"So...have you ever actually encountered a real demon?" Bill asked Gideon. The ghost was taking his time to show up, they'd even messed with the stuff around the lounge.
"Uhm...no, not yet. They tend to be really nasty." Gideon shook his head. "You'd expect a demon to show up in Gravity Falls, but I think the fairy magic scares them off."
"Fairy magic, huh..." Bill frowned, remembering when Dipper was almost kidnapped by fairies. "They sure kept me in place."
"Fairies are very good at keeping out any of the competition when it comes to abducting children." Gideon said dryly. "Luckily, I've managed to intervene every time – I didn't count on Dipper running off and, as soon as I realized where he was going, I headed out after him."
"And they don't mind?" Bill asked.
"It's less of a 'don't mind' and more of a 'can't do anything about it' situation. Once I use my mind powers to break the trance, the child can't be taken. And they don't dare to go into the city to lure children. They just wait for children to wander into the woods. Usually tourists, most locals avoid the woods." Gideon sighed and looked at the walls. "He's late."
"Hey, Miss Northwest, try stepping off the chair." Bill suggested.
"You told me to stay on it!" Pacifica frowned.
"Actually, Gideon did. And try it." Bill shrugged. "Otherwise, we'll be here all night."
"Isn't there a spell or something to call him out?" Pacifica sighed and reluctantly stepped down off the chair, carefully avoiding the salt line.
The curtains suddenly started to whip against the windows as the animal heads started to bleed. "There he is!" Bill said, picking Pacifica up and setting her back on the chair.
The manifestation continued, with the heads chanting "Ancient Sins!" over and over again. The fireplace started to flare up and turn blue and then a man's ghost with an axe in his head came out of the fire, staring at Pacifica menacingly. He lunged for her, only for the salt circle to stop him short, and let out a guttural roar of rage.
"Okay, you're here! Great!" Bill walked over to him. "If you're ready to stop acting like a wild animal, we can have a nice little chat. You may notice, there is salt all over this room. You can't leave it. So chill out and tell me what's your issue."
Gideon moved over to stand near Pacifica's chair, watching the ghost warily.
"The Northwest Line...a line of liars and scoundrels...." The ghost growled.
"Eh, what else is new?" Bill shrugged. "What noble family isn't a hive of scum and villainy? What did they do to you, personally?"
The ghost glared at Pacifica. "They used us. 150 years ago this day, the Northwests asked us lumberfolk to build them a mansion atop the hill. We were told we'd be of service to the town! That once a year, they would throw a grand party, and ALL would share in the bounty!"
"Let me guess, they didn't." Bill frowned.
"It took years of back-breaking labor and sacrifice but, when it was time for the grand party they promised the common folk of the town, they refused to let us in." The ghost growled.
"The utter gall." Gideon frowned.
"Oh no..." Pacifica held her head in her hands.
"I stayed behind to try to convince them to open the gates. Then, with the trees gone, the mudslides began." The ghost went on. "While they partied and laughed, I was swept away by the storm! My axe was knocked into the air and it struck me in the head, killing me." He pointed to the axe in his head. "All while Northwest watched from a window..."
"What an asshole." Bill hissed.
"And so, I swore with final breath, 150 years I'll return from death. And if the gates still close to town, wealthy blood will stain the ground!" The ghost declared.
"I think I was shown something that said that once..." Pacifica said quietly. "I thought it was a joke. I mean, curses and stuff..."
"If you waited 150 years, does that mean it wasn't you messing around here the past few years?" Gideon asked.
"Obviously." The ghost replied.
"Great, we've got two ghosts. Maybe they unearthed a grave while building." Bill groaned. "We'll worry about the other one later. So, your issue is that they broke their promise to you back then, and now you're back to make sure they do as you said." He looked at Pacifica.
"My dad definitely isn't going to let just anyone in. I'm going to have to sneak in Candy and Grenda, remember?" Pacifica asked nervously.
"Well, then your dad can be the first to die." Gideon said flatly. "Followed by everyone else in this place if we don't do as the ghost says."
"I-I'll talk to him about it!" Pacifica looked at the ghost. "Just give me time!"
"You know he won't listen to you, he'll just pull out that bell again!" Gideon turned to the door. "I'M going to talk to him."
"Bell?" Bill looked at her.
"Will you give us time? The party starts in an hour, we have until then, right?" Gideon asked the ghost.
"Can't you just fight him?" Pacifica asked Bill.
"No, because I agree with him. If a promise was made, you need to uphold it." Bill said firmly, then looked at the ghost. "One hour, alright?"
"One hour." The ghost said, disappearing into the flames as they returned to normal.
"Right...let's go find Preston." Gideon said, adjusting his amulet.
YOU ARE READING
Little Dipper
Fanfiction12 year old Mabel Pines takes her 7 year old younger brother Dipper with her to Gravity Falls to stay with their great uncle for the summer. She's starting to regret taking him along after he makes a not-so-imaginary friend.
