Disremembered Tales

Chapter 2

"Dipper, do you really think this is the best idea?" Mabel asked, "I mean, don't you remember what happened last time you dealt with ghosts? Are you sure you want to bring out the lamby lamby dance?"

Mabel's dorky smile cut through the tension in the air and Dipper's face reddened. He pushed his sister in the shoulder.

"I thought we'd agree to never bring that up again," he muttered, "Besides, mom and dad never let us go anywhere near Oregon since you started blabbering about all of our crazy adventures. This is the closest urban legend I could find in the area."

Mabel grumbled lightly to herself. She had been so excited to tell their parents everything that had happened to them. Of course, like most adults, they didn't believe a word she said but just played along. Mabel had been able to tell and tried even harder to convince them that everything she was saying was true, but that only led to them becoming increasingly weary of a certain town a few hours to the north...

Since neither Dipper or Mabel were old enough to drive, they had to start looking for anything out of the ordinary in the surrounding area to appease their insatiable urge to deal with the paranormal.

Which led them to the lake they were currently at. It felt wrong sneaking out and taking the bus, but neither of the twins could help themselves.

A light fog had descended upon the area, but it thickened over the lake, gently rolling above the calm water. It seemed to glow in the moonlight. It was unnerving to Dipper, but his sister's aloofness kept his anxious thoughts from running rampant.

"What's that?" Mabel asked as a hazy outline of a person was illuminated in the fog. Before Dipper could stop her, she ran towards it.

"Mabel!" he cried, but she was already halfway there. Dipper sprinted after her.

"It's alright, it's just a statue," she said once he caught up with her, "Although it is a little creepy. Why do you think she's wearing a mask?"

The statue was of a woman in an old-fashioned dress with two kids. It had obviously not been looked after since it had been moved to the Golden Gate Park.

"It's not a mask," Dipper replied, breaking out his journal and studying the notes he'd written down when he was doing his research, "The bronze on half her face has just turned white over the years. Some people say it's a natural process, but others are convinced that it's supernatural."

"Well, what do you think it is?" Mabel asked.

"I'm not sure," Dipper replied, chewing on his pen, "I don't think it's linked to the Ghost of Stow Lake since the first sighting was in 1908 and the statue wasn't made until 1914 – and wasn't even in the park until 1940.

"Some people say that the ghost took residence in the statue, but others say that they see her over the lake."

Mabel nodded seriously before busting out a miniature Ouija board from her backpack.

"This way we can ask her why she's haunting the lake!" she exclaimed proudly.

"We don't need a Ouija board," Dipper said, facepalming, "I told you that all you had to say was, 'White lady, white lady, I have your baby. White lady, white lady, I have your baby,' and then she'd appear."

Mabel's eyes widened as Dipper realized what he'd just done. The thick fog over the lake started to pour out over the land, revealing a girl in a translucent white dress. Even from a distance, Dipper could see the panic in her white eyes.

She moved her head frantically side to side as she made her way over to the young teenagers, looking for the baby that had drowned in the lake that she had come out of. Her hair floated around her as if she was still underwater and exaggerated her jerky movements.