The Haunted Love

Chapter 5

There was some sort of chaos the next day in the shack. Sabrina hadn’t been there at the time. All she knew was there was a massive hole in the living room when she came back. Everyone else was no where to be found including Clayton. But around the early evening hours, there was a commotion upstairs as most of the others watched the second airing of Duck-tective. Clayton came down once they turned it on.

“Rough day?” Sabrina asked once he appeared in the doorway.

“Guess you could say that.” He replied, pulling out the infinite die box. “Peter rolled it like the buffoon he is.” He opened it and revealed the die itself. It was pulsating with life it seemed like.

“What are you going to do with it?” She asked, watching its images change at a rapid pace.

“Lock it away.” He walked over to one of his machines, grabbing an experiment tube off the shelve. With a set of tweezers, he carefully dropped the die in and tightened the lid. He then made a label for it that said #106.

There was some commotion coming from the others upstairs. It sounded like the plot twist was dumb from what they could tell. Sabrina and Clayton just looked at each other and chuckled in hearing the disappointment.

“Obviously the show wasn’t so good.” Sabrina commented.

Clayton smirked. “Seems that way.”

There was suddenly the small tab of shoes coming down the stairs. Clayton looked over towards them. Sabrina knew exactly what to do. She slid her way into the back room as quiet as a mouse. Clayton’s face went stoic as Dipper appeared before him.

“How was – whatever it is called?” Clayton asked him.

“Duck-tective. And it sucked.” Dipper replied instantly, sounding bored.

“That’s too bad.” His uncle commented. He picked up the die and turned back to Dipper. “Was working on putting this away. Want to help?” Dipper nodded excitedly.

Clayton then turned towards the small display case he had built into one of the machines. He proceeded to put it in one of the compartments, closing its little door and locking it with his key. It had a glowing spaceship as a key chain which caught Dipper’s eye. He glanced over at his nephew.

“This will be here if you ever need it.” Clayton said.

“Really? Even though, I got us all into the gameplay mess?” Dipper replied a bit confused.

“Ha, we both got carried away. I guess we’ve both gone awhile without a friend.” Sabrina heartache hearing that. Mean isn’t she his friend? She is just hidden from the others. When he wasn’t interacting with his family, he was talking to her. She felt like she wanted to cry.

“Dipper. Can I tell you something?” She heard Clayton start to say. She suddenly was scared stiff. Was he about to tell him about her? “You asked me earlier what I was working on. Well-” He removed the curtain, revealing the sad remains of the portal. “I’ve dismantled the portal.”

Relief flowed over Sabrina as she let out the breath she was holding in so tightly. He still wanted to keep her a secret. But the rift they had pulled from the machine, that he didn’t. But that just proved that Clayton was opening up to Dipper. He called him a friend now.

“Now get yourself to bed. I have much research to do.” Clayton rubbed Dipper’s hat playfully.

“Goodnight, Great Uncle Clayton.” Dipper waved on his way up.

“Goodnight, Dipper.” He replied back. Once Dipper was out of sight, his face went stoic. He would gently place the rift back in its spot before shutting it in.

Sabrina reappeared just as he was putting it away. He glanced over at her with a frown. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t of said that.” He was disappointed of himself.

“You sure seem to apologize a lot.” Sabrina commented to Clayton’s disbelief.

Clayton fell silent. He wasn’t quite sure what else to say. All he could do was stand there dumbstruck. He broke from his trance, turning towards his journal he’s been adding to. He allowed Dipper to hold on to the third one for him.

Sabrina sighed. Obviously he didn’t care to further the conversation. She just made her way to cot he had set up for her and plopped down. After a few minutes of sketching, she let herself fall on the pillow, squeezing it in her hands. Seemed like forever she laid there.

Clayton had moved on up to his sofa upstairs at some point while she was lying there, so the lab was eerily quiet. She turned on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Somewhere above her was Stan’s room. For an old guy, he didn’t seem to make much noise. Besides the occasional throwing of his shoes or snoring.

She pondered whether or not she should just reveal herself to them. They already saw her once at the diner. Not like they’d forget her face. Unless Stan had short term, which she highly doubted. Mabel for sure would recognize her, hell even Soos and Wendy has seen her and they just work here.

Soos originally took her as one of the customers. So she played the part, just to protect her skin. But even so, Stan does have cameras in the gift shop. He’d find it suspicious this girl with the red scarf kept coming in through the door. Honestly it is a surprise he hasn’t noticed yet. But this is why she pulls her scarf off, adjust her hair and change her makeup. Would be nice to not have to do that every single time she arrived back.

Sabrina’s thoughts kept going back to Clayton. She didn’t want to make him upset towards her. He for sure would kick her out. It was his house after all. Stan just lives in it and the twins are only here for four months of the year. It wasn’t like his name never was on the deed. It actually is and in a fancy cursive. She’s seen it with her own eyes.

She rose tiredly, rubbing at her face. Clayton’s journal was still sitting on the desk next to the Cycloptopus. He had to find a replacement jar for it as Dipper had shattered it during his fall inside. No wonder it attacked him. It was making a weird purring noise as if it was snoring with its one big eye shut tight. She skimmed through the page he was writing on it and found that it was indeed snoring. At least, that is what Clayton thought as well.

Sabrina would smile at it whispering a sweet “sleep tight little guy” towards the jar. After a quick stretch, she made her way upstairs and towards the bathroom. Waddles was wandering around for some reason when she turned the corner. The pink pig was a rolly polly thing with one spot on its eye and on its back. At first, he startled her, causing her to duck around the corner.

He had his snout to the floor as if looking for some crumbles to eat. He wandered ever so closer to her as she tried her best to stay stiff. He suddenly stopped and stared up at her in the corner. Didn’t take him long to start climbing on her and snot her up with his wet nose. She started giggling softly, hoping none of the others would hear.

“Waddles, come on. I just need to use the bathroom.” She said towards the pig. It was hard not to have a giggling fit when his snout touched her face, it tickled.

She finally just picked him off her and plopped him down on the rug. “Alright buddy. That’s enough.” She giggled one more time during her words. He tilted his head towards her with a snort. She gave him a pat on the head before entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

After washing her hands, she exited the bathroom. Waddles was still sitting there waiting. She gestured towards the stairs to the attic. “I’m not Mabel. She’s upstairs buddy.” He didn’t move.

Sabrina let out a frustrated huff. “Go upstairs.” She pointed again, only to be giving a blank look again. “For god’s sake.” She whispered under her breath before finally walking around him and back towards the vending machine. Just as she got there, she glanced back behind her to see the pig was on her tail. He sat his bottom down and tilted his head again towards her.

“No Waddles, you can’t come down with me.” Sabrina said sadly. “Mabel will be looking for you. You know that.” He just kept sitting there, looking all cute as if to say “pretty please?” Sabrina groaned with a facepalm. “You know what? Whatever pig. If you want to come, so be it. But you have to promise you’ll come back up when Clayton opens it in the morning, got it?” The same blank stare was looking back at her before he snorted once. He then proceeded to make his way down the stairs.

What has she gotten herself into? Now the girl’s pig likes her. She shut the machine behind her before following the pig down. She instantly returned to her cot. A warm round body suddenly curled itself in her legs. She glanced down to find the pig had tucked itself in like a cat and was comfortably resting its face on her ankle.

She smiled sleepily as she gave him a rub on the head. “Night Waddles.”