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Chapter Text

Far from their home in New Jersey, Stanley and Stanford Pines dragged their suitcases off of the dingy bus. Nothing but the vast forest and the crying of birds greeted them. Frowning, Stanford dropped his bag beside him and took in his surroundings.

“Wasn’t someone supposed to meet us here?” He wondered aloud.

“Yea-” Stanley intrerjected. “Great aunt whatsherface-”

“MABEL!”

Suddenly, the bushes in front of them exploded with glitter and confetti, revealing an old woman wearing a suit, and fez with a shooting star on it. “I’m your gr- Grauntie Mabel, nice to meet you!”

“Grauntie?” Stanford questioned, tilting his head.

“Great aunt is far too long! Besides, who doesn’t love nicknames?” As she spoke, Mabel pulled out a sticker book from her jacket, and promptly gave the twins matching star stickers saying “You’re the best!”

Left speechless by their relative’s enthusiasm, they let themselves be ushered through the woods as Grauntie Mabel continued to babble. “Speaking of nicknames, you got any?"

“Uh, I- I usually go by Ford,” Stanford mumbled.

“Yea, and I’m Stan,” Stanley said.

“Perfect! Now let me show you the most amazing, most magical place you will ever see! Welcome to the Mystery Shack!” Using a walking stick with an 8-ball at the end, the pulled aside the undergrowth to reveal a beaten up tourist trap. The grounds were littered with signs saying “No Refunds!” and “Beware: Surprise Glitter!” Dumbfounded, the twins froze in the clearing.

“Quite a site, huh?” Grauntie Mabel asked, beaming. Her grin seemed too wide to be possible. “I’m the owner, and if you’ll come inside, I’ll introduce you to my employees!”

Inside, the shack was actually quite nice. The gift shop was littered with bobbleheads of Grauntie Mabel, snowglobes, and mysterious knickknacks clearly held together with glitter glue. A red-headed teenage boy sat behind the cash register, lazily reclined in a chair and polishing his axe. A young woman swept the floors near the vending machine.

“This is Dan Corduroy and Maria Ramirez, I’m sure you’ll get along great!” Grauntie Mabel exclaimed, gesturing to the two workers. Dan barely raised his eyes from his work, while Maria smiled gently at the boys and returned to sweeping. Nodding to them, she took the twins back into the section marked “Employees Only”.

They entered into the living room, and continued up the stairs to the attic, where two beds lay ready. The triangular glass window cast an eerie light in the room, but the twins ignored their feelings of suspicion to heave their bags onto the beds and begin unpacking.

“I’m sure this place will feel like home soon!” Grauntie Mabel said cheerily. “Feel free to look around the shack while I attend to the tourists!” She bounded down the stairs, leaving them to their own devices.

“She has waaayy too much energy for an old lady,” Stan huffed, rubbing his eyes.

…

It had been about a week since the Pines twins had arrived in Gravity Falls to live with the Grauntie Mabel during the summer, and Stanford was not adjusting well. Though he was finally getting away from all the bullies in New Jersey that constantly ridiculed him for his six-fingered hands, Oregon wasn’t much better. The ‘attractions’ inside were obviously fake (a pink rabbit with cotton wings and a reptilian tail?! Come on!), Waddles, the resident pig, ate everything, and nobody seemed to be concerned about the strange noises late at night. Mostly, he hung around the Mystery Shack and watched his twin, Stanley, try fruitlessly to woo the various girls that came into the tourist trap with their families. Today, Stan had dropped a note by a cute girl, and hid behind a display of bobbleheads to watch her reaction.

“Do you like me,” The girl read, confused. “Yes, definitely… absolutely?”

“I rigged it!” Stan whispered excitedly.

“Do you have to try and flirt with every girl you see?” Ford sighed, putting down his book.

“It’s our first time away from home, the perfect time to practice the art of seduction!” Stan replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

Laughing, Ford rolled his eyes. “As if! I bet you won’t get a girl to like you all this summer!”

“And I bet that the girl of my dreams will walk through that door right now!” Stan motioned to the curtain to his right with confidence.

As soon as he said that, Grauntie Mabel sauntered through, holding a dozen sparkling signs and the stuffed head of a beaver.

Stan’s outstretched hand quickly covered his face in embarrassment as Ford laughed hysterically.

“Ah! Boys, I need someone to put these signs up in the creepy part of the forest,” Grauntie Mabel said cheerfully. The twins retreated, unwilling.

“No way!” Stan said. “Besides, don’t you have employees to do that?”

Their grauntie called to Manly Dan, “Hey, put these signs up for me, Dan.”

“You know,” Dan said, “I would, but I’m really busy-”

“You’re doing pushups!” Stan retorted.

“Like I said, I’m busy.”

Grauntie Mabel shrugged. “Okay, so eenie meenie minie- you!” Thrusting the signs into Ford’s arms, she smiled triumphantly.

“But Grauntie Mabel, I hate those woods! I always feel like there’s something watching me…” Ford protested, looking over his shoulder at the window.

“Oh, don’t be paranoid!" She snorted, rolling her eyes as she dumped the signs in Ford’s arms. "Now go out there and advertise for me. Take Waddles if you’re so scared.”

A warm breeze swept through the forest as Ford nailed the signs to pine trees, Waddles close behind him. He mumbled to himself in discontent.

“Go to Gravity Falls, they said… It’ll be fun, they said…”

Dejected, his nail poised at the next tree, but he stopped when the nail hit metal.

“What’s this?” Ford felt the tree, and his hand opened a secret panel. Cobwebs draped over a switch panel, and Ford flipped each of them in turn. Another hatch opened in the forest floor. Mesmerized, Ford scurried over to investigate.

Inside the chamber there lay an old book. The leather was a dark, royal blue, with silver corners and beaten up yellow pages. In the center of the cover was a silver pine tree with the number 3 drawn onto it. It smelled strongly of old book and spices. Ford picked up the journal and blew the dust away as he began to read. The first page said “Property of…” Water damage had ruined the name, but the rest of the content seemed to be mostly undamaged.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since I began studying the strange and wonderful secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon,” Ford read, continuing through the book. “Gremgoblins, eyebats, gnomes?! No way!” His eyes ate up the pages, but stopped on a single page with a long entry written on it. “Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed. I am being watched. I must hide this book before He finds it. Remember- in Gravity Falls, there is no one you can trust!” At the bottom of the page, underlines twice, were the words TRUST NO ONE written hastily and underlined twice. “Trust no one,” Ford echoes, closing the book.

“Hey bro!” Stan cried behind Ford. Jumping, Ford tried to hide the book behind his back. “Watcha reading?”

“I- I uhh-”

“What, are you really not going to tell me?” Stan laughed nervously.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Ford replied, watching the forest suspiciously.

Back in the Mystery Shack, the twins eagerly looked through the pages, exchanging remarks about the most threatening beasts.

“I knew it, Stan!” Ford cried. “There’s something weird about this town, and I’m not the first to notice it! But look, the pages run out…”

“Like the author mysteriously disappeared!” Stan said. “Don’t you realize what this means?”

The twins eyes’ shone as they whispered the word together. “ Adventure! ”

“And treasure,” Ford added.

“And babes!” Stan laughed and draped his arm around his brother. “All we have to do is look for some of these creatures, and we’ll have girls crawling all over us!”

Ford laughed. “You think so?”

“I know so! Look, gnomes! We can beat these guys in a fight no problem! Look at their little legs! Once we fight them, we can show everyone how tough we are!”

“Yea!”

“Yea!”

“High six?” Ford asked, beaming.

“High six!” As their hands collided, the twins rushed down the stairs and outside to see Manly Dan return with the golf cart.

“Hey Dan, can we borrow the golf cart to go battle some gnomes?” Stan shouted. Dan raised his eyebrows and smirked, handing them the keys.

“Don’t hit any pedestrians,” he remarked.

As they drove away, Maria caught them.

“This is for the gnomes,” she whispered, handing Stan a bat.

“Thanks!” Stan said.

“And these are so that you don’t leave any fingerprints at the crime scene,” she said, handing them both gloves. One pair had six fingers, the other five.

“Uh, thanks?” Ford said, taking them warily.

They drove into the forest, and didn’t return until night.

When Grauntie Mabel next saw her nephews, they looked as though they had been through a tornado. They looked so tired, that she offered them something from the gift shop.

Ford chose a small jacket with so many inside pockets that he couldn’t count them all. Carefully, he slipped the journal in, pleased that it fit perfectly. Stan, however, selected a gold necklace with a pendant that looked like pincers eating a circle. Grauntie Mabel looked at him, slightly bemused.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want something else? Like maybe… a… grappling hook?” She questioned.

“No way! If I can have my pick of anything in the store, I’m going to take the most expensive thing!” He explained, proudly grasping his necklace.

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Mabel laughed. “Now head to bed, boys, you look like you’ve had a long day.”

“You have no idea,” Ford muttered under his breath.

In the attic, Ford tested to see how many things he could shove in his pockets. He had not found a limit yet. Stan watched him, smiling almost creepily. Ford frowned.

“Why are you watching me like that?”

“Well, you know how Grauntie Mabel mentioned a grappling hook?”

“Yes…?

“Well, I took one… just in case,” Stan winked and pulled out the grappling hook from under his pillow.

“That’s stealing!" Ford exclaimed. "Incredible! I didn’t even see you take it!”

“I know! Now I have two things from the shop!”

Ford smiled and closed the journal. “Well, can you get the lights?”

“Sure can, sixer!” Aiming at the lantern, the grappling hook crashed through the window. Laughs poured out into the night.

“Got it!”

As the lights went out all across Gravity Falls, Grauntie Mabel sighed, her face sagging into a solemn expression so uncharacteristic to her. She moved towards the vending machine and entered the code, making the secret door swing open. Soon, she thought.  

Chapter Text

The newspaper lay on the table as the twins lazily ate breakfast. Ford opened it, and nearly spit out his milk when he opened to a page offering a prize for a monster picture.

“Stan, look at this!” He shouted, making Stan really spit his milk out in surprise.

“A giant hamster ball!” Stan said, eyes growing wide with the possibilities. He could see himself now, rolling down the street-

“No, no, a monster hunt! We see weird stuff every day! We’ll win this contest for sure and split the prize money!”

“Prize money? I’m in!”

At their moment of celebration, Grauntie Mabel burst into the room.

“Good news, boys! We’re going on a family bonding day!”

“What?” The boys echoed in unison.

“You heard me! It’ll be fun!” She grabbed the newspaper and turned a few pages to an article about a fishing day for families.

“Is this going to be like our last family bonding day?” Ford asked suspiciously, recalling the dark room and painting fake cash with a shudder.

“The jail was so cold,” Stan whimpered.

“Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best, but this is going to be fun! Now who wants to put on blindfolds and get in the car?!”

“Yea!”

“Wait, what?”

...

As they drove to the lake, Ford gripped the seat with every bump and twist of the car. Why were they doing this again?

“Grauntie Mabel, why do you want to ‘bond’ with us all of a sudden?” Ford questioned.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She replied. “I haven’t been in contact with my family much since… Well, for a while. And you both remind me of the times when I was young. So carefree…” Her eyes got glassy, and though they couldn’t see her, the boys heard the change in her voice.

“I think she actually wants to bond with us!” Stan whispered. Ford would have replied, but it seemed that the car had taken an abrupt detour into the woods. Shortly, they arrived at their destination.

Mabel yanked open the door. “Come on, boys! What a beautiful day! I even made fishing sweaters for you!” She held up two sweaters, blue and orange, with their named stitched on them. Openmouthed, the brothers stared at the sweaters. Stan’s letters were the same color as Ford’s sweater, and vice versa. The “d” in Ford’s name was sewn on backwards, and Stan’s “a” was falling off. The twins reached for each other, dumbfounded.

“I know! They’re great!” She laughed and threw the sweaters at her nephews, leaving them to get the boat ready.

Stan groaned. “This is the worst!”

“Yea, how are we going to get a picture of a monster?” Ford said, clutching his sweater in frustration. Before Stan could reply, a horrid wail pierced the sky.

“The Gobblewonker! It’s back!” A shrill voice yelled. Spinning around, they saw a boy, their age, sprinting from the pier, followed by an old man. The man’s eyes were crossed, and he flipped over tables and pushed people as he ran after the boy.

“It’s true, I saw it with my own two eyes!” The man proclaimed, his voice cracking. “Come quick before it scrab-doodles away!” He slapped his knees and flapped his arms, dancing to an unheard banjo.

Already, the boys were running towards the commotion in excitement, but not before the owner of the fishing shop nearby caught the boy in his arms.

“Fiddleford! What have I told you about hanging around your grandpa?!” The man growled. “He’s crazy! You can’t believe him!”

“But dad- I saw-!”

“Nothin! Now go inside while I deal with this.” Fiddleford walked inside, head down, as his dad turned to the old man. “What did I tell you about spreading crazy rumors? There’s no lake monster! Now get!” He sprayed him with a water bottle, and the old man covered his face.

“But- but I have proof!” He wailed, bounding over to the end of the dock. He pointed at a broken boat and cried, “See?!”

A crowd gathered around the ruins as he continued to describe the beast. Nearby, the policewomen, Candy and Grenda, watched with smirks.

“You’ve gotta believe meee!” The man shrieked, pulling his son’s arm.

“Attention all units,” Grenda snickered. “We’ve got ourselves a crazy old man!”

The crowd all broke into laughter, except for the Pines family. Stan and Ford exchanged glances and grinned.

“Well, come on, boys! Let’s get fishing!” Mabel said, stepping into the ugly boat.

“Change of plans, Grauntie Mabel! We’re taking that boat and we’re going to Scuttlebutt Island to look for that monster!” Ford declared.

“Monster hunt! Monster hunt! Monster hunt!” The brothers chanted.

“Monster hunt! Monster hu-” The old man interrupted. The three stopped to stare at him in confusion. “Oh- I-I’ll go…” He said, slinking away.

Honk Honk!

Beside them, a big metal boat pulled up. The S.S Watcher was… Maria’s boat?!

“Hello! Nice to see you here!” She said cheerfully. “I couldn’t help but overhear you say monster hunt. Care for an accomplice?”

Astonished, the twins were aboard her boat before Grauntie Mabel could protest. She hung her head, defeated.

“Ah, well, Mabel. You know how it is. Monsters are just… more interesting than you. No worries! You can… make some new friends!” Her boat sputtered onto the lake.

The hunt was, of course, disappointing. But the end of the day was filled with bad jokes and small fish. All cameras except one were lost in the water, but the one that remained held the most precious photos- those of real family bonding. As the last family on the water, they watched the sunset, and Grauntie Mabel insisted on singing pop songs all the way home- which Ford refused to admit he enjoyed.

Mabel smiled at the boys fondly. They were so close. So close…
Her smile faltered when she remembered her own life, but it lasted only a second before she regained her composure. Ford hadn’t missed that small second, however, and stored that expression for later.

Chapter Text

Every time the twins entered the woods they found a new adventure, so these days, they were rarely in the house. Wandering aimlessly seemed to satisfy Ford, but Stan was restless until they found something to fight or challenge. Today seemed to be his lucky day. Before the brothers stood a long, winding path that was covered in mosses.

“Jackpot!” Stan declared. “Mysterious path in the woods, perfect way to find treasure!”

“Yea!” Ford agreed. “Let’s go!”

“And we won’t rest until we find something amazing!”

The cobblestone path admittedly didn’t look like anything special, but to the twins, it was brimming with adventure. Stan began to imagine what they’d find at the end.

Stan saw a huge stone structure reaching into the sky. The smell of grass and burning wood filled the air as he peered out of the woods. In the singular window, a girl peered out of the tower. She must be a princess!

“Don’t worry! I’ll save you!” He announced, leaping from the bushes.

“No, you can’t! Nobody has ever beaten the guards! Save yourself!” She begged him.

“I am stronger than them, never fear!” He ripped his shirt open to reveal an eight- no- a sixteen pack! His muscles bulged impossibly, and he leapt into action. His first opponent, an elf, was no match! He pummeled his beautiful face into the dirt easily!

“No, my perfect skin!” The elf wailed. “I must go wash immediately!”

“And don’t come back!” Stan yelled after him.

So up the tower he went, fighting gremlins, and glob-monsters, and snotmongers, and doowanglers. All ran away from his amazing brute force! When suddenly-

“A dragon!!!”

Pulled from his daydream, Stan felt his brother pull him behind a tree. “What’s wrong, bro? I was dreaming that I found a tower, and-”

“I know you were dreaming,” Ford hissed. “But that’s real!”

Stan’s gaze followed his brother’s hand and found an impossible creature lurking in front of him. A two-headed dragon! It stood as tall as the mystery shack, and its body was purple, with the two heads being red and blue

“Oh, that’s nothing! I can fight them no problem!” Stan said. Before Ford could protest, his brother was stepping out in front of the dragon, smiling maniacally.

“Hey ugly! That’s right, I’m talking to you! Where’s the treasure?!”

The dragon raised its heads. “Child! I would advise you not to insult me. I am a being of immense power,” the red head said.

“You can’t defeat me!” The blue head cackled.

“Uh- I’m- I’m not here to play games, I want some treasure!” Stan stammered, realizing that he maybe should have listened to Ford.

“Very well, but I would advise your partner to come out from the bushes. You will need his help to get to my treasure!” The red head said.

Ford froze, but moved again when Stan motioned him over. They stood close as the dragon began to recite its rules in unison.

“One of us will tell the truth, and the other will lie! You have one question each to discover our identities, and one guess to say which one is the head that lies. Guess correctly, and you can have my treasure! If you ask both your questions but don’t answer in 30 seconds, or guess incorrectly, you will have a punishment of pure horror!”

The twins’ eyes lit up with excitement, and they went a little ways away to talk.

“A riddle!” Ford whispered.

“A treasure!” Stan replied.

“So what questions should we ask?” Ford wondered.

“Something that we know 100%.”

“I got it! Where does chocolate milk come from?” Stan said, waiting Ford’s approval.

“Perfect! Let’s go!”

They approached the dragon with confidence, and both heads leaned down to hear their question.

“Where does chocolate milk come from?” Stan asked them.

“From a chocolate cow!” The blue head said.

“Added flavoring,” the red head replied.

The twins stepped back again.

“The red head is the liar,” Stan decided. “Brown cows obviously make chocolate milk!”

“No way! It’s chocolate syrup!” Ford cried, exasperated.

“You’re kidding me,” Stan said, rolling his eyes. “There’s no way the blue head is lying.”

“Have you two decided on the liar?” The dragon asked.

The brothers looked at each other.

“We… we need some more time,” Ford said carefully.

At the lake, Fiddleford watched as his father went boating. This was the perfect time to escape!

He quickly opened his window and clamoured through, running into the forest with glee. His father was always worried that he’d find something dangerous, like his grandpa. Deep down, Fidds understood, but it didn’t make staying inside any easier. Especially when all he wanted to do was go to the junkyard and experiment with his robots. It wasn’t until he had run out of breath that Fidds realized he was hopelessly lost in the forest.

He groaned. His dad always warned him about the creatures lurking in the woods. Even grandpa, the local kook, knew that the forest was dangerous. Fidds felt anxiety rise in his throat.

“Okay, look around ya. Trees, trees, more trees, and… a path! Perfect. Go onto the mysterious path in the middle of the dangerous forest. Great plan.”

With every step, the scenery seemed to never change. Identical pine trees stretched along the path, casting long shadows on the stones. Fidd’s legs burned, and he was starving, but he forgot his troubles after he heard agitated voices.

“I’m going to ask them if the easter bunny is a bunny or a disguised chicken,” Ford said through gritted teeth.

“No! He’ll eat us!” Stan begged. But Ford ignored him and walked forward. Intrigued, Fiddleford hurried forward to watch.

When he saw a terrifying two headed dragon, Fiddleford thought he may faint with fear. But his curiosity got the better of him. Ford approached the dragon and began to speak.

“Is the easter bunny is a bunny or a disguised chicken?”

The question hung in the air as the dragon stared at the boys.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” The red head stated.

“I think he’s serious,” blue gasped.

“I’m serious!” Ford cried. “Answer my question!”

“Very well,” red sighed. “Neither.”

“Both!” blue contradicted.

Stan facepalmed. “This is bad…”

The dragon’s heads grinned. “You have exactly 30 seconds to guess which head is the liar before we unleash our wrath!” They chortled.

“Neither or both? How am I supposed to choose between those? It’s impossible!” Ford said, panicking.

Aghast, Fidds watched the 30 seconds of pandemonium take place. Ford was running in circles like a chicken with its head cut off, while Stan was doing eenie meenie minie mo over and over. Before either could decide, the dragon scooped them up in their talons.

“Time’s up!” They roared.

Feeling the blood rush from his face, Fiddleford swallowed his fear and sprinted in front of the dragon.

“H-hey! You p-put them down!” He stammered, heart pounding in his throat.

The dragon narrowed its eyes. “Where did you come from?” They asked.

“That d-doesn’t matter! Don’t I get a question, too?” Fidds gulped. I hope this works, he thought desperately.

“Well- yes, I suppose so. But just one! Let’s hope you get it right!” They released the twins, who scuttled behind Fidds quickly.

“Hey, your grandpa’s the one who tried to kill us with a giant robot!” Stan exclaimed with indignation.

“Look, he wasn’t really trying to kill anyone. He’s a bit crazy, it’s not his fault!” Fiddleford said defensively. “Besides, I just saved you! Let’s get out of here!”

“No way!” Ford said. “We’ve been here for too long to give up! And if we guess which head is the liar, we get their treasure!”

“Fine, then I’ll ask the question. But y’all don’t interfere!” Fidds said, walking to the beast. He could hear the twins urging him to come back, but ignored them. This would be a piece of cake.

“What is 2+2?” FIddleford asked the dragon.

“Finally, a reasonable question!” Red roared. “The answer is 4!”

“Nonsense! The answer is 6!” Blue laughed.

“The blue head is the liar!” Fidds decided.

The Pines stood agape at the simplicity of the question. Ford could already feel his cheeks burning from embarrassment. Stan grinned first, and turned to his brother.

“You’re just too smart!”

“Congradulations, child! Here is our treasure!” The dragon stepped aside to reveal a chest beneath them. Instantly, the three children rushed to it and pried it open. Inside lay...

Three pristine breakfast burritos. Fiddleford felt like he could explode with happiness.

“It’s perfect!” He cried, scooping them up.

“Hey, what gives!” Stan shouted. “Where’s the gold?”

The dragon chuckled. “The treasure takes the form of the object that the guesser wants most. And this one-” he said, nodding to Fiddleford- “was hungry!”

“Y’all have to try this!” Fiddleford mumbled around his mouth full of food. “These are the most delicious burritos I have ever tasted!”

Ford’s eye twitched. He started laughing hysterically. “Breakfast burritos!” he gasped between fits of laughter. “After all that! Breakfast burritos!”

Stan laughed, too. He took the two burritos from Fidds and handed one to his brother. After taking a bite, he realized why the boy was so excited for these.

“I don’t think I’ve ever eaten something this good!” He exclaimed in surprise. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he began eating.

“Well, I’ll be off to a new part of the forest. See you again, boys,” the dragon said, flying off.

“Incredible,” Ford remarked, munching on his burrito. Suddenly, realization struck him like a brick.

“We haven’t really met, have we? I’m Stanford Pines, and that’s my brother, Stanley. You can call us Ford and Stan, though,” Ford said with a smile.

The boy struggled to swallow the remainder of his burrito as he wiped his hands on his shorts. “I saw you at the lake, but we never did meet. Fiddleford McGucket, nice to meet y’all!” He stuck out a hand, waiting for a handshake like he always saw his father do when meeting people.

Ford hesitated, rubbing his fingers before taking Fiddleford’s hand.

“Wow, six fingers! That’s incredible!” Fidds exclaimed, enchanted.

“Y-you think so?” Ford sputtered, blushing as he pulled his hand back.

“Yea! That’s real unique, you know.” Fiddleford smiled at the brunette and adjusted his glasses.

Stan grinned. “Hey, what d’ya say you come hang out at the Mystery Shack sometime?”

Fiddleford’s eyes lit up like Christmas lights. “I’d love that! But first, I suggest we find a way out of the forest.”

The twins agreed, and they continued down the path, talking all the way.

Chapter Text

Stan and Ford sat with Maria around the beat up yellow chair, watching mindless TV as Grauntie Mabel finished up a tour. Suddenly, the TV screen was filled with doves.

“Are you completely miserable?” The TV asked.

“Ye-es!” Replied the sobbing man in the commercial.

“This is that commercial I was telling you about!” Maria said brightly. “Watch!”

“Come to lil’ Bud’s tent o’ telepathy to lift your spirits and see your future!”

A blue tent appeared on the screen, and a multicolored star with an eye in the middle appeared to be the logo.

“The tent of telepathy?!” Stan exclaimed. “Maybe this guy can tell me when I’ll get a girlfriend!”

“Honey, that tent is a sham,” Grauntie Mabel said, not looking up as she counted her money from the money bag.

“What, even more than the Mystery Shack?” Ford retorted.

Grauntie Mabel looked up. “Yes. Trust me, I’ve had plenty of experience with the Tent o’ Telepathy…”

The twins saw with surprise that their Grauntie’s usual happiness had evaporated. Her eyes darkened, and her fingers dropped the money in the bag.

“What happened?” Stan asked, unsure how to react to her change of attitude.

Mabel grimaced and scratched her neck. “I don’t know if I should say… It was such a long time ago… Things have changed…”

“Oh, Ms.Pines, you can tell us anything!” Maria said, getting up to hold Mabel’s hand sympathetically. As she led her to the yellow chair, Grauntie Mabel resigned to telling the story.

“I was a young woman when I first met Gideon…”

“In that time, he was the star at the Tent o’ Telepathy. His tent had come to the local carnival. Though I didn’t have much money, I couldn’t resist the carnival. I mean, what is there to hate? Lights, rides, games!” Mabel gestured widely with passion. “I loved the carnival, and I was so spellbound by the Tent o’ Telepathy. He seemed to know everything! But in hindsight, he was just stating the obvious. Of course, being young and naive as I was, I believed it all.

“Somehow, Gideon found where I lived. He seemed so kind, and we started hanging out.” Mabel sighed, and her eyes seemed to grow heavy. “In the pit of my gut, I was wary of him, he was just too good to be true. But Gideon was charming! How could he possibly have bad intentions?

“Naturally, I was wrong. Gideon asked me on a date. I didn’t want to go out with him… but how could I refuse? It was just one date, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He took me to a fancy restaurant… Everyone seemed to know him there. It went just as well as I expected. The only good thing about it was the bubbly water…”

Mabel rubbed her face and continued. “The worst part was that he asked me out again! With a giant bird! Everyone there was watching us, I couldn’t refuse… Things went on like that, date after date… Each time he would ask me out in a more extravagant way. I was absolutely miserable.”

“How did you break up with him?” Ford asked curiously.

A melancholy smile flitted over Grauntie Mabel’s face. “I guess I never technically did... I just couldn’t hurt him like that.  I just left one day. That was, of course, wrong of me. He’s been obsessed with me ever since. He’s followed me everywhere. When I realized he was following me, I finally told him that it was over, but he couldn’t accept it. I ran from him again, but when I settled in Gravity Falls, he found me, and moved his entire life here. I don’t know what happened to Bud’s mother, but now he sends me these awful-” Mabel stood and pulled a drawer open from the nearby cabinet- “letters and gifts!”

The three listeners recoiled. Stuffed Gideons, countless love letters and cards, and Tent o’ Telepathy merchandise filled the drawer. There was even a picture of Gideon and Mabel together, obviously taken a long time ago. Mabel looked displeased to be holding Gideon’s hand.

“This is sick!” Stan cried, outraged.

“He needs to stop,” Ford agreed, throwing a handful of letters back in the drawer.

Grauntie Mabel laughed sadly. “He hasn’t stopped following me since I met him. I prefer to keep my distance from him. He can’t ask me out if he never sees me,” she reasoned, closing the drawer.

“Why do you keep all that stuff, Ms.Pines?” Maria asked, looking concerned.

“So that I can make a nice big bonfire later,” Mabel said, grinning.

It was mutually agreed upon by the twins and Maria that something needed to be done. There was no way they were going to let Gideon get away with harassing their Grauntie. They decided to go speak with Gideon themselves.

Maria stayed in the car (“In case we need a quick escape,” she had said.) as the twins stepped up to the door. A flowery sign saying “Pardon the Garden” hung on the door.

“I will pardon nothing!” Stan snarled, jumping and pulling the sign down.

Suddenly, the door opened. Lil’ Bud stood in front of them.

“Well whad’ya know! The Pines twins! Come in, come in, my dad wants to speak with you.”

“Uh- yea! We want to have words with him!” Stan grumbled, taken aback.

They walked into the living room, where Gideon was sitting on the couch, blue suit and huge white hair sparkling. Bud sat beside him quietly. Stan balled his fists, only to be calmed by Ford’s touch. They approached Gideon together.

“Ah, Mabel’s nephews! What a pleasure it is to meet y'all!” His voice was saturated with sweetness, making a chill run down the twins’ spines. “What can I help you with?”

“Stop stalking our Grauntie!” Stan blurted out. Ford cringed and watched Gideon’s reaction carefully.

Gideon’s eye twitched. “Ah, I don’t think you understand, dears!” He stood suddenly, making Bud, strartled, copied his father’s movement.

“Mabel and I… We have history. I know more about her than both of you, combined!”

“That doesn’t make following her around right!” Ford retorted, crossing his arms.

“So… you’re... trying to get in between us…” Gideon choked out, eye twitching.

Stan scoffed. “There’s nothing to get in between! She doesn’t want you, Gideon. Just stop being a creep.”

Gideon chuckled, as if he were amused by Stan. “I remember when I was young,” he mused. “Oh, I was a spitfire just like you. We’d really get along, you know…”

Stan was taken aback. “Can I, uh, use your bathroom?”

Gideon blinked. “Sure. Third door to the right,” he said, pointing down the hall.

Stan got up and disappeared down the hallway. Awkward silence filled the room.  Ford looked at Bud- only to find that he had slipped away sometime during their discussion.

Stan sighed a breath of relief as he escaped. Nothing was worse than talking to a creepy adult. But while he was here, he might as well have a peek at what was around these doors.

The first two on the right side looked like storage rooms. Stan guessed it was mostly Tent o’ Telepathy merchandise. The next was the bathroom. It was a pale blue, and covered in Gideon’s old merch. Stan shuddered and moved to the left side of the hall. The first two were bedrooms. Bud’s was oddly sparse, but covered with tons of sticky notes. Most of them were song lyrics,, but some said things like “don’t let me down!” and “always smile!” Stan didn’t enter Gideon’s room for fear of what he might find.

The last room on the left didn’t seem to hold much promise, since it looked just like the others. But what Stan found inside would haunt him for ages.

It was decorated with hundreds of photos of Grauntie Mabel, from her raking leaves, to leading tours in the Mystery Shack. It was obvious that he had been following her for quite some time. Some pictures seemed to be older, and one in particular was of a much younger Mabel, presenting the Mystery Shack for its ‘grand opening’. Her characteristic smile was there, but the sparkle in her eyes was dead. Stan stared at that haunting image for quite a while.

To the left side of the room, there was a locked door. Stan frowned. This was the first door that had been locked, so something important must be inside it. He looked around to see if there was a key anywhere. There was a bookshelf nearby, and he scanned it quickly. One book looked like it had been removed recently due to the lack of dust on and in front of it. He pulled it out, and found the key between the pages. He was about to unlock it when the door swung open.

“Hey-!” Bud cried, surprised. “What are you doing here?!”

“I-uh- got lost,” Stan replied, scrambling for words.

“Lost, huh?” Bud asked, narrowing his eyes. His expression darkened when he noticed the key clutched in Stan’s hand.

“I should be getting back…” Stan said, hiding his hands behind him. He started to move towards the door.

“Not so fast!” Bud snapped, stepping in front of the door. Stan stepped back, scared by the expression on Bud’s face. His grip on the key tightened. Bud raised his hand to the gem on his neck. Stan was raised into the air with a green light.

“You don’t want to mess with us!” Bud snarled. “We have power! More power than you could ever dream of!” The key was forced out of Stan’s hand, and Bud levitated it to him. “I don’t want to hurt you, but if you come sniffing around again, I will. Understand?”

Stan was dropped to the floor, and scrambled backwards.

“ Do you understand, Pines?”

Stan nodded, eyes wide with fear. Bud stepped aside, and Stan clamoured out of the room.

When he reached Ford, it appeared that they had been discussing the clown painting. Ford was incredibly glad when Stan insisted they leave. With quick goodbye’s, they were soon in Maria’s car.

“Stan, are you okay?” Maria asked, concerned. “You’re pale as a sheet, and you’re shaking.”

“I’m fine,” Stan lied. Ford cocked his head, but Stan gave him a look saying ‘I’ll tell you later’, so he didn’t ask.

“So Bud has a magic amulet?” Ford asked, putting a finger on his chin.

“Yea! It lifted me up into the air!”

“Well, that would certainly explain how their ‘psychic powers’ work. They’re cheating…”

“Well, what are we going to do?”

“What can we do?” Ford asked. “Unless we have a chance to take the amulet, then we’re stuck.”

Stan frowned, knowing his brother was right. That didn’t make him sleep any better, however.

They decided not to tell Mabel about their visit. It was probably for the best, since any mention of Gideon seemed to make Grauntie Mabel noticeably unhappy. A few days after the incident, there was a knock on the door. It was the mailman.

“Uh, package for Mabel Pines?” He said as Grauntie Mabel answered.

Graunte Mabel sighed, knowing exactly what it was. “That’s me.” She signed for the package and took it inside.

“What is it, Ms.Pines?” Maria asked curiously.

“Another package from Gideon,” Mabel replied, pouting. She opened the package, which had a stuffed Gideon inside it, and a letter.

“Dear Mabel,” she read. “It has come to my attention that we haven’t talked in forever. I miss your voice like the seas pine for the shore. I will come over to the Mystery Shack shortly so that I may bask in your beauty!” Her voice got shrill. “He’s coming?!”

Alarmed by their Grauntie’s scream, the twins emerged from the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Stan asked, concerned.

“Everything,” Mabel answered, covering her face with her hands. “Gideon is coming to the Mystery Shack to see me. It’s a nightmare…”

Ford sighed. “Look, Grauntie Mabel, he’s really weird. You just need to tell him to leave you alone. He’ll get the idea eventually.”

Mabel gave him a shaky smile. “I hope so, sweetie. I hope so.”

Later that day, Gideon stood at the front door, and Mabel prepared herself to turn him down… again. She swung open the door, and smiled unenthusiastically.

“Heeey Gideon…”

““Mabel! You look charming as ever!” Gideon cried, beaming.

Mabel ran her fingers through her silver hair. “Look Gideon, we need to talk. I”m not your ‘dear’. I like you a lot- as a friend. But I don’t want to date you. I’m sorry for going on all those dates with you when we were young, but the truth is that I just didn’t want to upset you. But I think it’s better for the both of us that we don’t see each other romantically.”

Gideon’s eye twitched. “And… why do you feel that way, Mabel? I simply adore you! I’d never do anything to harm you....”

Mabel turned her eyes to the ground, fumbling for an excuse, any excuse.

“Well, you see, I really want to spend time with- with my nephews. I haven’t been in touch with my family in a while, and I want to bond with them. I have a responsibility, you know.” She looked into his eyes for the first time. “I love those kids. I really do. And plus, I just don’t think you and I are compatible. Naturally, I’d hope that this doesn’t cause any tension between us.”

Gideon’s fists curled behind his back. Them! It was all their fault! They talked her into this, those selfish brats! I’ll make them pay, oh I will! Once they’re out of the picture, Mabel will have all the time in the world for me! I’ll make her mine yet-

“Gideon? You’re not going to… freak out of anything, right?” Mabel asked, hesitant.

“Me? Freak out? Never!” Gideon laughed. “Of course I understand your feelings.”

Mabel sighed in relief. “Great. Well, I should be going, then. See you around!”

As she turned around and closed the door, Gideon’s face contorted with rage. “Well, I’ll see your nephews veeerrryyy soon…” He mumbled, grinding his teeth.

“I did it!” Grauntie Mabel cried, bursting through the door of the living room. “I did it!!!”

The twins tackled her in a hug, and she easily lifted both of them off the ground. She spun them around and then set them down, beaming.

“We knew you had it!” Stan exclaimed.

“Yea!” Ford agreed. “You just needed a bit of motivation.”

“Oh, stop the flattery,” she chortled. “I couldn’t have done it without my two favorite nephews. Now line up for affectionate noggies!”

“Oh no!” Ford cried, trying to escape. Mabel’s arms encircled the boys, and they tussled on the ground, laughing happily.

Gasping for air, Stan reached out and grabbed a chair, pulling himself out. Mabel smirked and hugged Ford one last time before speaking again.

“Well, thanks. You boys are really something else, you know.” They blushed, making Mabel chuckle. “But it is way past bedtime. Up you go!”

She watched them scuttle up the stairs, racing, and sank into her chair. The TV was on the old lady movie channel. Perfect, she thought.

The next afternoon, the phone rang.

“Hello?” Ford answered. Stan looked up nearby, barely interested.

“Yes, this is Shandra Jimenez of the Gravity Falls Gossiper,” the voice said. “I’m wondering if you could answer a few questions about any… unusual situations you’ve seen since you’ve been here.”

Ford’s eyes lit up, making Stan sit up and listen more closely. “Oh, man! I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long! We’ve seen so much- I don’t know where to star- oh, okay.” He pulled out a pen and piece of paper from his jacket and began to scribble down an address. “Yep, I got it. See you there, then!”

He practically slammed the phone back down with excitement.

“Finally!” Ford exclaimed, turning to Stan. “I was beginning to think that this whole town was just blind or stupid!”

Stan grinned. “Well, maybe they’re having their memories erased. Better start telling people what you’ve seen noe before they come for you, too!”

Ford punched his brother’s arm. “Hey, this is serious! We’re finally going to reveal all that we’ve seen!”

They began leafing through the journal, discussing which secrets they would choose to reveal, and which they should keep for their next interview.

“I did my part, now you do yours!” Shandra snapped, reaching her hand out. The man reached across the table and delivered a slip of paper.

“Toby Determined’s phone number! I’m in heaven!” she cried, grasping the paper.

Late that night, the warehouse door creaked open. Ford adjusted his glasses as he peered into the darkness, Stan close behind him. But when their eyes adjusted, there stood none other than Gideon himself.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the Pines twins!” He sang, smiling creepily. The word ‘Pines’ was stretched out, making the snarl in his voice quite clear.

“Oh no,” Ford muttered.

“Gideon, why did you bring us here? We have nothing to do with you!” Stan said, crossing his arms.

“On the contrary! It seems that you have been the reason for mine and Mabel’s… disagreement,” Gideon sneered.

“Disagreement? She doesn’t want to see you! She told us!” Ford retorted.

“Oh, did she? You see, I’m inclined to think that there’s only two little reasons for her hesitation,” Gideon mused. “With those out of the way, We can finally be together!”

Ford pieced his riddle together. “That’s sick! You are so messed up! Grauntie Mabel will never choose you!”

With the glistening of light, Stan realized with a shudder that there was something small and green clasped in Gideon’s right fist. The amulet. He began to edge behind the boxes in an attempt to snatch it.

“Now, boy, all I have to do is wave my little hand and you’ll be out of the picture! You have no idea the power I posses!”

“The… power?” Ford wondered.

“Oh, yes. Now you see, I used to be the main attraction at the Tent o’ Telepathy! And let’s just say it gets its name for a reason! My son may be cute as a button, but he listens to me above all! I still hold the power to crush anyone like a grape!” Gideon rubbed the object in his fist with a sneer. “Shall I demonstrate?”

He raised his hand in the air and-

Nothing.

“What?!” He screamed, “What is this?!”

In his hand was not an amulet, but a polished stone with Bud’s face painted on it. Stan, unable to control his laughter, clutched his stomach and gasped for air.

“The look- on your face!” He cackled. “Priceless!”

Gideon grabbed a nearby bat and advanced towards Stan. “Why I oughtta-”

“Not so fast!” Ford yelled, pelting Gideon with Bud plushies. The room was filled with a chorus of “I love you’s” and “follow your heart’s” every time a plush made contact.

Furious, the man rounded on Ford, who realized this a second too late. Gideon was upon him, grabbing his arm tightly, within milliseconds.

“ STOP!” Stan shouted. Suddenly, Gideon and Ford were engulfed in green light. Stan, floating above them, held the amulet in his hand.

“You’re one crazy man,” he snapped. “Especially if you think you can beat us! The Pines family always sticks together!”

Stan blasted Gideon into the wall and floated down to the ground.

“No more tricks!” He declared, throwing the amulet on the ground. It shattered, releasing a ghostly green smoke.

“You- you’ll pay for this!” Gideon cried, running to the door. “I’ll take everything from you! And then we’ll see if Mabel changes her mind!” He retreated into the darkness, leaving the twins cringing.

“Stan! You were fantastic back there!” Ford said, throwing his arms around his brother. “I didn’t even realize he had the amulet until it was too late!”

Stan laughed. “I saw him holding it. So I just replaced it with a rock. No big deal, really…”

“It’s totally a big deal,” Ford protested. “But for now, let’s go home.”

“High six!”

“High six!”

Gideon stood at the locked door, fists clenched. Bud stood near him, worried.

“Those kids think they can get away with doing whatever they want!” Gideon growled. He retrieved the key, and unlocked the door. Inside, there was a large wooden altar with candles decorating the outer edges. Bud hurried in and began to light the candles as his father prowled inside.

“We’ll see who’s laughing once I really work my magic,” Gideon continued, opening the drawer in the altar. There, an old journal glistened in the candlelight. Gideon’s twisted smile was reflected in the silver pine tree. The number 2 was written in the center, and Gideon’s fingers traced that number delicately as he lifted the journal.

“I’ll take everything from them,” he whispered. Bud shrank away nervously. Gideon whirled around, clutching the journal. “I’ll take everything from them!”

He slammed the journal onto the altar, then rushed over to a nearby table, where a model of Gravity Falls sat. He stared at the Mystery Shack greedily.

“By taking the Mystery Shack, I will get rid of those pesky twins, and finally be able to look for journal number 1…” He turned to face Bud, who was shaking slightly.

“It’s all coming together now,” Gideon said, smiling widely.

Chapter Text

Late at night, the voices of three boys carried through the Mystery Shack. Wide eyes watched the TV screen as the zombies attacked- slowly.

“They're eating her!” Fiddlerord cried, horrified.

“Aw don't worry, Fidds! They're so slow she could power walk away!” Stan laughed.

“But she isn't!” Fidds replied crossly. He pulled the blanket over his head, making a blanket hood. Ford smiled and pushed the popcorn bowl over to his friend. Fidds, unable to look away from the screen, accepted it without a word.

“We see stuff scarier than this every day!” Ford commented, as the zombie crawled over the fence. He pulled out the journal and began to flip through the pages. “And more interesting!”

Stan’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “Bro. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

Ford grinned at his brother, raising his eyebrows. Both began to press up against Fiddleford.

Fidds looked between the pair suspiciously. “Now look here, if y'all are thinkin’ what I think you're thinking-”

“Monster hunt!” They chanted. “Monster hunt! Monster hunt! Monster hunt!”

“No way! Nu-uh! Last time we went monster hunting, y'all almost got eaten!”

“We could look for ghosts!” Stan suggested, watching Ford’s reaction.

His brother rolled his eyes. “There is no way I'm going to look for ghosts after the convenience store… incident…”

“Wait, what?” Fiddleford asked, anxiety growing.

Stan seemed to be barely containing his laughter, and quickly leaned over to whisper what happened in Fidd’s ear. The blond’s eyes widened when he looked at Ford.

Desperate to avoid that topic, Ford suggested something else. “We could go look for fairies, they're always out this time of night!”

“No way! That’s too easy,” Stan whined.

Fiddleford still seemed to be in a state of shock. “Tentacle brain…” He muttered. “Teenagers, Lamby Lamby Dance… Ford likes Dan!” Neither of the twins heard their friend mulling over this information, and they continued to decide what monster to look for.

“Frogs, let’s look for those!”

“Frogs aren’t monsters, Stan.”

“Sure they are, who thought a slimy mouth with legs was a good idea?”

Ford laughed and pushed Stan playfully. Stan reached over to ruffle Ford’s hair, but Ford caught his hands, struggling against his brother playfully. They rolled around the living room, leaving Fidds still wrapped in his blanket in front of the TV. Snapping out of his stupor, the young inventor glanced curiously at the journal, lying open on the floor. He picked it up and began flipping through the pages. Most of the pages at the back were blank, but Fidds saw that Ford had written some of his own entries in there as well. Smiling as he saw the two-headed dragon, Fiddleford skipped back to the middle, with the sound of the tussling twins in the background.

Suddenly, a horrifying creature was staring at him! Fidds dropped the book with a yelp and scrambled backwards. Intrigued, the brothers sat up and went to see why their friend was scared. To their relief, it was just a vivid drawing in the journal. Ford picked it up and began to read. His eyes grew wider with excitement.

“You did it, Fidds! The perfect monster to find!” He cried, beaming. The inventor groaned and peered at the page.

“A… cat-bat-rat?” Stan wondered, echoing Fidd’s thoughts.

The creature was quite hideous, with the face and wings of a bat, feet and teeth of a cat, and the tail and body of a rat. The page was mostly blank, saying only “nasty bite”, “active at night”, and “ultimate pun?”

“We could finish this entry!” Ford said, jumping up. Stan did likewise, but Fiddleford sunk to the floor.

“It says those things bite!” He whimpered, sinking further into the blanket. “And besides, isn’t it time to- uh- sleep?”

“It’s a sleepover, Fidds! There’s no bedtime!” Ford announced triumphantly.

“C’mon, nerd, we’ll have fun! Stan urged.

Fiddleford pursed his lips and looked down. The twins smiled wider.

“Monster hunt!” Stan whispered, looking at Ford.

“Monster hunt,” Ford agreed, taking Fiddleford’s arm. Quickly, Stan grabbed the other arm, and they were racing out into the forest before he could protest.

“I don’t like the looks of this,” Fiddleford said, gulping. The forest was menacing in the dark, each tree reaching out towards the cloudy sky. Their flashlights cut through the darkness, but did little to light the world to their sides. Anxiety made him jump with every crunch of the twigs or rustle in the trees. The three boys stuck closely to each other, occasionally grabbing each other when something particularly scary happened.

“Maybe they're not here,” Fiddleford suggested, his nerves clear in his voice.

Stan placed a hand on Fidds. “Don't worry, nerd, we got your back. We’ll show you how to really have fun!”

“I have fun!” He protested, frowning slightly.

“Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons doesn't count-”

“Hey!” Ford said indignantly.

“-and neither does making robots,” Stan finished, leaving both his companions glaring at him. He grinned and slapped Fidds on the back. The smaller boy stumbled, falling in front of a glob of white goo.

“What is that?!” He cried, pushing himself away from it.

Ford poked it with a stick curiously. It jiggled, but seemed to be uninteresting.

“Let's keep going,” the bookworms sighed. “This is bori-”

Suddenly, hundreds of cat-bat-rats had surrounded them, hissing. Their eyes glowed red, and the boys screamed. The monsters spit at them, blinding them with the white substance. Something hard hit them over the head, and everything went dark.

Ford woke up in a cave to find that he were stuck in a cocoon of the slimy white substance. He looked to his right to find Fiddleford and Stan beside him, also stuck. They groaned, waking up. Their surroundings were lit by mysterious purple orbs on the wall, Giving everything an eerie glow.

“Gross,” he muttered, wincing as some of the white stuff dropped from the ceiling.

“What'd I tell y'all,” Fiddleford scoffed. “Monster hunt! At night! This was bound to happen…”

Sweat was clearly visible on his forehead, making it obvious that Fidd’s grumbling was due to nerves. Stan, on the other hand, seemed to be quite optimistic.

“Hey, this is awesome! Captured by monsters! How cool!” Seeing the disbelieving looks of his friends, he added, “Don't worry, we’ll get out. Start thinking of something, Sixer, I'm gonna take a nap…”

Just as Stan leaned his head back, a booming voice filled the cave.

“You'll do no such thing,” it said. The cat-bat-rat stepped into the dim light. It was the size of a bear, and behind it, the other- smaller- ones crawled on the walls and ceiling. Fiddleford started shouting incoherently. Ford gasped. Stan beamed.

“We haven't had a feast like this in a while,” the monster mused, watching the boys. Fidds fell silent, fear drawn across his face. It continued to speak.

“I am the king of the Ats. You walked into our trap, and now our fat-spit will slowly dissolve you until we can drink you like a smoothie!” The boys recoiled in disgust, and the king cackled in delight.

“We are the cat-bat-rats, and we spat fat at these brats!” They chanted together.

Stan’s smile faded. “That's stupid,” he snorted. The king whirled around to stare at him.

“What did you say?” He snapped.

Ford and Fidds felt dread rise in their throats. They both turned to Stan, making faces and mouthing “no!”, but he was not watching them.

“I said that's stupid!” Stan replied, louder this time. The other two boys cringed.

“Stupid?! Stupid!!! Oh- I'll show you!-” Furious, the king clawed Stan out of his cocoon and went to bite him. He was too fast, and quickly ran behind Fiddleford.

“Whatareyoudoing?!” Fidds screeched as the king turned towards him. Stan scrambled up the cocoon to stand beside him, and placed a hand of the inventor’s head.

The king began to growl menacingly. He raised his claws again. “I'll get you! You little-”

As his paw descended, Stan used Fiddleford’s head to vault over him to the other side. Fidds almost fainted as the claws grazed his side. But miraculously, it missed him. And his cocoon was broken!

With a bolt of realization, Ford and Fidds realized what Stan was up to. As Fiddleford dragged himself out of the cocoon with his free arm, Stan danced around Ford’s cocoon, with his brother watching proudly. With one slash, Ford tumbled forward, rubbing his head. Fidds, now free, grabbed the twins’ hands and began to run away from the monsters.

“Any bright ideas?” Stan shouted to them, watching the beasts follow them with fear.

“Uhhh, Ford?” Fiddleford said, eying the cave.

“What?”

“You still have that eraser I gave you?”

“Yea, right here,” Ford pulled out a pink eraser from his jacket. “Why?”

“It's a bomb.”

“ WHAT?!” The twins shouted. Fidds let go of their hands, and Ford almost dropped the eraser. They stopped.

“Just.. give it to me! And keep going!” The inventor shouted. “I'll catch up!”

“No way we’re leaving you here!” Stan exclaimed. Ford nodded, but gave Fidds the eraser.

Fiddleford watched the monsters growing closer. “Just stay back! This thing is going to save us!”

He broke the eraser in half and buried them on each side of the cave.

“Now run!” He yelled, grabbing them again. They raced through the tunnel, and behind them, a huge explosion shook the walls. The twins stumbled forward, and turned to look at the destruction. The had ceiling collapsed, trapping the Ats, and giving the boys time to escape.

The next day, light streamed in the triangular window as Ford scribbled in the journal. His eyes were heavy with sleep, and Stan and Fiddleford had passed out on the floor around a model train set. Ford closed the journal and stowed it under his bed, accomplished. He couldn't even lay down before sleep came to him.

Grauntie Mabel had the grace to let them sleep until past lunchtime. When she came to wake them, all three were passed out on Ford’s bed in a giant bear hug. Smiling, she snapped a picture.

“Now there’s one for the scrapbook,” she whispered happily.

Chapter Text

Ford bent over the journal, eyes shining as he poured over the entry. On the yellowed page, drawings of staircases filled the pages. “They lead nowhere,” the author had written. Another scribble was blotted out by a large ink spot, reading “stairway to h-”. The young sleuth frowned. He had encountered many blots of ink throughout the pages, as though the author kept breaking pens-

His thoughts were interrupted by Stan, who burst open the door with enthusiasm, holding a plate of pancakes and beaming.

“Ford! Grauntie Mabel let me make pancakes! You’ve gotta try one!” He shouted enthusiastically, bounding over to his brother. Ford set the book down and stared suspiciously at the plate. The pancakes were small and covered in black dots. But as he opened his mouth to protest, Stan swiftly stuck one in his mouth.

“Sta- mmh!” Ford’s eyes widened in surprise. They were actually good! And the dots were actually chocolate chips! Swallowing, and choking slightly, Ford grabbed three more and shoved them in his mouth. Stan grinned, one side of his mouth pulling up higher than the other.

“That’s what I thought,” Stan said triumphantly, taking some of the pancakes for himself. “Now what’s that?”

Ford, still chewing, slid the journal over to his brother, who began to look over the notes and drawings.

“‘Locals warned me not to investigate these…” He read aloud. “They come in all types, and are found in all parts of the forest… whoa, what’s that?” He cringed, pointing to a section of pure gibberish.

Ford gulped down the rest of his food. “I think it’s some kind of code, but I haven’t found the cipher yet…”

Stan shrugged and looked back at the page, grin widening. “You know what this means…?” He asked mischievously.

Ford had already stuffed the journal in his jacket. “A mystery,” he whispered, grabbing Stan’s arm and reflecting his expression. Minutes later, they were racing out of the shack and into the woods.

The sound of chopping rang through the woods, attracting the twins’ attention. In the clearing, the Corduroy family was sawing trees, instructed by their mother.

“Aww, you think that's sawing? You're so cute! I’ll show you how it's done!” She shouted, driving her ax halfway through the tree with one swipe. Her younger kids watched, then cheered as she posed.

“They're lumberjacks,” Ford exclaimed in realization. “Maybe they know where to find some stairs!”

Stan nodded in agreement, and they jogged up to the family.

“E-excuse me!” Stan panted as they reached her. “Could we- ask you- a question?”

Wendy turned to them, raising her eyebrows. “Sure, what is it?”

Ford opened the journal to the right page. “Do you know anything about these?” He asked, showing her.

Wendy jumped back, her face in shock. “The stairs!” She cried.

The twins exchanged glances, and Ford pulled out a pen.

“Those things have been there forever, just standing in the woods,” She explained, leaning on her ax. “All different types, like a house was built and moved, but they left the stairs… we were taught to never go near them. Don't look at them, don't touch them, and do NOT climb them. We’ve been in these woods for generations, and that much has passed down from parent to child ever since I can remember…” Wendy’s eyes clouded with memory.

Stars shone in Stan’s eyes, and he patted Ford in excitement as he was scribbling notes in the empty parts of the page. When his brother didn’t respond, he grabbed his arm and began dragging him away.

“Thankssomuch, bye!” He shouted as they retreated back into the pine trees.

“Did you hear her?!” Stan enthused. “Nobody goes near them! We could discover something amazing! Like treasure!”

“Or a monster!” Ford added.

“Right! Now all we have to do is fine some- ouch!” Stan stumbled forwards as his feet collided with something.

“Stairs!” Ford cried, beginning to draw them. Stan rubbed his shin and looked up. The structure that towered above them was made of black ornate metal, as though it came from some kind of castle. They ascended straight into the fog above, and Stan felt a prickle of unease before Ford spoke again.

“Alright, you ready?”

“These stairs give me the creeps, bro,” Stan replied, eying the stairs as he got up.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll do this together,” his brother assured him, holding out a hand.

Stan smiled and felt his anxiety ease. “Yea, together,” he said as he took Ford’s hand.

Hand in hand, they ascended the stairs and entered the fog.

The forest had melted away before the eyes, and they stood in what appeared to be an abandoned funhouse. Ford had produced two flashlights from his jacket, and they began to walk down the dark hallway. Beneath their feet was a dark blue carpet decorated with planets and stars. Trash and debris lined the walls and the twins picked through it as they desperately tried to ignore the smell of rotting food and metal. The walls had large sections of drywall missing, and the wooden beams, wires, and pipes were exposed in multiple places. Ford shuddered as he saw what looked like deep claw marks and handprints as well.

The hall opened up into a foyer with ticket booths and advertisements. Some of the banners read ‘World’s Largest Travelling Ball Pit!”, “Beware the Hanging Spiders!”, and “Magnificent Mirrors!” Everything was a color of dull gray, as though covered in a thick layer of dust. The air was eerily still and quiet, making their every sound amplified.

“Whoa,” Stan whispered. They continued to walk through the entrance, standing so close that they were almost touching.

The entrance dumped them into the gift shop, which was absolutely trashed. There was not a single item in the shop that wasn’t ripped to shreds, save one thing on the wall behind the cash register…

Stan’s eyes opened wide as he looked at the framed coin. Above it was a plaque that read “Our first quarter!” He was behind the counter in no time, leaving his brother to sketch the wrecked shop. Ford realized his brother had taken the quarter from its frame, and was inspecting the details of it.

“What’re you doing?” He asked as Stan bit the coin.

“Makin’ sure it’s real,” Stan replied, grinning. “It is.”

“That’s only for gold!” Ford laughed, punching his brother in the arm.

“Hey, it’s free money!” He said, pocketing the quarter. Ford shook his head and looked up towards the entrance to the funhouse. It was a medium sized, bright pink room filled with claw machines and candy dispensers. Three arched doorways dominated the space, each leading to different, mysterious attractions. Stan joined his twin, and they continues down the leftmost path.

The hall was still dark, but they could see the bright colors through the gloom. The walls were slanted strangely, giving the effect that the path was becoming narrower. The brothers pressed together. Suddenly, a room opened up before them. Cautious, they stood in the entrance, unsure of what lay before them. Unable to see into the pitch blackness, Ford turned his attention to the wall behind them. His hand slid over the dusty striped wallpaper, leaving a clean streak behind it.

Suddenly, his fingers found a metal plate. The lights flared on, causing the boys to gasp and cover their eyes. They blinked rapidly as their sight adjusted, and the room before them seemed to invite them in.

The floor had narrowed, and the twins now stood on a small path suspended above a large foam ball pit. Stars shone in Stan’s eyes as he beheld the beauty of pure childish joy.

“Have to jump in-” he whispered in awe, making a move to go.

Ford held him back. “Those things are probably filled with dust! If you jump in there, it’ll be like we’re in a huge vacuum cleaner!”

Stan stopped, still grinning. “Hey, I never said I was jumping in,” he said, promptly pushing his brother over the ledge. As expected, a large cloud of dust filled the room.

“Stan!” Ford coughed. His small body had been quickly consumed by the foam, and he struggled to get his other arm free of the pit. But he found that he couldn’t move… At all.

The pressure holding Ford down began to build rapidly. Stan was still laughing, and then coughing violently because of the dust. Panic began to rise in Ford’s throat.

“Stan-!” He gasped. “Stanley! Help me!”

Jarred from his glee, Stan scanned the foam pit for his brother. To his dismay, only his head and arm were visible. The foam balls were expanding around him! If nothing was done, Ford would be completely consumed by the balls in a matter of seconds. Quickly, Stan lunged for his brother’s hand. The foam balls swelled bigger and bigger as the twins struggled against them. They had started to expand over Ford’s face. Sweat beaded across Stan’s forehead.

“Let- Go- Of- My- BROTHER!” STan snarled, punching the rising balls with his free hand in between each word. To his surprise, they retreated slightly, giving him just enough leeway to pull his brother free. Panting, they collapsed on the walkway for a second before sprinting to the other side of the room. The balls had now made their way up the aisle, creeping towards them slowly. Before Ford could even think of sketching them, a voice boomed out from the walls.

“ FOOLISH CHILDREN!” The disembodied voice said. “You DARE to awaken me? Don’t you know what happened to the others?!”

The balls had ceased in their movement. In fact, everything had. Even the dust seemed to hand, suspended in midair. The brothers, frozen with fear, held on to each other in the doorway leading out of the ball pit.

“Who- what are you?” Ford yelled into the room.

“I am everything,” the voice laughed. “You stole from me, and now you’ll pay the ultimate price!”

Stan’s face paled. “The coin,” he whispered, taking it from his pocket.

Ford nodded in agreement. “Look, we’ll put your coin back!” He said to the funhouse hopefully.

“ Put it back?!” The voice snapped. “That won’t solve your problems! This is the first time in years someone has come… and I won’t let you escape so easily!”

Suddenly, the foam balls began to move again, only much more quickly. The brothers screamed and ran.

The hall was colored in bright, clashing colors, so hideous that i made the brothers’ eyes hurt. Air jets assaulted them from the floor, making them jump in surprise. Ford stumbled, and Stan dragged him up as the foam balls continued to approach them. They began running again, racing headfirst into a circle on long ropes suspended from the ceiling. They curled around the twins’ throats, holding them hostage. Ford, panicking, bit the ropes, pleased when they recoiled in pain. He freed his brother, and they rushed away.

They stumbled into a rotating tube. They stumbled through it, falling often. Shoulders and knees bruised now, the brothers gaped at the sight before them.

“Giant mirrors…” They said together.

Every mirror warped their figure in some way. It seemed to be arranged into some kind of mirror maze, with several entrances. As they were deciding which way to take, something huge crashed through the wall.

“The claw machine?!” Stan screamed, still slightly disoriented from all spinning.

“Run!” Ford cried, entering the maze. Snapping back into reality, Stan sprinted into a separate entrance. The mirrors cast their reflection everywhere, so that anywhere they looked, it was only them looking back at themselves. In the distance, the claw machine could still be heard as it drug itself loudly through the room.

Stan slowed, panting hard. He rested his hand on a nearby mirror and doubled over. He moaned softly, feeling sick. But the click of the claw machine, too close for comfort, reminded him that he had no time to be sick. He stood resolutely, peering over the corner.

The machine seemed to be lost. It was using small camera to see. The claw was open wide, ready to strike. Suddenly, Stan has an idea. He quickly moved in front of a nearby mirror and adjusted it with difficulty. Then, he jumped in front of it, and looked back to see the reaction.

His figure was now reflected across most of the mirrors nearby. The claw machine was looking between the mirrors rapidly, not sure where to strike. Feeling confident, he grinned and started to taunt the thing.

“Hey ugly! Yea, you! No wonder you’re so beat up, nobody wants those creepy animals from a claw machine!”

The machine looked into itself. It was filled with creepy clowns, candy wrappers, and deflated balls. Though it had no face or expression, Stan could tell he made it furious. In its rage, it struck the mirror, shattering it. Stan cringed at the sound.

“Hey,” he said. “Don’t be like that!”

But the machine had caught onto his act. It broke the mirrors all around it, destroying his plan. It crept closer to him, until Stan was the one who didn’t know where to run. The claw machine was everywhere.

Ford had been listening closely to the crashing, hoping that Stanley was okay. But as soon as he heard his brother’s voice taunting the robot, he knew that he needed help. He raced through the maze, occasionally wincing as he passed a weird reflection of himself. Ford reached Stan just as the claw machine did, and he grabbed his hand and began to run through the maze.

They reached another hallway, but moving panels on the floor made it hard to navigate. The brothers floundered through, struggling to stay standing as the claw machine pursued them. Dangling spiders hung from the ceiling, wiggling their plastic legs menacingly. They attached themselves to the twins, who flung them off in disgust.

They found themselves back in the room near the gift shop, but surrounded by angry machines. The claw machine closed in on them, trapping the brothers.

“Now, children, it’s time to finish you off!” The voice cackled. The candy machines started spitting candy at them. It was moving so fast that it actually hurt. The claw machine lunged at them, forcing them to jump apart. With a stroke of luck, the claw accidentally hit another machine, destroying it. The twins exchanged a glance, and they each ran towards a machine. Getting on top of them, the claw machine aimed at them, and they successfully disabled the machines.

“Now-” Stan cried, rushing towards the last claw machine.

“It’s time to finish you off!” Ford finished, doing the same.

The machine’s claw rose high above itself, trying to skewer one of the children climbing on it. It took aim, and the brothers jumped off as one, landing on either side as sparks flew from the machine.

“NO!” The funhouse bellowed. Stan hurtled towards the coin frame, and placed the coin back in its place. There was a long, wheezing scream, and the funhouse was plunged back in darkness.

Stan slid down to the floor, exhausted. Ford walked up to him, likewise gasping for air.

“No wonder-” Ford panted- “they told us not to come up here.”

It was another peaceful day in Gravity Falls when a trio of small boys was wandering through the woods. Their laughter echoed through the trees. But Fiddleford saw something impossible…

“Ford, look!” He cried, rushing towards the anomaly.

The twins exchanged looks and followed him. Giant stairs that lead nowhere towered over them. Their expressions were blank, and neither spoke.

“What is this?” Fidds asked in awe. “It’s amazing-”

As their friend reached out to touch the stairs, Stan moved quickly and grabbed his wrist. Fidds fingertips were centimeters from the stairs.

“Don’t,” Stan breathed.

Fiddleford retracted his hand, looking alarmed.

“What?” He said, confused at the change of mood.

“Don’t touch them,” Ford said. Fidds turned quickly to gape at his friend in awe.

“So y’all are telling me… not to investigate this?”

“Yea,” Stan said.

“Just try not to think about them too much,” Ford added.

“Why?”

Ford grimaced, and opened the journal to show him the story of their adventure.

Chapter Text

The junkyard was virtually empty as Fiddleford pushed past the ripped gray tarp. Behind it, he found his personal stash of salvaged parts, including engines, tools, and electronics. He gathered up what he needed, hoping to avoid meeting his Grandpa Tate so that he could get home quickly. But as he was stumbling out, arms full, a noise startled him.

Knowing that it could be anything from a possum to his crazed grandpa, Fiddleford froze for a second, waiting for more noise. It came again, sounding like someone was throwing pieces of metal around. Suspicious now, the young inventor set down his supplies and went into the dark junkyard to investigate.

The air smelled of oil, and the moon was shrouded by thin clouds, casting an eerie glow upon the broken cars and machines. The wind rustled nearby trees, making FIddleford shudder with fear. His eyes scanned the shadows, looking for anything out of place. Suddenly, something rammed into him.

“Fiddleford!” Old Man McGucket squawked. “Yah’ve gotta get outta here!!”

“What? Why?” Fidds asked, alarmed.

“There’s a monster! It’s been a-terrifyin me for days!” The old man said, eyes darting around.

“A monster?!” Fidds felt his heart drop to his feet, and his blood ran cold. His pa suddenly froze. A noise clattered behind them.

“It’s HERE!” His pa screeched, pointing wildly into the darkness behind him. His body suddenly jerked into a dance as another noise cracked through the air. Fiddleford ran after his pa, and hid behind a broken car. From his limited viewpoint, the creature was barely visible, but Fiddleford saw plenty as the tentacles slithered by. Without waiting for his pa, Fiddleford darted through and out of the junkyard, terrified.

The next day, a shaken Fiddleford stood in the living room of the Mystery Shack, recounting his experience to the twins.

“I didn’t see much of it, but I saw enough,” the inventor said, already nervous. He clutched his head, hair sticking out between his fingers. “It was huge! And-and it had- it had-  tentacles!”

Stan looked uneasily at Ford, who was thumbing through the pages of the journal, then back at Fidds. Nervous sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was breathing quite hard. Stan moves a hand to Fidds shoulder in comfort.

“I… Don’t see anything in here about a tentacle monster,” Ford said, rubbing his chin.

Fiddleford’s eyes opened wide in alarm. “Y-what? Ya have to believe me!” He cried, sinking to the floor.

“We do! We do,” Ford assured him. “This just means that we’ll have to be careful investigating, because we won’t have any prior knowledge.”

The inventor didn’t rise from the floor.

“Uh, Fidds? You okay?” Stan asked uncertainly.

“I… need a second,” Fiddleford said. “It’s been an emotional 12 hours.”

They made their way back to the junkyard that night, with Fiddleford insisting that he stand behind the brothers. Flashlight in hand, Stan entered the junkyard first. A racoon scuttled away from them. A man shouted in alarm in the back of the junkyard, making Fiddleford jump.

“It’s my pa!” the inventor whispered, cringing. “He could be in trouble!”

“Then let’s go!” Ford said, running down the narrow path. The others followed him closely, and they reached Old Man McGucket’s hut as the town cook jumped out, bearing his banjo like a weapon. All four people screamed before they realized who the others were.

“Ah, it’s just y’all,” McGucket said, almost disappointed. He lowered his banjo and stepped out to greet them.

“I brought my friends to help you with the monster,” Fidds said, looking at the ground. His pa opened his eyes, surprised.

“Didn’t your dad tell ya not ta talk ta me?”

“Well, yea, but I couldn’t just leave ya here with a monster!” Fiddleford said, rubbing the back of his neck. Old Man McGucket smiled softly.

“Well doncha worrry ‘bout me, kiddo,” he said. McGucket walked forward towards his grandson. “Besides, I think that monster is gon- WAAAHHHH!”

In the middle of his sentence, McGucket was dragged backwards by a tentacle. The three boys jumped backwards, shaking in shock.

“PA!” Fidds shouted, searching the darkness for any sign of him. The only thing that emerged from the darkness was a purple tentacle. Ford grabbed Fidds and dragged him away. They turned together and ran after Stan further into the junkyard. But with every fork in the path, Stan panicked, not knowing which way to turn.

Fiddleford gritted his teeth and took the lead. “I know this place like the back of my hand, I can get us to a hiding spot,” he explained as he grabbed the brothers’ hands. They turned through the piles of metal for what seemed like an eternity before Fidds yanked them behind the tarp. He covered their mouths as the creature approached. It paused in front of the tarp, grunting. The air seemed to hold still for a second, and all three boys held their breath. Luckily, the monster continued on. Fiddleford didn’t let them speak until the noise of the creature had receded completely. Only then did he finally remember to breath.

Ford and Stan looked around at the miscellaneous parts curiously. Stan grabbed what appeared to be a robotic fish that had been half-eaten. Wires hung out from its stomach.

“Is this… your stuff?” Stan asked, pointing at the fish. Fiddleford tensed.

“I- er- y-yea…” He admitted. “I like to tinker around with this stuff. I made the eraser bomb from stuff I found here.”

“You made that?” Ford asked, incredulous.

Fiddleford blushed and looked away. “Y-yea. My dad doesn’t really like me to make stuff. Says something about me going crazy like pa… so I come here to get parts and build my most secret machines. You see, some things are small enough that I can build and hilde under the floorboards of my room, but the best things I keep here so dad won’t see them.”

“Amazing,” Ford said, studying one of Fidds’ micro-cameras. The inventor blushed harder and began to pick through the parts, looking for something to help them defeat the monster.

“I probably have something in here that could help us,” he said, throwing useless parts and inventions behind him. Stan and Ford dodged what Fidds thew as their friend continued to mutter to himself.

“Fidds, what do you need from us?” Ford asked, desperate to get him to stop throwing stuff.

Fiddleford paused and looked at the twins. He seemed to consider the question, but sighed and said, “I’m not sure if y’all can help much. I just need to find something that will disable that monster…” He turned back to his piles of machines and growled in exasperation. “If only I knew what kind of monster it is!”

Simultaneously, and idea popped into the brothers’ heads.

“We could find that out for you…” Stan said, grinning.

“We’ve dealt with lots of monsters! Ford reasoned, rubbing his chin. “It can’t be too hard to lure this one out!”

The inventor watched them suspiciously. “That thing is dangerous. I wouldn’t feel right sending y’all out to find it.”

Ford put his hand on Fiddleford’s shoulder.

“Even if it managed to catch us, I know we can count on you to rescue us,” he said, smiling. Fidds pursed his lips and turned to his pile of parts. It was hopeless without knowing the monster’s weakness.

“Fine,” Fidds consented. “Let’s go.”

The boys crept through the junkyard towards the place where McGucket was captured. Unease settled in Fiddleford’s stomach, but he began to crawl over the pile of junk nevertheless. From here, he may be able to see where the creature took his pa. But anywhere he looked, nothing moved or screamed. It was behind him where he finally heard something, but it wasn’t his pa. It was Stan and Ford, screaming for him!

“Hey, nerd!” Stan was yelling. “We found your monster! And Old Man McGucket!”

Sure enough, a giant beast was emerging from the darkness. It was an impossibly large creature which appeared to be a mixture of an octopus and a crab. In one of the tentacles was Old Man McGucket, unconscious. Fiddleford stood on the top of a trash pile, unsure of what to do now.

In his hesitation, Stan rushed the creature with a jagged piece of metal he found on the ground. Ford seemed to have snuck around the creature’s back with a similar weapon, and now jumped on it as well.

The creature flailed and struggled to get the twins off. They buried the pieces of metal deeper into the creature, but struggled to hang on. Fiddleford looked around him, desperate for a weapon, but found nothing.

“Hey nerd!” Stan shouted. “We could use some help!”

But his cry had only let the creature locate him, and soon, it had wrapped a tentacle around his ankle. It yanked him off, and as he dangled in the air, Stan’s head hit the pile of junk. Soon, he was limp in the clutch of the monster.

“Stan!” Ford screamed, letting go of the metal. He ran towards the tentacle that was holding his brother.

“No, Ford! It’s coming for you!” Fidds called out to his friend, but to no avail. Soon, the creature had Ford in its claw. Fiddleford balled his fists and prepared to go save his friends.

“No, Fidds!” Ford said, spotting him. “Stay there! You can beat this monster! Just- don’t get caught!”

“Ford! I-I can’t let it take you!” Fiddleford said, tearing up.

“I trust you!” Ford said. “I trust you to save us!”

The monster then turned and retreated into the darkness. Fiddleford was left alone.

He fell to his knees where he stood. Hot tears filled his eyes and streamed down his face. For what felt like hours, he sobbed. I never meant them to get taken… I just wanted to help, but I made things worse! How can make this right???

But slowly, Ford’s words came back to him.

“He believes in me! I won’t let him down!” The inventor got to his feet, and ran through the junkyard.

When Stan woke up, he was covered in slime that tethered him to the wall of junk behind him. To his right, Ford and Old Man McGucket were also stuck. The monster was nowhere to be seen. Stan’s head throbbed painfully. He groaned with a new wave of pain.

“Stan!” Ford said. “You’re awake!”

“Unfortunately,” he replied. “My head hurts so much…”

“Yeh took quite’a hit to yer noggin’!” McGucket squawked.

“Yea, once we get out of here, we’ll patch you up,” Ford said, looking concerned.

“Patch me up?”

“Yer bleedin’!” The kook said. “That metal really did a numer on ya’!”

Stan looked out into the yard. “So how are we going to get out of here?”

“Fiddleford will save us,” Ford said.

“I hope he comes soon,” Stan said. “I’m really feeling woozy…”

Ford’s eyes opened wide. “Stan, whatever you do, don’t go to sleep! Help is coming!”

Panic constricted Ford’s chest as he watched his brother began to drift off. It wasn’t the first time he’d been hurt. Stan had broken his arm in a bike accident before. But then again, there was no monster trying to get them. And Ford knew how bad head injuries could be from all the books he read. Please hurry, Fidds, we can’t wait much longer!

Suddenly, a crash reverberated across the junkyard. In the distance, the prisoners could see heaps of junk toppling.

“The monster! It’s’a headin’ straight for us!” McGucket hollered.

But none of them were prepared for what they saw next.

Fiddleford was perched atop the creature’s large shell, and was controlling it with a lasso. The rope was tied around the monster’s front, binding the dangerous tentacles. With one hand in the air, Fidds rode the monster like a bull as it tried to buck him off.

Fortunately, the crab legs weren’t very good at jumping or bucking, and the monster got tired quickly. It soon stepped into a puddle of water and its own slime, and then, the inventor dropped a small capsule into the water and jumped off. As he jumped, the capsule froze the water, and with it, the monster. Quickly, it became completely immobile.

McGucket and Ford cheered for him as Fidds ran over to help them.

“That’s how yeh do it!” McGucket whooped, shining with pride. Fiddleford didn’t conceal his smile as he used another freezing capsule to harden the goo keeping them trapped. One by one, he tapped on the frozen slime until it broke. When Ford was free, he ran over to his friend and lifted him off the ground in a fierce hug.

“You were amazing!” He cried, still hugging him. “I knew you could do it!”

Fiddleford flushed a deep red, and hugged Ford back. “Well, I couldn’t just let that thing take y’all…”

Ford broke the hug and held Fidds at arms length. “Don’t sell yourself short. That was seriously incredible !”

“Awww… It was nothing, really,” Fidds said, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

“Eh… Ford?” Stan groaned, barely awake. The two boys rushed towards him. Old Man McGucket supported him.

“We need to get you home,” Ford said, biting his lip.

“I’ll help out,” Fidds said. “I told my dad that I’d be with y’all today.”

“I’d better stay here and take care of this monster,” McGucket said, looking at the frozen creature. “But before you go, Fiddleford-” his grandson turned to look at him- “I’m proud of ya.”

“Aw… Thanks pa,” he said, slinging one of Stan’s arms over his shoulder. Together, he and Ford walked Stan home, where they wrapped and cleaned his cut.

Later that week, Fidds stopped by the Shack to find the twins stocking the gift shop.

“Hey nerd!” Stan said, slapping him on the back.

“Hey Stan, how’s your head?” Fiddleford asked, motioning to his bandage.

“It’s a lot better,” he said. “I still can’t believe you rode that monster!”

“Heh, me neither,” Fidds said.

“What happened to that thing?” Ford asked, walking over.

“Well, my pa figured out that the reason it was in the junkyard was because he had pulled the car it lived in out of the lake. So he just put it back, and it hasn’t come back.”

“Sounds like just another day in Gravity Falls,” Stan laughed.

After visiting for a while, the young inventor slipped out and headed for the junkyard. When he reached it, a familiar voice greeted him.

“Fiddleford! Come to see me?”

Fidds pursed his lips and nodded. He did feel bad for disobeying his dad, but how could he leave his pa out here alone?

They went back to the shed where his pa ‘lived’, and Fiddleford started to look at all the knicknacks and half-finished inventions. Near his ‘chair’- an overturned tin bucket- was a banjo. Fidds went to it, intrigued.

When he plucked the strings, the notes seemed to vibrate right through him. He smiled in satisfaction.

“Yeh like it?” McGucket asked, grinning.

“I-uh- yeah…” Fidds stuttered.

The old man grabbed a second banjo from nearby, and sat across from his grandson. He started to pluck at the strings, making a song. Fiddleford listened intently.

“If yeh’d like- I could teach ya’ how to play,” McGucket offered.

“Would you?!” Fiddleford cired, eyes shining with excitement.

So throughout the night, Fiddleford and Tate McGucket strummed their banjos and relished in each others’ company.