Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Thirty-Nine: In The Blink Of An Eye
Kathleen Corduroy contemplated how to respond to her daughter. It was such a simple question she had asked, but the answer would be incredibly complex and hard to convey to someone who hadn't fought against her brand of demons. "It's a long story. I suppose I should start at the beginning..." the elder Corduroy began before pouring herself yet another glass of whisky. "Mom, don't you think you should slow down?" her daughter asked with concern. "I have a high tolerance... It's both a blessing and a curse..." Kathleen said before taking a sip of the amber liquor. "Besides, it's not like I can die again..." she continued. All her daughter could do was shake her head at the comment as the frustration built inside her. "Okay... So, my parents emigrated to the United States from Ireland before I was born. My sister Sionainn and my brother Fionn were both born over there. Then I came along and my little sister Erin rounded out the family. We lived in New York, in a little town up the Hudson River from the city. My father worked as a maintenance man in a building in The Bronx and my mother was a nurse at the local hospital. We had a good life. We weren't rich, but we never went without either. Then... Then one day changed my life forever..." Kathleen said before tearing up. She took a small sip from the glass of whisky as she tried to compose herself.
"It was a normal winter morning. We all piled into Mom's station wagon and headed off to the grocery store. There was a new cereal I was excited to try, but Dad said it wasn't good for me. I remember Sionainn was listening to her Strollman cassette player and Fionn was reading a comic book. Erin and I were playing dolls together and we came up to a red light a few blocks away from the supermarket. She dropped her doll on the floor and couldn't reach it, so I unbuckled my seat-belt to get it. The light must have turned green and we started moving. I found her doll and was about to look up when I heard a thunderous sound. I don't remember what happened next, but I came to across the street in a snowbank. I turned and saw our car on fire in the woods. It was all crumpled up and spewing black smoke. I... I heard screams. It was my Mom. Then... They stopped and all I could hear was the crackle of the flames as the smoke got darker and darker. I must have passed out again, because the next thing I remember is waking up with some crying woman kneeling over me. Then, I heard sirens" Kathleen said as Wendy listened with a stunned look on her face. She had often wondered why her mother looked and sounded nothing like her grandparents, aunts or uncles. It suddenly all made sense.
"Mom... I-I... I had no idea..." Wendy said as she reached across the table and put her hand on top of the trembling digits of Kathleen. "I found out later on that we were t-boned by a delivery truck that ran the light. It was awful. My whole family was gone in the blink of an eye. A stupid doll was all that kept me from going with them. I-I... I shouldn't have survived" the ginger woman said before breaking down; tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. "H-How old were you?" Wendy asked. "Seven. I was Seven, Erin w-was... She was five. She was such a sweet, sweet girl. She should have lived" Kathleen answered before grasping her glass and taking a big gulp of the liquor. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would do if that happened to me" Wendy said as she teared up at the thought of losing her entire family at once. "Pray that you never find out. It fucked me up. I was never the same. I tried to move on and pretend that I was alright, but I never was. I mean, sure there were moments when I was genuinely happy, but that sort of thing can't be forgotten" Kathleen replied. "I hope that I was able to bring a little bit of that happiness to your life, even if it was just a small amount" Wendy said as she began to cry. Kathleen reached across the table and wiped the tears from her daughter's face. "Of course, you did. You, your brothers and your father all did. You were the light of my life. I looked forward to watching you all grow up and have lives of your own. I'm still so angry at myself for letting one bad day get to me that much. I-I wish I had just said something to your father before I went to bed..." Kathleen said.
Wendy thought about how she had been in a similar situation to her mother and how finally talking about it to someone had really helped her out. Without the intervention of her future step-mother after her suicide attempt, she could very easily see herself sharing the same fate as her late mother. "So... It was a bad day that set you off? That made you seek out the drugs and booze to try and numb the pain?" Wendy asked. "Yeah. It was Erin's birthday. Any kind of important day like that always seemed to be a trigger to me, but whenever it involved Erin, it seemed to be just that much worse. Maybe it was because she was my little sister and I feel like, I dunno, I always felt like I had to protect her. She had just started her life and then it was over..." Kathleen explained. "When you first told me you overdosed, I thought I was gonna be angry. I thought it was just because you were some sorta bored housewife who was looking for something to shake things up, but that wasn't the case at all. You were just trying to escape the pain. I... I might know something about that..." Wendy said in shameful tone. "It seems like a good idea at the time, but it can't fix what's broken inside you" Kathleen said as she looked into her daughter's eyes.
The two finished their glasses of whisky and got up from the table. Kathleen walked over to her daughter and wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding. I feel so much better now that you know the truth" the elder Corduroy said to her child. "I've been there" Wendy simply responded. The two walked back towards the family, who had been conversing with the Oracle about Ford's exploits in the multiverse to pass the time. Dipper turned to see that his wife had clearly been crying and wrapped her up in a hug without saying a word. Mabel and Pacifica soon joined in and the Pines family took a moment to appreciate what they had. Wendy saw her mother standing off to the side. "C'mon Mom. Come and get in on this family hug. After all, without you, this wouldn't be possible..." Wendy said with a smile on her face. Without saying a word, Kathleen Corduroy joined in and felt the love that seemed to fill the room; the Oracle looking on as the quintet embraced for the first and only time. "You okay?" Dipper whispered to his wife, who smelled faintly of whisky. "Yeah. I'm okay... For the first time in a while, I'm actually okay" the auburn haired woman replied in a content voice.
"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid it's time to go..." the Oracle said as the Pines family and Kathleen Corduroy turned their attention to the cloak clad being. "Well, it couldn't last forever..." the matriarch of the Corduroy family said in a sullen tone. "Yeah, but I'm glad it happened" Wendy replied. "It was really great to meet you, Grandma Corduroy!" Mabel said. "I'm glad that I got to see you, Nana Kathleen..." Pacifica said with a smile on her face. "I'm so very happy that I finally met you both as well. Sorry that it had to be here. I would have loved to see you grow up. You're two very special girls and I can't wait until the day we meet again so that I can learn of all the great things you've managed to do in life" Kathleen said to the twins. "Thank you for taking care of Wendy. You're a good man, Mason" the auburn haired woman said to her son-in-law. "Thanks, Mom" Dipper replied while giving her a hug. A final door appeared before the family. "It will lead you home" the Oracle said. "Mom... I... I forgive you. I'm sure that Jonas, Mark, Clyde and Dad do as well. I know we'll meet again someday and I can't wait for that day" Wendy said as she hugged her mother for one final time. "Gwendolyn Erin Corduroy, I will always love you with all my heart and I can't wait for that day too..." Kathleen said as she began to disappear. "Wait a minute! My middle name was supposed to be Erin?! What the hell was Blerble all about then?!" Wendy shouted to the vanishing woman. "Oh, that... Your father was gripping the pen too tight when filling out your birth certificate and it exploded. The nurse came up with that when she tried her best to make out what he had written. We thought it was funny and kept it. Sorry" she explained before completely fading away. "Well, I know what I'm doing first thing Monday morning..." Wendy remarked. The Pines family stepped through the portal that had taken the form of a door and soon they returned to the safety of their beds in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's Note: I know that this chapter is on the shorter side, but I felt that it did what it needed to do, so I didn't wanna just tack on another chapter when it's gonna be a big shift in mood. What did you all think of Kathleen's revelation? How will life change for Dipper, Wendy and the rest of Gravity Falls' citizens now that the weight of Weirdmageddon has been lifted from their minds? What does the future hold for the Pines family? Answers to all of this and more in the next installment of Tales of the Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story. - iKLOT