#double cursed

"Okay, are you ready?" Dipper asked, one hand with his pen hovering inches from the page, the other hovering over the button on the camera.

Mabel, hands over her head, holding the creepy necklace above, grinned and nodded. "Ready."

Dipper nodded back, and hit the button.

"Welcome back to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained," he said to the camera, face all full of that serious look that Mabel thought looked frankly ridiculous on him, "Today we're investigating anomaly #264: the ancient Talisman of Talking. According to the journal, this ancient artifact allows you to hear into the minds of animals! I've got Mabel here to demonstrate. Last chance to back out, Mabel."

Mabel shook her head a little, hair fluffing up around her. Fire-like determination and eagerness glittered in her eyes - she beamed over at her brother. "Never!"

She let go, dropping the necklace down over her head. It slid down her head, settling around her shoulders.

The effect was small, but immediate. It was as though the audible world… opened up around her, unfolding and unspooling, seeping into her ears, followed by a faint buzzing sensation at the edge of her hearing.

Perched on a piney branch, a robin sang. It took Mabel a moment to realize she could hear it - its chittering thoughts, chirping, Singing, singing, everyone, come here, listen, listen!

It wasn't in words. Mabel could hardly comprehend how, but she just knew what it meant somehow. Meaning drawn from gibberish bird whistlings. She couldn't just hear it - she could understand it. She'd never realized there was a difference before, between listening and comprehending.

"Mabel?" Dipper prompted, eyes intently trained on her, fingers twitching around his pen, "You good?"

"Yeah," Mabel blinked, eyes darting around, a soft gasp in her throat. Her eyes darted around, suddenly seeing everything anew. The thrum of worms underfoot, the chitter of birds above - she could hear it all, pulsing in her blood, straining at the seams of her mind. "Dipper, holy crap!"

"What? Does it work?" Dipper pressed, practically on the edge of his seat atop a large rock.

"I can hear everything! I can understand it too!" She spun a slow circle around, eyes seeking to take in the source of every sound, filled with a wonder that sparkled in her insides. "My mind has expanded… I'm one with nature!"

"Fascinating," Dipper said, beaming. His hand was a blur across the page, not even looking up when he spoke, "And its not like, overwhelming?"

"No way! I mean, kinda. But I can hear everything! Everything!"

"You said that, yeah."

"No, like, I can hear it. They're not thinking in English, but I can understand them anyway! It's like I've got a translator in my head."

"That is interesting," Dipper said, voice going soft as he audibly marveled over that. "I guess that that makes sense… holy crap. And there's no side effects?"

"I have become a higher being," Mabel said, pressing her hands to cheeks. "I can feel my mind evolving! It's going through enlightenment puberty! The growing pains…"

"So you have a headache." Dipper quickly noted that down. "Let me know if you need to take it off."

"I'm never taking it off," Mabel said, despite the fact that the buzzing in her head was actually getting steadily stronger, evolving into a soft pulse of pain in the back of her skull. "I'm like a Disney Princess now!"

"Yeah, we're not doing that." Mabel shot him a pouty glare, but he just met her gaze frankly. "You gotta let me have a turn."

That, Mabel relented to herself, was actually fair. "Ugh, fiiineee. But after that, I want another turn!"

Dipper shrugged. "Sure. Lets trade in a few minutes, okay?"

"'kay." Mabel figured she ought to get the most out of the time left as she could. She suddenly grinned, something mischievous sparking in her eyes. "If you can catch me!"

"Mabel!" Dipper yelped as Mabel threw herself towards the treeline, cackling with laughter all the way.

She could hear him fumble to gather all his stuff, shouting her name after her. She just laughed in response, sliding herself underneath a fallen tree and popping out the other side, racing through the forest.

Their summer vacation to Gravity Falls just got better and better! Who knew that the sleepy little Oregon town their boring ol' Grandpa Shermie lived in had so much wonder and mystery to it?

Darting into a small opening under a tree, she pressed her sleeve to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggling as she heard her brother call her name, trying to locate her.

She'd pop out and surprise him in a minute, but for now she wanted to give him a scare. He always reacted so funnily whenever startled - he totally screamed like a little girl! It was hilarious!

Away from Dipper, the thoughts of the forest seemed to creep in even stronger now. Her head throbbed a little. Under the hand she'd planted on the ground, an ant protested the sudden obstacle in its path.

"Oh, sorry!" Mabel whispered to it, quickly shuffling her hand away, watching it continue on, tiny piece of leaf in its pincers.

It rejoined its group, falling back in step behind them.

Two birds flew above, one faster than the other. Mabel could hear both of their thoughts.

Wait, wait, thought the slow one, tired, falling behind.

Its companion flew ahead, unphased- no, unhearing, Mabel realized. Its mind was all sing-songing about the wind in its feathers, friend at its side.

None of them could hear each other. That made sense, Mabel realized - none of them were mind-readers. They had as little understanding of each other's thoughts as humans did.

Her hand came up to lightly touch the charm on the talisman. Mesmerized. Dipper was going to love to hear about this.

Suddenly coming up from somewhere to her left, she could hear the thump of a rabbit's feet on the forest floor, its quick, panicked thoughts making her pulse rush alongside it: hide, run, pursuers, evade, evade.

Mabel swallowed, suddenly uneasy. She wasn't having so much fun anymore - the rabbit's harried thoughts unnerving her. It was being hunted.

Suddenly, the snap of a twig and rush through the underbrush. Mabel watched as a rabbit, the rabbit suddenly raced past, before big black paws dropped down on where it'd just been, moments before, escaping by inches.

A low, rattling growl of annoyance shook the air around her. Mabel's heart stopped dead.

Mere feet away from her little hiding spot, a huge wolf crouched, sniffing at the ground. It bared its teeth, snapping its teeth in the air.

Lost it, lost food, it panted, tongue rolling out of the side of its mouth. Too tired. Got away.

There was a rustle in the bushes, and a small cat of all things padded out, walking brazenly up to the wolf's side. Too slow. Old and fat.

Young and fit, the wolf huffed back, tail lashing in agitation. Big and strong.

Old. Fat. Slow. The cat retorted. It batted at the wolf with its paws, the same way Mabel had seen her cat back at home bat at Dipper when he was annoying her. Lost food. Me starving now. Death. Oh, dying. Starving now.

Were they… talking to each other?

Not dying! The wolf cried back, clawing at the ground in agitation. Me, big young fit strong. Little pack wolf lazy, steals food! Me hunt. Me feed.

Stubborn big cat. Me finds good food, follow, I show, I could show, big cat will follow? The cat prodded back to the bushes, pausing, turning back to the wolf, clearly waiting for it to follow.

No! The wolf huffed back, raking its claws against the ground. Mabel felt her pulse flutter in fear at the deep gouges it left in the earth. Bad food. Dangerous food.

Easy food, the cat insisted.

Humans. Take you away. The wolf whined, ears flattening to its skull, tail hanging low. Mabel didn't know a wolf could look so miserable.

No. Came back. The cat lashed its tail, narrowed its eyes. No danger.

Take you away, the wolf whined, stepping forward so that it could drop its head, nuzzling the cats side. Take you away, so lonely. Little pack wolf gone.

Came back. The cat protested, but it looked like it was relenting, pink sandpaper tongue darting out to lick the wolf's nose. Easy food.

Danger. I hunt. Big juicy meat food, I share. The wolf promised.

The cat huffed, kneeling, legs bunching - and then in one, practiced leap, it landed on the wolf's back, shifting around until it could sit comfortably on its spine. The wolf's tail wagged.

Will have food soon, the wolf said. I share, I share.

Heard so, the cat grumbled back, tail flicking, stretching its paws, head dropping to relax against the wolf's solid spine. Go.

Mabel watched, mystified, as the wolf shook itself, soft enough not to disturb the cat's lounging, and trotting off into the bushes, tail wagging, thoughts all about its little packmate and their next meal, interspersed with the cat's occasional objects and comments.

She slipped off the necklace, the world falling back into the peaceful quiet she'd known before. The pain that had been building in her skull dropped away, leaving her almost dazed, staring down at the talisman in her hands.

That was…

Adorable!

That cat and wolf totally loved each other so much! It was so cute! The way the cat sat on top of the wolf's back? How the wolf seemed upset at the thought of the cat getting taken away? The way they almost seemed to cuddle for a moment there?

So sweet!! None of the other animals seemed able to hear each other - but those two could! Because- because of the power of love! Their love must have transcended the very laws of magic and mind-reading themselves! It had to be TRUE LOVE!!

Mabel beamed at nothing, a small giggle escaping her, pressing her hands to her mouth, feeling her cheeks warm.

"Mabel?!" Dipper yelled from somewhere nearby, making Mabel jump and squeak a little. She'd forgotten she was hiding!