Mystery Universe

Lunchtime

It had been a slow day. Not many people had come for tours that day, so Stan was killing time in the gift shop with Steven. He was currently helping a particularly indecisive customer wearing clearly uncomfortably short jorts. Why he was Christmas shopping in June was a mystery in itself, but hey, some people are like that. It's not Steven's place to judge. He was sweeping behind the counter when the twins walked in.

"Grunkle Stan," Dipper started.

"Can we go to the diner?" Mabel finished.

Steven focused back on sweeping.

"Do you have this in a different animal?" the customer asked Stan.

"Hey, kid," Stan said, "Mind watchin' the shop while we're gone?"

Stan looked over at the customer, "And help him out. No clue how long that's gonna take."

Steven looked over at the customer, who was now trying to decide between a puma or panther shirt. When he looked back at Stan, he was already gone, the gift shop door swinging closed behind him.

Steven took a deep breath before heading over to the customer to help him.

***

An hour later, Steven was placing his shirts into a paper bag and wishing him well as he walked out of the gift shop. Steven let out a sigh of relief. Customer service was taking a toll on him that not even the Diamonds could have prepared him for. He looked outside to see the sun was still high in the sky. Steven checked his watch. 12 PM, and not a customer in sight. He sighed. Maybe he should close early, or at least, close for lunch. Surely Stan wouldn't mind.

Steven tidied up the gift shop before locking the door behind him after putting a sign on the door that said 'Out for Lunch.' It was a nice day out, hot, but with a nice breeze that kept him cool. He decided to go on a walk. He hadn't really had time to explore the hiking trails of Gravity Falls, and he figured today would be a good day to check them out. Besides, he could find a nice place to have lunch.

He hummed as he looked up a list of hiking trails on his phone, planning out his route before starting down a trail by the Mystery Shack. The sun shone through the trees, painting the forest floor with specks of light. A cool breeze rustled the trees, singing with the birds. It was peaceful. Soon enough, He found a nice clearing to settle down in and eat his pb&j. He took a small picnic blanket from his backpack and placed it on the ground in the shade of a tree. The clearing looked oddly familiar, but Steven brushed it off. A lot of the forest looked like the clearing, so maybe he saw something similar when they were hunting for that plaidypus. Steven recalled the day. He had revealed his powers to Mabel, something he told himself he wouldn't do. But, getting that off his chest helped. This summer had been good for him. He's creating a new relationship with his powers, but he was still paranoid. Paranoid he would lose control. So far he hasn't had to use his powers too much, just here and there to help the twins in a pinch, but what if something happens, something he can't handle, and he loses control? Steven shook his head, clearing his thoughts. This was supposed to be a peaceful lunch, to relax, not to worry about a possible future that may not even come.

He finished his lunch and sighed as a cool breeze ruffled his hair. He leaned back against the tree and just enjoyed his surroundings. Birds chirped as the faint sound of running water from a nearby creek drifted through the clearing. Soon Steven's eyelids grew heavy, and he felt his whole body relax. But he couldn't fall asleep, he had to get back to the Shack soon. He opened his eyes to start to pack up when he realized the clearing was now longer the gorgeous green clearing it was. His surroundings had been drained of all color, leaving it in shade of black and white. He noticed the wind had stopped, and saw some birds hovering in mid air. It was as if the whole forest had just... stopped. That's when he heard laughing. A laugh he had only heard in his dreams. He froze. That's when a black shape formed in front of him. It morphed into a triangle, and Steven could tell the laughing was coming from it. A singular eye opened in the middle of the shape before a bright light blinded Steven. When his eyes readjusted, he saw a yellow triangle, wearing a top hat and bow tie, holding a cane in his left hand.