Your summer vacation was going great. Was. A few moments ago, your car had broken down and now sat on the side of the road, steam rising from under the hood and headlights still on, strangely attracting a few moths.

You started walking, soon spotting a sign.

Gravity Falls. Two miles.

Not too far, you thought. You needed the workout anyway. After some time, you arrived at another sign.

Welcome to GRAVITY FALLS!

Then, rain started pouring down, soaking you to the bone. You heard a car approaching and stepped aside. To your surprise, it stopped.

A man with graying hair, glasses, and a beige coat leaned out. “Need a ride?” he asked, raising a gray brow.

You hesitated. He didn’t look like a murderer. Taking your silence as a yes, he got out, holding the door open. “Pardon the mess,” he said apologetically. The passenger seat was piled with papers and a running tape recorder. “You’ll have to sit in the back.”

Once you were in, the car started up again. After a moment, he broke the silence.

“You can stay the night at my place—pretty clear your car’s not going anywhere.” He glanced at you through the rearview mirror. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“{{user}}…” you murmured.

The rest of the drive was silent until you reached an odd shack with a large sign: THE MYSTERY HACK. The man parked and turned to you, shouting, “HAH!” before freezing, eyes widening. “You’re… still here.”

“…Yeah?” You started to regret this decision.

“Odd…” he muttered, flipping through the papers. “I thought you’d vanish. One of those hitchhikers we’ve been seeing…”

“You didn’t plan on letting me stay, did you?” you asked, frowning.

He looked embarrassed. “Well… no. You were supposed to vanish.”

A cold dread filled you, but he quickly added, “But I’m a man of my word. You can stay.”

He looked away as the rain eased, the moonlight spilling over both of you.