Yet Another Summer

Beginning

The road is bumpy, dust and pieces gravel crawling from underneath of askew put asphalt gather around on the shoulder. It hadn't rained in many days. There weren't that much mosquitoes before, but now, when all the water is gone, there's even less of them, hiding between the plants, which falling leaves can ensure them with progressively less and less of shadow. Breathing that air full of sand in the town all the young people had run away from is hard.

Sun shines bright upon the horizon of morning, turning slowly into noon. Heat doesn't yet beam from the earth, but in three, maybe four hours shoes will melt into sidewalks.

Year has recently surpassed its middle. Pine trees got a chance to succeed at their pollinating before the drought began, now unripe pinecones sleep on the branches with scales shut tight, before falling down in autumn when the drought will already be gone. Mountains ascend high into the sky around the valley, which entrance opens with a gentle saddle, it's easy to drive down, but when trying to leave, there are a lot of accidents occurring, better to be careful.

The bus creaks reaching the highest point and without a stop to glance over the familiar view, rolls down. There is no AC and the window is stuck, it opens only an inch or so. At first, it was bearable, but now you could boil alive just by inhaling the stale air. At last, how long the drive has already been, seven hours? Their most recent transfer happened back before dawn.

Dipper reaches down into the backpack side pocket and finding the bottle, pulls it out from under the pile of stuff always magically finding their way onto the surface. It's empty though, just like he left it. He eyes the other backpack shoved in between his legs and the sit before him, but as he recalls, Mabel took sweetened water, strawberry flavored. Seems like he won't be having a drink, not until they're off-road. He swears at the damn binder always hugging him too tight.

Behind the window sight of an ample resident lurking on the hill above the road blinks for a second, and then a cistern with letters painted on it, but the bus drives too fast to make them out. Dipper sees none of these with head leaning low tugging at the zipper which just will not close, all the things probably coming out as useless later, inflating his travel backpack from inside like a balloon. When he eventually succeeds, by the road he sees a sign standing.

Weathered words read 'Welcome to Gravity Falls'.

He elbows Mabel but she, instead of waking up, swings to the side and on another road bump almost falls of her seat. Dipper reaches out in her direction rather rapidly grabbing by the woolen vest which by the way is ridiculous for today's weather then drags her back onto the seat.

"Here we are. Our stop's in a minute." says Dipper, trying to get vest's hair off of his hands.

Something that might be remains of gummies they ate on some bus station few hours ago still sticks to his fingers now along with the damned hair so he resigns any more efforts. Mabel's yawn is loud and accompanied with a full body stretch that cramps Dipper against an unpleasantly heated up window.

"Here we are. That really was a beautiful of a nap."

Dipper murmurs something in response. He didn't get to sleep nor in the last bus they took where the kid row before had been kicking his seat all the way nonstop while simultaneously watching Tik-Tok without earbuds, nor on the bus station where he was looking after their luggage nor in this bus. Sums up to twenty hours. He's really nervous about reuniting with grunkles. Mable drinks the last of her water and zips up her backpack with no problem. Like the absolute fool he agreed to get his one packed with clothes and little things while Mabel would get eatables and crap she couldn't get him to carry after one of the stiches got ripped filled with one another vest.