One of the perks of living in Gravity Falls is that it's a pretty good place to start a business. Thanks to the low average intelligence of the townsfolk (no offense), you can make any kind of tourist trap successful. They'll believe almost anything. I could grab a funny-looking rock, claim it's an ancient creature's egg, and they'd buy it without a second thought.

But here's the downside: because they're so gullible, they're also ridiculously superstitious. They believe in all sorts of nonsense. That's how we end up with things like "Summerween." Can you believe that? Summerween? Halloween is already ridiculous enough, but now they want a ghost-themed holiday in the summer?

…Okay, I'll admit, I sort of get it. It's not just the townsfolk's weird beliefs—there's probably some meta reason. The show creators wanted a Halloween episode, but the series only takes place in summer, so… Summerween. A way to have their cake and eat it too.

That being said, I'm not too worried about encountering an anomaly today. Why? Bill Cipher just sent a ridiculously powerful, reality-warping anomaly a few days ago. Even a demon like him has cooldowns. I know he's not ready to drop something that big again just yet.

So, with this temporary peace, I've been doing some research—mainly about this world and the Society of the Open Eye. And it turns out, this version of the world is more different from mine than I originally thought.

First off, the motto of the United States here is "Humanity is blessed by our existence." What on earth? Sure, I thought the old motto was a bit lame, but this? It's so absurdly patriotic, even for America. Some minor groups and organizations are different, too. Even history—though not wildly altered—has subtle differences. American technology is way ahead compared to most other countries, even more so than in my original world.

But there's still no sign of this BPI organization. Who are they? Some secret government agency? In a world like this, that wouldn't be surprising.

Now, about the Society of the Open Eye... they're surprisingly more "open" than I expected. Sure, Bud Gleeful tried to kill me, and their methods are weird, but the society actually has an official website. I checked it out, and it was… well, surprisingly normal. At least, on the surface.

Like any other cult, they're just asking people to join their group. They've got catchphrases like "open your eyes" and a unique doctrine. According to their gospel, we're all blind. They claim that 99.9% of the world is empty and that we're only seeing the surface. To witness the real 99.9%, we have to open the "eye" inside us and embrace the astral plane or whatever. It's all still pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

Anyway, since it's Summerween, and Mr. Pines loves any excuse to prank kids, I've been stuck helping him decorate the Mystery Shack for it. Making watermelon jack-o'-lanterns was... a nightmare. Unlike pumpkins, watermelons are just too watery to deal with. Now my clothes are all stained red.

Wendy left earlier, right after her shift. We haven't really talked much since the Mary incident. I did ask her if she was okay, and she said yes. After that, she went back to her usual demeanor. I'm not sure if she's just acting cool or if she really is unbothered by it.

As for the kids, well… they're having a blast. Mabel, Dipper, and Soos were getting ready to hit up every house for candy. My sister, Candy, and her friend, Grenda, were going to join them too. I saw Candy trying on her costume—she was going as an actual candy. Go figure.

"I'm so excited!" Mabel said, practically bouncing off the walls. She and Dipper were sitting on the carpet, planning out their costumes. It looked like they were almost done.

"We're gonna have the best costumes, get the best candy…"

"And have the biggest stomachache ever!" Mabel chimed in.

"Yeah!"

"I think this is the most excited I've seen you two get," I said, sweeping up the mess they left on the floor. They never clean up after themselves.

Mabel grinned proudly. "Back at home, me and Dipper were kind of the kings of trick-or-treating," she said, pulling out an old photo album. It was full of pictures of the twins in matching costumes—cats, zombies, salt and pepper shakers. "Twins in costumes. People eat it up."

"Huh. Yeah, makes sense."

"What about you, Ray? Got any plans for tonight?" Dipper asked.

"Me? Uh…" I thought for a moment. I had planned to hit up the town library to research more about Gravity Falls' history, but they didn't need to know that. "I was thinking of going to bed early. It's been a long week."

"Go to bed early? On Summerween? Ray, that's no fun!" Mabel gasped, looking at me like I'd committed a crime. "You have to come with us! You could guide us around town, maybe even wear a costume with Candy!"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Well, about that… I've never actually gone trick-or-treating before. It always seemed like too much effort just to get some candy. I'd rather read a book or clean my room."

"What?!" Mabel gasped, looking at me like I'd just said something blasphemous. Before she could start persuading me, Soos chimed in, his voice taking on a dramatic tone.

"Mabel, Dipper, if you dudes are going trick-or-treating, you better be careful out there. It's a night of ghouls and goblins. Not to mention…" He turned off the lights and shined a flashlight on his face, his expression spooky. "The Summerween Trickster!"

"The Summer-what-now?" Mabel asked, tilting her head.

"The Trickster goes door-to-door," Soos began, his voice lowering ominously, "eating children who lack the Summerween spirit."

Oh, come on, Soos... I groaned internally. It was obvious now—this was going to be one of those episodes. Sure, most of the monsters from the original show weren't exactly world-ending threats, but in this reality, who knew? Should I stay with them just in case? Or should I let the kids learn from their own experiences?

I stepped away from the group, thinking it over. You know what? Forget it. They'll probably be fine. Besides, maybe they need a lesson or two from these experiences to grow up. And if things go really sideways, I can always... well, you know, kill myself and reset.

Ding!

The doorbell rang.

"Trick-or-treaters. Quick, give 'em that terrible candy!" Mr. Pines called out from the back. I grabbed the bowl of candy he'd prepared and opened the door. I felt a little guilty about giving the kids this... weird candy. Seriously, what even was a "Sand Pop"? It sounded like a bad beach-themed snack.

But when I opened the door, I found someone unexpected standing there.

"…S'up, nerd."

"Oh. Hey, Ray."

It was Wendy and Robbie Valentino, neither of them in costume. Guess they were too old for trick-or-treating. Before I could ask what they were doing here, Dipper came speeding in out of nowhere. Wow. I swear, this kid reacts to Wendy's voice faster than anything.

"Wendy? Wendy! Haha, wh-what's up, guys?"

"I left my jacket here. Again," Wendy said, looking mildly annoyed as she grabbed her jacket from the coat rack. Valentino, leaning against the doorway, eyed Dipper and me holding the bowl of candy, and chuckled.

"What's with the candy? You guys going trick-or-treating or something?"

"Well, actually, I—" Dipper began, stammering.

But Wendy cut him off. "Shut up, Robbie. Of course, they're not going trick-or-treating." She smirked, unaware of the consequences of that little comment.

Poor Dipper froze. You could practically see him deflate. And just like that, the main plot of the episode was set in motion.

"No! Uh, yeah, trick-or-treating is for babies… I guess," Dipper muttered, trying to play it cool. I sighed inwardly.

"If you're done here, Valentino, you can leave now," I said, hoping to get rid of him. "No need to bother the kid."

Wendy tried changing the subject. "Hey, why don't you guys come to this party with us? Tambry's parents are out of town, and it's gonna be off the chain."

"But I don't want him there!" Whined Valentino.

Wendy elbowed him, smirking. "Don't be lame, Robbie. Ray should come too." She handed me a flyer. It was bright orange, with "Summerween Party" scrawled across it in bold letters. There were a couple of interesting details in the fine print like Not S*P Approved and No photos better end up online. Not S*P approved?

"What does that even mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No clue. Tambry just gave me the flyer. But seriously, Ray, you gotta come. You need a break."

Wendy leaned in and whispered, "Dude, after...Mary, I now fully understand how much stress you've been under lately. Even worse, you die every time we face something weird. You need to relax."

"Well, thanks for worrying, but I think a party would only add to my stress."

Wendy grinned. "Nah, man, it'll be fun. Besides, every teenager in town is gonna be there."

Every teenager? Now that actually got my attention. If the Society of the Open Eye had any influence in this town, someone at the party might be connected to them. This could be my chance to investigate.

"Alright," I said after a pause. "I'll go."

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Wendy cheered, while Robbie rolled his eyes.

"Wait, you're going, Ray? What about me?" Dipper looked up at me, wide-eyed and a bit panicked.

I shrugged. "Sorry, pal. You'll have to convince your sister to let you go. I've got my own reasons for being there. Keep an eye out for my little sister, okay?"

Robbie groaned. "Ugh, why does he have to come?!"

Ignoring him, I folded up the flyer and tucked it into my pocket. This party was going to be interesting. Very interesting.

"Alright, since there's still time until the party," I said, glancing again at the flyer Wendy handed me, "I'll head home and prepare."

Dipper looked like he wanted to say something, but I gave him a quick, reassuring nod before slipping out of the Mystery Shack. As soon as I stepped outside, the cool breeze swept across my face, carrying with it that strange, unsettling feeling that comes with Summerween. The town of Gravity Falls felt different on nights like this, as if something was watching just out of sight. There was no sound in the perimeter except for that old man in town singing. He stared at me as I walked toward his direction, and disappeared into the darkness.

The moon was bright.

I made my way to the town library, the shadows growing long under the streetlights. The library was dead silent when I stepped inside, the heavy door creaking shut behind me. The dim lighting made the place feel... wrong, like the air was thicker than usual. But that suited my mood just fine—I wasn't here for comfort.

Wandering between the tall bookshelves, I scanned the rows of forgotten volumes. Local history, folklore, paranormal oddities... none of it had any direct connection to the Society. But I wasn't giving up so easily.

I started my search with the town records. Nothing, just the usual mentions of local legends and tourist traps. I found old newspapers, articles about strange sightings, missing people, but nothing linking directly to the Society. They were too careful, too hidden.

Finally, I came across a dusty old book titled Gravity Falls: The History. I opened it, and at first, it seemed like any other historical record—a bunch of black-and-white photos of the townsfolk, taken every year. Smiling faces, the same small-town celebrations.

But then, something felt off. In the background of these photos, there were faces... familiar faces. My eyes stopped on one picture—a man, his expression blank, standing in the crowd. I swear I'd seen that face before. Somewhere... but where? A dream, maybe? The memory flickered and faded as quickly as it came.

This man...

who is it? Where did I see him? Did I really see him?

I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. It was probably my imagination. After all, this town had a way of making the ordinary seem strange.

I flipped through more pages, scanning for any other oddities. But there was nothing. No concrete evidence. Just that one face, staring back at me from a photo taken decades ago, a ghost of a memory that didn't quite stick.

And then there was something else... the population of the town. Year after year, it stayed weirdly stable. People came and went, but the numbers didn't change much. It was like Gravity Falls was... stuck, frozen in time somehow. It was almost sure now that the town was under some sort of control. Someone was moderating the population itself.

With a growing sense of unease, I slammed the book shut, the sound echoing through the empty library. My heart was beating a little faster now. Something about all of this wasn't right, but I couldn't figure out what.

I needed more answers, but I wasn't going to find them here.

As I walked back out into the cool night air, one thing was clear: the Society had been here for a long, long time. And if they'd been hiding in plain sight all these years, who else in this town was part of their plan?

...I guess, I might be able to figure it out today.