In The Leaves (Pinescone)

Chapter 1

Laughter. A feeling of unease. Hands grappling on to anything they could find. The scent of damp soil. Darkness. That's all Dipper could remember.

He found himself laying in a sunny patch of the wood, in a bed of dying amber leaves. The familiar tall pines, maples, oaks and firs of Gravity Falls nowhere to be seen. Birds chirped, hidden in the golden forest's branches.

The boy stood and let his eyes adjust to the sun.

'Where... where am I?' He thought to himself, spinning in a little circle until he wound up where he started. He quickly patted his vest to be sure that the journal was still there.

'Good... it's safe.' Dipper thought before sliding the leather-bound book out of his vest and grabbing his trusty pen. He uncapped the blue ink pen before starting to write in his journal, sketching the trees and forest around him. The boy chewed slightly on the end of his pen as he thought about what to do.

After a few minutes of walking, Dipper's eyes landed on a wooden sign half swallowed by a bush. He gasped and sprinted over to the sign, shoving the unruly branches out of the way.

"Yes! Civilization!" He exclaimed, further reading the sign. The sign said 'Tavern in .5 miles', its letters etched into the old wood, black paint fading away with age.

Dipper smiled and hurried along down the dirt road, following the wagon ruts left behind from past travelers. As he sprinted, he thought to himself about his situation.

'How long have I been here? Why am I here? Did bill do this? Logically speaking- he's the only creature powerful enough to teleport people across dimensions that I know about... I was teleported right? Or is this still my world? Ugh- this is making my head hurt.'

Soon, the boy made his way over to the tavern. The building seemed old and rustic, Ivy clinging to the walls in places. A small stable stood beside the tavern, empty. He looked up at the sign hanging from the door and shuddered. A picture of a dead horse with the letters D L beside it. How inviting.

The sun was starting to set and the autumnal chill was starting to set in, so Dipper hurried inside. He found himself in a large room surrounded by strange colonial-looking people. All eyes were on him. The boy awkwardly tried to conjure up something to say that wouldn't make him seem like a weak and lost little kid, but failed.

"H-hEy!" The boy squeaked, instantly going red with embarrassment. He coughed before trying again. "Uh... c-could I borrow your phone? I think I'm lost."

A woman dressed in a purple dress and white bonnet walked over to Dipper and looked him up and down before speaking. "A phone? What's that?" She asked, her voice unnaturally squeaky and high.

'Oh no- did we time travel again? Shit.'

He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think about what to say.

"Er- where am I?" Dipper asked, trying to get a grip on the situation.

"You're in The Unknown, boy. Come! Come have something to eat! You need to get some meat on those bones!" She smiled, pushing the boy into a seat.

"T-the Unknown? What do you m-" Dipper tried to ask, but she was already gone, heading away into the kitchen. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay and eat." He murmured before pulling out his journal again to write. "The Unknown, huh?" The boy said quietly to himself as he wrote the header on the old yellowing paper.

Within minutes, a bowl of... some kind of soup and a mug of beer sat in front of him. Dipper glanced at the mug and pushed it away before starting on the soup. It was creamy and filling, so he quickly finished, leaving the spoon abandoned in the empty bowl. The piano player had begun to play an upbeat tune, music drifting throughout the happy tavern.

The joyful piano drowned out the sound of the tavern door opening, letting a tall figure out of the cold.

———————//End of Chapter One\\———————

Thank you so much for reading!
- PennandInk