It was the same routine for the next few weeks and a few more years after that, but with different discoveries each time! Y/n couldn't count the number of times Ford had burst out laughing whenever they came across creatures they hadn't seen before. Y/n may have noticed something familiar knowing that she has lived here her entire life, but it is an exhilarating feeling to discover it with a friend.

Oh, they've become friends. Ford is relieved to have someone on whom he can rely, despite the fact that Y/n is a literal child, but she has proven to be more than that. He taught the kid how to defend herself, basic self-defense, and what to do in an emergency. Some might see it as a father-daughter relationship, but Ford does not. Instead, he prefers a master-apprentice dynamic.

Speaking of self-defense, Ford had nothing to offer in the subject at all. He skipped all the boxing training with his... and read a book instead. He was never really the violent type of guy and would often use his words. He's good with them. But he soon realized that sometimes, words just wouldn't suffice when encountering these creatures. He had to rely on his guttural instinct and critical thinking.

Although Ford was ashamed to know that he couldn't teach Y/n about fighting, he was relieved to see that she was understanding and told him that he shouldn't have to do anything like that. "I can't feel pain, remember?" And to remind him of the fact, Y/n had willingly bashed her head against the hard, thick bark of the tall tree.

He winced at the loud impact. Obviously, Y/n was fine, but still. Seeing that just sends shivers down his spine. "Yes, I recall. It's hard not to when you carelessly walk through deadly weeds and face monsters without an ounce of fear in your face."

"Heh," she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll try not to do that again to not scare you."

After a few more minutes, they heard a water current nearby and saw a riverbank. Y/n hurried as she took out her canteen and proceeded to get water from the river. Ford followed, removing his heavy backpack and refilling his water bottle after a sip. Y/n watched him in amusement, the way his huge glasses were skewed from drinking. Ford adjusted it back before raising an eyebrow at the kid who was still staring. "Yes?"

"Can I try it on?"

"What, my glasses?" When she nodded, Ford furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but removed it anyway, giving it to her. Excitedly, she stood up and grabbed it by the handles. She glanced up at Ford but he was squinting.

"Are you that blind-" she wore the glasses and everything went blurry and suddenly her brain hurt from the new vision. "Woah- oh crap!" She lost her balance and eventually fell into the river, her entire body getting soaked with water.

"Y/n, careful!" Immediately, Ford took the glasses off her face and back to his, tilting it a bit to his liking. "Y/n," he spoke. She was still sitting on the running water, shaking bits of water out her hair. Finally, she stood up, but Ford tensed when he noticed a slightly large green octopus clinging on to her arm. "Y/n," he regarded her slowly.

She tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"Don't panic, but there is an octopus with one eye on your right hand."

***

∆ PLAY THEME SONG ∆

https://youtu.be/X2DUpDxFJyg

***

When Y/n looked behind her, all she noticed was the extra weight on her right arm. She shook it a little, and the creature's slimy limbs just crawled on her skin. She is not in pain, but the texture makes her uncomfortable.

"How do you feel?"

"Um, nothing. But it feels like it's sucking me."

"Sucking you?" Ford stepped forward and began his attempt to remove the octopus but it suddenly screeched at him, its wide eye threatening him. "Agh! We have to get it off of you, Y/n."

"I think it likes me," she replied as a giggle escaped her lips.

Ford was slightly panicking. "It could be a life-sucking parasite! Get it off!"

"Psh, no it's not..." Y/n insisted, until her right arm sagged and only then she knew that it was indeed a life-sucking parasite. So, the girl deliberately punched where she thought was its weak spot; the large eye.

But she came to a halt, and her entire body seemed to shut down, her knees buckling to the ground. "Oh. Welp."

Ford tensed in concern, now getting agitated. He reared back with all his might before punching the creature's glassy eye. Its grip on Y/n loosened, and Ford took advantage of the opportunity to remove it, holding it by its green head.

Its limbs snaked with it as Ford lifted it up and trapped it in a poly-carbonate cage. He cinched it tightly before returning to his apprentice, who was still lying on the ground. "I'm not in any pain," she said after a brief pause. "But maybe that's an octopus? It likes human skin, so don't touch it."

"It's an octopus with eight tentacles," Ford said, looking at the creature, which was still breathing but clearly weakened from the vulnerable attack. "It has one eye, like a cyclops, so... could it be a cycloptopus?"

A chuckle echoed through the clearing, and Ford returned his gaze to Y/n, who was laughing to herself. "You come up with such clever names," she remarked, shaking her head, "cycloptopus... classic."

Ford smiled, albeit puzzled. Were his puns really that amusing, or is Y/n simply feeling the effects of being touched by the cycloptopus? He allowed himself to smile. Heh, it was quite comical.

"Can you get up?" Ford asked his companion. He was ready to lend a helping hand.

Y/n laughed. "Yep," she said, grabbing his hand and being hoisted up. She brushed the dirt off her clothes. She only noticed the suction marks on her skin after that. It was dark and discernible. "Cool."

"We're going to have to take this back before it has another chance to escape," Ford wrote in his journal. As a title, he wrote "Cycloptopus" in beautiful cursive.

Y/n stared at the number 2 on the journal's cover. Because the first journal was already jam packed, Ford issued a second. It took them three years to fill the journals with their findings and research. And she grew a bit of height. She wondered how many books there would be in total. Will it suffice? Is there an ending? She doesn't want it to come to an end.

After three years of adventure, she still desired more. Ford even remembered their birthdays, which she had never heard of before. They apparently celebrate human aging on an annual basis. Well, she could guess that she is 3 years older now.

She felt something cold fall on her hair. When she looked up, more white specks fell from the sky. "It's snowing! Ford, it's snowing!" she yanked on his sleeve like a little kid in a candy store. Ford stumbled for a few steps before looking up in the same direction.

"Huh. It appears so. Come, Y/n, let's go home."

Home. She always loves the sound of that word.

The two travelers returned to the cabin on foot. Ford shut the door as Y/n started a fire in the fireplace. The man removed his trench coat and set it on the stand. He went straight to the trapped cycloptopus and examined it. It had just awoken and was ready to attack, only to be rendered ineffective by the plastic shield between them.

"Ha," Ford said, smirking. The creature appeared terrified as it realized it was trapped. Ford's taunting made Y/n smile. He went back to his room, deciding to observe its behavior more closely. "Good night, Y/n."

"Nighty night," the girl replied, flipping the switch and turning off the lights. She curled up on her pillow beneath the blankets, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Ford awoke a few hours later. The cycloptopus was also sleeping. He thought he heard two young voices outside his house. He walked out of his room and into the living room's darkness. It was still snowing, as evidenced by the snow-covered windows. The fire was out, and the little girl was snoring loudly.

He noticed a flash of blue outside and assumed it was lightning, but it wasn't snowing hard enough to produce lightning...

Ford went to his front door after turning on the lights. He opened it to find nothing but the same expanses of snow that covered the woods. He took another look around before closing the door completely.

"What..." Y/n mumbled as she heard the noise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ford said dismissively. "I thought I heard something, Y/n; you should go back to sleep," he said before going to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot coffee.

She sat upright on the hard wood. "Nope. I'm awake now. And you're making coffee, so make me one too!"

Ford scoffed playfully, but gave in and got another mug. He poured scalding hot water into both and carried them to the living room, where Y/n stood up from the fireplace after lighting another fire.

He noticed that the marks from earlier had vanished. "Right. Quick healing, I forgot."

"Heh."

He handed her the mug, which he held by the handle. He should be used to it by now, but it still makes him flinch every time the girl casually holds the mug from the bottom, where it is boiling hot.

Y/n gulped it down without even waiting for it to cool down. "Mmm, yummy coffee, just the way I like it!" she exclaimed, returning the mug to him. "Make me some more."

"No," Ford said apprehensively. "Did you already forget that incident?"

She remembered, alright. Let's just say that she couldn't sleep and was jittery all the time and was jumping around, praising the taste of coffee as if it were her god. Ford was concerned, to say the least, and decided to lock the cabinet enclosing the coffee container.

Y/n sheepishly grinned at him as Ford just gave her a disapproving gaze. "You went crazier than when we tried that mystical amulet on you."

"Oh, yeah. I also remembered the amulet." An involuntary shiver went through her spine. If one could take a glance at the second journal, they would just get outright cursed from the dark spells and incantations it contained. Not even halfway finished, and Ford has already dubbed it the "most dangerous."

"Buried it," Ford answered. "Somewhere deep underground where no one can find it."

"That thing is dangerous. It turned my hair white..." She snatched a fistful of her hair from beneath, where some of the strands that weren't caught by the hair dye are still white.

"Indeed, aside from the mystical amulet, there were the dark chants and possession incantations," Ford's gaze was distant with a deep frown as he recalled the events.

When Ford discovered scriptures written along the walls of a cave, he read them aloud. He had a knack for reading new things aloud. Y/n had unknowingly started spasming out of control. She had knelt next to him, and their eyes were both glowing.

Y/n had felt like a puppet being controlled. She never wanted to go through that again. Ford's demonic smile as he wickedly controlled her every move lingered in her mind.

The possession only cut off when Ford deliberately made the girl bash her head towards the stone and it felt like a pang of headache came across like a flash.

"Yes..." Ford trailed off, looking at the girl with a worried gaze.

Y/n frowned at this, "Ford... you know how I feel about you worrying about me," she began as her mouth scrunched into a pout.

"It's difficult not to," he replied, sipping a mouthful of coffee. "It's in a man's nature to protect those he cares about. This is difficult to say, but Y/n, you have been an excellent apprentice and research assistant."

Her cheeks began to flush. She was at a loss for words. Ford's sudden turn to sentimentality was unusual, but she welcomed it nonetheless. After all, this is Ford. He always has a way with words.

"I wouldn't know how to venture into the woods alone, if I am honest."

"I believe you'll make it, Ford." You're the most intelligent person I've ever met! " Y/n gleamed as she sat up on her knees. Her eyes twinkled with delight. "You've always saved me, never panicked - and if you did, you knew how to hide it and what to do." You're a born explorer and a genius!"

With this, Ford blushed, sheepishly avoiding eye-contact. "You really think so?"

"Certainly! People will be blown away when they see and read the journal you worked so hard on! They'll finally get to see the greatest scientist of all time: Ford!"

"Heh, okay. Now you're getting too ahead of yourself," he said, amused at her enthusiasm.

The two had spent the rest of the night telling stories to each other, seeking solace from the winter chill. Ford related stories from his youth, while Y/n related encounters dating back to the day she was born. She didn't remember much, but there were a few instances where the memory was so vivid that it was practically imprinted on her mind.

The effects of coffee were finally wearing down on Y/n and finally, fatigue was taking over. Ford took his leave, bringing the two cups over to the kitchen sink before retiring to his own room after turning off the lights. As Ford lays on his bed, he couldn't help but think of Y/n's words to him. Should he publish his findings about the weird entities that inhabit Gravity Falls? Would anyone even believe the nonsense spewing from this book? Would people refer to him as a madman who lives in the woods? Everything is improbable.

In that moment, as Ford tossed and turned, he decided that no. He's not done yet. He has to figure out where it all came from. It had to have a source or something, and his curiosity is getting the best of him.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 4!

kimmiepines
originally published: july 4, 2022
2337 words

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