was me?!"
"Oh, I know lots of things, Gideon... Including how you attack me. Like...Oh, I've done this one too many times."
Within a moment, Ray flung himself toward Gideon with his hands fully stretched. Gideon tried to grab his amulet and use his powers against me, but that moment Ray threw the shear he was holding...towards me!
"Checkmate!"
"Aaaah!"
"My marshmallow!"
Gideon quickly focused his powers on the shear that was flying towards me, leaving him undefended. Ray grabbed his amulet within a second and pulled it out of him.
...That wasn't Ray. Ray...would never use me like this.
"...Ha. Hahahaha! Finally!"
Ray laughed frantically as Gideon tried to get away from his grasp. While laughing, he kept spitting blood out!
"...Dipper, something is wrong with Ray! We should help him!"
"But how!? He got absolutely nuts right now!"
"Somehow!"
While I was screaming at Dipper, Ray stopped laughing and started to pet the Amulet like crazy, while stepping on Gideon to stop him from moving.
"Ahhh! help me! Don't! don't do this!"
"I've been 'killed' by you multiple times, Gideon. And the bollocking spawn point was thirty minutes ago. Get what I'm saying? Probably not, and I don't care if you do it or not. Now tell me. How did you transfer the curse?!"
He brought Gideon up to the air, and started to twist his...arm...!
"AHHHhh! HEEELpp!"
"No one's here to help, Gideon. Tell me!"
"AHHHH!"
I looked at Dipper.
"We have to do something right now!"
Dipper's eyes locked onto the Amulet clutched tightly in Ray's hand. "That Amulet... It must be the cause of all this. And it doesn't look that sturdy, right? It's like it's made of glass or something."
I followed his gaze to the Amulet, determination welling up inside me. "You're right, Dipper. If we can just break that thing, maybe it'll bring Ray back to us."
We turned our attention back to Ray, who continued to laugh manically, completely absorbed by the Amulet's power.
"Okay, let's do this," Dipper said, his voice resolute. "On the count of three, we grab that Amulet and smash it. One... two... three!"
"NO."
Suddenly, everything went all wonky. We were sent flying backward by some kind of energy wave, landing in a pile of junk. But I wasn't going to stay down.
"You two, I'll let you live. But hear me well. If you ever dare to stand in my way, I won't hesitate to turn you into lifeless corpses."
Dipper and I yelled back, "The real Ray would never say something like that to us!"
"Yeah!"
"Ha! Real Ray? What nonsense are you spouting? I'm more real than ever. No lies, no pretending. I'm me."
Ray started laughing again, but it wasn't funny anymore. He was still squeezing the life out of Gideon, and it was getting worse by the second. His power was just... ugh, indescribable. The stuff around us, all that junk, was spinning like a crazy whirlwind of pointy things.
But something strange was happening; his face contorted in agony, and he started coughing up blood, right on that fancy Amulet.
"Darn it... this cursed thing," Ray muttered to himself.
I mean, yeah, Ray could get sick sometimes, but this was different. This was way worse. The Amulet's power seemed to be slipping away from him, and he couldn't hold it together.
And then, all that stuff he was controlling with his mind, the merchandise and junk, started falling weirdly, like it had a mind of its own. It was all coming down right on top of Ray, like some kind of angry tornado of doom.
"Ugh, no! Not now!" Ray's voice was all shaky, and he reached out for something, anything, but the Amulet slipped from his hand. It tumbled down and hit the ground, shattering into a million glimmering pieces. Guess that Amulet wasn't as indestructible as it looked.
Ray, our crazy psycho friend just a moment ago, was now on the ground, looking as helpless as a kitten stuck in a tree. It was like the bad luck that had been following him around had suddenly decided to go all out.
That's when Dipper and I saw our chance. We dashed over to Ray, who was still muttering something about curses and bad luck. We grabbed him and dragged him out from under all that falling junk.
Meanwhile, Gideon was screaming his head off, and I'm pretty sure he wet his pants. But with everything crashing down, no one would blame him.
We barely got Ray out in time. The merchandise fell all around us, forming a kind of weird protective circle. But right in the center was the shattered Amulet, its glow fading away.
When everything finally stopped falling, Ray opened his eyes. He looked different, like his usual self. No more crazed laughing or creepy smiles.
"Ugh, my head... What just happened?" Ray groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Dude, are you okay?" Dipper asked, looking genuinely concerned.
Ray blinked a few times, like he was trying to remember something. "I... I don't know. I feel like I just had the weirdest dream. And why is everything all smashed up?"
I was still trying to process what went down. "Ray, you were... different. Like, really different. You were all evil-genius-mastermind crazy!"
Ray looked puzzled. "Me? Evil genius? Nah, that doesn't sound like me at all...Though I...think I did something? Ugh, why is there...a stick on my shoulder?! AGGH!"
Dipper and I exchanged a glance. Maybe Ray had hit his head or something. We helped him to take out the stick from his shoulder though.
Gideon, on the other hand, had quietly slipped away during all the chaos, probably hoping no one would notice. But honestly, with everything that just happened, I couldn't blame him.
Ray, looking a bit shaken but back to his usual kind and calm self, got up slowly. "Well, whatever it was, I'm just glad it's over. And that no one got seriously hurt."
I couldn't help but agree. Things had gotten seriously weird there for a while, and I was just glad we all made it out in one piece.
"...one hundred and 13 deaths? What...the heck did I...Ugh, the curse...! The amulet!... Hm, I guess breaking it was the answer...The bad luck to me under the influence of the curse somehow became good luck for the real me, huh."
"What do you mean about the curse though, Ray?"
"So, well, you see..."
We trudged back to the shack, Ray telling us about what happened to him. It was quite horrible, though I was sure he wasn't telling me everything about what's going on.
"Oh, and I don't think we'll ever need to worry about Gideon again," Dipper said. "At least for some time."
"Why?"
"Cause I saw him running home crying with his pants all wet. He's not going to do this kind of thing for at least some weeks because he'd be busy taking care of his new nightmare: Crazy Ray."
"Ha! Crazy Ray."
"...Yeah. Crazy me."
Ray chuckled quietly.
"...You think I'll ever forgive you, Ray Chiu? For humiliating me in front of my dear Mabel?! NEVER!"
Gideon smashed his table with his baby hands. He no longer had anything magical now, so he was powerless...but despite his current situation, he didn't stop being angry.
"We... Well, Gideon, I chased out Stanford Pines..."
"That's not enough to hold my extreme anger, old man. So stay shut!"
"...Fair enough."
'...I need to find a way. A way to really destroy that cursed shack. A way to take over it and get my dear Mabel back to me.'
Gideon thought as his plump fingers ran across the smooth cover of the journal he owned. It had a six-fingered hand emblem, with a big number 2 on it.
"...I don't know what is really wrong with that Asian guy... but he'll see. He'll see that this was a mistake."
With a menacing look on his face, Gideon held up the wooden statue that resembled Ray. He had a plan. A plan to make a plan against the whole mystery shack.
"Gi... Gideon? I brought you some dry clothes...?"
"Just leave it outside the door!"
"O... Okay..."
But before he can do anything, Gideon probably needs to wear some clean pants.
And also stop shuddering from fear.
