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Mabel had noticed it too. It wasn't just him. Stanford Pines rubbed his eyes worriedly. Dipper didn't appear to be eating. Well, he was eating, but toast and cereal or pudding and sandwiches.
Ford had thought nothing of it. A child's diet was always unusual. Until one night Mabel confided in him.
Something was wrong with her brother. She hadn't been able to be specific but she had just said it was her 'Mabel power.'
So, Ford observed.
After about a week of research, Ford came to the conclusion it was a fear of silver wear. Perhaps Aichmophobia (the fear of sharp objects such as knives) or Aichurophobia (the fear of being touched by pointed objects.) Of course, it could be Metallophobia, (the fear of metal or the noise it made). That one was unlikely though.
Until, Dipper ate cereal with a spoon. And the next day, Mabel asked him if he could cut up some carrots for Waddles.
Another day passed before he figured it out.
Dipper didn't use forks. The kid avoided them like the plague. No scrambled eggs or beans. Just chips and other foods only used with hands or spoons.
So Stanford sat down at the table the next morning and watched his great nephew and niece talking excitedly. Stanford steeled himself. This was for the good of all.
"Hey, Dipper, may I see your hand?"
Dipper reached up to straighten the hat that he hadn't yet donned for the morning, stopped, and then gave it to him saying, "Sure, Grunkle Ford."
Stanford picked up his fork and gave it to Dipper.
It was as he feared. The boy held the fork staring at it, his face draining to a pale bloodless white. Mabel's eyes widened as Ford gave her a meaningful look.
Dipper's hands started trembling and only when Mabel tentatively asked, "Dipper?" Did her twin start and yelp slightly his voice cracking as he threw the fork as far away from him as he could.
"But it's stupid, Mabel!"
"It's not stupid, Dip-dop!"
"I'm afraid of forks."
Stanford signed and ran his hand through his hair. He wished Stanley were here. Stanley knew the kids better than he did, but his twin had left to do some 'shopping.' Though, it was probably more like stealing.
Stanford decided to intervene, "Dipper, do you have any bad experiences with forks?"
He turned red and Mabel slapped her forehead, "Oh! Duh!"
Stanford turned with an inquisitive, "What?" Right as Dipper blurted, "It's nothing Grunkle Ford!"
Stanford put his hand on Dipper's shoulder, "Dipper. Calm down and sit down. Mabel, what do you mean 'oh, duh'?"
Mabel sighed as her twin huffed but shut his mouth upon the author's command.
"So there's this triangle demon named Bill Cipher-"
"You met Bill?!"
They both nodded as Mabel began with, "Weeeelllll, it was all cause of my kitten fists-" Dipper sighed and held up his hand, "Wait, Mabel, stop... You're not going to make any sense. See, Grunkle Ford- it all began when we met this kid named Lil' Gideon..."
"And that's how we got him out of Grunkle Stan's mind-"
"-and, how all my sock puppets got destroyed."
Ford gaped at his great niece and nephew- who had defeated Bill, something even he had not been able to do and who'd saved his brother. His great nephew who was only twelve had been possessed by a psychotic dream demon.
Ford shoved away the theories and the calculations and took a breath, "So why do you have a phobia of forks?"
Dipper rubbed his arms where round white barely-visible scars stood out. Scars that Stanford had assumed had been caused by something normal in this modern world.
Dipper winced as he whispered, "H- he thinks... Pain... Pain is hilarious."
Ford frowned, his brain unusually slow as it tried to deny the facts.
And then it dawned on him.
In a tourist trap named the 'Mystery Shack' in Gravity Falls, Oregon, no one uses forks. It's a little odd, but the people who reside in the shack are odd too.
Instead, they had these strange plastic spoon-fork hybrids. Sporks. Everyone used it and none of them said a word when all the forks disappeared to be replaced with these sporks.
The only thing that happened when Dipper Pines saw the hybrid was smile and turn slightly red as he ate his beans gratefully.