Dipper and Mabel both watched with excitement as the bus passed the sign with the familiar words "Welcome to Gravity Falls". 

"We're here! We're here! We're here!" Mabel said, jumping out of her chair prematurely. "I can't believe it dipper! We're gonna see everyone again! I can't wait to hear about Stan and Ford's adventures, ooooo! And Summerween! I can't wait!". Dipper was also excited. He had looked over the note he had received from everyone at last summer's end, more times than he could count. Just as his thoughts turned to fantasies of hunting monsters and watching bad movies, just as the bus came to a halt. "Ahhhhhhh!" Mabel exclaimed "Dipper come on! We're finally here!" Both twins leapt up from their seats and bolted to the door. As the bus doors opened, they saw the faces of friends and family alike that they had barely talked with since last summer. Before anyone could even get so much as a word out from this touching reunion, Mabel jumped into the loving arms of her grunkles.

"Geez kid, who died?" Grunkle Stan said jokingly.

"Great Uncle Ford!" Dipper yelled as he too jumped from the bus.

"Ah, Dipper! I've missed you" Ford grinned. "Me and your Uncle had many discovery's while you where gone! In fact, I bet I could write a whole new journal with all the things we've found!"

Friends and family all came in to hug the twins that had saved their town one summer ago. Mabel already started to fill in her friends on what had happened to her since they had last spoke. Dipper exchanged hugs with Soos and Wendy, who both remarked on how he had gotten taller.

"Alright!" Stan yelled, hoisting the twins bags up "Let's haul these goober's bags back to the shack before it turns dark, ok?"

Dipper laid down on the slightly stiff mattress that he had slept on, which felt to him like an eternity ago, even though it was just last summer. He sat up on the bed, remembering what Ford had promised him, and raced down stairs. Ford was sitting at the table in the parlor, writing something very detailed with pictures.

"Great Uncle Ford," Dipper said, clearly out of breath "You said that you would tell me one of the craziest things that happened to you during your trip before I went to bed tonight" Ford smiled, though he clearly hoped that dipper would forget that particular promise.

*sigh* "Fine, fine but Mabel gets to hear this one to" Dipper groaned before yelling up at ceiling: "Mabel! Great uncle Ford is gonna tell us about on of the monsters he found!". Mabel rushed down the stairs almost immediately, as was apparent by her half finished face mask that covered the left side of her face.

"Alright, alright" Ford said, turning his chair to face the twins. "During me and your uncle's travels we found something incredibly interesting" Ford explained. "Your uncle and I where sailing though the Atlantic Ocean when we saw it. An amazing island with a huge water fall and a tower like structure that was split though the middle. Huge geodes littered the island and it was inhabited by two different, possibly alien species!"

Dipper dramatically gasped at this notion, "What where they like uncle Ford?" He asked.

"The first type where fish and worms that had strange mask-like faces and glowing eyes" Ford remarked. "There was a sign there, in English that said 'Mask Island' which clearly means someone had been there!" Ford exclaimed. "Yet the weirdest part was the other species that called the island home, sentient watermelons" Ford waited for a dramatic gasp, yet none came so he continued, "They where all in the same form of a small boy, some had stars on their chests and where less hostile, allowing us to run simple tests on them, while the rest where almost tribal like, and chased use off the island with spears."

"What happened after that?" Dipper asked. "Well, we left dipper, we got valuable research and I was able to capture a specimen which I can show you later." Ford said with a wink, "Though is is pretty much what they looked like" Ford said, holding up the paper which he had been writing on. As he had described, the pictures where in fact of a small chubby boy, with very little features, as well as a seeming older version of the same boy.

"What do you think it all means, uncle Ford?" Dipper questioned.

"I think it means it's time for you kids to get to bed" Stan said, walking into the room and scooping up Mabel in one fluid motion. "Ugh, you aren't as light as you used to be" Stan joked.

"It's rude to comment on a lady's weight" Mabel retorted.

"Stan is right kids, let's get you to bed".

End of chapter one