Gravity Rises (S3)

PP: Part Four

Ford and Dipper didn't get back to the Mystery Museum until dark. That wasn't good: Ford had wanted to go out into the forest today. More so now that Robbie had told them about his encounter with June. Ford's memories of the hamadryad were hazy, as his memories from the early eighties often were, but he had a feeling that she was important. He wanted to find her and talk to her again.

But he wouldn't be able to go out in the dark. The conversation with Wendy had taken longer than expected: Even with Robbie there, the girl had largely refused to listen to them. Robbie had claimed afterward that Wendy was scared, but Ford thought she was just being obstinate.

Ford and Dipper had sent Robbie back to his parents. Ford was worried that the Corduroys would try to keep Robbie away from the Pines, as they had earlier, but Robbie was unwilling to abandon his parents. Even after he found out about Bill and some of the darker parts of the Order, Robbie didn't want to leave Greg and Janice. Ford had to respect that — and he would have to hope that the Corduroys wouldn't get in Robbie's way.

As Ford stepped into the Museum and took off his coat, a sudden weariness overcame him. The day wasn't over, despite the deceiving darkness; yet it had been such an emotionally exhausting day that Ford could hardly think of doing anything besides eating dinner and crawling into bed.

Gideon and Mabel were in the living room — Gideon sitting on the couch, Mabel laying on the floor, each with a Journal in front of them. They looked up when Ford and Dipper entered. "How'd it go?" Mabel asked. "Are they going to join us?"

"Robbie will," Dipper said. "His parents don't like it, but I don't think they'll stop him. Wendy, though. . . well, she didn't like what we had to say. I don't think she wants anything to do with us, much less the Cipher Wheel."

"Robbie said he'd keep trying to convince her," Ford said.

"Why won't the Corduroys try to stop Robbie?" asked Gideon.

"I think they're starting to feel guilty," Dipper said. "I may have, um, yelled at them. For helping Pacifica kidnap Mabel."

"Let's hope they're feeling guilty," Ford said. "Let's hope they start to see reason."

"I don't know about the likelihood of that," Gideon said. "But I'm glad Robbie's with us."

"Is Melody with Fidds?" asked Ford.

Mabel's eyes lit up. "Yeah. He woke up earlier. Melody said he sat up and had a conversation with her before he fell back to sleep."

"He did?" said Dipper. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Mabel said. "He said he wanted to talk to you, Grunkle Ford, when he could. Melody said he seemed really sorry about. . . about what he did to Grunkle Lee."

A knot of anger tightened in Ford's chest. "I see," he said. He knew that they had to nurse Fiddleford back to health so that he could join them in the Cipher Wheel — but otherwise, Ford had no desire to ever see the man again. Just thinking about him made Ford so angry and sad that he could hardly think at all.

"Melody should be out soon to start dinner," Mabel said, trying to change the subject when she saw Ford's expression turn ugly. "Until then, Grunkle Ford, can Gideon and I talk to you? We've been looking through the Journals, and we have some ideas."

Dipper glanced at Gideon. "Is it everything you dreamed of, having all three Journals?" He finished taking off his coat and snow boots and flopped on the ground next to Mabel.

"I guess so," Gideon said. "I really only needed the first."

"Did you find what you were looking for, then?" asked Ford. He came over and sat on the couch next to the Northwest.