Chapter Text
“What are we, but the environment that surrounds us. If I could only see white padded walls and could only hear the deafening sound of silence, I wouldn’t be who I am now. I would be trapped in my own head, thinking of how I could’ve been if I was surrounded by everything all at once”
Wirt paused before letting out a sigh.
“That… that doesn’t make sense, does it?”
Wirt was laying horizontally on his bed, his feet were touching the floor and his arms were spread out. He was having a tough time coming up with anything profound and it really showed in his poems.
“This is unbearable… I. Can’t. Think. Of. Anything. Maybe I should listen to some music. That could give me some inspiration.”
Wirt sat up and grabbed his cassette player.
He then grabbed the cassette with his favorite song and inserted it inside the player. He pressed play and I Know It’s Over by the smiths started to play. Wirt laid back down, headphones on and his eyes closed. He stayed like that for a while before sitting back up and taking his headphones off.
“This isn’t helping me. I listen to this song way too much.” Wirt mumbled to himself before looking at the cassette and telling it, “The initial feeling I once had while listening is lost, I overplayed you and now I’m fatigued. There is nothing more you can give me and now I require something new.” He then let out a deep sigh.
“Did… did I just speak to a cassette? Oh man, I need to go out more.”
Wirt then got up and headed to his door to go downstairs. When he opened it he saw Gregory standing there.
“Greg what are you doing? And why do you have a plant pot?”
“Hey Wirt. Why were you talking to yourself?”
“I wasn’t… now answer my questions.”
“Yeah you were, I could hear you being all sad and stuff.”
“Okay, maybe I was. Now could you answer my questions?”
“Sure! What were they again?”
Wirt let out a frustrated sigh, brushing past Gregory and heading downstairs. When he got there he overheard his mom and step dad talking in the kitchen. He tried being invisible, slowly walking past them and being as quiet as possible. He wanted to avoid talking to them and he almost did. With the doorknob within his grasp he turned it but before he could fully open the door Gregory bumped into him. Wirt hadn’t realized Gregory was following him this whole time and jumped.
“Greg leave me alone.” Wirt whispered trying to not alert his parents.
“Where are you going? Can I come?”
“No… you can’t.”
“Please… I’ll give you my candy!”
“I- I don’t want your candy.”
“Really? They taste really good!” Gregory grabbed a handful and started snacking on them.
“Don’t… do that. You’ll get sick.”
“Okay I won’t. As long as I come with you.”
Wirt let out a groan. He was about to say no again but heard his mom walking towards them. He grabbed Gregory and they left the house. They started walking around the neighborhood aimlessly. It was a chilly afternoon, the trees had this lovely orange hue and their leaves were starting to fall. It had rained an hour earlier so the leaves on the ground were wet and weren’t crunchy anymore. They were walking for a while before Gregory finally spoke.
“Wirt… where exactly are we going?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why are we walking?”
“Fresh air? A change of scenery? An artists work can be influenced by their surroundings. I just needed inspiration.”
“You’re an artist?”
“Uh… poet… more like an aspiring poet. My poems need work.”
“Oh, well then I think you’re a great poet!”
“Thanks Greg. Have- have you even heard any of my poems?”
“I think so… you mumble weird sayings a lot. I think those are poems.”
“Do I really do that?”
“Mumbling under your breath? Definitely.”
Wirt let out a sigh and they continued walking. On their walk they decided to enter a library. When they entered, a strong smell filled the room. The smell of dust, old books, and freshly printed paper. There was also the soft buzz of the old computers. The computers radiated heat that warmed the place and made it even cozier. Wirt and Gregory grabbed a couple books and sat down at one of the tables. Wirt in particular had fancied Dante’s Inferno.
They were reading in silence when Wirt
eavesdropped on someone talking about trolls and ghouls. He turned to look at the person and saw both of the Pines siblings at the table next to them. He looked down at what Dipper was reading and saw Cryptids: Field Guide on the table.
Wirt let out a scoff.
“What are you scoffing at?”
Wirt slowly looked up and saw Dipper looking directly at him.
“I uh- I wasn’t scoffing. I- I just made a weird noise from my mouth.” Wirt stammered trying to make up a lie.
“Really? You just happened to make a weird noise while looking at my book?”
Dipper squinted his eyes at Wirt.
“Maybe he really did randomly make a noise while coincidentally looking at what you were reading.” Mabel said jokingly while nudging Dippers arm.
Dipper snapped his head at Mabel. “Stop- stop doing that.”
Mabel continued nudging his arm despite his pleads. Eventually she got tired and stopped, but before dipper could say ‘finally’ she ruffled up his hair.
“What the! Gah! My hair looked perfect…”
“Yeah perfectly messy! Hah! Ha…ha…heh.”
Wirt and Gregory were looking at them confused. Wirt leaned forward towards Gregory and whispered. “Let’s go home.”
Gregory nodded and they both got up and left. The twins hadn’t noticed them leaving as they were too busy arguing with each other. Mabel finally realized they were gone and got a bit sad.
“Aww… they left. Bummer.” She had a huge frown and punched Dippers shoulder.
“Ack! What was that for?”
“You made them leave.”
“Me? Maybe it was your personality that warded them off!”
Mabel let out a sarcastic and dramatic gasp. “AUGH… you wound me.” She had her hand on her forehead for added dramatic effect.
Dipper squinted his eyes at Mabel. “You’re really testing my patience dear sister.”
There was a pause before they both let out a wheezy laugh. This caused them to burst out laughing which got them kicked out the library.
Wirt and Gregory were walking back home when Gregory asked Wirt, “Who were those people? Are they your friends?”
Wirt let out another scoff. “Friends? No… never. I don’t know who they are. Come to think of it I’ve never actually seen them before. They might be new here.”
“Ooo! Candy…” Gregory knelt down and grabbed a gumdrop that was on the ground. He was about to have a little taste before Wirt snatched it.
“Greg! Don’t do that… that’s disgusting.”
Wirt threw the gumdrop far away.
“Hey! That was a perfectly fine gumdrop you just threw away.” Gregory huffed.
“It was on the ground, Greg.”
“So? You can’t just waste food.”
Wirt pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Candy isn’t… y’know what… let’s just go home.”
They finally arrived back home, but Wirt didn’t want his parents to know they had been gone, so he slowly opened the door. When they got inside he quietly closed the door after him.
“Wirt? Gregory?” Their mom said. She started walking towards them.
They both started acting normal. Trying to not raise suspicion.
“Oh hey mom!” Greg said while having a wide grin.
“Uh… why were you guys so quiet? What were you guys doing?”
“Oh we were just chilling in my room.” Wirt was fidgeting so he placed his hands inside his pockets.
“Hmm… okay. Well then why are you guys here?”
“We missed you and wanted to see you!” Greg ran up towards her and hugged her. She was a little shocked by the unexpected hug but smiled and hugged him back.
“Yeah…” Wirt slowly turned and started walking upstairs to his room.
“Ahem! Give your mother a hug.” She said with a stern voice.
Wirt stopped right in his tracks and slowly turned back toward his mom.
“Uh… you see I would… but I have things to do and-“
“You will not be going back to your room until you give me a hug.” She squinted her eyes at him.
Wirt let out a soft sigh and quickly walked back to his mom and gave her a quick hug. He then turned around and headed back to his room. She shook her head in disbelief and looked at Gregory who was still hugging her.
“At least you still love me. You hungry Greg? I can make you a sandwic-“
“No thanks. I already ate a bunch of food.”
“Really? What food?”
“Candy!” Gregory started running in circles.
“Oh honey… candy isn’t… food. Let’s… let’s go make you a sandwich…”
Wirt was in his room mumbling to himself. He was lying on his bed with his arms and legs fully spread out. He was trying to form a poem from the items that were in his room. Looking at his clarinet he spoke.
“Oh clarinet how I wish I could- oh clarinet… oh clarinet… GAH! I can’t… I just can’t. It’s as if I was a bird that had its wings clipped. With the ability to fly no longer within my grasp, I have no purpose and I must die.”
Wirt stared at his ceiling momentarily before grabbing his cassette player, putting on his headphones, and pressing play once more.