Triple Pines

Rewind

I woke up in a pile of leaves, like someone had just made a neat pile after raking the yard. I sat up and my head immediately exploded in pain.

"Agh!" I exclaimed, rubbing my forehead then my eyes.

The smell of freshly clipped grass filled my nostrils. I looked up to see that I was back home, sitting in our front yard.

I scrambled to my feet and dusted the leaves off my hoodie and picked out other leaves that had gotten stuck in my hair.

"This isn't what I meant when I said I wanted a do-over. . ." I grumbled. I walked around the side of the house, not sure what to do or where to go.

The first idea that came to mind was finding a place to hide. If this really was the past, then I probably had to avoid my past-self. (Isn't that what happens in most science fiction movies?)

I walked until I found the window that overlooked the kitchen area. I peered through the window to see Dipper, Mabel and Me as thirteen-year-olds, putting on our backpacks as we prepared to leave for our first day back to school.

"Yep, this is definitely the past," I mumbled to myself.

"I can't believe we're going to a brand new school!" Mabel squealed from inside. She was wearing a sweater she must have knitted just for the special occasion of going back to school.

This was when mom and dad had let us transfer to another school so no one would wonder why the Pines twins came back as triplets. It all worked out. I got to live a normal life, Dipper and Mabel still got to see their old friends, and no one ever suspected a thing.

"What's school like?" my past-self asked Dipper and Mabel. "I mean, I know what school is and I know just as much as Dipper, but I don't have any of the experience."

I sounded small and scared.

Dipper wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"Don't worry, man! It's gonna be great! We all have each other, we can do this!" he said encouragingly.

I felt my lips curving into a warm smile. I didn't understand why I was here, there was nothing wrong with this memory. I hadn't forgotten this day.

While I had been zoned out I didn't notice that mom had opened up the kitchen window and was currently staring right at me.

I froze. I didn't know what to do. I raised an awkward hand and waved.

"Uhh, hi?"

She didn't notice, it was like she was staring right through me.

"It's a beautiful day, the sky is so blue!" mom sighed. She drew in a deep breath of the fresh air and turned back from the window.

I stared after her, confused.

I waved both of my hands this time as dad walked past the window with his coffee and morning newspaper.

"Helloooo!" I called into the window. No one noticed or seemed to care. Just to test my theory one last time, I reached into the windowsill and tipped over a potted plant, sending it crashing to the floor.

Still, no one noticed the broken pot along with the soil strewn across the wood floor.

"If I can't even change anything then what's the point of being here?" I asked frustratedly.

I exhaled loudly and rapped my fingers against the window. I looked down at my hands and almost screamed at the top of my lungs.

My hand was gone. I pulled up my sleeve to see my arm was slowly disappearing. I was down to my wrist, but it was like something was slowly eating away at my arm. I pulled my sleeve back down and backed away from the window.