Chapter Three - Journal Four

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A/N: Here it is! The plot has arrived! By the way, your support means so much to me and is what has kept me motivated to keep writing this, so if you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave a review/favorite/follow below! That being said, I'll get out of your way! - The Author

Dipper woke up to the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the creaky, rotten wood roof. It wasn't a noise that aggravated him, it was almost as if he woke up to enjoy it, let it soothe him. However, Dipper knew his family well, and knew that this serenity wouldn't last, no matter how much he wanted it. He turned his head to the right side of the room, to the bed where Mabel slept the night before. Surprisingly, she was still asleep. What time is it? He thought. It can't be that late, Mabel always wakes up early. Better enjoy it while I can.

Dipper quietly got out of bed, being extra careful not to wake his sister up. I have to talk to Ford, he thought. He's relying on me. He made his way downstairs and to the vending machine, where he put in the code that allowed the secret door to open. He then entered the basement, looking for his Great Uncle.

"Ford!" He called out, searching around the newly-renovated basement. Suddenly, Dipper heard a rustling coming from a distant room. Out came Stan, wearing his tank top and boxers, scratching his back with a rolled up newspaper.

"Quiet down kid, I was trying to sleep." He grumbled.

"Oh, sorry Grunkle Stan…" Dipper replied sheepishly. "Have you seen Ford anywhere?"

"Yeah, he's outside somewhere, he wouldn't tell me what he was doing or where he was going. What's it to ya?"

"He wanted to talk to me about something. I'll go look for him, see you later Grunkle Stan!" Dipper said, running back up the stairs to look for his other uncle. Yeesh, that kid hasn't changed a bit. Stan thought, going back to bed.

Dipper made his way out of the secret passage, into the gift shop, and out the door, hollering his uncle's name all the while. "Grunkle Ford, where are you?" He called out.

Dipper wandered further and further into the forest, but there was still no sign of his uncle. Getting progressively more wet and cold from the rain, the young boy began to wonder if he should even be out in the woods in this kind of weather. Where could he have gone? He thought.

Out of nowhere, Ford came out of the bushes, panic-stricken. His breaths were heavy and he was bending over, holding his knees as sweat from his forehead hit the dirt road like the heavy summer rain.

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper called in relief. "What are you doing out here?" He asked. Without a response, Ford took Dipper's hand and ran in the direction of the Mystery Shack.

"Dipper, there's no time to explain, just run! Run for your life!" Ford told him. Confused, scared, and intrigued, Dipper ran, trying to get back to the shack with his uncle as quickly as he could.

When the shack was in sight, Ford made a run for the door, and Dipper followed, barely keeping up. Once they got through the door, Ford slammed it shut, locked it, and took the stool from behind the counter of the gift shop and put it in front of the door, in attempt to barricade it.

"Grunkle Ford, what's going on? What's chasing you?" Dipper asked, panting.

Ford looked around to make sure that no one was listening, and then mumbled: "Bill."

Dipper remembered all of Bill's antics from two summers ago: fighting him in Stan's mind, the time that he tricked Dipper into giving away his body, and of course, Weirdmaggedon. Out of anything that Dipper had experienced in his entire life, Weirdmaggedon had to be the scariest, most traumatic, most dangerous event. "No, Grunkle Ford, that's not possible! We erased him from existence with the memory gun!" Dipper yelled, horror in his eyes.

"Calm down, Dipper! I didn't actually see Bill!" Ford said, putting his hands on his nephew's shoulders.

Dipper wiped sweat from his forehead in relief. "Then, what did you see?" He asked.

Ford took his hands off of Dipper's shoulders and turned so that his back was to the young boy. "I saw a statue," He said, adjusting his glasses while looking at the storm outside. "Of Bill."

"Didn't Bill's physical form turn to stone when he entered Grunkle Stan's mind?" Dipper asked.

"Yes, and I know for a fact that this 'statue' was indeed Bill's physical form. What I found more interesting was the writing I found on it."

"Writing?" Dipper stroked his chin.

"Yes, writing. I have yet to write it down, but I think it's time that we start recording the mysteries of Gravity Falls all over again, starting with the message on the Bill statue." Ford said. He reached into his coat and pulled out a book with a blank blue cover.

"Grunkle Ford, what's that?"

"Journal 4," Ford said with a smile. "This is why I wanted you to come to Gravity Falls again, Dipper, so that we can record the mysteries of this town, all over again. But as you know, I'm getting old, and I don't know how much longer I'm going to be around. Would you want to help me with this project?"

Dipper was about to explode to excitement, his smile stretching to both sides of his face. "Of course, Grunkle Ford! Where should I start?" Dipper asked. Ford smiled, handing the technically teenager the blue book.

"Here, fill this up." Ford said, still smiling.

"Are you sure?" Dipper asked hesitantly.

"Very sure. Dipper, you're more capable of this than anyone I know, perhaps even me. You're the only one I can trust with this." Ford said, rustling his nephew's hair through his hat.

"But Grunkle Ford, why were you so scared?" Dipper asked, puzzled.

"Seeing Bill in any way, shape or form only means trouble. It's obvious there's more to the statue than just being his physical form. Something's coming, and we have no idea what or when."

"That makes sense, but you said you found something in the Arctic Circle?"

Ford frowned and reached into his coat pocket once more, pulling out a snow globe-like object. There was a dark mass floating around inside, where stars could be seen.

Dipper gasped. "Is this another-"

"Yes, it's a dimensional rift. The portal must have not closed all the way when we sent the demons back."

"So they could come back if we don't keep this safe?"

"I'm afraid so, maybe even Bill," Ford said grimly. "But, it's time we get to work on the journal, don't you think? We need all the information we can get on Bill, so we should start as soon as we can."

Dipper nodded. "I'll go write down the message on the Bill statue." He said, before turning and walking to the door.

Before he could get out, Ford grabbed his shoulder. "Dipper, wait!" He said somewhat frantically. The boy turned around to see his uncle holding a blue raincoat. "You should wear this." He said with a smile.

Dipper took the coat with a smile, putting it on as he made his way outside. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" He said as he exited the gift shop.

Walking along the dirt road of the forest near the Mystery Shack, Dipper thought about all of the places he had seen things related to Bill. There was the attic, and the pages in the journals, what else? That's it, the Northwest Mansion! As soon as I write down the message, I'll head there!

After about a ten minute walk, Dipper saw a stone hand sticking out of a bush. Is that it? He thought. The closer he got, the more of this stone figure he could make out. First, it was just an extended hand, but he got closer, and closer, until he saw a hat, and then an eye. There was no doubt about it; it was the corpse of Bill Cipher. Dipper's heart began to race, his legs began to shake. This is for Ford. He told himself, looking around the statue for a message.

Dipper continued to look for a message hidden somewhere on the statue for a solid thirty seconds, until he came across an engraving on the bowtie. It read: Qb zr n snibe naq jevgr guvf qbja sbe zr, jvyy ln Cvar Gerr? Not wanting to decrypt it in the rain and wanting to do what Ford told him, Dipper wrote the strange message in the notebook he was given. Dipper sighed in relief. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." He said to himself.

Suddenly, both the message on the statue and the message Dipper wrote down in the journal began to glow. Oh no… Dipper thought. What have I done? An unseeable force swept over the forest, and the raindrops stopped falling, frozen in midair. The wind stopped blowing, there was no sound other than the poor teenager's heart beating faster than it had in two years. Color faded, time stopped. Dipper knew what was coming.

A singular, reptilian eye appeared out of nowhere, and soon a flaming blue triangle expanded from it. Oh no, no, no. Dipper thought. He tried to run, but he was stuck. His feet were glued to the ground like the macaroni in Mabel's art projects. Dipper soon noticed that it wasn't just his hands either, none of his muscles could move; his entire body was completely frozen, just like the trees and rain around him.

The triangle's flame dissipated, and left in its place was a yellow, triangular creature, with one eye, a bowtie, and a thirst for revenge. "Well, well, well!" It said, eyeing Dipper. "If it isn't my old friend Pine Tree! Did you miss me?"

Dipper was in too much shock to say anything. W-what have I done? He thought.