The falls

chapter six

The sun was dipping lower in the sky as Jessica and Neomi wandered the streets of Gravity Falls. Despite the lingering weirdness of the gnome encounter, the town's mysteries had sparked a deep curiosity in both girls. There were bigger secrets to uncover.

"So," Jessica began, "What's next? We've seen gnomes, but I get the feeling there's more going on here."

Neomi's eyes gleamed as she glanced around, lowering her voice. "There's a lot more. Gravity Falls is famous for its weird stuff. But there's one story that's been bugging me—about a secret cult. The Society of the Blind Eye."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Blind Eye?"

Neomi nodded, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Yeah. It's a group that used to erase people's memories. If someone saw something too strange, the Society would wipe it out—make sure they forgot everything."

Jessica frowned, unsettled. "That's...that's awful. How could anyone do that?"

"I know, right? My dad and Aunt Mabel took them down years ago, but I've heard rumors they're still around. People say they've been kidnapping anyone who sees things they shouldn't—like this one guy. He claimed he saw manitors."

"Manitors?"

"Half-man, half--I don't actually know." Neomi explained with a sigh.

"you're joking."

"hey, this is gravity falls we're talking about. when gnomes exist and a weirdness apocalypse literally happened are these manitors sound so unbelievable?"

Jessica glanced around the quiet street, her heart pounding a little faster. "that is- that is fair. So, what are we going to do?"

"We stop them. I don't care what people see, memories are part of who they are, good or bad. No one should take that away."

Jessica nodded, agreeing completely. "Let's do it."

They followed whispers and rumors through town until they found themselves standing in front of an old, run-down building on the edge of Gravity Falls. A faded sign hung above the entrance: Gravity Falls Historical Society.

"This has to be it," Neomi whispered, her voice filled with urgency.

They waited until dusk before sneaking around the back of the building, slipping inside through a broken window. The inside was dark, filled with stacks of dusty books and relics. But in the middle of the room, a group of cloaked figures moved in eerie silence.

Jessica and Neomi crouched behind a stack of boxes, peeking out to see a young man, tied and struggling, being led toward a strange machine at the back of the room.

"That must be the guy," Jessica whispered, eyes wide.

Neomi nodded. "We've got to get him out of here. But first, we need to find their memory eraser gun."

They scanned the room, their eyes landing on a table where a strange device sat, glowing faintly. It looked like a mechanical gun with a lightbulb on the top.

"That's it," Jessica said softly, pointing at the device. "The memory eraser."

They carefully crept toward it, trying to stay out of sight. The cult members were too focused on their ritual to notice the two girls moving in the shadows. Jessica reached for the gun, but just as her fingers wrapped around it, one of the cult members turned.

"Intruders!" the cult member yelled, causing the others to spin around.

Jessica grabbed the memory eraser gun, but the cult members were already closing in. Neomi grabbed her arm, pulling her back toward the door. "Run!"

They bolted toward the exit, but a large figure stepped in front of them, blocking their path. The leader of the cult, his face hidden beneath a hood, slowly approached.

"You think you can stop us?" the leader said, his voice low and menacing. "You children don't understand the power of memory. Some things are too dangerous to be remembered."

Jessica stood her ground, holding the memory eraser tightly. "People need their memories. They help shape who they are. No one has the right to take that away."

The leader raised his hand, signaling the other cult members to advance. Jessica's heart raced—there was no way they could fight all of them off.

Suddenly, a small figure darted into the room from the shadows, moving quickly between the cult members' legs. The figure knocked over a stack of books, causing just enough confusion for Jessica and Neomi to dash past.

"Come on, hurry!" the figure shouted in a high-pitched voice.

Jessica and Neomi didn't hesitate. They ran out of the building and into the safety of the night, the memory eraser gun still clutched in Jessica's hands. Once they were far enough away, they finally stopped to catch their breath.

The small figure that had saved them stepped forward, revealing herself to be a tiny gnome. "Name's Lauren," she said with a grin. "You two looked like you could use some help."

Jessica blinked in surprise. "You...you're a gnome?"

"Yup," Lauren replied, crossing her arms proudly.

Neomi and Jessica exchanged glances, both relieved and confused. "Thanks for saving us," Neomi said, still panting from the run.

"Don't mention it," Lauren replied, waving it off. "I've been keeping an eye on that creepy cult for a while now. Glad to help anyone who's trying to stop them."

Jessica held up the memory eraser gun, her expression serious. "we need to Make sure no one can use it to erase anyone's memories again." she drops the gun on the ground and smashes the lightbulb.

Lauren nodded in agreement. "Good idea. Now, let's get out of here before those creeps catch up."

As they walked back toward town, Jessica felt a strange sense of accomplishment. They had stopped the Society of the Blind Eye from erasing memories, but more than that, they had stood up for what they believed in. Gravity Falls was filled with mysteries, but she and Neomi were ready to face whatever came next.