The summer's done...
The Pines may have won...
But, puppets are usually put in stage-plays...
So, I know we'll meet again, some sunny day.

~

School wasn't nearly as bad as it was before to Dipper. Bullies still teased but it was nearly a breeze to push away anyways, compared to all the things his sister and him went through. Weirdmageddon was still the worst thing to have happened by far, and likely it wouldn't change to anything else.

He got nightmares sometimes, or sometimes things got to him, but otherwise, he preferred to not really speak of it unless it was necessary.

It was a windy day in the month of October, 2 months after the incident with the town of Gravity Falls going through an apocalypse for nearly a week. By now, things that pertain to that shouldn't be on his mind...but they were. Still. Things reminded him of moments and sometimes he would get flashbacks of it.

Sometimes out of nowhere.

Sometimes in dreams he was stuck in that moment and had to relive it again.

Being alone for 3 days and running for his life? He had to relive that. It felt just as long as it was in real life.

Later that night, the night of the windy October, Dipper sighed and slipped into his bed..ready for whatever might come to him that night. Hard to tell if it was going to be a nightmare or flashback or just some weird dream. He yawned and closed his eyes, fatigue getting to him too much for his own good...it was 2am after all.

~

The boy blinked slowly and raised his head from looking down at the ground...for whatever reason that was, anyways. He slowly got up from being on his knees too. The preteen looked around to see what he was standing on was a wooden floor...and there was a spotlight on him.

Just on him.

He squinted and looked ahead more to see...seats. He looked around to see that he was on the setting of a stage.

Dipper made a face and yelped as he felt something tighten around his wrists and legs, looking to see a pair of golden strings on both. He yanked at them and tried to rip them off, but with each tug, they just got tighter, so tight that his head started to pound; so he stopped tugging.

Then, the light got brighter and the sound of creepy, slow-playing music of Mabel's old Sock Opera, was on. The audience was heard clapping...even though there was nobody there.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!" A voice boomed from out of nowhere. "THE STAR OF THE SHOWWWWWW..."

A drumroll was heard.

"DIPPERRRR PINESSSS!!!"

Wooting and clapping and whistles were heard as Dipper stood there, awestruck. When he didn't do anything...the strings yanked and forced him to take a bow. The kid yelped and would've stumbled, but was being forced to be held into place.

The claps and whistles winded down and Dipper was free to move again, which meant he fell on his face due to the strings not holding him up anymore. He groaned and pushed himself up to see someone lowering down.

Bill.

The demonic triangle was wearing an invisible grin as he circled the kid...holding the tool used to control a marionette.

"Looks my puppet came back for an encore, am I right?"

The audience clapped and Bill gave bow as he laughed maniacally, the spotlight only back on the two.

"W-what....what're you doing here?!"

"Same could be said to you, Pine Tree!!" He chirped.

"Wait...what?" The boy made a face as he stared with confusion.

"I'll get to that later." The triangle waved a hand dismissively as his looked away then back at the boy. "SO! You thought you had gotten rid of me, didn'tcha?"

"W-we did." Dipper replied back with confidence as he gave a glare.

"Oh, did you?" He asked in a sing-song voice. "If you did..." He paused for a dramatic effect. "...I wouldn't be here."

"N-no....we did...!! We destroyed you with the memory gun, S-Stan punched you!! You should be GONE!!" He shouted as he launched his left fist to throw a punch, but instead his arm got held still, like a marionette.

"Hold it there, Pine Tree." His invisible grin was felt again. "I'd watch what I say and do, if I were you."

The kid gulped and swallowed the lump in his throat before he felt the strings loosen and he yelped as falling to the floor, groaning then hissing in pain as he had a couple new cuts on his legs that stung.

"Remember that deal we made...way back when?"

Dipper froze and his arm hairs stood up. "Y-yeah...?"

"Remember when I said you shouldn't be here?"

He didn't like this.

"....What I'm saying is....I think....the crowd wants an encore."

As if on cue, the invisible audience's claps grew louder and louder, loud enough to make one's ears bleed for a moment.

Bill looked mad. Mad crazy. He had a tight grip on the preteen's arm.

"ARE YOU READY?!" He screamed aloud as the clapping kept up and crimson came down the side of Dipper's terrified face.

The obvious answer was no.

But then again....

When did he ever have a choice?

~

October 3rd: 900 words.