Stan and the kids were engrossed in watching Ducktective on the TV while I swept the floor nearby. Normally, this was Soos's responsibility, but he was busy fixing the printer, so I took over. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that Dipper was staring at me for some reason, pretending not to be. It was getting on my nerves.

"You've gone too far this time, Ducktective!"

"Quack! Quack! Quack!"

As the show approached its climax, Dipper's attention seemed elsewhere. I finally sighed and looked at him.

"What's up? What are you trying to ask, Dipper?"

"Oh! Um, nothing. It's just that... You didn't have a confrontation with Robbie after that? Nothing happened? Just like this?"

"No, I didn't fight Valentino after that. I don't think he even told Wendy because his overly narcissistic mind wouldn't allow him to admit he got knocked out."

"Aw... Ah! I mean, oh. That's great."

It seemed like Dipper was somewhat dissatisfied with the anticlimactic resolution. Perhaps he was hoping for a more dramatic ending for Valentino. But in reality, things don't always unfold the way we expect. Valentino wasn't foolish enough to pick a fight with me again.

The only potential issue could have been Valentino telling Wendy about our encounter, but that didn't happen. Valentino was simply ignoring me now. I considered it a happy ending.

So, as my shift was ending at four, and it was 3:58, I decided it was time to head home. Wendy and I were planning to visit the elementary school on Monday, and today was Saturday. I needed to prepare.

I was becoming increasingly confident that this wasn't Bill's doing but rather the Society of the Open Eye. I had a theory about the situation in Gravity Falls.

Bill wasn't the sole entity using the anomalies. There were at least three groups at play here. Bill represented the first group, the cult the second, and an unknown third group acted as a check on the cult's dominance. If the cult had control over reality-shifting anomalies, it should have spread globally, yet it didn't. This hinted at a force preventing their expansion.

My guess was the American government. The events of Pioneer Day, as narrated by Dipper and Mabel, suggested government interest in Gravity Falls. It also implied their access to anomalies. However, it remained unclear whether they were aware of Bill's existence.

At this point, I could only conclude that the anomalies were being utilized by Bill, the Society of the Open Eye, and potentially the government. The cult's motives and why they were targeting me remained unknown. Were they aligned with Bill? It seemed unlikely, given that if they were, the Society of the Open Eye should have been aware of my abilities.

Another mystery to unravel, making my head spin.

Just as I was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door. Stan, always eager for customers, opened it to find a man in a black suit with a deadly serious expression.

"Stan Pines?"

"The TAX COLLECTOR?!"

Stan panicked, throwing a smoke bomb, while I covered my respiratory system. The man, seemingly unfazed, dispersed the smoke. Stan, in a state of panic, tried to locate his trap door for his 'teleportation magic.'

"Mr. Pines, please..."

Attempting to calm Stan down, I approached as the man revealed the true reason for his visit.

"Mister Pines, I'm from the Winninghouse Coupon Savers contest, and YOU ARE OUR BIG WINNER!"

"...Wait, what?"

Before I could process this information, a cameraman and two women entered, holding a giant check for 10,000,000 dollars and showering Stan with gold confetti.

Stan, overjoyed, exclaimed, "My one and only dream, which was to possess money, has come true!" The kids started discussing what they'd do with the sudden windfall.

However, something felt off. The smug smile on the cameraman's face caught my attention, and I felt the need to warn Stan.

"Mr. Pines, I don't think this is a good idea to take this money..."

"It definitely is the best idea! How can I refuse this money, Mister?"

"Just sign here for the money."

"You bet!"

I was too late. Stan had already signed the paper, and the check revealed Gideon hiding behind it. That kid, who had caused me so much trouble before!

"Ha! Stanford, you fool! You just signed over the Mystery Shack to liddle ol' me!"

Despite Gideon's triumphant declaration, Stan and the kids burst into laughter when they noticed the altered message on the check.

"The shack is hereby signed over to... SUCK A LEMON LITTLE MAN?!"

"AHAHAHAHA!"

Stan and the kids found it hilarious, while Gideon fumed in anger and stormed out of the shack.

My shift was over with this unexpected turn of events.

"Welp... I'll be heading home now, Mr. Pines. Call me if you need anything. Be careful with that kid, though. I don't think he'll give up easily..."

"Yeah. Don't worry, kid. I can handle that little brat on my own."

As I walked back home, I pondered whether Bud Gleeful was okay. Having been attacked by the anomaly I sent back to him, I wondered if he had some safety device against anomalies. After a long walk, I entered my home and found my family watching the news.

"I'm home."

"Son, how was work?"

"Dad asked me without taking his eyes off the TV.

"Yeah. Well, it was the usual. Same boring work."

"Maybe you need to quit if you can't learn from it. Why don't you go back to teaching Pacifica?"

"Father, no. I'm not teaching her again, and that wasn't even a part-time job. More like a boring task."

Disgusted by the idea, I shrugged off Dad's suggestion. He believed teaching was a good way of learning, and while I agreed with that, dealing with Pacifica was a real pain.

"Go and wash your hands and eat some grapes."

"Okay."

After washing my hands, I settled comfortably on the couch next to Candy, helping myself to some grapes and a cup of corn tea (better than it sounds).

"So, son."

My mother, after a small fake cough, initiated a conversation without looking away from the TV.

"Are you studying? Is work not interrupting your studies?"

"No, mother. I'm fine. I have time at work to study, and I've already aced most tests."

"It's just that... this year is important. You don't have time to go goofing around with other kids. If you want to graduate early and get into a good university..."

My mother sighed, expressing her concern. I sighed too; she was being paranoid about my academics. It seemed like paranoia ran in my family's blood.

"It's just that, Ray... don't you remember back in Korea? You used to study much harder back then... I guess it was because of Mary... maybe you need a rival here too."

...Wait, who?

"...Mary?"

"Yes, Mary. You know, your best friend! Mary!"

"...I don't remember."

"Ray, you don't remember her? Oh my, time flies... You used to be rivals with her during elementary school in Korea! Can't you remember?"

"No, I don't. And it's weird. Mary? What are you talking about, Mother? I never had foreign friends back in elementary..."

Dad chuckled, finding the situation amusing.

"You really don't remember her? Well, this is interesting. You used to stick around with her all the time back there."

"Do you... have a photo? Or any kind of evidence that I can see."

"Evidence? Well... I'm not sure if this is something that even needs evidence... But we do have a lot of photos of you playing with her."

"...What...?"

And it was true. The photo albums held a treasure trove of memories from my childhood – snapshots frozen in time. Amidst the yellowed pages, there was one particular image that stood out. A white girl with big, expressive eyes, standing next to me, her infectious smile capturing a moment of genuine joy.

...Mary. It's her, isn't it? Wendy's friend...

"Father, mother. I'll... be back soon. Okay? Don't wait for dinner."

"Son? What are you..."

Before Dad could say anything more, I bolted out of the room and dialed Wendy's number.

"Hello?"

"Wendy! Serious situation. I...think I'm being affected right now, by Mary. The friend that you said no one remembers...For some reason, my family remembers her as my childhood friend."

Wendy's silence echoed through the phone, a pregnant pause filled with unspoken questions.

-...I was also just about to call you for the same thing. Robbie and Tambry just texted me about this too.

"...Valentino and Tambry? Only the two of them?"

-Yeah, for some reason...

"...Did you tell the two of them about your Mary story?"

-...Yes...?

"That might be the reason. Okay, don't panic. Just stay still, and don't do anything abrupt...It seems like 'Mary' has the ability to breach into our memories or something, so start to write everything that you remember about her right now."

"Our memories? Wait, are you also remembering something strangely?"

"No. I...Think. I don't have any memories of meeting Mary though. Just stay calm...We don't know what this thing can do."

I hung up the phone and reentered the house, thoughts racing as I pondered my next steps. If there's a photo of Mary, maybe I have...something more. Some more information...

"Father. Do you remember where...Mary is currently living?"

"How do I know that? All I know is that she's in another state. Didn't you have a phone number? I lost all contact with her after we moved to Gravity Falls."

...Phone number?

I opened my phone and checked the contact app...and...there it was.

Mary Robinson-1(666) 666-6666

...What...the heck? There's no area code 666...Well, at least she's in America...Should I call her? Now?

"...No...I need to be more careful. Calling her...might let her breach into my memories."

...I checked my messages. Wendy was texting me like crazy.

-Dude. Robbie says that he suddenly got an ex-band member that he doesn't remember but others do...And he says that he has never known a bass player called Mary. Tambry says that she still can't remember Mary, but she also found an online friend that she never remembered she added. Her nickname is...MR...Probably short for Mary Robinson. What do we do?

...I needed to think for a bit...But still, I have no idea.

[Wendy...Tell them not to mess with it right now. It might cause serious problems. Are you experiencing any of that right now?]

-Well, some of my family are remembering Mary as my...childhood best friend...Which is weird cause I never told them.

[I do...have her number right now. But it's only made out of 6. So don't call her, since...it's probably not even a real number.]

-Okay.

And after further research, Wendy and I found out some information. First was that Robbie, Tambry, Wendy, and I...were the only ones that didn't experience Memory shift...probably.

And the second thing is to someone Mary was a quiet kid, and for some, she was an extrovert kid who loved music. But they all had the same point they were our best friend once but moved somewhere far away before elementary school graduation.

[...It's already midnight. let's talk tomorrow at the shack, okay?]

-Got it. Goodnight.

[Just stay aware of the things happening around you. 'Cause even I...never saw something like this before.]

...After leaving my phone to charge, I lay on my bed and pondered. Something was extremely off. Why would the SOE want to...cause a massive memory change to this town? And why are we the only ones who are not affected by this memory change? What is Mary's purpose?

...Please. I don't want to die again...

Tomorrow. I prepared to go to the shack. Today, I had to go there by 10, so I had some time...

-Drr...

And my phone rang. It was Wendy. and the second I answered my phone...

-Ray. You need to come here. To the shack. Quick.

"...The shack? Yeah, I'm about to..."

-Mary. She's at the shack.