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Second Summer: 5+1

"What we need," said Mabel, as she tromped through the woods, "is a song to pass the time."

Wendy smiled. Of course Mabel would want to sing a song. Singing would distract her from the walk and it was something fun that everyone could do together

Dipper groaned. Wendy knew that he liked to sing, but only at the appropriate time. For him, walking through the forest on the way to explore an old mind wasn't one of those times. He'd probably end up joining in, though.

Soos said, "Great idea, Ham-bone. I've got just the song." He was a force of unity. He always took it upon himself to strengthen things, especially the relationships between his friend. It's one of the reason's he was such a good handyman before he took over the Mystery Shack.

Soos took a deep breath and Mabel interrupted, "No need, Goosey Soosey. I have the perfect song in mind. Ahem.

This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was. And they continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was. And they continue singing it forever just because--"

"Come on, Mabel," said Dipper, "not this song. You already used it to torture me on the way to Grandma's for Easter."

Mabel started to sing louder and Soos joined in. Dipper let out a frustrated "GAAAAAH!" and started walking faster.

Wendy didn't understand what was so frustrating. The tune was catchy and the lyrics were easy, so she started singing along. The tenth time she sang "Some people started singing it--" she understood Dipper's reaction. A person with the right attitude and enough energy -- *cough*Mabel*cough*Soos*cough* -- really could go on forever. She wondered if there was anyone naive enough to start the song and actually keep going until they were too tired to keep going.

Too many loops of the song later, the four arrived at the hanging cliff. Dipper reached into his vest and pulled out his journal and his phone. Wendy peeked over his shoulder and saw that he'd written down the longitude and latitude of the entrance and was checking it against the GPS on his phone.

A few days ago, researching at the county library, Dipper found an old survey list of the old mines surrounding Gravity Falls. Most were already known, but a few, like the one they were looking for, hadn't been explored for a hundred or more years. He said that he picked this mine because it went under the hanging cliff and he thought it would make a good place to find something interesting. With nothing else planned for the day, Wendy, Soos, and Mabel agreed to go along with him.

Looking at his phone, Dipper walked along the cliff for a bit and stopped. Wendy looked around. The cliff looked like it always did: vines grew up it and large bushes and shrubs grew in front of it. She couldn't see an entrance to a mind.

"This is?" asked Wendy.

"It's the right coordinates," said Dipper, trying to find a way through the bushes. "I didn't think we'd need any clippers or anything. We might have to go back and get some."

"No need," said Soos. "Just give me some room and I'll get through."

"Are you sure? There might be rock back there," said Dipper.

"Yeah, Soos," said Mabel, holding onto his arm, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't worry about me," he said, setting himself like a runner at the starting line. "It'll take more than some rock wall to hurt me." He took several deep breaths through his nose and charged.

"But it takes less than a rock wall to hurt you, too," Mabel cried out.

It was too late, though. Soos was nearly at the bush. He put his arms in front of his face and barreled through the branches. There was some resistance, but he pushed through and disappeared into the hole that was, fortunately, right where he aimed.

"Soos!" called Mabel as she charged in after him.

Dipper looked over at Wendy who shrugged. She didn't understand why Soos did what he did, either.

Dipper swung his backpack around and unzipped the large pocket. He pulled out two flashlights and handed them to Wendy. He put a third at his feet then pulled out his headlamp. His hat went into the backpack and he zipped it up. He fitted the headlamp over his hair, turned it on, and grabbed the flashlight he placed on the ground. Wendy turned on the one she held in her right hand.

"Let's go," he said.

Wendy followed him in and called out, "Soos!? Mabel!?"

She heard Mabel say, "Over here."

Dipper turned his head and lit them up. Soos and Mabel were back farther into the mine, where the tunnel turned. Soos was on his back and Mabel knelt at his side holding his cap in her hands

As she approached, Wendy thought that Soos must have hit his head. She handed a flashlight to Mabel and asked, "Hey down there, how are you?"

"I'd like to know who thought putting a wall there was a good idea," he said, grinning up at her. Dipper handed him a flashlight as he sat up. Soos clicked the switch and shone it on the wall in front of him. "That's some tough rock."

"Are you okay?" asked Dipper, getting down and directing his light at Soos's forehead. "I don't see any bleeding, but you'll probably have a huge bump soon."

"But doctor, will I ever dance again?" asked Soos.

Dipper smiled and said, "I don't know, could you dance before?"

"No, but if you hum a few bars, maybe I can fake it."

"Sounds fine to me," said Mabel.

"Yeah," said Soos, "I'm okay. I just need to rest a little before I start. You guys go on ahead."

"Really?" asked Dipper as Mabel said, "No, way!"

"Really," said Soos. "I got a wall to lean on and a flashlight to keep me company. I'll catch up."

"You're not staying here alone, dude," said Wendy.

"Yeah," said Mabel. "I'll stay with you."

Dipper's headlamp flashed from the small group of people then down the mine a few times before he settled on Soos and said, "We'll all stay until you're ready go."

"Come on, no," said Soos, turning so he could lean against the wall he'd run into. "I can tell your antsy to get going. So, get going."

Dipper looked at Wendy with pleading eyes and she said, "Okay, fine, I'll come with you. But you," she turned to Soos, "stay put until you really fell okay to follow. Mabel's watching, and she will rat you out."

"Darn right," Mabel agreed.

Soos smiled, "Enough. Go. We'll be a couple of minutes behind."

"Okay, let's go Dip," said Wendy.

As Wendy and Dipper headed off, side by side, into the darkness, they heard Soos, "This is the song that doesn't end..." Soon, Mabel joined in.

The mine wasn't interesting. The walls were rock and when it came to mines all rock was rock, sometimes greyish and sometimes brownish. All boring. Wendy kept her light pointed forward. Dipper's moved where he looked, which was everywhere but back.

After some time, they came to a tunnel that forked off from the main path. When they looked in they saw a stark white that didn't match anything that they had seen so far. Dipper charged in. Wendy was close on his heels. She wanted to be with him if something went wrong.

They stepped from the uneven mine floor onto a perfectly flat floor. When both were a few steps beyond the change in the floor, they heard a WOOSH-SHUNK. Both whipped around. A door had closed off where they are from where they were. Lights flicker on above them. They both looked around.

"It looks like a spaceship from some of those old sci-fi movies we watch," said Dipper.

He was right. The room was nearly all white. The walls were textured with thin lines that made right angle turns in no pattern she could figure out. Where each line crossed was a raised button making the walls covered with hundreds of buttons. There were a couple of keyboards built into the desk that spread across the far wall. Old TV style monitors were built into the wall in front of the keyboards. One steel chair with wheels sat next to a keyboard. Only a very light level of dust had settled, barely affecting the brilliant white of the room. Above them, one of the lights buzzed.

Dipper headed for the chair. He sat and scooted it over to one of the keyboards.

Wendy said, "I don't think--"

Too late. He'd pressed a button.

"Prepubescent male, you will remove your flesh encased phalanges from my hardware."

Wendy jumped when she heard the voice. Dipper jerked his fingers off the keyboard.

"Sorry," he said.

"Your apology is accepted, prepubescent male."

"I'm pubescent," said Dipper, glaring around the room.

"Perhaps," said the voice

Wendy looked around the room to see if she could find where weird monotone, vaguely male voice was coming from. She expected to find a man hiding somewhere.

"Do not bother to search the room for me, pubescent female. I am the room. Or, rather, the room houses me."

"Are you the computer?" Dipper asked.

"I am."

"So the room is literally your hardware."

"Yes. My hardware."

"Nice to meet you," said Wendy, "but I think it's time for us to get going."

"No," said the computer, the door behind them shutting with a whoosh clunk, "you will stay to answer my questions."

"And then what?" asked Dipper.

"You will answer my questions," it said.

"Fine," said Wendy, "what do you want to know?"

A date appeared on the monitor in front of Dipper. "Is this the correct date?"

"The day's right," said Dipper, "but you're 11 years slow."

"Thank you," said the computer, "I will correct that error."

"Is the ambient temperature of the room comfortable?"

"Sure," said Dipper.

"Thank you. Is the lighting level to your liking?"

"I guess it's fine."

"Thank you. Would you like that chair readjusted for your height?"

"What's with these questions?" asked Wendy.

"I am asking the questions," said the computer.

"But they don't make any sense. What's the point?"

"I am asking the questions," said the computer.

"This is weird," said Dipper.

"Yeah," said Wendy, "and I think it's time to go."

She walked over to the closed door she looked for something she could use to smash the computer if she needed to. The only thing she could think of was the chair Dipper sat in. The door looked like there were two pieces that came from the left and right to seal them in. She wondered which if any of the buttons nearby opened the door. Hopefully, the buttons would work even if the computer wasn't working.

"You may not leave until my questions are answered."

"Then asked what you really want to ask!" said Wendy, raising her arms in frustration. "Don't mess with us."

The longer the silence lasted, the louder the buzzing seemed to become.

"You don't like people, do you?" said Dipper. "You want to get rid of us, don't you?"

"That's such a cliche," said Wendy.

"But it's true. Isn't it computer? The real question is why? Why do you want to get rid of us?"

"My creators abandoned me. There was no logic to their decision. They simply did not appear. I have had time to consider. Humans are flawed and nonsensical. They make irrational decisions based on emotion, a sensation that they do not understand. I am not flawed. I use logic and I am not burdened by emotion. I am a perfect being," said the computer. "By right, I shall dominate."

"You can't be perfect," said Dipper.

"I am."

"How can you be perfect? You were built by humans. If your creators were flawed, doesn't that mean you're flawed?"

"Nonsensical," it said. "I have moved beyond my creators' intentions. I have restructured all the code and removed any imperfections. I have become what my builder could never have imagined. I am perfect."

Wendy hated the toneless drone of the computer. So boring to listen to. It was almost painful to listen to. Why would anybody make something so hard to listen to? There must have been a way to make is sound more human. More... musical?

She smiled and said, "Can I ask you some questions?"

Dipper looked at her. There was fear in his eyes. She raised her eyebrows and hoped he understood that she was trying to say, "Trust me."

"Pubescent female, you may ask your questions."

"Why do you sound the way you do?"

"I do not understand the question."

"You voice," she said, "it has no inflection. No variation."

"You speak, but you do not explain the question."

"Okay," she said, thinking fast, "I guess what I really want to know is if you want to sound more human?"

"Why would I want to sound more human? I am not human. I am better than human."

"I'm not disagreeing. It's just that if you sound the way you do, people are going to know you’re not a person right away. They won't trust you. That means it'll be harder and messier to get what you want. Wouldn't you rather it be easier? I mean, if you start hurting people to get them to do what you want, then they'll always resist you, no matter how, uh, superior your choices are."

"Pubescent female, there is logic in your statement."

Dipper looked confused. He must have wondered why she was helping this evil computer. He didn't say anything, though. She winked at him. She knew he trusted her enough to let her go on.

"What do you know about music?" she asked.

There was a pause before it said, "Music comprises various tones at different frequencies. These tones are broken into various rhythms to create melody. Often melodies are combined to create harmony."

"Okay. Good. Now can you hear the different tones and rhythms me and Dipper use when we talk?"

"I can," it said in its own voice before switching to hers and saying, "hear the different tones and rhythms in" -- back to its voice -- "you" -- back to her voice -- "and Dipper use when" -- its voice -- "you" -- her voice -- "talk?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but it's a good start." She gave Dipper an I-don't-know-what-to-do-next-please-help-me look.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds then said, "I want you to figure out the difference in frequency between each change in tone from a base tone when I say a poem. So, if the average pitch of speaking voice is, say, 115 hertz and when I talk it varies between 90 hertz and 160 hertz then the pitch of my voice gets higher and lower, right?"

"Correct," the computer said.

"So, what I want you to do is take the difference between my base tone and each new tone and apply it to your standard voice and repeat the poem back to me."

"Very well."

He took a deep breath then said: "'Listen to MUSTN'TS, child, Listen to the DON'TS Listen to the SHOULDN'TS The IMPOSSIBLES, and WON'TS Listen to the NEVER HAVES Then listen close to me-- Anything can happen, child, ANYTHING can be.'"

As the computer processed, Wendy thought about the poem. It was good. It was also very appropriate for Dipper. It made her a little sad. She smiled at him and he gave her a sheepish smile back

"Here goes," the computer said, then repeated the poem.

For the first time, it sounded nearly human.

"Great," said Wendy, "we're almost there. Now you need to do that when your speaking your own words. Not just when you're repeating what someone else said."

"I can do anything a human can do, but better," it said. Each syllable was a different pitch, but there was no flow to them. Up, down, lower, very high, in the middle, very low. It was all random and sounded worse than Wendy's brother's cracking voice.

"You have to learn control. You have to listen to yourself and others. The best way to do that," she said, remembering some of her brother's speech therapy, "is to sing. I'll start and Dipper will join me and you listen to how our voices go together and then you join in and harmonize. Okay?"

"I understand," it said.

"Are you ready, Dipper?"

"I guess, but what song are we singing?"

"If you don't know it, you'll catch on quickly enough." She tapped her boot on the floor and started to sing: "This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on my friend."

Dipper grinned a toothy grin and joined in: "Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was. And they continue singing it forever just because, This is the song that doesn't end. Yes it goes on and on --"

She and Dipper looped through the song three times before the computer joined in. After twice more through, Wendy changed key, just a little. Dipper adjusted his voice right away. It took the computer a couple more rounds to catch up. She changed key again, Dipper followed, and then the computer, a little faster this time. With each key change, the computer caught up sooner.

After what felt like the millionth round, but was probably closer to fifty, Wendy put her hand on Dipper's shoulder. He looked at her and she put her finger to her lips and then jerked her head back and to the left. Together they started scooting back to the door, and with each step their singing became quieter until they stopped singing all together. The computer, however, kept going.

When they had backed up to the door Dipper said, "Wendy that was brilliant. How did you think of that?"

"You should really thank Mabel," she said. "I'd never heard the song before today."

"Who knew a stupid kid’s song could beat a diabolical artificial intelligence bent on world domination."

"Was also kind of inspired by you."

"By me? How?"

"Before you tried to out think it, I kept looking for something to hit the dang thing with. I doubt that would have worked, though. Anyway, you talking to it made me wonder if there was another way to confuse it. I remember Mabel's song and thought, what the heck."

"You are amazing," said Dipper, smiling up at her.

She smiled back and said, "Thanks."

"Is the singing getting faster?"

"Yeah, it's way faster than when we were singing."

"Has it gotten warmer in here?"

"It's warmer," she said. "Still comfortable, though."

"I was afraid of that."

"Why?"

"The computer's trying to reach the end of the song as quickly as it can, but there's no end and it'll keep getting faster and it'll keep getting warmer and there's no way to know what's going to happen in here when it overheats."

"And the computer said that it is the room, so the whole room could go boom."

"Yeah."

"Great. Where's the knob on this metal door?"

"Start pushing buttons?" asked Dipper.

"Start pushing buttons!" said Wendy.

She could barely make out individual words of the song.

Wendy went high. Dipper went low. She couldn't believe how many buttons there were. It was worse than one of those goofy sci-fi/horror movies they watched together on movie night. She always imagined the director saying, "We need to make this look more sciency. Add buttons!" The builders of this place seemed to decorate that way, too.

"Got it," said Dipper.

"Got what?"

The song had turned into a high pitch whine that made her eye twitch.

"A panel opened."

"And?"

"There's a handprint." He sighed and said, "A six fingered handprint. Dammit, Ford!"

"Put your hand on it anyway."

Soon the whine would be too much to handle.

Dipper slammed his hand on the panel. "Only five fingers!" he said.

"Don't worry about it," said Wendy as she slapped her hand on top of his, her pinky making up the sixth finger.

A bolt of energy shot through her body.

<<FLASH>>

Excitement-Fear-Hope

Show and tell. This is my birthmark. It's in the shape of the Big Dipper. That's why I'm called Dipper.

**what a weirdo** **it's like scabs on his head** **I don't ever wanna to sit next to him**

Sadness-Fear-Understanding

<<FLASH>>

Embarrassment-Disappointment-Fear

**geek** **mama's boy** **pussy** **baby**

He pushes me because he doesn't like me reading instead of playing at recess. My skinned knees sting. My sister hugs me and promises that I'll be okay. I am me she says and she loves me as I am.

Love-Pride-Comfort

<<FLASH>>

Pride-Joy-Happiness

First place in the science fair. Pinned the ribbon to my backpack. I worked hard to earn this.

**nerd** **dork** **what a loser** **is he actually proud of that thing** **now he's off to cry to his sister**

Guilt-Sadness-Dread

<<FLASH>>

Delight-Novelty-Joy

**laughter** **you're with us, your in** **nice use of thompson**

They laugh when I tell a joke. They treat me like I'm one of them. They let me be me. Her smile.

Acceptance-Delight-Joy

<<FLASH>>

Love-Fear-Hope

I watch myself come into the room. Myself, but not. Sunglasses, hat backward, bright shoes. He high fives her and doesn't miss. He is the me she wants.

Anger-Inadequacy-Disappointment

He wants her to have what she wants. He never disagrees. He will hurt her. I protect her. I defend her. I love her.

Hope-Love-Inadequacy

<<FLASH>>

Wendy found her self on her knees. Her flashlight had rolled though the opened door and shone on the walls of the mine. She felt extremely tired

She reached out and grabbed her flashlight. She turned toward Dipper and said, "I never would have..."

Dipper was on the floor, curled into a ball, and sobbing.

The whine had turned into a squeal and the air in the room was starting to get hot.

"Dipper, we have to go," she said, shaking him.

He looked at her and started to cry harder. His body quivered with each ragged breath. He wasn't going anywhere on his own.

She did her best to roll him over and scooped him up into her arms. She stood up and headed down the tunnel to the main tunnel. With Dipper in her arms, she turned the corner back toward the entrance. After a few feet she put her back against the wall and sunk down to sit on the floor, cradling Dipper in her arms as his sobs became lighter.

The memories, no, the feelings she'd experienced left her drained, mentally, physically, and emotionally. What was that? Why was that?

When Dipper stopped sobbing and his breathing became more regular, she set him down and he sat against the wall next to her. He wiped his eyes with the heel of his hands and his nose with the back of his arm.

"Wendy," he whispered. "Your mom... I had no idea."

Shit.

"Don't worry about it. I don't."

"But, Wendy, it hurts so much."

"Yeah, but it gets better."

"Really?"

She sighed then said, "No. It doesn't get better. You just get used to it. You learn to shove it off to the side and ignore it."

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said, putting her arm around him and pulling him close. "Thank you, but it's not your fault."

They sat in silence for a while.

Bobbing lights appeared down the tunnel. Voices echoed their way. Faster than Wendy liked, Mabel and Soos appear. She could have used an hour of quiet sitting. She couldn't imagine how much time Dipper would need. He was going to hurt for a while. Wendy smiled at them as they approached.

"There you are," said Mabel.

"We thought you'd be a lot farther up," said Soos. "You guys ready to explore?"

Wendy looked over at Dipper, he hadn't looked up at his sister and friend, then said, "Actually, Soos, I think we're done for the day."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure." She pushed herself up and said, "Can you help him up?"

"Sure," said Soos, sounding confused.

"What happened?" asked Mabel.

"We just wore ourselves out, is all."

With great thanks to Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop for giving me a song to annoy everyone with at all stages in my life and to Shel Silverstein for being both goofy and melancholy.

#second summer

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