Thunder
The lighting and the thunders always sent Marigold scrambling to hide underneath her blankets in her room ever since she was a baby. This storm in particular was very noisy, she could barely see the flashes of lighting coming through her windows from underneath her blankets. Marigold let out sobs every time the thunders resounded through the Land of the Forgotten, wrapping her wings around her body as if they would protect her from the roaring thunders outside. A knock on the door startled her and she retreated further into her covers.
"Marigold?" she heard her father's voice from behind the door. "Are you okay?"
When she didn't reply, Xibalba turned the knob of the door and walked into his daughter's room, closing the door behind him. It was quite spacious, with a few toys scattered there and there near the trunk where she kept them. Dark dray curtains decorated the windows and blocked part of the lightings from going into the room. There were a few bookshelves where he had accommodated her favorite books, and the floor was decorated with a long velvet carpet. The dark red-sheeted bed was the same size as his, since often their wings would stretch out unconsciously and this prevented them from knocking things over.
"Marigold?" Xibalba approached his daughter's bed and sat down, laying his hand close to her. Immediately Marigold's little hand emerged from underneath the sheets, and blindly looked for her father's larger hand. Xibalba gently grasped Marigold's hand. "Come out from under your covers. I want to see your pretty face."
Reluctant and trembling, Marigold crawled from underneath the blankets with teary eyes and wet cheeks, it was clear she had been crying for a good while now. Her black hair was a mess, and her pink pajama was a bit stained with her tears. Xibalba proceeded to wipe away his daughter's tears with his thumbs, but when another thunder roared Marigold instantly dashed forward and wrapped her arms around her father's waist, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Ya, ya. Don't worry, mi florecita." Xibalba spoke softly, lifting her up and holding her close in an embrace.
"I don't like thunders, papi…" Marigold sobbed, snuggling deeply into her father's embrace.
"I know, sweetie, but these thunders are nothing compared to the thunders in the Land of the Living. Those are really scary."
Marigold sniffled, but when another lighting came through her window followed by the cry of the thunder she buried her face in her father's chest and started to cry once again. Xibalba sighed and wrapped his wings around her to make her feel safer. It seemed like this would be a long night.
"Papi, I'm scared…" Marigold whimpered, shifting in his arms. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"I have a better idea." Xibalba grinned. "How about I spend the night here with you?"
Marigold looked up at him with a glimpse of hope. "Really?" When he nodded, she rested her head against his chest happily. Xibalba lay her down on a side of the bed, and rested next to her, embracing her with both his arm and his wing. As soon as another thunder resounded through the air, Marigold snuggled deeply into her father's embrace.
"Sh-sh-sh-sh.· Xibalba cooed as he stroked his daughter's cheek gingerly. "No llores, mi niña. Papi está aquí."
"They're scary, papi…" Marigold whimpered.
"Don't worry, mi florecita. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
Marigold was still trembling in fear and let out cries and whimpers wherever a thunder and a lighting cracked through the sky. Xibalba thought for a moment; he had to drive her attention away from the thunders to calm her down, maybe if he spoke to her about something she would no longer mind them.
"You know, Marigold." He spoke gently, pulling his daughter closer. "Your mother was afraid of thunder too."
As he guessed, that immediately caught Marigold's attention and she looked up at hi with glossy eyes. "She was?"
"When we were children she'd always find comfort with me wherever there was a thunderstorm." Xibalba chuckled. "On one occasion, she nearly crushed my bones."
Marigold couldn't help but giggle. "Really?"
"She may have been a refined lady, but she was not helpless. She was a very strong woman. One might have said she was stronger than me; even I can say she was."
Both father and daughter laughed a bit, but Marigold tightened her hold on her father when the thunders clapped once more. Xibalba remembered something that might help his daughter overcome her fear of thunder, or at least help her tolerate it.
"Marigold." He called for her gently.
"What is it, papi?"
"Do you remember your birthday?"
Marigold nodded. Her father had taken her to the Land of the Remembered to spend the day. The Remembered, especially the Sánchez family, threw a huge celebration for her, which culminated in a firework display; Marigold had been startled at first, but then she grew to love the colorful display of lights in the sky. "Yes."
"Do you remember the fireworks?"
"H-hm."
"Imagine the thunders are like fireworks you saw that day. It will help."
Marigold buried her face into his chest once more when the thunders continued their rampage; but she realized the sound of thunder was similar to the sound of fireworks. Every time a thunder unleashed its fury, she thought of it as a firework with swirly colors, such as rosy pink, bright red, sunflower yellow, minty green, sky blue, lavender purple and her favorite, orange, making different shapes, even words.
A few minutes later, her trembling ceased and her sobbing stopped, but her grip on her father was still the same.
Xibalba smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair playfully. "Feeling better?"
"I think so, papi." Marigold replied. "But I still can't sleep…"
"Well…" the Lord of the Forgotten thought for a few seconds. "There's a lullaby I can sing to you if you'd like."
"Lullaby?"
"I used to sing it to you when you were a baby, in nights like these. Your mami also sang it to you when you were inside her tummy."
"Would you sing it to me, papi?"
Xibalba stroked her head gingerly with his gloved hand. "You don't need to ask, mi florecita."
Pulling Marigold closer with his arm and embracing her with his wing, he started to sing.
Te amo y más
De lo que puedes imaginar
Te amo además
Como nunca nadie jamás lo hará
En esta canción va mi corazón
Amor mas que amor es el nuestro
Y te lo vengo a dar
Marigold listened carefully to the lyrics; she did remember that song, maybe her father was right after all.
Te miro y más
Y más y más te quiero mirar
Te amo y sabras
Puro sentimiento y no hay nada mas
Y sueño llegar a tu alma tocas
Amor mas que amor es el nuestro
Y te lo vengo a dar
Xibalba watched as his daughter's eyes started to shutter, and she yawned widely. It made him recall when she was a baby, and he'd always carry her in his arms and play with her, or when she'd cry wherever he left her in the crib when he had to work. He still couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. One day he changed her diapers (he chuckled mentally upon remembering the first time he changed it on his own), and the next second she already walked around his castle, doing mischief. Just like himself when he was her age.
Ruego a Dios tenerte a mi lado
Y entonces poderte abrazar
Si no estas aquí algo falta
Yo por ti pelearé hasta el final
Marigold lay her head against Xibalba's chest, and was calmed by the familiar heart beat. The thunders continued to clap outside, but she paid them no heed anymore. She could imagine her mother singing this song to her, even though she could never hear her voice.
Y sueño llegar a tu alma tocar
Amor mas que amor es el nuestro
Y te lo vengo a dar
Xibalba himself could recall when La Muerte sang this song. He always adored her voice, he always thought not even the singing of Heaven's chorus could ever compare with hers. Xibalba stroked Marigold's cheek with his finger.
Te amo y más
Te amo y sabras que nadie como yo te amara
En esta canción yo veo quién soy
Amor mas que amor es el mío y lo siento
Amor mas que amor es el tuyo y lo siento
Amor mas que amor sera el nuestro si tú me lo das.
Marigold looked up at her father with sleepy eyes and a small smile. "Te quiero, papi."
Xibalba smiled as he kissed her little head. "Yo tambien te quiero, mi bebita."
He watched as Marigold snuggled against his body, and fell asleep, endearing his heart, soothing his pain for La Muerte's absence. Xibalba embraced his child with both wings, to let her know that she would be safe from all harm, both in her dreams and in real life.
