Pure sunlight shone through a stain glass window in the shape of a triangle, awaking two sleeping figures in separate beds across the room from each other. A girl with chocolate brown hair woke up first, her eyes squinting because of the reflecting sunlight. She slipped out of her quilted bed, sneaking across the creaky wooden floor to her twin. The boy in bed heard nothing as she giggled next to his ear quietly. Then, she began tickling him, knowing that was her twin’s greatest weakness. The boy let out a high pitched yell, scooting away from her as she climbed onto his bed. “Mabel!” he yelled exasperatingly, “Please don’t wake me up like that!”
Mabel collapsed onto the bed stomach first, laughter coming out of her braces-full mouth. The shiny metallic metal gleamed in Dipper’s face and he shielded his eyes with a grin. “Stop that!” he laughingly joked. He lightly shoved Mabel off the bed and he followed, pulling out some clothes of his wooden drawer to start the day off.
Dipper wore the same casual gray short with a blood red t-shirt and a deep blue vest. On top of his tufty hair, he sported a navy blue and white trucker’s hat with a blue colored pine tree on the front. Mabel’s endless drawer of sweaters always seemed to change uniquely, but today she asked her brother what she should wear.
“Hey Dip,” she called, pulling two sweaters -one was cotton candy pink and the other electric blue- from her bright closet. “Which one should I wear today?”
Dipper didn’t hesitate to reply, “The blue one.” and Mabel smiled since she knew her brother knows his style, and his taste in music was hilarious but great. She slipped it on over a dull gray tank top that matched her short swaying skirt.
Grabbing a old burgundy book which read ’3’ on the front cover, Dipper took Mabel’s hand as they skidded down the stairs to the living room of the Mystery Shack.
“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper yelled at the aged man sitting in a reclining chair, “We’re going out for a while!”
Stan gave a shrug and replied bluntly, “Do whatever you kids want.”
Dipper grinned as he and his sister ran out the old shack, smiling as they came to a stop in a clearing of the forest. A bright luminescence came over the forest, and everything was silent except the low humming of birds and scratches of bark in the wood which contained bountiful animals. Mabel took a deep breath in as she took in the clear air that smelled of pine trees and olive oil. A breeze came across and it made everything feel perfect in Gravity Falls.
They sat down in the clearing, Dipper opening Book 3 and reading it intently, while Mabel played with her long, smooth hair and twisted it into braids and fishtails. The silence was peaceful since it was rare, and the Pines twins always enjoyed their visits to the woods.
“Hey Mab, I’m glad we’re here for the summer. It’s really great, but y’know, not when we’re being chased by paranormal things and all.” Dipper spoke up and laughed as he finished his sentence, his eyes gleaming as he licked his chapped lips.
Mabel was beaming, her voice sounding clear as it echoed through the forest, “Yeah Dipper, I’m glad too. But the paranormal stuff is what got us out into the open more. To feel the adrenaline in adventure… It’s great! None of this would’ve happened if we had stayed home. I never want to leave here, it feels too much like a new home.”
“We can always come back next summer,” Dipper said, his voice sounding kind of wistful. “I mean, I’ll miss everyone here! Grunkle Stan, Soos, Lazy Susan, Tyler, and Wendy…” he trailed off at the end of his sentence and averted his eyes away. A light blush formed on the bridge of the boy’s nose as his sister watched him gleefully.
Mabel didn’t make a remark on his blushing face because she knew that she had tortured him enough about Wendy, even if she was joking. She decided to just respond to his first sentences.
“School might be weird to go back to though. People won’t believe us if we tell them everything…” Mabel said with an awkward shrug.
Dipper leaned back onto the ground, his arms shifting over twigs and stems that were striving in the open earth. “Well, then we won’t tell them. Let’s just be secret about that stuff and save all the excitement for ourselves.” he said calmly.
Mabel leaned next to him and nodded as she peered into his large eyes. “Yeah, I guess so. There will be an awful lot to discover next summer too. Even if Grunkle Stan doesn’t really want us to.” She grinned mischievously, and Dipper mirrored her exactly.
“Let’s make the most of this summer.” Dipper replied, “It’s too great not to make it last.”
Gravity Falls may be a strange place filled with dangers, but some days, the peaceful sound of birds chirping ands laughter echoing through the forest was perfect enough.