The Lemon Meringue Boy

Part 3

That night we had takeout from our favorite burger joint. I listened to Waddles munching on his kibble in the other room. My parents were more open to the idea of having Waddles than I thought, though we still got a lecture on asking permission. They said having a pet of her own taught Mabel responsibility, and that having a pig may help her meet "her people". 

Frankly, I'm just glad we didn't drop him off at a petting zoo somewhere, but I have to agree. Mabel feeds him and walks him, and pretty much every other night there's some get-together planned with her friends. Our cat Nibbles seems to like him to. She's practically always brushing up against him. When Mabel saw, the only way I could stop her from what she was about to do was by reminding her that duct tape would rip the fur off Nibbles. 

"So are you exited to see your friends from gravity falls again?" Mom asked between bites.

"Oh, Yeah! Candy, Grenda and I plan to have this big week long sleepover the first week I'm there!" She yelled, and practically jumped out of her seat. 

I heard about this. I was exited too, but for different reasons. I was spending that week sleeping in the basement. Stan and Ford weren't going to get back from the Bermuda triangle until about a week into our visit, and Soos suggested I could escape hurricane Mabel n' Friends by sticking out the storm below ground. 

He also said it could be great for if I wanted to "check out some cool science thingies and perhaps solve a mystery or two along the way." I plan to spend the time researching the machinery and the after effects the portal had on the room. When I realized my parents were waiting for me to talk, I grabbed a handful of fries and shoved them in my mouth. My mom rolled her eyes and I shrugged. 

"Dipper's gonna spend the whole week researching and doing lame stuff we just spent a year learning." Mabel explained. "He thinks he's not smart enough." I swallowed my fries and glared at her.

"Actually I'm composing an investigative report on the forest's..." I cut myself off before I gave something away. "Unique flora and fauna. And for your information, it's not a crime to learn more."

"Is it a crime to be a massive nerd? '911! Help me please! This man is slowly killing me with an overdose of boredom and lame technical mumbo-jumbo!' Its summer, Broseph, take a chill pill!"

Our parents gave us both stern looks and went back to eating. Mabel stuck her tongue out at me and I threw a fry at her forehead. I missed and Waddles ran over to clean up.

After Dinner, we got cleaned up and got in bed. I was exhausted from packing and trying to restrain Mabel and warding off Mabel's friend's tearful goodbyes. The only thing I wanted to do right then was sleep. Still, my mind was buzzing. Why did I feel uneasy about going back? What was my problem? I was about to go back to the coolest, most exciting place ever, and all I could think of was how it could never be the same. 

The mystery of Stan, the mystery of the author, the mystery of the portal, the mystery of the woods, of the gnomes, of the crystals, of the hide-behind, of the Gobblewonker, the Shapeshifter, the bunker, the wax figures, zombies, telepathy, living island, trickster, mcgucketnorthwestghostmabelsmindstansmindpossesionpuppetsdealsmemorygunblindeyefacingleftcandymonsterBillTHEENDOFTHEWORLD...all solved. . .all resolved. . .so tired. . .