Phew, long time no see! This chapter is gonna be more upbeat then the last two, so hopefully its not out of place. I meant it to be a kinda pick me up from the last one. Hopefully that how it comes out! Seriously guys, sorry it took so long, but please enjoy!
"Mama?"
In a small apartment kitchen dishes clinked softly as they were washed. Without turning the mother spoke. "Yes Mija?"
"When is Papa coming home?"
The woman paused, giving a sigh of frustration, but she school herself before looking over her shoulder. Coco had gotten so much bigger since Hector had left. She was six now, and had long hair still tied into pigtails, she was wearing her long nightgown as she watched her mother from the archway, head tilted in question. "Mija…" Imelda said, shaking her head. "We talked about this, he's not coming home."
Instead of crying like most girls her age, Socorro 'Coco' Juanita Rivera crossed her arms and scowled. "He is Mama. He promised so he is."
"Por el amor de Dios" Imelda muttered, putting the dishes down and wiping off her hands on her apron. She knelt to her daughter. "Coco, he hasn't come home in three years. No letters. No money. Nada. He is not coming home."
"Maybe he's hurt, or needs help?" Coco said.
Imelda paused at that thought but brushed it away. "And if he was, then why would his amigo not tell us?" She asked. "Tio Ernesto told me over the phone-"
"I don't like him. His eyebrows are weird."
"Coco." Imelda snapped her fingers icily, quieting the girl with a glare of her own. "Don't be rude." Honestly Imelda didn't like Ernesto either, for a number of reasons, but it wouldn't do to teach Coco to be impolite. "Ernesto sent us some money to help startup the business. Without him we would not have the store bellow or the apartment above it."
"Without him, Papa would be home!" Coco snapped.
Well. She was quick as a whip, this one. De tal palo, tal astilla.
"Mija…" Imelda struggled for something to say before grunting. "He isn't coming home and that is that!"
"Why?" Coco asked.
"BECAUSE." Imelda grunted out angrily. Ernesto told her over the phone that he had last seen Hector with some- some- SOME mujerzuelas at the bar in Mexico City. Then he had awoken to the hotel room cleared of Hector's things besides his guitar, a songbook and a note. Basically saying he got in good with some rich American girl and left with her.
Imelda wasn't sure what to believe but she was angry and needed to focus her attention where it was deserved. Coco needed her. Hector would have to wait. Forever preferably.
"Your just mad you had a big fight before he left!" Coco said back.
They had. Hector was all gunho to go and she wanted him to stay with her. They had a pretty heated discussion, which wasn't helped by Ernesto complaining that he wanted to leave already. She told him that if he left, to not come back.
Maybe that's why he ran off with that American girl. Maybe she let him do as he pleased whenever it suited him.
"He told me he loved me but you just yelled at him! So he didn't say it to you-"
"COCO." Imelda rosed to her full hight, dwarfing the child. Her tone had the girl wincing, realising a line was crossed. "GO TO BED!"
Coco waived, but her mother deepened her scowl and that had the girl running to her room. Imelda turned and furiously finished the dishes. Upset by Coco's words and that she had lost her temper with su tesoro…
After the dishes were done Imelda chose to turn in. Another long day of shoemaking awaited tomorrow and she needed to be rested. She marched angrily around the room, changing and undoing her hair. Yet when the lights were out and she was in bed, all she had were her thoughts to keep her company.
'He told me he loved me!'
'He told me that to, once upon a time.' Imelda frowned.
Ernesto's words floated around in her head. "I'm so sorry Imelda but he's taken off on both of us. I didn't know how to tell you this but last I saw of him, he had a pretty, blonde, American girl on his arm."
Blonde, pah! What's so good about that? Imelda ran a hand through her locks quietly.
"Your just mad you had a big fight before he left!"
"Imelda please, this is our big chance!" Hector had said sternly. "Ernesto and I, we could be famous! I can get inspiration for my songs! Make more money!"
"Then don't bother coming back to us paletos, Señor mandamás!" Imelda shouted before slamming the door in his face. She heard him call her name a few times through the door, but it took less than half an hour for them to leave.
Imelda was a woman who firmly believed that tears didn't do herself any good. Sure she didn't think the same for other people, depending on what they were crying about, but for herself, tears were a waste of time. Tears wouldn't bring Hector home, tears wouldn't make shoes and tears wouldn't raise Coco.
However, on nights like this, it was hard not to cry. Imelda felt she hide these things well enough, she made not a sound or a shook an inch, but a few minutes later the door creaked behind her.
Imelda practically flew up to look at the door, hopeful-
Yet it was just Coco, the girl peeking her head inside the room. Slightly disappointed and still unhappy with her daughter's behaviour, she frowned softly. "Coco, you supposed to be in your room for the night." Imelda said in an even tone. "Go back to bed."
She lay back down, her back to the door. She listened for the distinct creaking of the floorboards that told her that her mija was going back to bed. Instead her own mattress sunk down as the girl crawled up with her. "Coco." Imelda said in warning, though she wasn't feeling up to taking the girl back to bed.
"Mama." The girl spoke, walking around on the bed to sit at her mother's side. Though her eyes were closed, Imelda felt a small hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry Mama. I love you."
Imelda took a deep, steadying breath before pulling Coco down to the bed and tucking her in at her side. "I love you to Coco, now try to get some rest."
It felt like it did back then. Only it wasn't Coco that Imelda had nuzzled against her. She ran her hand through Miguel's short hair quietly, looking out the nearby window to the dawning sun. She hadn't slept a wink since Miguel had joined her. She had gotten a few good hours before Pepita, laying on her balcony just a few feet away, woke her up. She wouldn't have heard Miguel's crys otherwise.
The woman sighed and looked down at the boy, exhausted from the rollercoaster ride the last few days had been. Miguel was completely out, laying snuggled against her in a deep sleep. The pill she had given him was nothing to sneeze at. If the final death could be caused by overdoses or poisoning, then Imelda wouldn't have given it to him. Infact had it been a regular echo she wouldn't have bothered and just rode the aftermath out with him.
But what Miguel had seen…
Well she couldn't imagine. When Imelda herself had died, she had been going through customs and reception at the time Coco or Julio found her body, and her echos were just watching the Velorio as her family and friends come to mourn her before the actual funeral. It was hard to watch her family be so somber, she had wished she could tell them what death was like, so they wouldn't be so upset. That eventually the would all meet again.
Imelda didn't want to imagine being picked up at the morgue by her parents. She didn't even want to think about what Enrique and Luisa were going through, burying a child. It was true what they say, Un padre nunca debe enterrar a su hijo, it was terrible from both sides.
So she gave him something to quiet the painful echos and his aching soul. It was nothing better than a band aid solution for the time being, she knew that much. Yet Miguel needed rest, even for one night. He deserved that, it was the least he could get for now. She was just thankful she had a few left over from when Victoria had needed them.
Oh how her poor Tia had needed them.
Imelda grunted, it was best to not let such thoughts fester. At least for too long. She slipped out from the bed carefully, so as not to disturb her grandson. Thought it wasn't really needed, as it seemed nothing short of an earthquake would wake Miguel now. Checking the clock she saw it was about five forty. She'd usually be waking up about now. Today she was tempted to give in and stay in bed.
Thankfully she had never given in to such feelings before.
Ring! Ring! Ri-
Imelda snacthed the bedisde phone up before it could wake anyone else. "Digame." She said icily, knowing this was the personal line and not any of her customers.
"Ah!Ah- S-S-señora Imelda Riviera?" The small, nervous voice asked.
Imelda massaged her brow, irritated to have a call so early. "Si, Si. Qué es?"
"This is- ehrm- José Martinez. From the Arrival-Departure Agency? You made a call yesterday?"
"Ah you got my message, then you know we need an appointment as soon as possible?" She said quickly.
"Si! Si! We have an opening at nine this morning! The process will take a while but you should be out before lunch-"
"Good, we'll be there on the dot." Imelda spoke.
"Oh-! Yes, very good." José said nervously. "T-then I shall make the appointment. See you later this morning… and ugh, señora…"
"Yes? What is it?" She grunted, getting more annoyed that he was cutting into her prep time.
"Condolencias."
"Oh." Imelda paused, her growing frustration evaporating like a snowflake on a hot highway. "Ah, gracias… Muchas gracias." She hung up the phone wearily and looked back down at Miguel.
He hadn't moved and was still sound asleep. Imelda smiled softly and tucked his blanket in around him. Best he should get one more hour of sleep. Hopefully get the rest of the pill out of his system. It would give her time to get bathed and dressed.
She slipped into her master bathroom, starting to fill up the tub. With the long day of bureaucracy ahead she was hoping a nice warm soak would help keep her collected… Likely wouldn't help later, but was a nice idea for now.
As she sunk into the water, she tried to ignore her troubles. There was no ninety year issue with Hector. No dead Miguel. No business to run or anything else to worry about. For the next half an hour nothing else existed but Imelda, the bathroom and the water.
Which was easier said than done.
Miguel didn't have any echos the rest of the night.
Well, at least none he saw well enough to remember. From the moment he fell asleep in Mama Imelda's bed there was darkness and the occasional flashes of light. Like he was sitting in a pitch black movie theater and the projector randomly flickers on and off. He heard the occasional sound though. Like a sob or a fragmented sentence. Sometimes he could feel something, like the bump of a moving vehicle. For the most part though, the night was uneventful.
So uneventful that when Mama Imelda started to shake his shoulder, Miguel felt like no time had passed since he had fallen asleep. He groaned softly in resistance of the waking world.
"Levántanse dormilones." His mama Imelda spoke in a gentle tone, but tugged Miguel up into a seated position as she did so. He rubbed his eyes, trying to rouse himself, but everything felt fuzzy. Like the rest of the world was so far away and blurry around the edges. He jumped when Mama Imelda held his face in her hand, keeping it steady as she started to brush out his hair. "Its seven thirty and we need to be at the Arrival-Departure Agency's building before nine. "
Time was an almost non existent concept to Miguel at the moment. Yet he still allowed Mama Imelda to brush out his hair and straighten his clothes. She tsked when she looked over his wrinkled hoodie. "It's a shame we don't have more time to buy some better cloths. These are too casual for an office space."
"I like my hoodie." Miguel said. Well he meant to say that. All that came out was "I-ke m-oodie."
"Miguel, you feeling ok?" Imelda asked, tipping his chin up to look him in the eyes.
Miguel suppress a yawn and the world cleared a some more. "Si…" He mumbled a little, but it was an improvement from before. "I'm just really sleepy."
"I guess the medication hasn't worn off completely. I'm sure if you keep moving around it will burn through the last stint of it quicker." Imelda said, picking him up under his arms and putting down on his feet. "Let's get you something small to eat. Like a banana or something. Then we'll get moving to the trollies."
She hooked her arm over Miguel's shoulders, leading out of the bedroom and carefully down the steps. Voices get louder as they entered the dining room and Miguel wobbled when Mama Imelda released him to pull out a chair. He slumped into it somnolently.
Across the table his twin great uncles were chatting over papers and having some coffee. They looked up at him as Mama Imelda wandered off to the kitchen. They both frowned.
"Oh I've seen that look before." Filipe groaned. "Imelda-"
"You didn't give him any of Tia's old stuff did you?" Oscar finished for his brother, they both looked at the archway as Imelda returned with an orange.
"I did." She grunted, putting the orange down in front of Miguel with a little more force than necessary. "He had a VERY rough night. Don't ask." Miguel didn't look up at her, choosing to imagine her expression based on Oscar and Felipe's wincing reactions. Instead he pulled the orange closer and tried to start peeling it.
When Imelda was sure her brothers wouldn't ask any questions that were far to early in the morning to be answered, she went back to the kitchen. "I'm getting myself a coffee. Anyone else need some while I'm at it?"
"Algo para mi por favor." Aunt Rosita said, her face behind a newspaper.
Blam! Blam! Blam!
"The hell is that-?"
"Langue, los niño están presentes!" Imelda's disembodied voice rang out from the other room, cutting Julio off. The man sinking into his shirt.
"Si! Si! I forgot! Sorry!" He backpedaled quickly.
"Oh it must be Hector! Someone locked the door!" Rosita frowned, putting her paper away and leaning on her chair to look. "Should I let him in?"
There was a quiet moment, all eyes darted to the kitchen save Miguel's who was still struggling with his orange tiredly. The matriarch sighed in an almost dramatic fashion, but finished with a quick. "Yes…"
Rosita quickly stood to do so. As she wandered off to the front door, Imelda entered, holding two coffee cups, one of which she was sipping. "Imelda-" Oscar began again, grimacing when she glared at him over the rim.
"We were just saying before, Tia's stuff, its very, very old right? Has to be at least twenty odd years-"
"I know very well how old Tia's medication is. It has no expiry date. I made sure to check it." Imelda grunted. "Are you saying I would give Miguel something without-"
"NO!" They both said at once anxiously.
"Buenos dias!" Hector called as he came in with Rosita. The rest of the family spared him a glace before Imelda continued like he hadn't entered.
"I'll have you two know I wouldn't use Tia's medication with good reason!" She growled. Everyone at the table sunk lower in their seats at her tone. Save Miguel, who was still too out of it to be frustrated with his unpeeled orange, but with it enough to realize it was usually half eaten by now.
When her brothers nodded again Imelda stepped back from them, briskly handing Rosita her coffee. The woman smiled gratefully and spoke a soft thank you.
"Uh, what are you guys talking about with Tia's-" Hector frozen when Imelda glared at him out the corner of her eye. He quickly took the closest seat beside Miguel. "Nevermind!" He said with a forced and nervous smile.
Imelda sighed and took a seat beside Julio, taking a swig of her coffee like it wasn't burning hot.
Hector fiddle with his thumbs at the tense atmosphere. Half thankful he hadn't cause it but just wanting it to disperse. "So…." He started, blinking as everyone paused their actions to look at him. "Why is Tia called that?" He glanced around. "She ah, is Victoria right?"
"Si." Imelda frowned.
"I just… Tia?" He continued, uncertain of how thick the ice was he starting to tread on was.
They were all quiet, but then Julio chuckled softly. "She ah, she got that when she and Elena were kids."
The Roseita chuckled. "Oh I remember that! They were so cute back then!"
Julio nodded with his sister. "You see, when they were both little, Victoria was the younger sister but she was much more mature." He shook his head. "One day when they were playing with Rosita and Victoria kept telling her sister that she wasn't doing… well something the right way."
"Who can remember?" Rosita agreed.
"So Elena turned to her and says 'Your more like a grown up then Tia Rosita.' " Julio laughed. "Then Elena decided that Rosita was her sister and Victoria was her aunt! We couldn't get her to stop calling Victoria 'Tia' for almost two weeks." The man shrugged in amusement. "By the time she stopped we had gotten used to it, so it stuck."
"Not to mention it kinda fits." Rosita added. "Vict or ia. Tia. Has the letters in it."
"Things got much more confusing when Berto was born." Julio snickered.
"Who's Berto?" Hector asked, even though he had inkling of who that could be. Miguel twitched in confusion when Hector absentmindedly took the unpeeled orange from him. Hector didn't look down as he quickly pulled enough of the skin away to hand Miguel a wedge. He continued to peel as the conversation went on. Miguel just sleepily ate his finally freed piece of fruit.
"That's Elena's boy. Well her first boy!" Julio explained. "Oh man was he a big baby when was born! Eight point two kilograms!"
"Holey smokes!" Hector gocked. "Thats a big baby! Coco was only three I think? Right?"
"Always feels like more." Imelda muttered into her coffee in response.
"Her next two were were nothing in comparison!" Julio nodded. "Gloria and Enrique were born like that!" He snapped his fingers and shrugged. "Or so she said."
Miguel looked up when he heard his father's name, but was quickly distracted with another section of orange from Hector.
"Berto has four kids right now! Able was just as big as his Papa when he was born!" Julio smiled. "I wasn't around for Rosa or the twins, but I saw them grow up every Día de Muertos. Gloria hasn't had any yet, but Enrique has one on the way and-" The man paused, eyes darting to Miguel uneasily.
Miguel shoveled another orange wedge into his mouth quietly.
"Well we should get going." Imelda said, putting her cup down. "We'll be late if we don't get moving." She stood from her seat, pointing to Hector as she did so. "Make sure you start doing your chores."
"Yes'um." Hector said quickly, handing Miguel the rest of the peeled orange.
Miguel, though he had been floating through most of this conversation, looked up when something crossed his mind. "Are you gonna look for Dante?" He asked blearily.
"Of course! I can do both!" Hector spoke easily.
"How? Last time anyone saw that dog he was downtown. This house is four hours away from downtown." Imelda gunted. "So how can you look for a dog downtown and clean this house at the same time?"
"Well-ah-..." Hector fumbled and Imelda squinted at him suspiciously.
"Your not going to try and get out of house work are you?"
"What?! Of course not!" Hector spluttered. "I swear! I just need to find a way to do both!"
Imelda made a expression of disbelief.
"I have an idea!" Rosita spoke, getting up from the table herself. "Why doesn't Hector come grocery shopping with me? The stalls downtown are much more competitively priced than the ones around here! We can shop, get a deal and look for dante! Hector can help me carry everything."
Imelda hummed softly. "Well… I suppose it is fresher downtown."
"See! I need to get the list together, but we can go in an hour or so! That gives Hector sometimes to clean." Rosita smiled. "You two go on ahead or you'll be late!"
Imelda paused and looked at the clock on the wall. "Your right! We need to get going! Miguel, come on!" She took the boy by the hand as he just finished the last of his orange and got him standing. Thankfully he was more steady on his feet now than he had been before. "We have forty minutes and the trolley can take a while."
"Si Mama Imelda…" Miguel yawned and allowed himself to be lead outside, hand in hand. Hector followed them to the door quietly, blinking when Rosita handed him a rake and pointed at the leaves in the courtyard.
"By the time thats done, we can go!" She said cheerily, going back inside.
Hector looked over the yard with a good natured sigh, but before he started, he couldn't help looking at Miguel and Imelda once more.
It wasn't hard to remember when Imelda would take a much smaller, pigtailed child to the market like that.
The trolly trip was pretty routine. Miguel kept nodding off to sleep, but Imelda would shake him back to the waking world lightly. It didn't take too much longer for Miguel's systems to get with the program but it slightly irritating.
Once they arrived it was a quick walk to the Arrival-Departure Agency building. It was rather impressive looking with 13 tall steps leading up to the door. It was also old, like older than any building Miguel had ever seen. Definitely aztec in nature, it looked like solid stone, with two stone serpent heads on either end of the staircase, almost guarding the entry. Thankfully there was a wooden ramp going over the large steps to making scaling them easier and once they managed inside Miguel was surprised. While the outer area was clearly original, with heavy stone lining the walls, it was divided up inside with wooden walls. There was a three story headspace in the lobby, with large lights illuminating the area. The space was very large and Miguel could already make out some different areas. There was a receptionist area with multiple teller's booths to help clients, then a large waiting area across the building, where some skeletons sat together, huddled in groups. Some looked tired, like they had been there a day or so.
"What are they waiting for?" Miguel asked his grandmother as they walked in briskly. Imelda's eyes looked over a she hummed in disinterest.
"They are waiting for a relative to arrive. The agency will be notified when someone is about to pass, or has a near death experience, then they will call the family. While it happens you wait in that Lobby for them to come out with a worker, or for a worker to tell you that they survived and will not be joining this world for the time being." Imelda said. "Used to be that they'd wait for them to actually die before calling, but that just puts stress on the newly departed. Add in the fact that you usually want the family to put their eyes in so they're blind the whole time and, well, it wasn't worth the trouble. Now you wait for a few hours for them to come out."
Miguel hummed, looking back at the lobby waiting area, where skeletons kept looking up at a set of large, wooden doors, waiting for their family member to arrive. However his view was obstructed by a glass case. He looked down and saw it had some artifacts in it. It was mostly stone tools but he quickly noted two chiseled circular stones with black paint dots in the middle. There was a description.
Ojos de piedra
Fecha desconocida
Ojos originales hechos por los primeros humanos muertos
Miguel blinked, as they walked by. Stone eyes, that's how the first dead people here saw things. Miguel wondered if they saw things as well as the glass ones, or if putting any old rock in your head would work like eyes.
"Mantenga." Imelda spoke, taking him by the arm and leading him on. "You can look at those later. We have an appointment to keep."
"Si Mama Imelda." Miguel nodded, though he looked over his shoulder one last time.
They came to one of the free tellers, she looked up and smiled when they approached. "Hello! Welcome to the A-D Agency building! How may I help you?"
"We have an appointment for nine." Imelda said, looking to the clock on the wall discreetly. She smiled when she saw they were five minutes early. "Riviera."
"Ah yes! A special case." She nodded and pointed to a door behind her, pushing open a gate in the front of the booth. "Go right through there, they are expecting you."
"Thank you." Imelda lead the boy into the back area, where it was more compact than the lobby. They went down a hallway to a station where a woman was waiting.
"Riviera?" She asked, looking up from her computer. When they nodded she had them sit. "Welcome, my name is Ximena Delgado. Thank you for informing us of your grandson's… unusual passing as soon as you were able." She leaned back in her seat. "We need to do a quick scan and then Miguel has to go through customs. We have some paperwork to fill out but you can do that while he's being processed señora."
"Alright." Imedla agreed, then she bent over to put her head next to Miguel's.
"What are they scanning for?" Miguel asked, looking between them as the woman typed into her computer, a scanner beside it.
"Just making sure we are actually related." Imelda sighed. "
"Si, we must take extra steps with children. Sometimes younger arrivals don't even know any of their relatives in the land of the dead. It's better if we have some evidence, like face structure, paperwork or DNA. Course DNA is much more difficult to get on this side." Ximena said as she wrote. "Ok, hold still!"
The scanner clicked and the two Riveras held still, before Ximena smiled. "Yes, I'm seeing enough similarities to pass the minimum requirements." She said. "Ok, we'll settle the paperwork, you just go down this hallway Miguel, to the front area. Then you'll be in customs."
"Alright." Miguel said, standing up and walking a bit down the hall, he looked back to the two women for a moment, but they were both busy talking and taking up pens. The hall was long and Miguel kept walking, no doors on either side. The hall kept getting darker and there was an odd energetic feeling in the air. He didn't notice at first, but things got so dark he couldn't really see.
Then he stumbled.
Miguel yelped, hopping on the floor and falling to the ground, his yell echoing like he was in a chasm. It sounded like some marbles had fallen on the floor and Miguel managed to sit up and rub his head.
"I think you dropped these." A man said and held something out. Miguel looked up and found a gloved hand offering him something. Miguel reached out and took them, finding the objects to be-
To be his glass eyes.
He put a hand to his face and felt flesh over bone. "Whoa…" Miguel muttered.
"Yes, not many come in the back door, hehe." The man chuckled. Miguel looked back up at him, eyes widening. The figure was tall, and had two arms and two legs. It seemed like an strange thing to bring up, unless you saw the shambling, incoherent swath of shapes that made up the rest of it. Miguel was looking at it with his own two, flesh and blood eyes, and he couldn't honestly describe it. Though it wasn't scary persay. Just off putting.
"Who are you?" Miguel asked, eyes squinting.
The figure lifted something up in his hand, and Miguel realized it was a file. The object look so strangely normal compared to the thing holding it.
"I have many names. Live as long as I do and you'll be called anything." It chuckled. "Though just call me Mortimer."
Miguel rubbed the back of his head in confusion, muttering to himself. "..me golpeé la cabeza…?"
"Huh? What was that?" Mortimer asked. "I'm a transfer here so I don't speak Spanish very well yet."
"Nothing…" Miguel said. "I'm just wondering if this is a dream or something."
"No,no. Your not concussed. This is just-" He threw his hands out grandly and his voice echoed dramatically. "CUSTOMS."
"That be better with some dramatic music."Miguel said.
"Yeah I know." Mortimer sighed. "Come with me though. We have some things to discuss." He took Miguel through the darkness, then seemed to grab a door handle from out of the nothingness, pulling it open with a blast of light.
It lead to a very mundane office, with phones ringing and voices chatting. There were other figures there like Mortimer, though not quite the same. There was a giant owl with long legs using a copy machine. They had on necklace of light up stars and one long leg was holding a coffee cup covered in constellations. In a cubicle they passed there was dog that looked like Donte, but he was pitch black with red eyes, dressed in a tie. He was barking angrily into a phone receiver.
"This way." Mortimer took Miguel through another door. This room was more what he expected. Dark, candle lit, a large foreboding desk that would have likely been more impressive had Miguel come in the door at the front of the room, rather than behind the desk itself. There was a small chair on the other side, which Mortimer had Miguel sit in. As Mortimer sat down Miguel realized something about the specters chair.
"Is that one of those spinny chairs?" Miguel asked.
"Yes."
"If I came in that door, would have done that dramatic spin the chair around, 'we've been expecting you' stuff?"
"...Yes."
"Ok." Miguel blinked.
"Yeah, sorry. Like I said, we don't have many people coming through backwards." Mortimer shrugged. "That darkness you walked into? That supposed to be walking into the light."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it's more impressive the way your supposed to go in. Like an amusement park, you know, once you go into the staff area the magic is just, poof, gone." He said, waving his hand dismissively. "Sorry you had to see the office, by the by, doors open one way."
"Isn't that a fire hazard?" Miguel asked.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure everyone in there is worried about a fire." Mortimer sighed. "Anyway. Let me just- where is it…" He shuffled through some papers on the desk. "Ok, ok… ugh- Oh! Here its is… Is there an english side?" He picked up a laminated paper, which was decorated in skulls and black, creepy type. He flipped it over, the front the same as the back, but he seemed pleased. "Oh here it is. Ok! Ok…"
Mortimer mumbled and read it over. "Ok, spin chair around - yeadah yeadah- been expecting you - kid called that one- blah blah blah- oh, ok." He put it down and suddenly gustured in effect. "Miguel Rivera. Your are dead!"
Thunder crashed loudly.
"What was that?!" Miguel asked, sinking into the chair.
"Its to help the mood. First death is something people expect to be a magical experience. Not all 'sign this document' or 'we need to scan you face' or 'Please wait in the lobby while we inform your family.' Sorta borning junk. So we spice it up, put on a show. Like a birthday party for a little kid." He explained. "Thats just what happens when you say dead in here-"
Thunder crashed loudly.
"Whoa." Miguel said and he sat back up straight. "Dead."
Thunder crashed loudly.
"Dead!" Miguel shouted.
Thunder crashed even louder.
"Dead, dead, dead-!"
"Ok, ok!" Mortimer yelled over the loud noise, stopping the boy. "I get it, its fun. It just loses the appeal the more you do it! Not to mention the machines gonna run out of batteries. Its like a light clapper."
"Sorry…"
"No its fine, I did the same thing when I was young." He shrugged. "Now, where were we- Ah yes. You are-! Ah, you know… D-e-a-d. Well to the land of the - yeah,yeah,yeah- land of history- blah blah- Not what your expecting- nah nah-" He grunted, putting the paper away. "Anyway, lets just forget that. What this room is basically for is making sure you don't take anything with you but your clothes and what you're buried with."
"You mean you CAN take things with you?" Miguel asked.
"Little things. So long as you have them in your casket or their cremated with you." Mortimer shrugged. "Your offerings from the funeral will show up later, once they arrive, and will be mailed to you. For now just empty your pockets ok?"
Miguel emptied them. Mortimer mumbling as he took some gum, an elastic band, some coins pocket lint, and-"
"Thats Mama Imleda's picture!" Miguel frowned when he took that as well.
"Yes and it is back with you body in the real world, your family will get it." Mortimer explained, then with a slight of hand the objects vanished. "Now we can move on to the next part."
"Ok, whats next?" Miguel asked hesitantly.
"We review your file." He said, putting it up on the desk.
"Why? Whats in it?"
"Everything you are and everything you've ever done." Mortimer said. He opened the file and flipped through it. "You see Miguel, the land of the- ergh- deceased isn't the final destination many mistake it to be. Its just phase."
"What do you mean?" Miguel asked.
"Well does this look like heaven or hedes or Nirvana or whatever else to you?" He chuckled. "This isn't really the place the dead go to die-"
Thunder crashed
"Oh god damn it, uh- this is more like purgatory. Just not as tortchery as they explain it in life." He said. "Think of it as a second chance to make up for things you have done in life. Here you don't have to eat to survive, you can get hungry, but you won't die. Here you don't need much money. Here the houses are cheaper. That makes it easier, unlike in life, where you are trying to stay alive. That can make it difficult to be a good person. You steal to eat, you lie to get a job, you hurt other so you can live. You see what I'm saying?"
Miguel nodded.
"This world is a place where you can try to right your wrongs and this little meeting is to tell you where you can improve. It's like a parole, quality control, intro thing to help you get into a better place after your second death." Mortimer continued.
"What is that place like?" Miguel asked.
"Trade secret."
Miguel rolled his eyes.
"I know, I know." Mortimer sighed. "But dems the rules. Let just say its nice okay?" He looked at Miguel's file. "Ok, seems pretty good. There are somethings I'm seeing. A little lying, a little cheating- Wait, what did you call your cousin? A Conchita? Whats that mean?"
Miguel blushed. "I was five! We were fighting and I heard uncle Berto say it before, I didn't know what it ment!"
"Rrrrright ok." Mortimer said, looking onward. "Hmmm, gets a little messier towards the end, gonna say that's your adventure two nights ago…"
"Does that mean I'm not going to heaven after I die again?!" Miguel gasped.
"What?! No ,no ,no!" Mortimer scoffed. "It depends on how many bad things and of what caliber. I mean you age is also taken into account, as well as mental conditions and ect. See once youre done here, you get judged in a kinda court setting." Mortimer held up his file. "Right now? I don't see anything too horrible. You weren't perfect but nobody is. I don't think a single person just gets into a better place right off the bat- except that Mr Rogers guy maybe- Look, the point is you may have to do some punishment, but its not burning lakes of fire level."
"Then what is it?" He frowned.
"Well, from what I see here… Community service? Maybe they'll have you sit and watch paint dry for a couple days. Honestly it depends who you get for a defense lawyer and- I'm getting off topic." He sighed. "Frankly you have nothing to worry about. People under fifteen can't get into hades anyway, they made some reforms about it in the middle ages, unless you do something really horrible and the judge overturns it."
"So you guys know everything that everyone has ever done…?" Miguel said.
"Yes."
"Then how come Ernesto De La Cruz isn't being punished or something?" Miguel asked. "He killed my great great grandfather! He killed me!"
"Kid his world isn't the punishment part. Like I said, it's your second chance." Mortimer said. "We have no control over mortal affairs until you cross into the third world. So until then its client confidentiality. We cannot go telling everyone what people did wrong, how could anyone get a second chance? If Ernesto had changed his ways, had repented and tried to make amends, as I'm sure he was told to do in an office like this one, he might have gotten a lesser sentence in the third world." Mortimer huffed. "Now? I don't even wanna think about his chances."
"So you can't do anything?" Miguel asked.
"Not here no." Mortimer shrugged. "Not my job or jurisdiction anyway."
Miguel leaned back, sighing. "Great. Then what do I do?"
"Why are you asking me? You have an influence in the second world. I'm sure you'll think of something. Maybe just try to do something closer to home?" Mortimer said. "Help clean up around the house, be nice, be a kid. You'll have no problem getting into the good place. Just don't kill anybody."
"Sounds easy enough." Miguel muttered.
"Yeah you'd think right?" Mortimer chuckled. "Ok so thats the meeting, not much to it."
"We're done? Just like that?" Miguel blinked.
"Yeah, see how boring this is without the pageantry?" He chuckled. "We haven't had anyone cursed for a long time. Guess good old fashioned dark magic went out of style a while ago."
"When was the last time someone was cursed?" Miguel asked, both of them standing up.
"Hmm. My sister was graduating so… fourteen hundreds. Lest in this office." He shrugged. "According to the files."
"How old are you?" Miguel gapped
"A gentleman never asks and a lady never tells." Mortimer laughed. "Lets just say I'm pretty old." Miguel was lead to the door and let Mortimer open it for him. "You just head back towards the light on this side and you'll be back. Make sure you have your eyes with you."
Miguel looked back up at Mortimer. Squinting at where he suspected the being's face was… He had a hunch but…
"Are you an angel?"
Mortimer laughed softly. "That's another trade secret."
Then shut the door.
Miguel walked down the hall until he saw a bright light getting closer and closer. It got blinding, so he closed his eyes and pushed on, only to trip on something. Again.
He managed to stay on his feet and opened his eyes. All he saw was darkness. He felt around in his hoodie pockets and pulled out the glass eyes. He put one to his socket, grimacing as it slid in haltingly. He blinked it a few times, but nothing changed.
"What the-?"
"Hold on Miguel." Ximena's voice called out and shoes clicked closer on stone floors. Someone took his chin and tilted it. "You put it in backward. Hold still."
Miguel felt the eye turn around its socket. It wasn't the greatest feeling… However he was soon able to see out of it, so there was improvement. He was in another hallway, different from before. It was rather plain and lead towards two large doors. Looking back he saw the hallway faded into the darkness that he had stumbled out of.
"Lets put your other one in and then I'll take you out the service door. Wouldn't want anyone in the waiting room to think your their family arriving." Ximena smiled, gesturing to Miguel's other glass ball.
The boy made sure this one went in the right way. Still unnerved by the sensation.
"Your grandmother is waiting for us!" She spoke as she took Miguel down a small side hall and to a smaller door. "Everything is in order, so you can head home!"
"Oh, thanks." Miguel said.
They came out the door and no one in the waiting room even noticed them. Ximena took him back to the entrance of the building, where Imelda was waiting for him.
"How was it?" Imelda asked.
"Weird, but interesting."
"I'm sure it was." She smiled softly, holding up some papers. "We have everything we needed. We can go."
"That wasn't a complex as I thought it be." Miguel said.
"On your side maybe." Imelda sighed and looked to their host. "Thank you very much señora Delgado. You were very helpful."
"I do my best." She chuckled. "You two have a good day now."
As they walked back down the steps of the building, Miguel looked up at his Grandmother. "What are the… people that work customs?"
"I'm not sure. They are friendly enough, so I don't complain." Imelda shrugged.
"Are they angels?" Miguel asked.
That had Imelda pausing, pursing her lips. "Maybe? I'm not sure. The bible often says angels frightened people whenever they a few of them are, but not all." She huffed. "Never mind that though. We must be getting home. I have some more work to to. Its a little past two now."
"I was gone that long?" Miguel was shocked.
"Yes. Time moves differently in that place, it's strange." Imelda said. "However it happens though, its above our pay grade. So its best to not think about it."
"What did they tell you, when you went in?" Miguel asked.
Imelda looked away through the crowd for a few minutes.
"We should get home." She said, taking his hand and leading him back to the trollies.
In the afternoon rush taking the Trolley took twice as long. Neither said a word as they traveled, Miguel wondering if he had crossed some kind of line. Considering how she hadn't taken her shoe off, he was guessing it wasn't to bad.
They walked back up to the house, Miguel following her in silence. Once it came into view though Miguel frowned. "Mama Imelda?"
"Hm?"
"I know things are hard with Papa Hector, but I think he deserves another chance." Miguel said softly. "I dunno if you really know what happened."
Imelda said nothing in response.
"He went through a lot-"
"We all went through a lot Miguel." Imelda muttered, pausing in front of the door. "It's not something to concern yourself with. You don't know everything that happened." She started to open the door
"But neither do-"
Wham!
Miguel yelled out as he toppled to the ground. Things rattled around and when he opened his eyes he realized his head had popped off.
Wonderful.
He could feel his body was still whole though. Something was on top of it. He put his hands on it, trying to push back, when something wet touched him. "Ah! What the-" Miguel stopped mid sentence when the thing jumped off him. He hard it step over and stand above his head. Miguel looked up, just as something dripped onto his head.
"DANTE!" Miguel smiled. The dog barked at him, licking Miguel's face with his long tongue.
"Easy there! You knocked him apart!" Hector's voice came and Miguel felt his body lift off the ground. "Dante! Down boy!"
"You found him!' Miguel laughed. His grandfather lifted his head up next and popped it back on his neck.
"Was there any doubt?" He asked slyly, moving out of the way as the dog ran back, licking at Miguel ecstatically.
"What happened to him?"
"He was picked up by the pound. Apparent there was a noise complaint, he was barking up a storm." Hector said, petting the dog. "He was safe the whole time."
"I'm just glad he's ok now that he's home." Miguel spoke, scratching the dog behind his ear.
"Miguel, he can't stay. He's a living dog." Imelda said, though it wasn't unsympathetic. "He should live out the rest of his life."
Miguel frowned. "But- but he's like a spirit guide! He knew Hector was my real papa! He was trying to lead me!"
"Come on Imelda. He's a good dog… mostly." Hector winced.
"Ok so he's a good dog, but he is alive." Imelda said sadly. "If he was an alebrije then maybe but-" Imelda froze, staring down at Dante with wide eyes. Hector and Miguel looked down as well. Starting at Dante's bottom a rainbow of colors started to spread. Dante didn't seem to notice, though he started to itch aggressively, but they kept going until he was a bright and shiny alebrije.
Imelda put a hand to her face.
"Well?" Miguel asked, trying to put on a pleading face. "Can he stay? Pppppllllleeeeaaaseeee?!"
"Plllllllleeeeeeeaaaassseeee?!" Hector joined him, hands clasped in a begging motion.
Imelda didn't look up. "¿Qué está pasando con mi vida después de la muerte?" She muttered into her palm before she sighed. "Yes. He can stay."
"Yeah!" Hector and Miguel linked hands, jumping up and down excitedly.
"But if I step in any caca then there will be heck to pay." She said, going inside. "So keep the yard clean."
"Yes'um!" Miguel laughed as he, Dante and Hector went inside. Miguel had to admit, after today, things were so bad. Maybe things would be ok.
For now at least.
That one ended better than the last, didn't it? Next chapter Miguel's going to get into more hi-jinx, meet some new people, and maybe start to get to work on that whole 'Ernesto is a murder' thing. He'll also be getting some more echos, though none as traumatic as that last one.
As for what happened to Victoria? We'll have to wait and see.
(By the by, I figured out that I misunderstood Victoria's name. I thought Tia was like a shorter form of Victoria in Spanish, like how Kike is short for Enrique. I have no training in Spanish so I didn't understand that's what Tia means. Aunt. I'm gonna keep it for now, but if enough people hate it then I can be convinced to change it. On a side note, I'll tell you a funny story that goes with this. When I was in school I had a Spanish classmate named Tiodora. Everyone in class called her Tia or Tio. Which I'm now, and only now, sure she found very funny.