[Mirabel's journey]
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[Important note: historical context]
Hello everyone, the last time I wrote a fic in English was in 2013. The last time was also a Disney movie, but this time is different, you see I am Colombian, and I live in Colombia, so I had a lot of problems writing this fic, to the point I finished this chapter and I Had it for two weeks without knowing what to ,my fics are a 100% escapist fantasy, since I have a very busy life, they don't have much context, and although sometimes I use historical elements to nurture the plot, and because I like history. but I never do anything serious, this is just for fun, and sometimes I even make historical mistakes because I find it more fun that way. But, I felt strange with Encanto, because it hurts the feeling of fantasy, And I am a little afraid of the possible comments over the fic, I didn't even know if I should use the names of the cities or simply leave general terms to locate.
However, I finally decided to post it. To give you a little more context, in my opinion, Encanto is located in the coffee region, and this fic starts from there, and refers to a historical moment called the "the Colonization of Antioquia", which lasted since the 19th century, depending to the historian who talks about the subject, until the middle of the 20th century and to explain it broadly, it basically consisted of a time when many families, especially from the department of Antioquia, moved to sparsely populated lands that are known today as the coffee region, (among others) either escaping the violence of the conflict between political parties, or simply to establish themselves and have land.
These regions are very mountainous and full of a large amount of forests and jungles, so often the caravans of families required the services of peasants who knew the areas and helped them to cross the region without getting lost, and there is the figure of the "Arriero", (they still exist) they also transported livestock and food. They were known for being fierce, since it was a very tough and dangerous job.
[ Chapter 1: Run]
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[Colombia -1934]
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The May flowers were open, even though the season had not yet arrived. Along the entry to the Madrigal house was a stone path lined with flowers of different colors. Mirabel had seen various species of orchids grow there without any human intervention or even magic, but she never had the courage to remove them from the hedge, because she had the impression that if she did they would die. Somehow, this difficult-to-grow species had flourished naturally, without any kind of intervention.
Mirabel did not need her cousin's senses to know the rest of the family was approaching, and if she wanted to preserve that moment of tranquility she had to move. She started the way back to her room, listening to the muffled voices of the family returning from last Easter service. For some reason, she did not want to talk to anyone at the time, however, living in a house with so many people, where there is so much work to do, dreams of privacy are far from being achieved.
"Mirabel" called Dolores "your mom needs you in the kitchen, you have to grind the corn. There is still a lot to do before the dinner".
"Okay" she agreed.
Normally, grinding corn was one of those demanding jobs that would fall to Luisa, since she could make a lot of flour in a couple of minutes, while it would take her at least a couple of hours to have all that work completed. The grind was in the garden of the house next to the exit that led to the kitchen. Mirabel could see her mother lighting the charcoal oven with great difficulty, and beginning to bake.
Traditionally, the Resurrection Sunday was celebrated with a formal dinner for several of the town's most prestigious members: the mayor, the priest, and the occasional wealthy merchant in the area. However, everyone knew perfectly that in that town no one had the voice of command like Doña Alma Madrigal.
Unfortunately, that tradition collided with another: It was completely forbidden to cook on Thursday and Friday of Easter. So Julieta not only had to leave the food ready for these two days, in addition, she had to prepare the traditional seven desserts for the whole family, and that luxurious Sunday dinner. It was a monumental amount of work, in which each member of the Madrigal was involved in one way or another.
"Here they are, five sacks of corn ready to grind," Luisa said forcibly as she placed the sacks of vegetable fiber in front of her. Mirabel watched them in horror.
"It has to be a joke, I'm not going to be able to grind all that for dinner," she complained.
"Oh my god," exclaimed her sister, exasperated by her, "now say it once more, but this time without all the crying," Luisa replied as she began to break the threads that contained the sacks.
"Let me do it," Luisa intervened as she moved to the side of the mill.
"Of course not, I'm not going to let you do my job," replied Mirabel, who really did not dare to carry her sister with the weight of a difficult and hard task that she did not correspond to.
"Get moving," she insisted, "we have to finish doing this today," Luisa scolded her.
"No" Mirabel flatly refused. She began to grind the first dry corn kernels in the mill. However, she soon realized that those pimples would take much longer than she had initially planned.
"Mirabel," her mother called her from the kitchen door, who looked disheveled and exhausted. "You have to hurry with that corn, I'm running out of flour and those empanadas have to be ready now," her mother scolded her.
"I'm coming," Mirabel replied as she felt Luisa's gaze upon her.
"You have to let me do it, otherwise there will be problems," Luisa insisted. Mirabel responded with a snort, but she decided to allow Luisa to take her place.
" Are you angry?" Luisa asked Mirabel as she remained silently sitting on the ground preparing the corn and packing the freshly made flour.
"No" Mirabel lied without taking her eyes off the freshly ground flour that Luisa had produced in a matter of seconds. She did not feel in the mood to have a deep conversation with her sister.
It might seem crazy, since making flour manually was difficult, but the truth was that she did not want Luisa to do that for her, in fact, she did not want anyone to do any of the tasks that corresponded to her, but this was one of the unfortunate consequences of being the "wrong" daughter, the one who would never be good enough to do anything on her own terms, who would always be measured by completely unreasonable parameters for a conventional human.
"Anyway, I don't understand why Mom needs so much flour, it's almost double than last year," Mirabel commented in order to change the subject, since she felt that Luisa's gaze was still expectant on her.
"don't you know?" Asked Luisa who seemed pleased to be the one who told her that rumor.
"No".
"Today people from the capital will come to visit us," said Luisa, lowering her voice. Mirabel smiled realizing that her plan had worked.
"From the capital?" Mirabel asked. "We hardly exist on the map, nobody comes to visit us".
"I have heard that this is a serious matter, but I am not sure what it is".
"And yet, you know much more than I do," Mirabel said, "I don't understand why they never tell me anything," she complained.
"No one told me" admitted her sister, "I listened".
"Well, well, it seems that we were wrong with your gift, the one with the best pair of ears is you. You're always the first to tell me the rumors, "Mirabel joked.
"It's not my problem that you don't pay as much attention as I do, I'm not distracted," Luisa attacked.
"Gossip," Maribel countered. For a moment, the two shared a silent look until they couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing.
"Anyway, you didn't do your homework well, you have no idea what those people are coming for," Mirabel said.
"That's why I wanted you to hurry up with the flour" said Luisa "because that way we could both snoop around a bit.
"It 's a fine…
"No ladies, no one is going to sniff around" Julieta intervened as she entered the kitchen followed by Isabela, who looked unhappy while carrying a heavy tray with empanadas ready to go into the boiling oil.
"But, we finished the flour, mom" Luisa asked with a pitiful tone "please"
"Nothing" Julieta said "Mirabel, come here to help your sister make the empanadas, and you, Luisa, please find something to do, I don't want you sniffing around the guests".
"Yes, mom" Luisa accepted, before leaving, she gave a significant look to Mirabel and another to Isabela. The three sisters already knew each other well enough to know that none of them was willing to lose the juicy gossip.
Mirabel spent the next hour and a half in the kitchen with Isabela making empanadas. Sadly, for this task there was no magical aid like Luisa's super strength, so the two of them had to do it in the traditional way.
" Do you know anything about the visit?" Mirabel asked Isabela, to which she shook her head.
"Nothing at all," she said, "Dolores is silent as a grave." She doesn't want to say a word about it. All I've heard is that Grandma invited some arrieros to dinner tonight.
"It's not true," Mirabel said.
"Yes, I didn't believe it when I heard it either, but it's the truth".
Mirabel did not attempt to speculate further on the subject, as neither of them had more information. However, she could not get the topic of the visit out of her head, since the guests could not be more different. On the one hand, there were the people who would come from the capital: His father had been born there, and he, like the others, had a terrible reputation of being very elegant but somewhat rigid and classist people, but apart from him, no one from from the capital had set foot in Encanto.
And on the other hand, a group of arrieros were the most different people that could be found. The arrieros were people who belonged to the mountain. At first, they drove the cattle up the mountains from town to town, and in recent years they became again in charge of guiding settler families fleeing from the north-west through the forest. Mirabel knew several, they were good people, but quite rude, they had to be, since the mountain was not the right place for the faint of heart. Normally, she used to see them in the tavern on the corner of the town square drinking aguardiente, or in the marketplace selling the products they carried.
"Girls," said Agustin who entered the kitchen and approached them almost stealthily. "I don't know if you have heard, but we have guests ...
"Agustin!" Julieta scolded him when she saw him gossiping with her daughters. "If you're going to come to spread gossip, at least tell everyone," she said as she gave him a smile.
Mirabel and her family took a moment off as her father began to speak.
"They are people from the capital, but not just any people, they are from the government" said Agustín "you should see the finesse: silk and cloth suits, immaculate white shirts, fine hats, I have no idea how they could pass through the mountain in such manner".
"What are they doing in Encanto?" Isabela asked, she didn't seem so impressed.
"I don't know," said Agustín, "they probably want more government presence here."
"Well, if that's the case, it wouldn't kill us to have a decent school, a hospital and a good road to cross the mountains," Julieta said, even less impressed than her daughter.
Mirabel decided not to intervene, the truth is that she doubted she had anything new to add to the conversation, but in spite of everything she was dying to see the newcomers. And it was in that moment, while she was kneading the dough that she became aware of how isolated she was. El Encanto was in every sense of the word a refuge. The mountains kept them practically hidden and the magic safe, but the truth was that the world outside was ready to be explored.
The night came, and she decided to wear her best dress, white with beautiful embroideries on the cleavage and the skirt, her uncle Felix had bought it for her birthday the last time he traveled to the capital of the department. She also decided to wear one of the two pairs of leather shoes that she had in her closet. Mirabel put them on and decided to go down to dinner.
"So elegant," Camilo scoffed, accompanying his comment with a whistle. "I guess it's due to the guests.
"What do you know about the guests?" Mirabel asked.
"Not much," said her cousin, downplaying the matter, "it's a marriage and a trio of younger guys, they are quite uptight, if you ask me, I think they come to do business in Encanto."
"Yeah," Mirabel agreed, "so what ...
"Roberto!" Her cousin exclaimed when she saw a figure at the end of the hallway that led to the entrance, whom he greeted by shaking his hand with a great squeeze. Mirabel turned to look and noticed that it was an old acquaintance, Roberto Herrera, the eldest son of one of the muleteers who worked in the vicinity of the town. Mirabel had barely spoken a word or two with him a couple of times.
Roberto seemed to be quite a sullen person, with very few friends and silent. She rarely saw him at town festivals, and he was one of the few who had resisted Mirabel's open and friendly personality. However, Roberto was not helped by his taciturn appearance either, as he had a pale complexion, short curly hair and bushy eyebrows making him look even more menacing, not to mention that he always wore a dirty and smelly dark sheep wool ruana. that made him look like he had just come down from the mountain.
However, Roberto that day looked completely different. He was wearing brand-new looking black espadrilles, white cotton pants, a white shirt, and an elegant white wool ruana, not to mention the white hat with black ribbon and the new carriel that must have cost him a small fortune.
"Another elegant. A bath suits you well from time to time" Camilo joked, looking him up and down without any shame.
"Hello Camilo" Roberto answered in a low voice and gave her cousin a smile "hello, Miss Mirabel" he said as he extended his hand to her. Mirabel gave him a smile.
"Don't tell me miss, you're not much older than me, and we've known each other since we were kids" Mirabel said trying to sound friendly, but Roberto frowned and looked quite annoyed. Mirabel wanted to ask him what his problem was, but she decided it wasn't worth getting into a fight with this guy.
"Look at this" said Camilo who did not seem to have noticed the small battle of looks that had taken place between them "Is that carriel new?" Camilo asked him while he pointed at him.
"Y-Yes, it is" Roberto said as he showed it to his cousin. He seemed completely pleased to answer the question. Mirabel was not so impressed, it seemed to be a simple multi-pocket gusseted purse used by muleteers like him "I bought it with the money I earned on my last trip to Medellín, it is made of pure leather" Roberto said excitedly.
Mirabel stared at the carriel without really seeing him, she was touched by the boy's pride. However, an uncomfortable stab of envy washed over her, and for a moment, it was stronger than any other feeling of sympathy. The truth was that her family could have made an effort to make her feel more and more adequate, but that was not enough, because unlike Roberto, she did not have the fruit of her work to show the world, and not even talk about the possibility of leaving the Encanto.
"It's cute," Mirabel said without giving him more than a polite look, which didn't seem to sit well with Roberto, since he bit his lower lip and avoided her gaze.
Camilo and Mirabel walked back to the dining room across the patio.
"You didn't have to be so rude," Camilo reproached her.
"What are you talking about?"
"You should have seen your expression, it seemed that you had found a flying cockroach or some other bug" said Camilo.
"That's not true, I was perfectly courteous," Mirabel defended herself. Suddenly, Camilo transformed into her and adopted a disgusted expression on her face.
"It's cute," Camilo repeated, with a disdainful expression that she was sure she hadn't used.
"I would say that the best way to describe it is that you were condescending," added Isabela who approached them while she kept Mirabel and Camilo company at the dinner table "sorry little sister. I saw your interaction with him, and it wasn't good. Roberto Herrera surely thinks you are conceited".
"Mirabel," her grandmother began in a reproachful tone as she approached the dining room. She had no idea how she had managed to move so stealthily for a woman her age. "Don't tell me you were rude to Roberto Herrera. Don Ignacio helped us look for you in the mountains when you got lost four years ago." said her grandmother referring to Roberto's father who was a consecrated arriero.
Mirabel still remembered that episode. It was shortly after the presentation of Antonio's gift. The relationships between her and her family had changed a lot, especially with her grandmother, and even so, she was not so completely satisfied. However, her grandmother had pinched her curiosity and now she wanted to know more about that incident.
"What do you mean, grandma?" Mirabel asked "I always thought you had found me".
"No, mijita, do you think I could find you by myself on the mountains?" Her grandmother answered laughing at her "Don Ignacio and his boys helped me, that's why I am very grateful to that family".
Mirabel agreed. That story explained why her grandmother had been much kinder to that family since then, to the point of inviting them at the same time as other guests from the capital. At that moment, Mirabel saw the room filled with the other members of the family who took their positions while everyone waited for the other guests.
"Good night," Bruno greeted suddenly. At that moment, all the eyes in the room rested on him. Mirabel never thought her uncle could look even weirder than he already did, but she was wrong. After all, he was a man in his late fifties who spent ten years of his life living within the walls of his childhood home with nothing but rats for company.
Bruno was wearing what appeared to be one of Agustín's suits; he was too short for it, since his father was slightly taller. His trousers and short jacket gave him the look of a schoolboy in a small uniform, and his hair was forcibly brushed back with the help of what appeared to be oil. His dark circles and nervous tic didn't help, but it quickly became clear that no one in the family would make fun of him. After all, she had tried hard to look decent.
"How cute, my Brunito looks so well groomed" said her grandmother with a voice loaded with tenderness while she ran towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. They all shared an uncomfortable look but did not hesitate to agree with the old lady.
"A mother's love is blind," Camilo said. Dolores quickly hit him on the side with her elbow to make him shut up.
"Good evening everyone," said a respectable-looking old man. Mirabel looked at him carefully. Her father was right, this was a cachaco from the capital, but not just anyone, this was one of the finest. With his white hair and immaculate black three-piece cloth suit, he looked more ready for a ballroom than the dining room of her house. Not even her father in his days as a newcomer to Encanto looked like these people.
"Good night," greeted the grandmother who ran to greet them.
The grandmother ran to make the required introductions. Mirabel gave her hand to the man, who introduced himself as Efraín Guzman, then he introduced them to her wife, a woman her age, as uptight as he was. Mirabel knew immediately that she had never seen silk like that of that blue dress that she wore, indeed, she had never seen anyone use fashion in such a way. It may be that in the big cities people dress in international fashions, but in remote places like Encanto, everyone still wore the traditional clothes of the last century.
Mirabel also shook hands with three young office workers who came from Medellín. She understood almost immediately that they were subordinates of Mr. Efraín, and she could almost see the ambition and sense of competition between them. They probably thought it would be a great idea to take such a trip in exchange for promotion points.
"Juan Pablo Estrada, miss ...
"Mirabel," she answered, giving him a smile. She had never been especially intimidated in the presence of someone, but this was different. Might be his handsome friendly smile, shining on his light brown complexion, or shining eyes, or his soft voice.
"Welcome to Encanto, I hope you enjoy your visit" Mirabel said, trying to answer his smile, but feeling her hands a bit sweaty.
"Surely I will, this is one of the most beautiful towns that I have seen" he answered.
"It sure is an exaggeration".
"It is not" Juan insisted "it is a beautiful town.
"Please, come to the table" Julieta asked politely as she walked towards Mirabel passing her arm around her shoulders in a motherly hug.
"Oh my god, what was that?" Asked her mother in her ear, almost excited about her.
"Nothing special, he was just praising the town," Mirabel said as everyone walked to the dining table feeling their cheeks begin to burn.
"Lies. My baby is gorgeous, and no one can say otherwise" her mother said in a baby voice as she gave him a couple of kisses on her forehead.
"Mom, not here, they are going to see us," Mirabel complained with a laugh, while she tried to get rid of her grip without any real intention of pushing her away.
Everyone sat at the table, while Don Ignacio and part of his family entered through the door. Mirabel had barely seen his wife a couple of times, she was a small, dark woman, with straight hair and a pleasant appearance. Three of her daughters were present, who looked very much like her mother. Roberto was right next to his dad, so it was easy to see the obvious similarities between the two. Don Ignacio was a tall and strong man, despite his age and his incipient gray hair. Mirabel knew that there were nine children in that family, which was not unusual.
There were no men like him in his family. He was everything of what the perfect mountaineer was supposed to be. To tell the truth, her father had only been a seller of agrarian articles who came from the Capital, and now he was a gentle and domestic man who was not suitable for life in the mountains. The same could apply to her uncle Felix, who came from the Valley. And when it came to Bruno, Bruno wasn't even worth talking about. He had been raised in Encanto, and as far as she knew, he could ride a horse, but nothing, because she doubted that he could survive more than a day alone in the mountains.
"The food is served" Julieta announced as Luisa and Pepa helped her to serve at the table.
"It looks delicious" said Mr. Efraín. They all began to eat the Ajiaco her mother made, until one of the office workers gasped.
"What's going on?" Julieta asked "Is everything ok with the food?"
"No ... it happens, happens is that I …" The man could not articulate a single word, he only raised the cuff of his shirt and showed them what seemed to be a long wound that was slowly closing, leaving behind a trail of smooth skin.
"Oh, yes" Julieta gave him a charming smile. "The trip through the mountains must have been hard and I thought all of you would have wounds and blisters on your feet, so I decided to put my special touch on it".
"Oh, thank you very much," said the man as he gave Julieta a nervous smile.
"There is much talk in these regions about the gifts of the Madrigal family" Juan intervened, who had remained expectant at the scene.
"Yes, certainly, they are a blessing for our people," intervened her grandmother.
"Although, that depends on who you ask," Efraín's wife intervened.
"What do you mean?" Her aunt Pepa asked, while Mirabel felt a blast of cold air.
"Please do not be offended, during the trip we heard all kinds of malicious rumors in the neighboring towns" Efraín said in a conciliatory tone.
"There are people who say this town is cursed," Efraín's wife began. She seemed amused by the absurdity of the rumors, and pleased to be the one who narrated them "they say here lives a family that made a pact with the Devil. In particular, there is much talk about a ghostly-looking subject, who can see the future, everyone is afraid of him".
"Ha!" Bruno exclaimed as he let out one of his nervous smiles "that's me, they're talking about me".
"I'm very sorry, I didn't know it," the woman apologized.
"Do not apologize. The truth is that even I am a little scared of myself" said Bruno who leaned back in his chair on a relaxed position "But we should stop talking about ourselves and focus on the guests, because as I understand, you two come from Bogotá, and the three gentlemen come from Medellín. It is not a mystery that Encanto is in the middle of nowhere, it must have been a long journey, we all hope it is worth it.
"The Government is interested on mapping the new lands inhabited by settlers since the end of the last century, to be able to raise property titles to their owners" Efraín answered calmly as he clasped his hands over the table and stared to Bruno.
"Some of Encanto citizens have already done that" said Bruno "many years ago, even before the marriage of my sisters, mother and I went to the capital of the department and requested the drawing up of the boundaries of the Casita" he continued. Mirabel could not take her eyes off her uncle Bruno, for she had never seen him so serious as at that moment. He seemed to be person with his head on the clouds, and this was new to her.
"That is a very good point, Brunito" intervened Grandma. "It was a long and complex process. We had to bring the officials to Encanto, and as you can imagine, no one wanted to travel to this place. Why are they so interested in doing this process now?"
"It's nothing out of protocol, ma'am, we just want a little more control in the area".
"And by control, I think you mean taxes, right? Alma asked, giving him an insightful look.
"Unfortunately, that is a natural consequence, but taxes also imply progress".
"I will believe it when I see the first health center built in this town," her grandmother answered sternly.
Mirabel felt slightly uncomfortable at the intensity of the conversation. She couldn't fully understand her grandmother and Bruno. After all, they had spent years waiting for someone to notice their presence in the middle of nowhere, but now, they had nothing but suspicion. That behavior was typical of her grandmother.
"Do all Madrigals have a gift?" Juan Pablo asked, who clearly wanted to change the subject and lighten the mood.
"Mirabel does not have a gift, '' Antonio interrupted casually. Then, for a few seconds, all the guests fell on a uncomfortable silence, and the youngest of the Madrigal family blushed, because he did not think his words would have such effect.
"That doesn't matter" the grandmother intervened calmly while she used cream in her soup. "She will be the one who will inherit the candle and will take the head of this family after I am gone, so she will have too many problems to be thinking about a magical gift".
Mirabel felt the air in her lungs abandon her, leaving an empty feeling in her stomach. She looked up and saw that her family continued eating calmly while they watched her from the corners of their eyes. That was the precise moment when she understood: Mirabel was the only one who did not know the destiny her grandmother had chosen for her.
The truth was the announcement filled Mirabel's heart with joy, since the only thing she had always wanted was to have a place in her family and her community. However, this was too much responsibility. Mirabel would go from being unable to meet her family expectations, to being recognized as the matriarch of the family on one single night.
"I'm glad for the news, Miss Mirabel has always seemed to me the most sympathetic in this house. Everyone in town will be happy to hear the good news," Don Ignacio said happily. Mirabel gave him a big smile. She liked him a lot, unlike his son, she had met him in her mother's kitchen where he took children with leishmaniasis and injured adults after an arduous journey through the mountains.
"It is the most obvious decision, after she saved our miracle four years ago. I have no idea how she did it, but she made the magic come back to life" continued the grandmother with a look full of pride, and for some reason that made her more nervous than any of the hardship in the past.
"You will forgive me, Doña Alma" Don Ignacio interrupted with his friendly expression "But I do believe that such good news deserves a toast".
" I support the idea," Juan said, who gave her a new smile full of sympathy. Mirabel supposed he was happy because the news had dispelled the uncomfortable situation he had created, but even so, she could not help but blush at the attention he gave to her.
"Excellent idea," Agustín said, who got up from the table and served a glass of aguardiente to all the guests who were allowed to drink.
"For my girl, for Mirabel who returned our magic to its original glory, she is our real gift" said her grandmother as she lifted her tiny glass. Mirabel gave a glance to everyone present and she could not notice that there was a general consensus on this decision, as she saw their happy faces without any trace of annoyance.
Mirabel did her best not to show any sign of annoyance, even though she still felt her family had ambushed her, in front of so many guests. She downed her glass in one gulp, feeling her throat burn with the strong aniseed taste of the liquor. Mirabel knew right away that she shouldn't have done that, since she wasn't exactly an expert drinker, as her father only let her drink one single glass of wine at parties, so the alcohol went straight to her head.
Almost automatically, she took a second glass of aguardiente. No one seemed to notice, so she quickly took a third, and a fourth glass without thinking. Suddenly, Mirabel found herself in a kind of reverie in which she felt as if she was on a cloud riding a pink unicorn-donkey.
Suddenly, just as she was about to reach for the bottle again for her fifth cup, someone in front of her pulled it out of her grasp.
"Mijo, be careful, we are visiting" Don Ignacio warned Roberto who had taken the bottle from Mirabel.
"Easy papi, it's just a glass, it's not like I am taking four cups on a single gulp" .
For a few moments, Mirabel resented Roberto, with his new carriel and hat, his interesting life full of adventures through the mountains of the country, and his beautiful family who loved him a lot even though he was completely normal, as well as his almost mysterious but handsome appearance . Surely he would have a lot of stories to tell and he had many adventures. She had the ugly feeling that she was actually envious of Roberto, and the four continuous glasses of aguardiente were not helping her.
The conversation went on for a long time, until everyone finished eating and drinking coffee after dinner.
"Anyone want a tintico?" Julieta asked as she passed by with the coffee pot, helped by Mirabel who took a wrong step with her tray causing her to wobble.
"Let me help you mami" said Isabela with a fake smile, as she got up from the chair and ran to help Mirabel" Go and wash your face or something, have one of Mom's anise sweets, because if grandma knows it, give yourself for dead," her older sister growled at her in a barely audible voice.
Mirabel felt embarrassed but she slowly nodded and left for the kitchen, where she took one of her mother's aniseed sweets specially designed for hangovers. The effect was immediate, the alcohol disappeared from her body, but also the incredible feeling of well-being that she had experienced minutes before. She sat for a moment on the rickety wooden chair next to the clay oven. The truth was, she had no idea how her family had come to the conclusion that she would be the best person to inherit her grandmother's place.
She smiled for a few moments at the thought, but that gesture quickly disappeared. Would she really be able to meet the expectations? What if she failed? her family was putting too much hope in a person who had nothing special to contribute to that family. And yet her grandmother kept insisting that she was the right person.
When she returned to the patio, she noticed that the guests were no longer at the dining table, but were now waiting for a group of musicians to begin to sing a tune. Her father was among them, at the piano. If there was one thing that struck her about Encanto, it was the ease to organize a party, since she could swear that more people were present. All of Don Ignacio's sons made an appearance to secure enough dance partners.
The house looked as beautiful as ever. Isabela's flowers fell from the balconies while the kerosene lamps and fireflies floating above the plants transformed the place into something even more magical. Mirabel inspected herself in one of the hallway mirrors and decided her appearance was good enough to join the party.
"Are you okay?" asked Roberto.
"Yes, thanks" Mirabel replied as she did not want to make conversation with him
"Do you want to dance with me?" he asked as he barely looked at her while making his question.
"Yes, of course" Mirabel accepted, shrugging her shoulders and not really wanting it.
Mirabel barely opened her mouth as they danced, and he didn't help her either, since he clearly didn't have any social talents. However, she couldn't complain either after how rude she had been to him during the course of the day. After separating from him, she took for granted that she should return to her parent's side. In the past, she spent the holidays dancing with those failed suitors of Isabela, who could not request a dance from Dolores or Luisa, and who as a last measure, sought her, as many thought she was just a girl, or in some cases, she spent the night entertaining the village children. But lately, she has had her fair share of entertainment.
"Did they invite you to dance, darling?" Julieta asked excitedly as she sat down next to her.
"It was only Roberto Herrera," Mirabel said, dismissing it.
"Do you want to dance?" Bruno asked her, as he had a glass of aguardiente in his hand and a look full of happiness that was not characteristic of him.
"Seriously?" Mirabel asked.
"Yes, why not?" Bruno said "when you were a child you liked to stand on my feet while we danced to the rhythm of one of those bambuco records on the gramophone in the library." continued Bruno. Mirabel hardly remembered Bruno from her childhood. He had disappeared when she was very little, but she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him when she heard that old anecdote.
The two of them went to the dance floor, where her uncle looked at her with an almost fatherly gesture.
"Are you okay, Mirabel?"
"Why do you ask?" She said nervously.
"We both know why. Mom and the rest of the family gave you a cheap blow, but I have to say in her defense that we never thought it would surprise you so much. Actually, it was the obvious decision for us, after you had returned the candle to its original place.
"Bruno," she began with a choked voice, "I'm still very young. Don't you think Grandma is hurrying?"
"It may be, but I know this is what you want, I know this is your wish".
Mirabel could not contradict him, since that was true. There was nothing she wanted more than to be a Madrigal in every sense of the word. What if I am not capable? She murmured a voice in the back of her brain.
"Grandma is wrong. It is a mistake to appoint someone so young to fill that position," Mirabel said.
"Okay, I accept that you are young, and your desires may change, but I don't want you to leave something that you really want because you are afraid," said Bruno as he led her for a spin.
"I'm not afraid".
"Yes you are, and I can't blame you, it's too much responsibility. Don't give me an answer now, Mirabel, I want you to think about it more calmly.
Mirabel looked at Bruno's kind smile and for a brief moment she felt comforted. He seemed to have a lot of confidence in her, which was heartwarming. However, it was not a secret to anyone that Mirabel was Bruno's favorite niece, so it could be that he was granting her more ability than she really had. At that moment, the song they were dancing stopped playing, and she started to sit down.
"Hello, Maribel, isn't it?" Juan began as he approached her.
"Hello, no, my name is Mirabel" Mirabel corrected him.
"I'm very sorry, I really didn't mean to make a mistake, your name is not common" Juan stammered, as for the first time, he broke his charming facade and looked a little more nervous.
"Don't worry, I know it's not common, Maribel would be the most obvious thing, it happens to me all the time when I meet new people. There are even some in town who have already given up on my name and call me Mira to avoid mistakes,"she commented, to which he responded with a nervous smile.
"Do you want to dance with me?" Asked Juan.
"Of course" she accepted. Then she let him take her hand in his. The simple contact was almost electric. She had never felt that excitement to spend time with anyone, much less the nervousness of feeling his gaze upon her, even if he was nothing else than a complete stranger.
"This town is a beautiful place" Juan commented again "although it is not exactly easy to get here.
"That's the idea" Mirabel answered "the vast majority arrived here almost sixty years ago, escaping, and over time more people have joined us".
" Ah, the old story, the same as always" he agreed while he shrugged. "I refuse to believe that you want to continue living so isolated.
"It's not that we do want it, " said Mirabel, "it's not exactly easy to get here either. From here to the capital it takes almost a week.
"But even so, your family doesn't seem so happy with our presence," said Juan.
" By the way we got here, and how we built this town, the most sensible thing is to distrust" Mirabel defended herself, as she was no longer enjoying that conversation. She had the impression that he was pressuring her into something, but she did not know exactly what he wanted.
"You're right," Juan accepted, and immediately changed the subject and told her about his life in Medellín and how it had turned out working part time in Bogotá.
"Your trips sound so fun," Mirabel said in wonder.
"Thank you" she answered " if you ask me, you too should get out of this town a bit. It's okay that you want to spend your days here in the end, but you should certainly get out a bit before deciding.
"Run away ..." a voice murmured in her head. That was an option, not a courageous one, but certainly an option. Mirabel quickly brushed off the thought and returned her attention to the reality before her, which was quite charming. She had never been aware of the way someone touched her when dancing, the warmth of his palm seeping through the fabric of her dress at the base of her back, or the closeness of his breath. Juan's smile grew even more charming as the two moved from side to side to the beat of the music, and for a moment, she wanted to melt into the air and stay there forever.
The music ended and she walked next to her cousin Camilo who had invited a few of his friends at some point in the evening. Every moment seemed more and more to become a communal party.
"Ha!, at least hide it, or look for a free room," Camilo scoffed when he saw her approaching her, a couple of her friends and his girlfriend burst out laughing.
"I'm having too much fun to hide, so I'm not going to do it," Mirabel replied as she shrugged, to which the others responded with a burst of laughs and whistles.
Mirabel had a glass of panela and lemon water, and she decided to stay as far away from the alcohol as possible for the rest of the evening. As she watched the night lights and the other couples dance, her mind kept whispering a single word:
"Run"
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Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. If you want I can use some images or a glossary of words to make the fic a little bit more immersive. If some of you want to be my beta please let me know, thanks, Bye.