Welcome Back | Gravity Falls

7. Oddities

Stanley grunted as he sluggishly got out of bed, shielding his eyes from the morning sun. He headed to Charlie's room to wake her. She normally had a hell of a time in the mornings, sometimes sleeping past 12.

To Stan's surprise, Charlie wasn't in her room. Maybe that's a good sign, Stan hoped.

The whole house was empty, no sign of Charlie or Ford anywhere. Stan checked the clock in the kitchen, it was still only 9am.

Finally, Stan heard Ford's voice and followed it outside to where he found his brother and Charlie awake, dressed, and holding packed bags.

"You guys going on a hike or something?" Stan asked, catching their attention.

"Oh, hey Stan!" Charlie greeted.

"We were just going to take care of a few errands," Ford explained. "Wanted to get an early start."

"Oh." Guess you were too busy to mention that yesterday, Stan thought bitterly.

"It shouldn't take too long Stanley, maybe 2 hours at the most," Ford added, hearing the change in his brother's voice.

"Well, just make sure you don't bore Charlie to death with your nerd talk," Stan joked.

"Very funny." Ford said sarcastically, then began heading off into the woods. Charlie waved goodbye to Stan, then turned to catch up with his twin.

The two walked through overgrown deer paths, soaking in the warm sunlight

Ford cleared his throat. "What do you think of Gravity Falls so far?" he asked.

"I like it. I mean, I still don't know many people, but everyone seems nice. Plus, the Mystery Shack is super cool! I mean, have you seen the jack-a-lope?"

"Yes, I'm aware of my brother's...creations. They're bizarre, but I'm glad you like them. Have you noticed anything odd about the town?"

Charlie furrowed her brow and thought for a moment. "Well, I guess some of the townsfolk are a little...eccentric. The other day, I overheard Lazy Susan talking to herself. I mean- everyone does that sometimes, but it was like she was having a full fledged conversation with the air."

"Ah yes, the people here are a bit strange. But, that's just an essential part of this town. It's as if weirdness flows through the air and water here," Ford described.

As the two approached the mouth of a long cave, Ford grabbed 2 flashlights from his bag and tossed one to Charlie. Ford confidently entered the cavern, and Charlie trailed behind.

"When you said you needed help with errands, I didn't imagine this," Charlie said, her voice echoing down the tunnel.

"I suppose cave dwelling isn't quite the same as grocery shopping," Ford chuckled.

"What exactly are we doing?" Charlie asked.

"Well Charlie, you should know that the weirdness in Gravity Falls goes much further than just the people," Ford explained. "This town has been home to countless anomalies and unexplained happenings for hundreds of years. I myself have spent a large part of my life studying its oddities."

"What, like aliens?" Charlie joked, laughing a bit to herself.

"Yes, among other things," Ford answered seriously.

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The two had been quietly making their way through the cave for at least a half hour when Ford suddenly froze in place.

"Wait!" Ford commanded, motioning for Charlie to stop as well. "Do you hear that?" He whispered.

Charlie listened eagerly. The cave was almost silent, save for a quiet, high pitched chirping sound. A smile grew on Ford's face.

"What is that?" Charlie asked.

"You'll see," Ford answered. "Turn off your flashlight."

Both Charlie and Ford turned their lights off and were left in darkness, the chirping growing louder.

"Look," Ford said, pointing to the walls of the cave. In the darkness Charlie could make out two specs of light from the wall. The longer she looked, the more and more pairs of light she saw, until almost every inch of the walls were covered in sparkling dots like hundreds of stars.

"Wow..." Charlie gasped, craning her neck to see as much as she could. She could hear Ford chuckling in amusement beside her.

Slowly and carefully, Ford reached his six-fingered hand out to the wall, grabbing something. A faint glow began emitting from his hand, and a high pitched humming grew.

As the thing Ford was holding grew brighter, Charlie could begin to make out its features. It was a rock with shining, colorful crystals poking out of it, and two bright eyes that peered from its rough exterior.

The rock began humming a song that sounded like a lullaby, growing louder and brighter. As it sang, several other rocks began glowing and humming from the cave walls.

"Here," Ford said, gently handing Charlie the rock as more of them ambled across the ground, making little clinking noises with every step. "They're Geodites. I found them once on an exhibition with a friend."

Charlie peered down at the one in her hands who now gazed up at her, smiling and humming.

"They aren't going to bite," Ford added. "They're some of the friendliest creatures I've found."

Charlie nodded, letting the one in her hands walk along her arm. When she looked at Ford, she saw he was surrounded by Geodites. Some were snuggled on his shoulder or in his hair, and one sat in his pocket. The rest of the creatures on the floor were even dancing, adorably hopping around on their crystal legs.

Charlie sat speechless, enraptured by the shiny little critters.

"What, am I boring you to death?" Ford asked sarcastically, a smirk on his face.

Charlie laughed, still starstruck. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen," she gaped.

"Then I guess Stanley owes me ten dollars," Ford stated triumphantly.