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Young Writers Society


12+

a collection of Gravity Falls short stories

by HildegardHope


Dipper swerved the golf cart to the left to avoid the tree that slammed into the ground beside him. Mabel covered her mouth, barely managing not to vomit. The monster roared and thundered behind them, the tall shadow of the unimaginable horror chased them and eclipsed the cart. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

EARLIER

Dipper hopped off the bus, dragging his suitcase behind him. He adjusted his brown hat, it was worn in the best places, although Mabel had had to resew the star symbol on it once. Speaking of Mabel, she followed him. Her long brown hair bounced behind her, and some of it frizzed and stuck to her pink sweater with a shooting star on it. The star motif was no accident, apparently ‘twinning’ was important on their first day in Gravity Falls. Dipper had refused to wear the glittering pink fur vest that Mabel had offered, instead opting for his typical black one, he didn’t see the point of embarrassing himself, they were already twins anyway, it’s not like wearing different clothes was going to change that.

Standing by the bus stop, there was an overweight Hispanic man? Teenager? with a baseball cap and a green shirt with a question mark on it that looked like it might have been drawn on with Sharpie, he was smiling and held up a cardboard sign saying

MABEL AND DIPPER!

Dipper hesitated, there was no way that was their Great Uncle Stanford, Mabel grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the stranger.

“Hi! We’re Mabel and Dipper.” She said, braces flashing

The man put the sign under his arm and gave a thumbs-up. “Oh, sick dudes, nice to meet you. I’m Soos.”

He and Mabel high-fived.

“Uh, where can we find our Great Uncle?” Dipper asked, clutching his luggage a little tighter than he needed to.

“Oh yeah, he’s at the cabin, he sent me to pick up you little dudes,” Soos said, taking Mabel’s suitcase, he reached out a hand for Dipper’s but he shook his head.

“No way! I knew Grunkle Stanford was rich but I didn’t know he had a butler!” Mabel said,

Soos chuckled, “Heh, no, I’m more of a fix-it kinda dude.” He scratched the back of his head, “Although I do kinda do butler stuff too.”

“Okay.” Dipper said, “So uh, where is the car?”

He looked around, the metal bus stop was empty, other than the three of them and a squirrel, the trees around the road went up so tall that you had to crane your neck back to see the tops, the road was dirt, and there was a rickety looking golf cart pushed to one side that had probably been there for years, but no car.

“Oh, the car had a flat dude, I didn’t want you to be waiting so I took the cart,” Soos said, jerking a thumb in the golf cart's direction

Dipper looked at the golf cart again. “Oh.”

“Cool!” Mabel said, hopping in.

Dipper reluctantly followed, well, if he turned out to be a kidnapper at least they could jump off. Soos started the engine, they drove in silence for a while, Dipper had to admit that the cart ran well despite its appearance. He cleared his throat. “So… what is Stanford like?”

“Well.” Soos said, “He’s really nice once you get to know him, the townsfolk like, gossip a lot ‘bout him though, call him “Mr. Mystery” or sometimes “Scientist who lives in the murder hut in the woods.” It's all fake though, he just likes his privacy. I don’t even think he’s actually a scientist, like, he mostly fixes stuff, like an inventor maybe? taught me everything I know dudes.” Soos ended with some pride in his voice.

Mabel nodded, “I can’t wait, this summer is going to be awesome, soooo, on a different note, hey, Soos, do you know any eligible bachelors around my age?”

“Huh? I mean yeah there’s Gideon, but he’s like, famous dudes, um, oh, and like, there’s this one dude whose been trapped in the pool solitary cell for a couple years, I share snacks with him sometimes.” Soos said,

Dipper cleared his throat again, “So, uh, Soos, I heard that Stanford was like, pfft I don’t know, a genius or something? And-that-he-has-six-fingers.” Dipper said the last part quickly

Soos shrugged. “Dude, anyone who can make a pizza cutter that always cuts pizza in perfect triangles all the way through, every time, is basically a genius in my book, the six fingers thing is true though, I think it’s called like, polydactyly or something? He always complains about scissors being too small for him.”

Dipper and Mabel were both quiet for a while, Soos hummed as he drove the golf cart. Mabel eventually spoke up. “So, about this pool dude…”

Dipper tuned out the conversation. Instead of staring out at the trees, they went by slower than they did in the bus. He still wondered if Soos was kidnapping them, but honestly, he looked at the self-proclaimed handyman again and found it hard to believe, the guy just radiated trustful energy, although, that would make him a good serial killer.

Not much longer passed before a clearing came into view, inside the clearing was a rather charming three-story cabin, nothing like the murder hut that Dipper had been envisioning, a rocking chair sat on the porch, and two cars sat on the driveway, one was an old faded red convertible that looked like it came right out of the 1970s, it sat low to the ground and judging from the weeds growing out of the muffler, definitely didn’t drive, the other was a much more modern looking tan minivan that appeared to have a flat tire.

Soos parked the golf cart and gestured to the cabin. “Welcome to your home away from home dudes.”

He climbed out and handed Mabel her suitcase back. Soos strode up to the door and knocked three times, he didn’t wait for anyone to come to the door before unlocking it. He turned to the twins. “I was coming right back so the deadbolts aren’t on right now, but normally they are, so like you're gonna want to go through the other door most of the time, that one is only armed at night.”

“Armed?” Dipper asked, but Soos didn’t respond

Instead, he pushed open the door and ushered them in, he locked it behind him, then he reached up and slid three deadbolts into place. Huh, the ax murderer was suddenly looking a bit more likely. The room was cluttered, pieces of metal and various circuitry littered the many shelves, it wasn’t well-lit, and the few lights that did exist were blocked by the piled-high boxes and jars, most of the jars were empty, although, some of them contained other jars.

In one corner there was a staircase, and then two corridors, one leading into a living area, the other down to a hallway, out of the living room, a man suddenly appeared. Dipper was instantly sure that this was his great-uncle. Firstly, he looked like his grandpa, although, older, and secondly, his hands, he was wearing an old tan trench coat, and under it, he wore a red collared shirt. He had put his hands in his pockets once he walked into the doorway, but Dipper had gotten a good enough look at them to be sure.

Great Uncle Stanford wore glasses, the kind that only had frames attached to the top and left the lenses open on the other three sides, he had a small amount of stubble, as if he had shaved a few days ago, his grey hair was long, but not unkept, almost fluffy, and he was possibly the oldest person Dipper had ever seen with sideburns, but he pulled it off remarkably well. His chin was pronounced and cleft and he was tall, but the way he carried himself was slightly reserved, not hunched, but somehow pulled back as if he was afraid that they were going to bite him.

“Er. Greetings.” Stanford said, “Thank you for bringing them, Soos.”

“No problem Mr. Pines,” Soos said, giving a thumbs up. “I’ll leave you to it then. Bye, dudes.”

Soos disappeared into the house. Stanford stared at the twins for a moment before clearing his throat. “Well, follow me, your room is in the attic unless you’d like separate rooms, I suppose that could be arranged.”

Stanford began to walk up the stairs, there were no introductions, but then again, Dipper supposed that they all knew each other’s names. Dipper lifted his suitcase into his arms, but Mabel let hers bump up the stairs, “Shared room is fine.” He said

“Yep!” Mabel echoed. “So, Grunkle Stanford-“

“Uh,” Stanford said, “Just call me Ford… please.”

“So, Grunkle Ford,” Mabel said, “What is your opinion on sparkly sweaters?”

“I suppose it would be useful if one was to encounter a…” He paused on the stairs, and looked confused, then kept walking, “Sorry, lost my train of thought, I like sweaters, particularly turtle necks, why?”

“Oh, I love sweaters,” Mabel said, “In fact, I made this one!” She tugged on her shooting star sweater. They passed the second floor.

Ford looked her up and down. “You have skill, I never would’ve guessed.”

Mabel beamed “What’s your favorite color?”

“Red, you?” Grunkle Ford said,

“All of them.” Mabel responded, “It feels unfair to pick just one.” Then she leaned in as if hiding a secret from the colors and whispered, “Pink.”

“Hm,” Ford said, nodding seriously.

They reached the top of the stairwell and Grunkle Ford pointed to a door. “That’s your room. I’ll leave you to get settled.”

Mabel ran up to the door, Dipper looked at Ford again. Ford looked back, then he broke the eye contact and walked awkwardly down the stairs a little too fast. How strange.

“Dipper! I call right-bed!” Mabel called, from the attic.

Dipper walked into the room, it was mostly empty, and kind of stuffy, the floor and walls were plain wood paneling, two neatly made beds sat on either side of the room, two nightstands that only held lamps, a door that probably led to a closet and the recently swept out floor where the only features of the room, if you didn’t count the triangular window. Dipper threw his suitcase on the floor and sat on his bed by default. Mabel was poking at the wall.

“Hey check out my splinters!” She said, waving her hands, with several pieces of wood stuck in them,

“Cool.” Dipper said, “So- What do you think of… Ford?”

“He seems nice.” Mabel said, “A little weird, but in a good way.”

“Yeah.” Dipper said, “Mabel so I was thinking, this place wasn’t on any maps… and I could barely find any information on it anywhere, don’t you think it’s a little strange that someone who wrote a nationally ranked essay and was able to get a PhD in literally world record time would be living in the middle of nowhere Oregon?”

“I don’t know Dipper,” Mabel said, “Maybe Grandpa Shermie was wrong about all that, or maybe Grunkle Ford just likes it here? Not everything is a conspiracy.”

The two of them shrugged and began to unpack, the closet was much bigger than it looked and it easily fit both of their clothes, Mabel set her knitting needles and a ball of red yarn on her bed. Then she began to knit what Dipper assumed was going to be a turtle neck.

“I’m gonna head downstairs,” Dipper said,

“M’Kay.” Mabel said,

Dipper closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs, his hand trailing lightly along the banister. He walked into the room he’d seen Ford come out of. It was equally as messy as the entrance. There was a probably fake T-Rex skull sitting in an empty fish tank. A yellow couch had been placed haphazardly in front of a TV in the center of the room. The walls were lined with shelves as before. These ones, however, held books, there must’ve been hundreds, the wallpaper was a faded triangular pattern. He kept walking, he peaked into what looked like a kitchen, but he heard noise coming from the other room across from it.

He stepped into a library. An honest to goodness library. Dipper stood frozen in the doorway. He vaguely took notice of the wire mesh door leading outside that didn’t quite match up with the ceiling high bookshelves and the plush chairs. Great Uncle Ford, sitting in one of these reading a book seemed to be shocked to see him.

“Oh! Dipper, uh, is something wrong with the room?” He asked,

“No, I finished unpacking,” Dipper said, adjusting his hat

“Oh.” Ford said, then he coughed. “Why don’t you go play outside? I’ll send your sister along when she comes down.” There was something akin to desperation in his voice. “The forest is beautiful; you never know what you could find out there.” He stared through Dipper before snapping back to reality. “Mostly ticks. And woodpeckers. But it’s the thought that counts.”

“O…kay.” Dipper said slowly, he walked over to the door, and turned the handle, the door creaked open. Ford looked at him one more time, then nodded and returned to his book.

There was something off about that man. The clearing was open, and a goat idyllically pulled up grass, it looked up at Dipper and bleated. Right. Well, he picked a random direction and started walking. He shoved his hands in his pockets, if this was how all summer was going to be, he wished he was still in California. The trees grew up high around him and birdsong floated through the air, the air itself was entirely different in a way he hadn’t really bothered to notice before.

The forest was beautiful, but he wasn’t really thinking about it with an open mind. Dipper had been told that Great Uncle Ford was some kind of an excentric genius who had all kinds of secrets and would take them on adventures. Ford just seemed afraid. Dipper had wanted to explore the house a bit, it looked just like the kind of place that would have a secret passage way. He’d probably have time, later, if he was allowed to. He walked for what felt like hours, but was probably only one.

A pain spiked in his side, and Dipper breathed through his teeth. He hated cramps. He leaned against a tree, resting his head on it. He paused. The tree was… cold? The bark texture also felt strange. He turned around and looked at the tree again, it looked, like a tree. He ran his hands over the tree, until he found a place that felt smoother than the rest. Dipper tapped on it with a knuckle, it let out a hollow clang.

He grinned, excitement pulsed through his veins, no way. The hollow space was a small square, he ran his fingers along the edge found a grip in the grooves of the fake bark. Dipper tugged open the secret compartment. Inside, there was what looked to be an old metal box, covered in cobwebs and dust, it had an antenna, several gauges and levers. Dipper flicked a lever, for a moment nothing happened, then there was the sound of gears grinding.

He turned to the source of the sound, a patch of ground a few yards away, and watched as it opened to reveal a second compartment. Dipper cautiously approached. The hole was larger than it needed to be, a stark and dust filled metal box that only held an old and dust covered book. Dipper leaned over the hole and pulled out the book. He took a deep breath and blew the dust off the top.

His hands where practically trembling when he looked at it. The red leather-bound tome was titleless, and the only thing on the cover was a golden hand print with the number 3 in the middle. A six fingered hand. Dipper sat on the grass opened the book, dust and dead moths fell out, on the insider cover, it had at one point said the owner of the book, but it was torn, and now only said “Property Of…

Dipper flipped through the yellowed pages and was greeted by endless detailed pen drawings of monsters and impossible creatures, text that faded in and out in a stylized cursive ink explaining their weaknesses and strengths, this wasn’t a book, it was a journal of some kind. He hesitated on a page, in the corner in dark, blocky letters and underlined several times it said

TRUST NO ONE!

Dipper gulped. He pulled the book closer to his chest. His eyes scanning the page for a moment before going to the top and beginning to read.

“Whatcha reading, some nerd thing?” Mabel asked, jumping out from behind him.

Dipper slammed the journal shut. “Mabel!” He shouted.

Mabel laughed, “It took me forever to find you- These woods are huge! Actually, that’s part of what I have to tell you.”

“What could you possibly have to tell me?” Dipper asked, hiding the journal under his arm.

“So~” Mabel said, “You have to come back to the cabin, because I want you to meet my new boyfriend! He’s coming to pick me up in half an hour.”

“How did you get a boyfriend in the like hour since I left the cabin?” Dipper asked,

“We met in the forest, and he was e-nam-ured by my adorableness.” Mabel said,

“Who is this guy?” Dipper asked, “Where in the forest?”

“It’s a secret, you’ll meet him soon anyway.” Mabel giggled and ran off. Shouting behind her. “I need to go get ready for my date.”

Dipper rolled his eyes and began the walk back to the cabin. It didn’t take him nearly as long to get back as he thought it would, he had taken a rather indirect path, and soon he was pushing the door to the library open. Ford was still sitting in his chair reading, Dipper suddenly felt Journal 3’s weight under his arm.

“Hey Grunkle Ford?” Dipper said, walking toward him.

“Er, yes?” He said, looking up and adjusting his glasses.

Dipper held out the book, “I found this in the woods, do you... know anything about it?”

Ford squinted at the Journal for longer than was necessary. “No… No, I can’t say I’ve seen that before, how strange, although I can see why you asked me,” He waggled his six fingers, “what is it?”

Dipper hesitated for a second, “Uh- I haven’t read it yet, it’s some kind of journal or diary I think, it was buried, who knows for how long.”

Ford shrugged, “Interesting, it seems you now own a piece of history Dipper, be careful, it’s probably fragile from the looks of things,” He looked around, “I think I have a book that’s on book restoration here somewhere, I’ll leave it in the attic for you if I find it.”

“Thanks, Grunkle Ford.” Dipper said, putting the journal back under his arm, maybe he wasn’t so bad, “Oh! And did you see Mabel come through here?”

“Yes… Something about a boy, I don’t know about that,” Ford shook his head. “Far to sudden.”

Dipper stood in the middle of the room for a moment before he sat in one of the chairs and began to carefully thumb through the journal.

------------------------------------------

Stan Pines screamed as the superheated conductor burned through his clothes and into his skin. Ford instantly pulled back, a frantic apology fell from his lips, but Stan didn’t seem to notice, or believe him. Stan tackled Ford and they tumbled back into the portal room proper. The giant triangular monolith stared at them like a tyrant watching gladiation as they clashed beneath its shadow, Stan was slammed into the activation lever by his brother, and blue lights began to swirl from the portal. Ford noticed but he didn’t register that the portal had turned on until the red button that opened it had been pressed by his elbow.

The first journal was tugged between them, there was shouting of words that neither of them would be able to clearly remember, then Ford stepped on the striped caution tape, he stumbled back as the portal tugged at his hair and clothes, Stanley, holding onto the journal, was pulled into the danger zone with him. The twins felt the weightlessness at the same time. Stanford’s glasses flew off as he tried to push his way out of the gravitational pull of the portal. The world instantly became a messy blur, his hair danced in front of his eyes, he was flailing wildly, shouting, screaming, blurry memories. The journal had clattered to the floor at some point.

As they grew closer to the blue field of energy Stan grabbed his brother’s wrist. Ford looked at Stan’s face, but he couldn’t see him clearly enough, ten years of separation and festering guilt and anger were transformed into desperation. Ford grabbed Stan’s arm with his free hand. Stanley saw his twin’s face for the last time.

“I’ll fix this.” Ford shouted as his head was pulled into the portal

It took 7 seconds for them to go through the portal

The other side of the portal was dark, the walls wear illuminated by pin pricks of light. No, not light. Eyes. Hundreds of thousands of eyes littered every surface. Ford’s torso was almost entirely through the portal, Stan had begun to appear. The blurry form of whatever was in that cave, whatever that cave was, slowly took a vague shape in Stanford’s mind. He felt himself shaking and his breathing became irregular, this was wrong. Everything about its shape was wrong. It was moving wrong. It had too much, far too much.

It shouldn’t-

Why did it-

EYES

EYES

EYES

Everything was watching him. Ford felt Stan’s grip on his wrist tighten. No. No. No. NO.

Fiddleford had almost lost his mind when saw-

What would happen to-

It would all be his fault-

He never should’ve-

It would have been better if he didn’t-

Stan had perfect eyesight

Stan could see it.

Ford was almost entirely through the portal now. He tumbled onto the soft and porous ground; it didn’t feel like rock. Stan fell after him. Ford clamped his hands over Stan’s eyes. Stan reacted instinctually, and tried to push Ford away.

“Stanley, you can’t see this- I can’t let you see this.” Ford said, his voice was warbling

“What the heck is going on Ford?” Stan shouted,

Ford took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, he found that he could think much clearer. “There is a… a thing on this side of the portal. It nearly drove my lab assistant mad when he looked at it. I don’t have my glasses, but you. can’t. look.”

“Why the heck would I believe you?” Stan said, but he stopped struggling

“I- you don’t have any reason to, but I can’t have you see this, please Stan.” Ford said, he took off his tie with one hand and pressed it into Stan’s. “Blindfold yourself… please.”

Stan sighed and pushed Ford off him, tying the blindfold around his eyes.

“Happy?” Stan said, “Now you have thirty seconds to explain where we are, why you have a death portal in your basement and how to get back.”

“We are in another universe, I was dismantling the portal, it’s a wonder it even turned on, and… I don’t know,” Ford said, he opened his eyes.

“Seriously, you’re joking? How did this even-?” Stan sighed and stood up, wobbling. “Fine, let’s say I believe you. Are there any people here? Like, a mad scientist or something? Other than you.”

“I… I assume so, we are in a cave, I guess first order of business would be getting out of it. Then we can find someone who has the technical knowledge to get us back to our universe.” Ford said, also standing up.

“How do we know there is a way out?” Stan asked,

“Well-“ Ford said, he looked at the thousands of eyes lining every surface, that disappeared around their feet. “I suppose that there would have to be a way in, otherwise how would it eat?”

“What is it?” Stan asked,

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.” Ford said,

“Fine, lead the way.” Stan said, holding out his arm.

“Huh?” Ford asked

“Well gee, I’m sure I’m going to walk through a mysterious cave full of monsters too horrible to be mentioned with a blindfold on by myself” Stan said,

“Oh, erm” Ford cleared his throat and took Stan’s hand.

He kept on hand trailing along the wall, the other on Stanley who walked behind him, the cave was warm, and although at first, they had made slow progress, Ford quickly got used to seeing without his glasses, and Stanley had started leaning on Ford more as they walked, they didn’t speak, but Ford found it strange how easily they seemed to fall into routine, as he walked the eyes never got close enough that he could touch them, they always stayed just far enough away, moving or vanishing from their places on the soft walls. There was a rhythmic breeze in the cavern, it hissed through the walls and every few seconds hot moist air would blow through the empty paths.

Ford’s hand continued to lightly trail along the wall, he ran across something sharp and pain suddenly rippled through his hand. Without thinking he dropped Stan’s wrist and clutched his hand, crying out in shock more than pain.

“Ford! Ford what’s wrong- what happened?” Stan said, his hand was instantly on his brother’s shoulder, pulling Ford into his arms and in a protective huddle.

“Its nothing- I just nicked my hand on the wall and it surprised me.” Ford said as he watched the blood begin to well up in the wound, it was deep, and jagged.

Ford looked at Stan, he was unsure whether to pull away or accept the sudden embrace, but Stan didn’t wait for him to decide, adjusting his position to lean Ford against his side, giving him a free hand, he began to reach up toward the blindfold.

“Let me see.”

“Don’t you dare take off that blindfold!” Ford shouted; Stan flinched, “Sorry I-“ He took a breath, Ford squeezed Stan’s hand with his uninjured one. “I’m fine, I’m not even bleeding.”

Ford pressed his other palm against his trench coat, leaving a visible red stain.

Stan hmphed. “Fine. Whatever.” He pulled away; and suddenly they were strangers again.

Ford swallowed. “Okay.” He squeezed the hem of his coat to apply pressure on the wound, and kept leading Stan down the corridors.

-----------------------------------------------

Drifting Stars

The last thing she remembered was falling upward. As if gravity itself had decided to turn on its head, it twisted her insides and spat her out, then came the cold, the unbearable cold that sank into every bone in her body. She wasn’t sure when she had laid down, or whether she had been thrown into the cold already on her back, but at some point she found herself laying down in an apocalypse of white, her sweater quickly became soaked from the slush, she struggled, but breathing burned her lungs, every step made her sink deeper into the snow, it burned her bare legs and hands, she clawed her way upward, eventually pushing her way to the top layer of snow, her heart seemed to be frozen, and she closed her eyes.

Eventually things stopped being so cold. She wasn’t sure when she became aware again, words dug their way into her brain as she dreamed, trying to make sense of it all.

An upside-down triangle glowing blue-

Stan Pines, Dead-

Three matching journals-

Government agents-

Vending machine-

Do you really think I’m a bad guy Mabel?

She became aware of the smell of smoke, a blanket draped over her, and the flickering light of a fire. Her eyelids twitched and her breathing changed. There was the sound of someone moving, then a gentle hand was placed on her forehead. She pried her eyes open, and was greeted with an almost familiar face.

“Stan?” She asked softly,

The man’s eyes widened, he pulled his hand away as if she had burned him and stood up from the crouch beside her, she rubbed her eyes. The man looked like Stan, but a crack ran down his glasses, his hair was slightly longer than her Grunkle’s, and he had the slight beginnings of a beard. His clothing was all black and blended in the uncertain light.

“Sorry, what did you say?” He asked,

Her brow furrowed, he didn’t sound like Stan, his voice was… smoother? She looked the almost-Stan in the eyes, her own voice surprisingly hoarse, “Grunkle Stan? Is that you?”

The almost-Stan suddenly looked very contemplative, he turned away from the girl “No. I am most certainly not. I found you in the snow not far from here, you had hypothermia and some minor frostbite, you where unconscious for some time.”

“Oh.” She said, “I’m Mabel, where is…” She looked around the space, it appeared to be a small cave, barely a room, with a large fire built near the entrance way, warm air blew into the space, a bag was thrown into the corner, and a bedroll was laid out across from her, she noticed that her sweater had been set out to dry near the fire, her white shirt was still slightly damp. “Here.” Mabel finished.

“Well, this planet is called H1O-3832, an ice planet uninhabited by intelligent life but filled with natural resources, this universe is 61*], most well-known for its… well, incredibly rich natural resources and ice.” Almost-Stan said,

“Wait,” Mabel said, pushing herself up. “Planets? Universes? Astrix-bracket?”

“Ah, hm, I assumed that you were familiar with interdimensional travel, because, well…” He gestured at her, “You got here.”

Mabel shook her head. “I have no idea how any of this works.”

“Well, uh, do you know what dimension you’re from?” Almost-Stan asked.

“Nope.” Mabel said, “But I’m sure its going to be fine! all my family has to do is turn the portal in the basement back on and come get me, how far is this from where you found me?”

“Not… far…” Almost-Stan said, “A few minutes maybe.” He began to pace the little cave, “you said your name was Mabel…?”

“Pines.” Mabel said, putting her hand, “Mabel Pines.”

Almost-Stan hesitated for a moment before shaking it, “My name is Ford. Mabel, I’m not sure how to tell you this but…”

“Cool! You have six fingers!” Mabel said, “Its just like my brother’s nerd book.”

Ford chuckled, “Yes, I think so too, it’s called polydact-“ He cleared his throat, “Mabel… There is a good chance that your family won’t be able to come get you. At least, not for some time.”

“…Why?” Mabel asked,

“Well, you came through a portal, in the basement, correct?” He took a half charred stick from the fire and drew an upside-down triangle with a circle in the center, “Did it happen to look like this?”

“Yeah! How’d you know?” Mabel asked, she squinting at the drawing.

“Because I’ve built one.” Ford said, “There are hundreds scattered across the multiverse, apostrophe-backslashes almost always have one.”

Mabel opened her mouth to ask a question, but Ford spoke before she did. “It means Parallel earths. The portals are highly unstable, I only used mine once before I fell through and it needed severe repairs, and, that is only if they don’t destroy the universe before they break anyway.”

Mabel was quiet for a moment. “So… what are the chances my universe didn’t implode?”

“Well, it wouldn’t implode, but it may have caused a rift in space time that, if not properly contained could cause the nightmare realm to leak into your universe, and eventually be destroyed by the… things that live there.” Ford said, he scratched the back of his neck.

“Hm.” Mabel said, “I’ll take it.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, surprised at Mabel’s reaction, but he supposed he couldn’t expect a child to understand universal destruction when it was a concept of such enormity that made it impossible to comprehend.

“Me and my brother Dipper have been fighting monsters all summer, if something happened, I’m sure that everyone would be able to figure it out.” Mabel said,

Ford looked at the floor, I’d be wrong to dash her hopes, then he looked back at Mabel, “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned your brother, are you two close?”

“Oh yeah, we’re twins so, we’ve literally been through everything together.” She grinned,

“Oh.” Ford said, he was silent for a moment. “Well, anyway, what confuses me is why the portal sent you here, they lead directly to the Nightmare realm... unless, hm.”

“What is it?” Mabel asked,

“Well, the blueprints are… extradimensional, so every portal is identical, no matter what universe it’s in, however, before I got lost in the multiverse I drafted sketches for a ‘recall’ system, which the portal would pinpoint any dimensional signatures matching its home universe, and open a portal near it, allowing any displaced objects or people to be retrieved, I never got past concepting, but I have been to universes where it is fully in affect, its possible that there was a faulty line of code, or a blown wire, and your portal opened in the nearest habitable space.” Ford said, “Of course, that is a long shot, because it should absolutely on no occasions do that.”

“Well.” Mabel said, “I’m stumped.”

Ford rubbed his chin, he seemed to be considering something before he eventually spoke. “Mabel, do you mind if I ask you some questions about your universe? I’d like to check something.”

“Fire away.” Mabel said, giving him finger guns.

“What color is the sky? Grass? Water?” he asked,

“Uh, Blue, green, blue, but also sometimes green when its dirty, and also clear when its in a cup.” Mabel said.

Ford nodded, “where are you from?”

“California, but I’ve been staying the summer with my Grunkle in Oregan.” Mabel said

“Gravity Falls?”

“Yeah!”

“What is a ‘Grunkle?” Ford asked

“Great-Uncle.” Mabel said

“What do you call the white cheese that you put on top of spaghetti?”

“Uh, parmesan?”

“Do you know who the Beetles are?”

“A band that old people listen to.”

“Hm. Did your… Grunkle(?) Build the portal?” Ford asked,

“…I’m not sure, it was in his basement.”

“Tell me about him.” Ford asked

“Uh… he’s old, and grumpy, and he tries to act like he doesn’t care about anyone, but he really does.” Mabel said, “He runs the Mystery Shack, where he lies to people and they give him money.”

“Who won World War two?”

“The good guys.”

Ford gave her a dead pan look,

“I think it was like, America, Britan, Russia and some other guys?” Mabel said with a shrug

“On average, before you went to Gravity Falls, how many non-human sapient beings did you interact with?” Ford asked,

“…none? What does sapient mean?” Mabel asked,

“They can talk, and think.” Ford said,

“Oh yeah. None.” Mabel said,

“What is the name of the country you live in?” Ford asked,

“The United States of America.” Mabel said,

“So, you mistook me for your great uncle, does he also have six fingers?” Ford asked, glancing away from Mabel as he said so,

“No, but your face is like, eerily similar.” Mabel said,

“Interesting, what did you say his name was again?” Ford said, absentmindedly.

“Stan.” Mabel said,

Ford hesitated before asking, “Stan… ley?”

“No, Stanford.”

Ford rubbed his chin, “…Are you certain?”

Mabel opened her mouth, then closed it, she looked at her hands, “No.” she whispered

A/N: I know the Grammar isn't perfect, I just didn't put it through the checker because I'm lazy rn. 

Also, tell me what your favorite story was I may continue one of these into a full series. 


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Sat Nov 02, 2024 3:54 pm
EsmerayaRose wrote a review...



I must admit, i was not expecting this....to begin with reading the narrative was not too difficult. A major benefit for a fanfiction is that the conversation flowed easily giving me the impression that I was truly listening to Dipper and Mabel converse. I thought it was really captivating and visually appealing particularly the way the individuals and their environments were described. I was glued to the screen during the action sequences, such as when Dipper swerved the golf cart to avoid a tree.....There were a few little grammatical errors but nothing that made it difficult to comprehend. Overall, the writing was enjoyable and perfectly complemented the atmosphere of Gravity Falls. I like that you admitted that the grammar wasn't flawless; it demonstrates that you were mindful of the issue and want to fix it.Undoubtedly, there was sufficient background information given to comprehend the narrative. Your quick introduction of the characters and their interactions, particularly the interplay between Dipper and Mabel, impressed me. The reference of the "unimaginable horror" and Great Uncle Ford's secrets, among other suspenseful and mysterious elements, gave the story depth and maintained my attention. I found several portions particularly noteworthy, such as Mabel's exchanges with Soos and her enthusiasm over twinning with Dipper. They were humorous and effectively reflected her personality. The conversation seemed genuine, as if it were what the characters would say on the show


The essence of Gravity Falls was encapsulated in this enjoyable piece.More stories from this collection are really appreciated, particularly if they go deeper into the secrets this one reveals! Keep up the fantastic job!




HildegardHope says...


thanks!



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Wed Oct 30, 2024 3:21 am
SusanCWarren says...



This collection of Gravity Falls short stories captures the quirkiness and mystery of the series. The engaging stories draw readers in, like the thrilling moments in poppy playtime chapter 3 all offer unique perspectives on beloved characters that fans will enjoy reading.




HildegardHope says...


...??



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Sun Sep 29, 2024 8:57 am
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Alwaysea wrote a review...



Hiii...a multiverse that's my first one. It's quite engaging and entertaining. Comes to Grammer i am also lazy so don't think too much..the enotion that carries is important. At the end got little bit confused but I got an overall idea. "I have a suggestion: since it's a long piece, it might be better to split it into two parts. This way, readers will stay interested and not get bored."

I really enjoyed the story about the twins, Dipper and Mabel. Their names fit them well. As I read, I was reminded of the Narnia series, where siblings go on vacation and discover the secrets of a new place. Your story has a twist with its technological multiverse, which is really interesting. The city seems abandoned, with few buses and no cars, and the lone mansion in the forest adds to the mystery. The twins are curious about their uncle, especially since they hear he’s a genius with six fingers.

Once they settle into their room, the real adventure begins. Dipper, despite being scared, gathers his courage and heads into the forest. He walks a long way until he finds a secret journal, not knowing it was hidden there. The character Soos is small but engaging, and it seems like Mr. Ford treated him as his assistant while living alone. The curiosity and bravery of the twins set the stage for an exciting journey ahead!
Now comes to characters...ofcourse first of all Mable my favorite right away.

Mabel- She has a very lively and talkative personality, making it easy for her to make friends. It’s no surprise she found a boyfriend just an hour after arriving at Stanford! Despite trusting everyone, her sweet nature brings a smile to everyone’s face. She also takes care of her twin, Dipper, and often takes the lead in their adventures. Her friendly spirit and strong personality make her a natural leader, and it’s clear that she deeply cares for her brother.

Dipper-Dipper comes across as an introvert who doesn’t easily trust others. For example, he initially doubts Soos, even thinking he might be a kidnapper. Despite his cautious nature, Dipper is also very curious. When he discovers that his uncle Mr. Ford shares the same features as their grandfather, he feels relieved to confirm their family connection. However, Dipper remains unsure about Ford, as his uncle has a very secretive side that raises questions. This blend of curiosity and skepticism drives Dipper to dig deeper into the mysteries surrounding his uncle.

Mr. Ford - He has the typical features of a genius: he always looks neat and prefers to stay alone. There’s something intriguing about him, as he has isolated himself from the rest of the world, which he seems to find unnecessary. He focuses on his experiments and though he cares for them but avoids conversations with his niece and nephew, almost like a typical eccentric genius. His main interest lies in the mysteries of the universe rather than the everyday happenings around him. This makes him a fascinating yet distant figure in their lives.

The other Stan and Ford are twins who traveled to another universe through a portal. I think Mr. Ford had a twin named Stan, who might be connected to Mabel and Dipper’s parents. It’s not clear why Mabel ended up traveling through the portal, and I’m curious about what Dipper was doing at that moment. Their adventure raises a lot of questions about how everything is linked and what will happen next.

Comes to my favorite part: Who won World War two?”

“The good guys.”

Ford gave her a dead pan look, it made me laugh alot.

Overall a quiet journey love to see what happens next.




HildegardHope says...


Thanks for the review, i love gravity falls, and none of these AU's are orginally mine, i just wrote fics for them, but the first story is Reverse Portal, because in the show Ford goes through the portal, not Stan, so it is a swap AU, the second Blind Faith, is another portal AU, where they both get sucked through the portal, while Drifting Stars is an AU where when Stan tries to bring Ford back through the portal, Mabel gets sucked through instead of Ford coming out.



Alwaysea says...


Thanks for the information...keep it up! It's really good



HildegardHope says...


<3




“Such nonsense!" declared Dr Greysteel. "Whoever heard of cats doing anything useful!" "Except for staring at one in a supercilious manner," said Strange. "That has a sort of moral usefulness, I suppose, in making one feel uncomfortable and encouraging sober reflection upon one's imperfections.”
— Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell