Metamorphosis

Gifts and surprises

Dipper's POV:
It's the summer of 2013 and me Mabel were on our way back to gravity falls. I was sat on the bus, with Mabel leaning on my shoulder fast asleep, her mouth hanging open as if she was trying to catch flies. Our suitcases were spread out on the floor while we sat above them, Waddles also lying fast asleep on Mabel's lap, her arms spread over him and lastly with me holding the letter Wendy gave me before we left. I was staring at the 'see you next summer' message, now that it actually was the next summer, I was wearing the hat she gave me on the last day of summer last year. Honestly, I haven't taken it off much since I was last here, but I never really did take my old hats off often. I'd owned the star hat since fifth grade and I never washed it nor did I wash the pine tree hat that I'd worn through the entirety of last summer, doesn't matter though, the more you wear a hat the luckier it gets, wash it and you'll ruin the luck.
'Next stop: Gravity falls', the speakers on the buss announced to us. I popped the card back into the envelope and in the inside of my jacket's pocket and nudged Mabel with the side of my arm that she was leaning on. "Mabel, Mabel wake up we're here, get your stuff," I told her as she slowly started to wake up. "Ugh huh?" She groaned, her eyes half shut, clearly still half asleep. "Wake up, we're basically here, get your stuff," I told her as I reached for my suitcase and held onto the handle, while waiting for the buss to reach our stop. Mabel yawned and stretched her arms over her head, causing her to wake Waddles up, who in sync with Mabel, rubbed his right eye a couple times with his left hove, while Mabel rubbed her right eye with her left fist. She then gripped the handle on her suitcase and wrapped her arm around Waddle's stomach. 'Departing gravity falls' the speakers announced, followed with me and Mabel emerging from our seats, dragging our suitcases along and Mabel propping Waddles down on the floor once we got out of our seats. We stepped off the buss, the doors shutting behind us and it driving off. "Wow, I missed this place," Mabel remarked happily, now fully awake. "Yeah, me too. Let's make our way back shall we?" I responded, to which Mabel smiled and said, "Yeah let's go."

We walked our way back to the mystery shack, through the woods and then into the town, but the moment we got to the town, it was eerily silent. Not a soul in sight, maybe this was some strange gravity falls tradition we were unaware of, me and Mabel heard little whispers, as she gripped onto my jacket. "Dipper, can you hear that?" She asked, her voice shaky, "Yeah what is-?" Just then all the townsfolk jumped out at us yelling "SURPRISE WELCOME BACK!!!"Party poppers exploding everywhere, cake being brought out from being hid behind a building and most importantly, Wendy, Soos, Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford, holding up a banner saying 'Welcome back hero's!'

"OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS!" Mabel immediately squealed as she ran up to everyone, immediately jumping onto Grunkle Stan. I ran after her, but didn't jump on anyone. "Kids! I missed you rascals!" Grunkle Stan exclaimed as he pulled me in for a group hug, hoisting me up in his right arm while he held Mabel with his left, then putting us down and ruffling our heads. "Yeah it's good to see everyone, I can't believe you guys threw this party for us," I responded.
"Yeah I can't believe it! I've been waiting for a surprise party my whole life!" Mabel declared practically bursting with joy. "Yeah well you guys deserve it, everyone's still greatful for your help in...you know what," Wendy told us, avoiding the subject of weirdmageddon clearly due to the 'never mind all that' rule. "Yeah, welcome back dudes," Soos chimed in with a smile spread on his face, "Now I'm gonna go have some cake," he added on as he proceeded to run off towards the cake, Wendy trailing behind him, "Soos wait! I want some too!" She called out after him. "Dipper, Mabel, it's good to see you." Great Uncle Ford greeted us formally. "Good to see you too Fordsy! Now come on tell us all about your sail around the world!" Mabel beamed at the both of them, "Actually yeah, I want to know about that too!" I said, probably even more excited than Mabel.
"Alright well..." Grunkle Stan started as he began to tell us stories of his adventures, about how he flirted with mermaids, while Ford told us about how they all turned Stan down. They told us about crazy sea monsters they had fought, like huge octopi and kraken looking creatures. How they faced the dangerous climates of the ocean, it felt as if I was reading a storybook. "Oh and that reminds me kids, we brought you both back something," Great Uncle Ford told us as he reached into his coat pocket. "For Mabel, a purple diamond," he said as he pulled out the big sparkly jewel from his coat pocket and handed it to Mabel, who quickly grabbed it from his hands. "OH MY GOSH! IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND IT'S MY FAVOURITE COLOUR TOO! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!" She bursted out, practically deafening everyone within a 5 mile radius. She then jumped onto Great uncle Ford in a big bear hug. "Sparkles just like you pumpkin," Stan added on,
"Yes and uh Mabel, would you mind getting down, the diamond is kinda..." Ford told her, "oops sorry," she apologised as she got off him.
"And for Dipper I got you a markena stone," He told me as he pulled out what looked like just a plain rock and handed it to me. At first I was a little disappointed, like Mabel gets a diamond and I get a stone? But just then it started to glow a golden colour, there was a tiny hole and it looked as if the glowing was coming from it, showing a small amount of golden goo inside the stone. "What's the goo inside the stone?" I asked, looking up at great uncle Ford, expecting him to have the answer. "I've never actually quite figured it out, it may seem like a stupid present, but trust me dipper there have been myths based on these stones." He told me, I raised an eyebrow at him, encouraging him to continue, "Yes, there have been studies saying it can heal things, that it can destroy things, it can give youth, it can take it away, but no one really knows and I've never been able to figure it out, so I thought you'd be up for it," My face lit up at that remark, already? a new anomaly? And Grunkle Ford thinks I'm capable of solving it? This is amazing! "Thank you Great uncle Ford!" I yelled up at him with a big smile plastered on my face, "Hey I helped get it too, I may not have picked it out, but I was fighting off the kraken looking thingamajig to get it for you." Stan stubbornly added,
"Oh sorry, thank you too Grunkle Stan." I beamed up at Stan too, and then I looked back down at the markena stone, staring at the strange golden goop.

We finally returned from the party to the Mystery shack, just past 10pm. "Alright you two knuckleheads should start unpacking and then quickly get ready for bed, I want you in bed by 10:30, if you're not finished unpacking, do it tomorrow, got that?" Grunkle Stan ordered firmly to us, "You got it Grunkle Stan!" Mabel agreed as she quickly trailed off upstairs, her suitcase dragging behind her, "10:30? But we're 13 now, don't we get a bit of a later bedtime?" I questioned, hoping he'd be lenient since it was our first day back. "Haha, listen kid, I was already lenient with you when I moved your bedtime from 9:30 to 10:30 last summer cos of all your achievements, but that's all you're gonna get for a while, so I'd suggest you go get unpacking and dressed for bed." He responded, pointing upstairs. I swallowed my defeat and walked upstairs, my suitcase dragging behind me. I gently opened the door to see Mabel in the middle of unpacking her things, she was putting her posters of 'sevral timez' on the wall. I grabbed my suitcase and began unpacking.

I was finished unpacking a bit before 10:30, but if I'm being honest, I may have been a bit messy, but who cares? I wear the same thing every day, clean clothes and keeping your clothes tidy is a total waste of energy and time. We were both dressed for bed, however Mabel was still unpacking her sweaters when Grunkle Stan and Ford popped his head inside our room, "Time for bed kids," Ford told us,
"But I haven't finished unpacking my sweaters yet," Mabel complained, still midway hanging up one of them. "You can finish unpacking in the morning pumpkin, you two need your rest," Stan eased her, while taking a step into the room. "Okay," she agreed, while walking over to her bed and getting under the covers, as did I. Stan went up to Mabel and tucked her in giving her a kiss on the fourhead and then came over to me and did the same. "I got you both a glass of water, it's important to stay hydrated," Great Uncle Ford told us as he propped two glasses of water on each of our bedside tables. Mabel took a sip, "eww is this tap water?" She complained, placing it back on the table, "oh I'm sorry, it's just we haven't had a chance to go shopping since we only recently got back and was planning a party for you two, I think all the food and drink shopping we did was for the party." Ford responded, Mabel now lowering her head, feeling guilty for complaining. "I don't care what it is, I'm thirsty." I added on as I took a swig of the water. "Well good night kids," they both told us as they switched off the light and closed the door. "Good night." We both called back to them.
"Good night Mabel."
"Good night Dipper."
We told each other as we both drifted off to sleep.