Dipper continued into the depths of the animated complex in search of his captive crush. Trekking further from the light, he reflected upon the words of his newly-freed romantic rival. "How long has it been since Wendy was taken from that awful place?" he asked himself. "What if I'm already too –" Dipper shook away his negativity. His gut told him that there was still time; that his quest would not in vain.

As the determined boy hurried forward, he could make out a sickening squishing sound. Strangely enough, the noise didn't come from the soft ground beneath his sneakers, but rather the walls and ceiling around him. Unable to see the truth for himself, Dipper pushed his concerns into the pit of his stomach, resulting in a sudden outbreak of goose flesh. He knew that he hadn't a second to waste worrying about unnecessary factors.

After a few minutes stumbling around in the shadows, Dipper could make out a shining in the darkness. He dashed towards the beacon to discover that it was a lone torch branching out from a holder embedded in the floor. Being careful to avoid getting a splinter stuck in his palm, Dipper lifted the lantern from its holster and raised it upwards to illuminate his way.

Finally able to make out his surroundings, Dipper took a step back and gasped aloud in horror, nearly dropping his only means of visibility in the process.

Instead of finding the passage to be made of brick, mortar, or concrete, the young detective saw that everything was formed from a spongy pink material. Dipper watched in awe as the substance pulsated of its own accord, as if it were breathing.

Still, he couldn't resist the temptation of his curiosity. With his free hand, Dipper reached at the membrane-like matter, only to have something from within the wall push back in his direction! He jumped backwards, observing the bump move wildly about in an attempt to break through its bond.

Making sure to keep his distance, Dipper ventured deeper into the dismal abyss, figuring that the horrible truth behind the oddity was probably more trouble than what it was worth.

Using the torch as his only source of guidance, the twelve-year-old blindly maintained his pre-set course. He noticed that the pathway started to increase in both length and width. A moment later, Dipper found himself standing over a deep descent. He looked around to see that he was at the entrance of a colossal room. From top to bottom, every aspect of the area was coated in the same throbbing, cotton-candy-like textile.

However, he found himself captivated by another ghastly detail: the region was supported by what appeared to be actual bone structures. The wiggling ceiling was held together by a long, curved white bar that reminded Dipper of a spinal cord. Each wall had similar formations, having no less than half a dozen "bones" on each side. Dipper gazed ahead to see that the bump in the road had pointy, white steps leading to another lengthy ivory bar that stretched across from one end of the chamber to the other. Several pointed spikes, similar to nature to the skeletal formations, poked up from the sticky surface.

After studying the sickly design, Dipper pulled back as he comprehended the sight before him, "It's…It's a rib cage!"

A series of lamps, similar to the one Dipper kept in his grasp, were tactically placed alongside the edges of the space, giving the atmosphere a dim, yet creepy pink glow. Dipper carefully inched his way down the slope, using the bony steps as a guide, and into the center of the room. His eyes spied a clustered circle of flames with something massive in the middle. In between the ring of torches, a giant red rock shone on and off as if it was a form of alert. Nestled deep within in the soft ground in a twisted sort of shrine, the crater-filled boulder seemed to quietly moan, giving off a tremendous form of heat, forcing Dipper to skip back.

"The meteorite!" Dipper recognized the stone from the mad ramblings of the house's owner. He stopped in his tracks, making sure not to get too close to the dangerous space catastrophe. "People think I'm crazy already; the last thing I need is for this thing to make me ten times worse!"

Another series of groans made Dipper's ears perk up. He turned around, realizing that the sounds were not coming from the flashing comet, but rather behind him. Dipper turned around in search of the source of the noise.

He hoisted his torch upwards to get a better look at what exactly was making the pained whines. He quickly covered his mouth as the awful truth was revealed.

A young woman was literally embedded in the gooey wall. Her tangled, pinkish-white hair draped over her face. Her head hung without any signs of life, save for her lips gently mouthing cries of anguish. Her pale face was devoid of any color; her skin lost some of its elasticity, resulting in abnormal wrinkles in various places. The girl's lengthy arms were stretched outwards and pinned down in pink webbing. Shreds of a green flannel and a stained white tee were all that remained on her top half. Snuggly-fitted blue jeans were torn off at her knees. Her bare feet dangled freely in mid-air.

"Ohhh…"

Dipper narrowed his eyes harder; the tiny snivel sent waves of remembrance through his mind.

"It can't be…"

The light-colored hair parted from the covered face as the entombed figure moved briefly, exposing a trademark pair of freckles that he would know anywhere.

"WENDY!"

Her secret admirer implanted his light into the ground as he flew into a full-blown panic!

"OHMANOHMANOHMAN!" Dipper placed his hands against the sides of his head as tried to come up with a strategy to free Wendy from her imprisonment. She let out another weep, only to have the entire compound squirm in delight immediately afterwards.

"It's…hurting her!" Dipper recoiled in disgust, "And it's enjoying every second of it!"

The small sleuth quickly shooed away all doubts. He had to stop this at once!

Without thinking, Dipper sped forward and leapt at his main squeeze. In spite of his short standing, he was able to reach up and snag Wendy by her ankles. Standing on his tip-toes, Dipper closed his eyes, grit his teeth, and pulled back as hard as he could.

"AHH!"

He reopened his eyes to see that in spite of her wailing, Wendy was slowly, but surely being separated from the wall. With every inch, the uneasy sound of *POP!* *POP!* *POP!* could be heard throughout the quiet ambiance. With one last tug, Wendy slid from her adhesive prison and landed softly on the flesh-colored flooring.

"WENDY!" Dipper flew onto his knees and slid an arm under the unconsciousness teenager, hoisting her up to his level. "Wendy!" the worried boy shook her gently in hopes of waking her. "Are you alright?! Say something! Anything! Please! Just, let me know you're okay!"

Seeing no response from his friend, Dipper lowered his head as his thoughts turned to despair…

*GASP!*

Wendy shot upwards, lifting herself out of Dipper's grasp. Her emerald eyes shot open as she let out a series of coughing jags. The redhead froze for a moment, making deep breath after deep breath, as Dipper watched in total disbelief from his distance. Wendy gradually twisted her head around, before focusing her sights solely on her young rescuer.

The two stared silently for what seemed like an eternity. Dipper couldn't believe his eyes. Was this really his missing partner-in-crime, or another cruel trick by the malevolent force controlling the house? He wanted nothing more but to throw his arms around his crush and tell her how much he missed her, but after everything that had happened today, Dipper found himself unable to tell if this very moment was based in reality or not.

Wendy went to speak, only to start choking again. Her concerned buddy went to help, only to be have the girl hold out a hand to halt him. Once her lungs were clear, Wendy made another attempt:

"I…"

Dipper leaned closer, "Are you okay?"

The ginger tried to spit out the words, only to have mangled, unintelligible language come out of her mouth. Upon hearing herself speak absolute gibberish, Wendy grew frustrated and let out a series of angry grunts.

"Oh, no…" Dipper bemoaned to himself, "I think she's in shock…"

"Hey…" he put a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Take your time. You've been through a lot…"

"I…"

Dipper nodded along, encouraging his companion's progress.

"I…knew…"

Without warning, Wendy jumped at Dipper and wrapped her arms around the boy's shorten form, making him freeze in astonishment. She lowered her head on his left shoulder and started to sob lightly, "I knew you'd hear me…"

The imagery of Wendy calling out to him from the dreamscape instantly came to mind. Fighting the overwhelming urge to start bawling himself, Dipper returned the sentiment and clutched her as hard as he could. At long last, the unwavering pre-teen knew that, without a doubt, he had finally found his Wendy.

After a moment of well-deserved peace together, Dipper pulled back, "Okay…we gotta get outta here ASAP!"

Wendy dipped her head in response. She went to stand up, only to have her legs give out beneath her. Dipper dove and caught the dazed teen at the last second. He placed one of her arms around his back and helped her upwards.

"Put your weight on me," Dipper instructed. "Take it easy; go bit by bit if you have to."

They spun around and started to shamble for the exit. As they walked, Wendy attempted to mutter,

"Sorry…"

Dipper was brought to a standstill. He looked up at Wendy, "Wha…? What did you say?"

The fifteen-year-old stared downwards with saddened eyes, "Sorry…sorry…I…I'm…grr…" Once again, Wendy's throat felt like it was going to collapse at any second.

Her friend was dumbstruck by her admission, even going as far as to let out a confused chuckle, "Sorry?! What would you have to be "sorry" about?"

Wendy tried her best to explain her thoughts, only to have more nonsensical expressions come out instead. Dipper raised an eyebrow at her action, attempting to figure out what she was struggling to say.

"I…so…ergh!"

Fed up, Wendy reached over with her free hand towards Dipper's. Unexpectedly, she stuck out her pinkie finger, and wrapped it tightly around his. With their hands untwined, Wendy lifted them up to Dipper's face in hopes that he would understand her intention.

Completely stunned, Dipper could do nothing but gawk at the sight. He shifted his head slightly to see that his gingered cohort offered a minuscule, yet heartfelt smirk.

"Even after everything she's been put though…" Dipper reflected, turning away from Wendy so that she wouldn't see the few lone tears steam down his cheeks. "…she still remembers…she didn't forget about me either…"

"Don't…*SNIFFLE*…Don't you worry about that…" the pint-sized liberator reassured her as he wiped his face clean, "There are more important things …" Dipper cut himself off as he noticed something bizarre on the edge of Wendy's arm: a series of tiny puncture wounds covered her flesh. He peeked behind her to see that thousands of holes marked her backside, from the top of her neck to the bottoms of her heels.

"What the - ?" Dipper pulled back to look his tormented sweetheart in her green eyes, "What did they do to you?"

Wendy opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a booming voice: "I can answer that for you, dear boy," the tone echoed. "Long passed are the days where our meals were in ample supply. For this, we have to make our food last as long as we can…"

Upon recognizing the menacing tenor, Wendy involuntarily quivered in Dipper's embrace, letting out a series of worried whimpers as she tightened her grip on her buddy. Noticing her terrified reaction, Dipper looked around the room to see where the resonance was coming from.

"I admit," the narrator persisted, "I prefer the times when we were able to joyfully tear apart and devour our provisions like buffalo-styled chicken wings, but alas, one must do whatever is necessary to survive in this day and age…"

Following the increasing clamor, Dipper whirled around to face the wall where Wendy was strung up by the mysterious pink bindings. He watched in terror as the material fidgeted on its own according, creating a part in between the two sides. A giant eyeball came forth from within the substance. The eyelid rose as the massive black pupil scanned the horizon before focusing on the two kids before it.

"…but then again, you of all people should know about that, wouldn't you, Mr. Pines?"

Wendy shrieked at the ghoulish display before lowering herself on Dipper's shoulder; her speech reduced to dreadful murmurs as she shook her head back and forth, "No! No more! No more! Not again!"

Angered by seeing his secret love's weakened state, Dipper forced himself to address Wendy's captor, "Dr. Lichman, I presume?"

The eyeball narrowed itself at the pre-teen, "Very good, my boy, very good! I would be lying if I said I didn't admire your iron will and tenacity. Then again, such things are a necessity for real men of science like us!"

"Don't lump me in with you!" Dipper barked back, "I didn't betray my humanity to become a one-eyed freak! And how do know all this stuff about me anyways?"

"Oh, a freak am I?" the eyeball laughed. "Am I not an immortal? The people of this wretched town cannot mention my name without trembling in dread, even years after I shed my earthly form. I am beyond the limits of mere humanity. I am legend; a living myth that will exist until in the end of days! And to answer your question, I have my ways. You see, child, this entire house is my eyes and ears. There isn't a spot in this place where you can hide! Furthermore, when a *AHEM* person "joins" our humble abode, we become one, in body, mind, and soul. Your lady friend there was able to tell me so much about you without saying a single word!"

Dipper glanced back at the still-weary teenager in his arms, "So that's why Wendy seems like she's zombified…"

"Despite your lack of a better term," the monster blinked at him, "that's precisely the case. The process was only halfway complete before you interrupted. .." The bulbous creature raised a snide overtone to its voice, "I don't bother you while you're eating, do I?"

"Are you kidding me? You expect to stand there while you're doing that to…"

"Yes, yes…" the demonic entity mocked, "I know; to your Wendy. Frankly, Dipper, my lad, I find the bond that you two share to be extraordinary. I have seen many call out for their loved ones while in my clutches, but for someone to actually respond and make it this far…well, the scientist in me wishes I can observe the both of you much more closely, but I digress, the hunger…it's far too strong…too demanding…"

"Sorry, man…" Dipper lifted Wendy, and started to resume his way to the basement's entrance, "It looks like dinner's cancelled…" The friends limped to the way out, only to see the path seal itself tightly with a pink layering.

"Oh, I beg to differ…"

Dipper looked over his shoulder to see that the Lichman eyeball bobbing up and down excitedly, "I'm afraid I've grown too fond of Miss Corduroy just to let her go so easily…" The murderous being turned a blood red. "To put it bluntly, you're not leaving with my main course!"

Before Dipper could react, dozens of tendrils plowed from the barrier where Wendy was previously held. The skin-colored tentacles jolted at the defenseless adolescents with lightning speed!

"D-Dipper!"

The freckled-faced teen was quickly seized by her wrist. Another vine wrapped itself around her ankle. Dipper could feel that his grip on Wendy was loosening. More lines encircled the broken teen until one final one yanked her into the air by her waist.

"No!" Dipper cried out as he reached out for her hands. "Wendy!"

A remaining tendril whipped itself against the twelve year old, sending him flying against one of the pointed obstacles surrounding the meteor. In the throes of a throbbing headache and utter dizziness, Dipper could only make out the chaotic blend of Wendy's screams and protests and Lichman's cruel laughter.

With his last ounce of strength, Dipper rose to his feet. He watched in alarm as Wendy was pulled through the sky by the horrifying tentacles despite her constant struggling and kicking.

"I have to…I have to do something now!" Dipper reassured himself. "Or else, I'll lose her forever!"

Scanning the area for anything that could be used as a weapon, Dipper set his sights on the torch he had set down while rescuing Wendy. He swiftly plucked the pointed lantern from the soft ground, and with a single thrust, hurled it through the gloating eyeball with a stomach-turning *SQUISH!*

"AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!"

The entire cavern trembled as the living dwelling yelled out in agony. Dipper watched as the flame from the lamp traveled from the stick and within a matter of seconds, extended across the skin-like structure like wildfire, making the monster howl even louder.

The vines holding Wendy hostage promptly dropped the teen into the ground as they soared to the source of the damage, pounding themselves against the fire in an effort to put it out.

"Fire…" Dipper began to strategize his enemy's downfall. "That's the ticket!" He turned on his heels and attempted to remove the affixed torches from the meteorite's shrine. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to break the seal on the structure.

"Rats! What else do I have that can –"

Dipper stopped himself as he formed an idea. He reached into his blue vest and pulled out the confiscated memoirs of Dr. Lichman. While he would have preferred to have some sort of evidence for this nightmare, Dipper knew that guaranteeing his and Wendy's survival was, without question, more important than anything else.

Lighting the edges of the books, Dipper threw an emblazed tome into each corner of the room. Within countless moments, he found himself staring at a literal wall of fire! In spite of the tendrils' best efforts, there weren't enough to go around to extinguish the constantly spreading combustion.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" the house quaked. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"

The inferno continued upwards to the ceiling, making several chunks of the white bony support break away and fall towards the ground. Dipper dove away at the last minute as a gigantic piece landed on top of the devilish comet, smashing it violently to smithereens.

A breeze of cool air entered the room. Dipper looked behind him to see that the entry back to the surface was wide open. Realizing that they were no longer trapped, the frantic pre-teen hasten to his fallen crush's side.

"C'mon, Wendy…" he helped her back to her feet. "I think that's our cue…"

Reunited, Wendy and Dipper wobbled towards their egress. Just before they made their escape, the dying monster made one demand:

"Why? Why couldn't I make you afraid?"

Hesitating for a second, the triumphant detective thought of an answer, "You're wrong. You did make me afraid…"

He gaped at the half-conscious girl held firmly in his arms, "…but in the end, it only made me want to be stronger for her…"

They walked together past the narrow chamber, guided by the orange-red light that the persisting fire provided. Dipper saw the eerie bumps from before maneuver about on both sides of the wall. As the duo pressed on, numerous bony hands broke through the covering. The decomposed fingers twisted and turned, reaching out for anything they could take a hold of.

"Help us…"

"Release us…"

"Take us with you…"

"Don't leave us like this…"

Wendy's green eyes widened at the horrendous scene before her, "Dipper…"

Dipper reached behind her and gently pushed forward, "It's okay…it's not real…" he fibbed. "It's not real…" The tween wished that he could save all of the people begging for his assistance, but their appearance revealed the awful truth: they were undead, brought to life by their connection to the strange dwelling. As they passed through the hollow, Dipper prayed that the tormented souls would find solace as the flame consumed the awful place. He shuddered at the thought in which his favorite redhead was moments away from joining their accused fate.

The pair fumbled their way through the darken path until they reached the holding cells where Wendy and Robbie were held prisoner. Dipper spotted the wrecked cage where he had left his gothic nemesis, only to discover that it was now empty. He shook his head, groaning under his breath "Coward…he only cared about saving his own hide…"

As if she heard Dipper's complaints, Wendy raised her head and looked around the area. "Robbie…" she mumbled, trying to maintain her vigor, "We have to get him…"

Reluctantly, her irritated admirer calmed her worries, "He's fine. I got him out before I found you."

Wendy offered a grateful grin, "Thank you…I can always count on you…" Her head dropped as she faded away once more with a moan, making Dipper reassess his positioning.

"Of course you can…" he whispered, knowing that she couldn't hear him. He rolled his eyes, "That's more than you could say for some people…"

With great effort, Dipper assisted his crush in making her way up the seemingly-everlasting staircase back to the bathroom leading into the mirrored ballroom. Gripping Wendy by the hands, Dipper climbed first through the hole and onto the porcelain, carefully guiding his secret love step by step.

He threw open the door to the ballroom, only to pause at the scene before him. Previously, he had battled an innumerable amount of mirror monsters in the form of his family and friends in the same spot, leaving the once-shiny floor blanketed with sharp spikes of glass; a fact that would make further travel with a shoeless companion nearly impossible.

Dipper overlooked Wendy, who was still fraught from her traumatic experiences. "She can barely stand by herself, yet alone be agile enough to avoid all that glass…" As he attempted to figure out a new game plan, Dipper gulped as he could hear the roar of the fire from behind him.

"What am I going to –"

Suddenly, a figure dressed in black rushed in from the ballroom entrance, "Hang on, kid! I'm coming!"

The slender form of Robbie V. darted through the hazards spread across the floor. Seeing the situation that his girlfriend faced, he automatically flew to Wendy's other side and put her free arm around his shoulder.

"About time you showed up to help…" Dipper cracked wise.

"Just shut up and lift…" The goth bend down and elevated the ginger's right leg slightly. "On three…"

Dipper followed suit and threw his full weight against Wendy's left knee. With their combined strength, the super-skinny, noodle- armed boys were able to raise their slender love off the hazardous ground just enough to avoid injuring her exposed peds.

"Now, move!"

Robbie and Dipper hurried through the room with Wendy in tow. As soon as they exited the ballroom, the two gently set their girl down as they panted and keeled over in exhaustion.

"No offense, dork," Robbie coughed out, "but you gotta start working out or something…"

Dipper raised his head towards the teenager with enlarged eyes, "Are you kidding me, man?"

Before they had a chance to start a petty argument, a giant fireball ripped through the remnants of the ballroom with an ear-deafening *KA-BOOM!* The violent force knocked all three adolescents off of their feet. The engulfed house creaked and moaned as the fire rose to the surface level as if the structure was screaming in pain-filled suffering!

Dipper was the first to make it back to his feet, his sights locked on the inferno slowly bearing down on him. He hastened to Wendy's side and cautiously aided her back to a standing position. Robbie shortly followed suit and supported her from the other side.

"We have to hurry! Or else, we'll be burned to a crisp!"

"No kidding, Sherlock!"

The boys went step by step down the stairs, trying their best not to overburden their injured friend, but at the same time, making sure not to dally more than necessary. Upon reaching the last step, Dipper pointed out with his free hand, "Look! The exit's over there!"

Dipper and Robbie carried Wendy around the wreckage of the fallen chandelier. All of a sudden, they were jerked to a stop.

"Huh?!" the goth questioned in surprise, "What's the hold-up?"

As the two pulled more, Wendy finally broke her silence, letting out a strained yelp. Dipper looked downward to see what they were caught on, only to gasp at the truth of the matter: a small, wooden hand pinned under a pile of rubble reached out from the debris and held Wendy's left foot in a death grip.

"It's Wendy…" Dipper explained, kicking at the hand with no prevail. "She's stuck! The Robbie-doll's got her!"

"The what?!"

"Nevermind that! We gotta make it let her go!"

"So how do we do that?!"

Before Dipper could reply, a raspy whisper could be heard in the rubble:

"Stay! Stay! Don't leave! Can't leave!"

"The head!" Dipper ordered, motioning towards the ruins, "Follow the sound and destroy the head!"

Robbie caringly let go of his girlfriend, shifting the weight onto her young charge. The teen scurried into the bits and pieces while following the fading sound. After a few seconds of searching through the garbage, Robbie found his objective. He recoiled at the sight of a ventriloquist dummy's head, talking and blinking of its own accord, modeled in his own image.

The goth picked up a nearby piece of lumber and with a wimpy battle growl, slammed it as hard as he could on the timber monster's head, reducing it to a pile of splinters. Wendy let out a sigh of relief as the hold on her ankle was finally released as the puppet's arm returned to its formerly lifeless state.

Robbie returned to Wendy's left side as he asked Dipper, "Do I even want to know why –"

Dipper cut him off, shaking his head back and forth, "Trust me; you really don't…"

The trio finally reached the exit of the house. Hearing a fierce pounding, Dipper turned his head towards the parlor to see that the furniture had come to life and thrashed wildly all over the place.

"Forget about that!" Robbie chastised. "Let's go, NOW!"

The child reached for the doorknob, only to have it move on its own. The door flew open, revealing a confused-looking Mabel Pines standing on the porch.

"Dipper, what's going on?" she questioned. "Soos and I saw fire and we got wor –"

Her brown eyes broadened at the sight of her previously-missing friend in her brother's arms, "She was here! Dipper, I'm so sorr-"

"Not now!" the twin pushed his sibling out the door and past the porch, "We gotta split!"

The group ran down the walkway where their handyman friend waited by his trusty pick-up. Seeing the large crowd, Soos found himself baffled, "Whoa, dudes, what's going –"

"No time to explain, Soos!" Dipper said. "Help us put Wendy into the back of the truck!"

Without saying another word, the man-child lifted his co-worker from "her boys'" arms and tenderly set her down in the flatbed. Dipper lowered the flap and jumped in next to her. After Robbie climbed up into the vehicle, he closed the chassis behind him.

"Move! Move!" Dipper pounded on the side of the truck, prompting Mabel and Soos to jump into the front seat at break-neck speed. The engine roared as they took off down the street.

Holding Wendy's hand tightly as she rested peacefully in the tray, Dipper watched as the fire completely consumed the fallen house. The trail of smoke seemed to follow him as his friends raced back towards home. As he sunk down in exhaustion next to his beloved crush, Dipper could make out the blaring sound of sirens in the distance…

"Dipper's Journal – Entry #622

More than a week has passed since we escaped from that nightmare. I think I'm ready to talk about it now…

It turns out that a half-hour after I entered the Lichman house, Mabel had convinced Soos to take her to the site. Together, they waited outside for hours, expecting me to come out heartbroken and empty-handed. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect me to find Wendy and Robbie there.

While it still kind of bugs me that Mabel didn't believe me, I suppose I should be glad that she was concerned enough to hang around until whenever I was going to leave. Then again, after everything I experienced in that place, maybe it was for the best that she wasn't in there with me.

The further we got from the house, the healthier Wendy became. As we made it to the Gravity Falls Forest to take her home, the vibrant red coloring returned to her hair, and the wrinkles faded away from her face. Unfortunately, she still was unable to speak clearly and maintain her strength for a long period of time. All the while, she silently watched my every move with a grateful gleam in her emerald eyes.

To me, having Wendy safe and sound like that meant more than any "thank you" could have.

When we pulled up to the Corduroys' cabin, I helped Wendy up her porch while Robbie and the others stayed behind. As we made it halfway up the stairs, the front door opened as Manly Dan stormed out. Without saying a single word, he approached us with thunderous footsteps, making Wendy and I freeze in place. He placed his burly arms on his daughter's shoulders, prompting me to loosen my grip. A second later, the giant embraced her tightly, literally yanking her off her feet. I watched from a distance as Wendy squeezed back as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Together, the two turned away from me as Wendy was carried into her home. Deciding to take my leave, I noticed that her youngest brother – the only person who believed me throughout this whole ordeal – stared from the front window. He gave me a nod of approval as I offered a small wave before heading back to Soos's pick-up. During the touching scene, Robbie had snuck off on his own. I expected as much from him…

We had also decided to keep the details of what really happened at the Lichman house solely between our small group. Wendy's friend, Nate, had said it best: if we were to go out and try to tell the world the truth behind the matter, they'd send us off to the funny farm!

Physically exhausted, I slept in the next morning. I didn't expect to hear from Wendy for a few days, or at least, until she recovered. Imagine my shock when I found her on our doorstep that night. Escorted by her younger brother, he explained they thought that she would felt better if she spent a few days with me; Wendy nodded along with the statement.

While I couldn't have been happier by this surprise, something didn't seem right with this picture.

We spent the whole night goofing off, gouging on junk food, and watching terrible movie after terrible movie. While Wendy didn't talk much, I could tell she was having fun by her constant smiling and her adorable, contagious laughter. I didn't realize it until that night how much I loved to make her laugh.

Cradled arm-in-arm on Stan's old worn couch, I looked over to see that Wendy had fallen asleep. Trying my best not to disturb her, I slid out of her grasp, and carefully eased her in a lying position. I turned off the lights and TV and took the throw blanket from above the couch, tucking it around her. As she settled into comfort, I tip-toed close, and gave her a small peck on her forehead as I wished her sweet dreams.

It was only hours later that I learned why the Corduroys were so eager to grant Wendy's request to stay here…

I was jolted from a sound sleep as a blood-curling scream echoed through the Mystery Shack. Instantly recognizing the shriek, I jumped from my bed and raced down the staircase as Mabel and Waddles followed at my heels. I didn't know what to think. Had some horrible monster from the Lichman house tracked Wendy here?

In the parlor, Wendy was sitting up on the couch, crying and screeching at the top of her lungs. I raced to her side to see that she wasn't even awake! I held her by the arms and called out to her until she finally opened her eyes. Upon realizing where she was, Wendy immediately took a hold of me and sobbed on my shoulder. Seeing that the danger wasn't real, Mabel and Waddles returned upstairs. Luckily for us, Stan slept through all of the commotion.

After I was able to calm Wendy, I decided to grab my bedding and set up a makeshift sleeping bed at the foot of the sofa. Several times throughout the night, I would hear Wendy jump in her sleep, only to wake up with a horrifying gasp. Shortly after, I would feel her arm on my shoulder, as if my presence reminded her that the night terrors weren't real.

This went on for nearly a whole week! If I could, I would do anything to take that burden from my Wendy…

At times, I thought about asking Wendy about her experiences at the Lichman house, but later decided against it. The way I see it, I spent only a few hours there, and nearly went mad. Poor Wendy was held against her will there for an entire week! Heaven only knows what tortures she was put through! The faster she forgets about that horrid place, the better it'll be for everyone, especially Wendy…

As the days passed, Wendy was able to regain her voice as well as recapture her boundless energy. We also started heading outside more often, starting with Greasy's Diner (where Wendy received a warm welcome from Lazy Susan), to aiding me in a few misadventures here and there, making sure not to get into too much trouble. I also made sure that Wendy never saw the countless flyers I had made up in her likeness nor found out about the town's lack of interest concerning her disappearance. The last thing I wanted to do was see her heart break into two, especially when she was making so much progress towards getting better.

Sadly, once Stan found out that Wendy was a bit more mobile, he demanded that she return to work. However, he shortened her hours and reduced her workload to ease her back into the swing of things; who would have thought that the old coot has a soft spot for her?

Robbie soon paid the occasional visit (where he actually treated me with a sliver of respect, much to my astonishment) to see how Wendy was doing. At first, I resented the idea. It was his fault that the incident happened, but at the same time, I wanted to do anything that would help Wendy recover, even if it meant making an allegorical deal with the gothic devil himself.

Speaking of, I did find out why the cops never bothered to look around the Lichman place for Robbie and Wendy. It turns out that in his brilliance, Robbie had parked his van in the handicap spot the mad doctor had marked in front of his home. As was the case with several of Lichman's other victims, it was towed away a few hours after they disappeared inside of the house, eliminating any indication of their presence there. The last I heard, Robbie was still saving up to pay off all of the towing fees to get his van out of lock-up. I guess he didn't get away scot-free for causing this mess...

Around the same time, I saw something interesting on the front page of the Gravity Falls Gossiper. There was a full-length article on the wildfire that completely leveled the Lichman house. At first, I thought that this was going to be the only mention by the outside world. The paper had made the occurrence sound like an unfortunate accident.

That was until the following day, when they found the bodies among the ruins.

Countless articles were written, each detailing further in the mysterious past of Dr. Lichman: his particular field of "study," the alarming number of distances in his neck of the woods, and how so many officials left these details go unnoticed for far too long.

I couldn't believe it. Maybe after all this time, the victims of that madman would get some sort of justice in their names. Perhaps this discovery would blow the lid off my own research, revealing that there is definitely a paranormal presence here in Gravity Falls.

However, by the end of the week, all interests in the topic seemed to fade away. The story went from front page material to a small footnote in the last section. I guess that Lichman's influence still has some pull, even from beyond the grave.

Even stranger, I noticed something odd when Robbie last visited Wendy here at the Shack's gift shop. His somewhat-grateful attitude had completely vanished, as I was greeted with a sneer, countless insults, and a cheap shot to the shoulder. On the other hand, Wendy had returned to her confident, super-cool, and laid-back nature, without a single hint of hesitation or uncertainty in her psyche.

Robbie reverting to a complete and utter jerk in exchange for Wendy being brought back to her old self? Sounds like a fair trade to me.

Still, something didn't feel right. In both cases, it was as if the whole episode never happened in the first place. Even as I write this, I find myself becoming lost in the details of what came to pass during my stay there . I'm not sure why that is; is this one final trick of the parasites of the meteorite, or was it our own way of dealing with a severely traumatic experience?

I won't lie; part of me is kind of disappointed that the full truth behind the Lichman place will never be exposed, but…"

"Hey, Dipper!"

The boy placed the journal down on his orange-covered bed and followed the shout to his window. He looked down at the ground to see Wendy behind the wheel of a Mystery Cart.

"Get a move on, kiddo!" she waved for him to come on down. "We have a whole world waiting for us!"

Dipper yelled out, "I'm on my way down!"

He returned his attention to the open page before him.

"…but with that being said, life does have its own rewards…"

*HONK!* *HONK!*

"Dipper! Move it or lose it!"

"I'm coming, Wendy!"

Dipper looked down at the page he just wrote, only to find himself absent-minded. He quickly sped through the chicken-scratch, unsure of where the text in his handwriting came from.

"Strange," he noted. "I don't remember writing this…" He tried his best to decipher the vague dictation. After a few seconds of effort, he simply shrugged his shoulders, closed the journal, and raced downstairs to join his redheaded crush on a new adventure.

The sun shined on the golden, six-fingered insignia of the journal marked with the number 3 while the excited, joined laughter of the two friends rang through the Oregon wilderness as they sped off into the distance together.

August 3rd, 2014 – September 18th, 2014