THE NORTHWEST POSSESSION | Gravity Falls [Dipcifica]

GRAVITY FALLS, OREGON
AUGUST, 2016

Deep beneath the trees, alone in his great uncle's bunker, Dipper sat hunched over one of Ford's old tables. It was covered in old blueprints, messy sketches, and tools in which Dipper had no earthly guess as to what they actually did. Usually, Dipper would have added a healthy amount of his own scientific mess atop these things, but today he sat with only his journal. He flipped halfheartedly between his notes with no real objective.

Suddenly, the bunker gave a great rumble. Ford appeared in the computer room where Dipper sat, and he was lugging around something large that had a tarp hastily thrown across the top of it. Not moving from his seat, Dipper asked, "What is that?"

Not at all phased by his nephew's sudden appearance, Ford ripped off the ancient blue paint tarp to reveal a cylindrical aquarium tank. Inside was what appeared to be a baby sea otter with a missing ear. Ford looked affectionately at the creature but still kept his composure as he announced, "Oswald."

That got Dipper out of his chair. He poked lightly at the glass, saying, "Aw, he's cute."

"Indeed," Ford nodded. "I don't think I'll be showing him to Mabel."

"Definitely not," Dipper shook his head, thinking of how she might break the glass of Oswald's tank with her scream alone. He craned his neck to get a closer look at the furry mammal. "What happened to his ear?"

"That's what I'll be investigating. I've come across more and more sea creatures with similar injuries lately, and I'd like to get to the bottom of it."

Dipper hummed in contemplation. He made a show of plopping back down in front of his journal and heaving a great sigh. "Getting to the bottom of things. I remember those days."

"What do you mean?" Ford asked, though his attention was on the notepad he had just flipped open. He was distractedly scribbling something when he continued, "You've discovered an incredible amount of information this summer. And at sixteen, nonetheless."

As he let out a long, melodramatic groan, Dipper wondered if Mabel's childish theatrics had rubbed off on him. "All I've done this summer was get Pacifica stuck in the multiverse. And if that's not good enough, I have pretty much no idea how to get her spirit back in her body, let alone her Aunt Elise's."

Ford set his notepad on top of Oswald's tank. The little creature seemed to watch the man as he sat down across from Dipper. "You can't blame yourself for Pacifica's impulsivity. Did you play any direct part in her disappearance?"

"Not technically. But I'm sure it was all my research and methods that she used. I just have no idea how she did it so quickly after I told her I was out."

"It's no use to dwell on it, Dipper." Ford said with conviction. He reached over and gently flipped his nephew's journal closed. "What are you able to do about it here and now?"

Dipper kept his eyes trained on the hard wood of the table between them. With his chin in the palm of his hand, he felt a heaviness settle in the bottom of his stomach. When he knew he could trust his voice, he finally admitted, "I don't know, Grunkle Ford. I've never had to deal with something this complicated. I've been trying to come up with solutions, but it's like I can't even think straight."

"It's nothing you can't logic your way through," Ford appeared to have enough certainty for the both of them. He got up from his seat, sidestepped around Oswald's tank, and wheeled over a large, seemingly ancient whiteboard. When he turned it over and uncapped a marker, he grimaced. Dipper felt his guts twist together.