Looking Backwards

Ginger Falls

"Someone is speaking."

'Someone is quoting something.'

Someone is thinking.

Do you know that falling feeling that you sometimes have at the end of a nightmare? The one where you are just falling helplessly? That's me right now.

I was just casually walking home from just another day of Junior year in high school when everything started to fade away out of nowhere. Of I did what any sane person would do, panic. I tried to run back to where I came from, ironically back to school, but I couldn't, as the same thing was happening behind me. Unfortunately, my favorite song playing through my earbuds was not helping, giving the situation a twisted sense of fear. Eventually, everything around me was white, including the ground I was standing on. I tried to scream as I started to fall, but nothing would escape my throat.

To cushion my inevitable impact, I unstrapped my backpack, brought it out in front of me, and held it tight to my torso. Terrified, I shut my eyes in anticipation, waiting for my rib cage to shatter, but nothing came. Confused because the wind was howling in my ears, my eyes slowly opened, and I realized I was hurtling toward a large canopy of green trees. Finding my voice this time, I yelled as I hit the treeline, and even though it slowed my fall, I still hit the ground pretty hard. Thankfully, my backpack cushioned my body, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. I rolled onto my back off the flattened bag with a loud grunt of pain. I winced and shut my eyes, trying to breathe and comprehend what just happened.

After a few seconds, blood started to trickle out of my nose, forcing my eyes open. I wiped the back of my hand under my nose, clearing it away for moments, but fresh blood immediately replaced it. My gaze lifted from my bloody hand, and I almost passed out at what I saw. In front of me, there was a building that I loved and cherished. The building was a shack, and red-painted wood letters with a yellow backdrop made the darker color letters pop out on the side of its triangle roof. Two words were displayed proudly with those letters, and they read: 'MYSTERY SHACK.'

My jaw dropped, eyes glued to the rundown building. This was not possible. Gravity Falls is a cartoon. It's not real. It can't be real! I slowly stood on my feet, completely disregarding my bag, fallen-out earbuds, and my current nosebleed, and walked up to what I believed was the gift shop entrance. Shakily grabbing the wooden handrail, I made my way up the rickety steps to the door, stumbling a little when I had to let go of the rail to get to the door. Sloppily wiping the blood off my face one final time, I took a big breath and pushed open the door. My legs nearly gave out due to surprise when my eyes fell upon the establishment's cashier. She had red hair, just like me, and I knew it must be Wendy Corduroy.

She had her feet propped up on the countertop and was reading a magazine with a lifeless expression. "Welcome to the Mystery Shack, or whatever." She said in a bored tone when she heard the bell ring as the door opened. I was utterly appalled. She looked real. The tangles in her hair were noticeable, and so were her sporadic freckles. The green flannel she was wearing hung loosely to her torso, her boots were all muddy, probably making a mess on the table, and on top of it all was her lumberjack hat. She looked like a real person, not some animated character. If that isn't scary enough, her voice sounded identical to the one she has in the show.

I tried to step further into the room but once again stumbled forward, knocking down a metal stand of postcards while trying to regain my lost balance. My eyes flew over to Wendy as she said, "Watch it, buddy! Stuff here is expensive, you know!" When she said this, the magazine she was reading was still blocking her view, so when the other redhead heard no reply from me, she lowered her chosen literature, and shock spread across her face. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Even when she talked, she looked natural. Her mouth matched perfectly with the words coming out of it.