AUTHOR'S NOTES: Whoo-hoo! Another finished story! This is a rarity for me so please pardon my enthusiasm.

Speaking of writing and enthusiasm, I want to quickly share a little story with everyone.

Before discovering the movie 'Encanto', I was in a major writing slump. Hardly anyone was reading my work and I felt like what I did write wasn't any good and I kept thinking of just giving up as a writer. I had no drive to really work on story projects and the whole thing just didn't excite me anymore.

And then 'Encanto' came into my life and my creativity came alive again, much like the movie's casita. I felt hundreds of ideas whirling through my mind and every viewing of the movie made me notice new details that provided even more inspirations for stories.

Well, last week I went on Jared Bush's Twitter and, in a much more concise manner, thanked him for helping me rediscover my love of being a writer. Not only did he reply by being ASTOUNDINGLY encouraging, but he also didn't say anything about fanfiction not being REAL writing, something I've heard MULTIPLE times from other internet sources.

Mr. Bush responded to me as one writer to another, and I really cannot express how special that is to me.

So, for anyone out there who feels like I used to...PLEASE, don't give up writing. It's not about perfection or how many people read your work. It's about having something inside of you that you need to share with the world. And that world could be dozens of readers... or a single person who gets joy from what you've created.

Chapter 8

Moving through the rebuilt Casita de Madrigal the night before the official housewarming celebration, Pedro couldn't help noticing the differences between the old house and the new one.

Their new house was far more open in the floor plan with fewer walls dividing the rooms on the first floor. Even the wall space that led to Bruno's new den seemed to be less claustrophobic than before.

The new bedrooms had personal touches for each family member, yet there were subtle signs of the family as a whole. Bruno and Mirabel had made stuffed animals for everyone to put on the beds or on a dresser or bookcase. Isabela made sure every room had at least one potted plant. And Camilo had hung an original painting in each bedroom.

Everything seemed perfect... ready...

And yet, Pedro still felt like there was something left incomplete. Something unspoken or unmended...

Stopping by the staircase where a new portrait of Alma hung on the wall, Pedro sank down on the steps as he realized that the unresolved feeling he had was from him. "I've been trying to forgive myself, mi corazon. I've been helping our family work through their troubles. But why do I still feel... empty? What is there left to be rebuilt?"

"Your heart," Dolores whispered as she approached her grandfather, sitting next to him on the stairs. Looking up at her abuelo, she frowned slightly as she mused, "Mama told me you never tried to remarry. Never even considered courting someone else."

It was true. After Alma's murder, Pedro could only gather the pieces of his broken heart, dividing them amongst his children and grandchildren, pouring the love he had inside into his family. "Loving someone else after losing your abuela... Part of me felt like it was... it wasn't fair to her memory." Looking up at his late wife's image, he sighed. "I told myself that I didn't want to endanger our miracle by being with another woman." Turning to Dolores, he gave her a sad look. "Rebuilding a broken heart isn't like rebuilding a house, mi pequeno conejo."

"But it is, in a way," Dolores insisted, gently. "We lost beloved keepsakes, favorite possessions... things we can never get back. We can make new objects, but the ones that hold the most meaning are gone. This house will never be the old casita, no matter how much we want it to be... even if the magic does return. But rebuilding doesn't mean that you bring the old back. It means that you take the pieces left behind...love, compassion, generosity, honesty... You use those to make new home... a new life."

Considering the portrait hanging above them, Dolores went on. "And finding a new love doesn't mean that you give up the feelings you had for Abuela. It doesn't mean you give up your memories of her and the life you had together. It means..." She smiled as she thought of the house. "It means inviting someone into your heart... making room for them."

The idea of finding a new love, especially at his age, was scary, but Pedro gave a small smile as he took Dolores's hand, squeezing lightly. "You will all help me?" he asked, hopefully.

"Of course," Dolores promised.

With the majority of the encanto gathered before the new house, Pedro addressed the crowd. "More than 50 years ago, I helped bring us to this valley. A sanctuary... a land we've made into a paradise. It wasn't an easy journey, and there were losses along the way. But we endured because we had faith in a better life for ourselves and our families. My wife, Alma, gave her life to save us from the men who hunted us. She gave my family a miracle which, in turn, blessed this entire community. These past months... you all have given my family another miracle. You helped us rebuild our home, giving us shelter in the meantime. For everything you've done for us... we will always be grateful."

Hector Alvarez stepped forward, giving Pedro a respectful nod. "The Madrigals have always served the encanto and helped us grow. We were honored to do the same for you." Turning to Bruno, he added, "I've spoken to many of the people who called your visions 'curses'. I've told them that... that you cannot control what you see. I physically lashed out at you unfairly for what you told me about Olivia, just as others have done with their words. I'm not asking for forgiveness for myself or anyone else, Bruno. That's your choice alone to make. But we promise to make a greater effort from here on to see you and not your Gift of premonition."

Bruno seemed unsure of how to respond to the statement, and he could only give a grateful nod in reply.

Stepping forward, Julieta called Mirabel over before withdrawing a small box which she presented to her father and daughter. "At first," she explained to Pedro with a warm smile. "-the family wanted to give the honor of putting the front doorknob into place... to Mirabel."

"But this isn't just my home," Mirabel continued, smiling at her abuelo. "It's our home. And I wanted to share this moment with you." Opening the box, she revealed a pair of door handles, each engraved with a scripted letter 'M'.

It would have been so easy for Mirabel to take the spotlight for the door ceremony, Pedro realized as he took one of the handles while his granddaughter took the other, handing the empty box back to her mother.

Mirabel could have had her moment to shine brightest, letting the entire family celebrate her.

And yet... when given the choice, she decided to share the moment.

"Why?" Pedro couldn't help asking as he studied Mirabel, his eyes filled with love and pride. "This should have been your moment."

"It is," Mirabel assured him, her smile never wavering. "Giving light to others doesn't mean I shine any less. It just means that we glow brighter... together."

Offering his arm to Mirabel, Pedro beamed as well as the pair walked up to the front door, putting their handles in at the same moment, each staring in awe and wonder as the warm glow of the magic infused the house once more.

This time, when Mirabel was thrust into the past, she was caught off guard when she noticed that her abuelo was with her, both of them watching as a young Pedro stared in astonishment as the castita magically built up around him.

"It wasn't just a house," Pedro told Mirabel as they watched the scene unfold. "It was a sanctuary. It was where I raised my children, hidden away from the dangers of the world."

"Our new house will be a garden," Mirabel promised, giving her grandfather a smile. "A place where our family tree will continue to grow and expand."

As they were brought back to the present, Mirabel answered her abuelo's unspoken question. "Tio Bruno sees the future... and I think my Gift... is to see the past." When Pedro gave her a puzzled look, she smiled once more. "How can we understand where we're going... without seeing where we've been?"

Hugging his granddaughter before turning to the rest of the family, Pedro smiled wide as he exclaimed, "La Casita Madrigal!"

The front doors opened on their own and the cobblestones of the walkway wasted no time in moving the Madrigal family into the house, tiles and shutters rattling enthusiastically.

Before long, the smells of grilling meats and ears of corn were filling the air and cookies, cakes, and pastries were passed around as the villagers spoke with the family, admiring the new house and the additions and special features to everyone's rooms.

While Luisa, Isabela, Julieta and Dolores manned the food stations with help from Camilo, Felix got together with Carlos Vives and the Yatra brothers-Sebastian and Manuel-and soon had quite a few people dancing to their music.

Off to the side, watching his family with a pensive expression, Pedro was surprised when a woman he'd only seen in passing sidled up to him, nudging him with her shoulder. "I've never seen a magic house before. This is extraordinary," she observed, watching several children run up the main staircase before the stairs became a slide. "How is this possible?" Letting out an embarrassed laugh, she took a step back, holding out a hand. "Lo siento... Forgive my horrible manners. I'm Stephanie Beatriz. I'm new to the village. My brother, granddaughter, and I arrived through the mountain pass a few weeks ago. The Castillo family has been putting us up while we make plans to build our own home."

"Well, welcome to our encanto," Pedro greeted her, shaking her hand and smiling warmly. "And as far as the house, it..." he hesitated as a clouded expression came over him. "It's-it's a long story." He started to turn away to leave, pausing when he felt Stephanie's hand on his upper arm. Looking at her, he saw a gentle look of understanding in her eyes as she took his arm.

"I would love to hear it," Stephanie said, smiling.

Pedro led her towards the back patio of the house as he began, "It started 5 decades ago, just after the death of my wife, Alma..."

x

Since her ankle was still sore from her tumble down the stairs, Mirabel's contribution to the housewarming was assisting Bruno as he entertained some of the village kids with one of his rat telenovelas.

Before they could get to Alonzo the rat's 'death' scene, however, Bruno stiffened as an involuntary vision kicked in. His eyes glowed green for a moment or two, but before anyone had a chance to go for help, the glow faded and Bruno slumped to the floor, groaning as a headache started up.

"Uh... to be continued," Mirabel told the kids before slowly helping her tio towards the kitchen, getting him seated at the table with some water and an arepa before sitting down as well. "Are you alright?" she asked, snatching a bite of arepa and eating it quickly, feeling her ankle heal instantly.

"Yeah-Yep... I mean, 'yes'," Bruno muttered, doing his 'knock on wood' routine as he ate. "I-I just... I wasn't expecting my Gift to come back so quickly."

After a few minutes, Mirabel noticed that Bruno seemed to be feeling better and she raised a curious eyebrow as she inquired, "What did you see?"

"Papa met a woman from outside the encanto," he explained. "I saw her earlier today, talking to him. In my vision, they were getting married."

That caught Mirabel by surprise and at first, she wasn't sure of how to respond to the information. But thinking about her own vision of Abuelo first arriving at the casita, there was a part of her that was a bit amused. "Abuelo came here after losing someone he loved," Mirabel mused aloud. "And now, with the new casita, maybe he's found someone to love."

"Eh, we... We may be jumping the gun on that one. Just a little, you know?" Bruno pointed out, even though part of him was excited about the vision being something happy instead of horrible or disastrous.

Holding her hands out to her tio, Mirabel gave him a reassuring nod as she just said, "Trust me."

Bruno hesitated for only a moment before taking Mirabel's hands, watching her close her eyes and take a deep breath. At first, nothing seemed to change. But then Bruno looked surprised as he saw a much younger version of his father sitting at the table, looking forlornly at the family tree painted on the wall.

"Papa! Papa!"

10-year-old Bruno raced into the room, grinning as he held up a vision plate. "You need to see this!"

Pedro took the plate, eyes widening in surprise as he studied the image. He was quiet for a moment, as if scarcely believing what he saw.

"It's okay, Papa," Bruno promised his father, cheerfully. "You're not always going to be sad. Someday you're going to get married and grow old with someone else."

Pedro looked at his son, a hopeful smile on his face as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Someday. Gracias, Brunito. I think I needed to see that today. Put it somewhere safe, alright?"

When young Bruno was out of earshot, Pedro closed his eyes, offering a silent prayer before whispering, "Someday..."

Mirabel let go of Bruno's hands and the vision ended.

"As I got older, I... I-I figured that vision was a dud," Bruno muttered. "Yeah, I... I-I guess it was just a little early?"

"Hey," Camilo whispered as he came into the dining room, sneaking glances over his shoulder to make sure there wasn't anyone else around. Turning his attention to Mirabel and Bruno, he motioned for them to follow him. "You'll want to see this."

The sounds of gentle guitar notes and soft singing grew louder as the trio headed back towards the courtyard. Carefully making their way through the crowd gathered around a single couple dancing, Bruno and Mirabel stopped as they saw Pedro and Stephanie Beatriz dancing to 'Dos Oruguitas', each wearing a contented smile on their face.

"Better late than never," Mirabel observed with a grin on her face.

As the dancing grew more spirited, Bruno was surprised to hear his father laugh as he twirled Stephanie about. It had been a long time since the Madrigal patriarch had exhibited such joy.

Turning to see Julieta and Pepa joining him, Bruno couldn't help noticing that his 'oldest' sister was a bit misty-eyed while Pepa had unconsciously created a beautiful rainbow over the dancing couple.

When the song ended, Pedro and Stephanie's hands remained intertwined, even as the village photographer called the Madrigals together for a new family picture.

Looking down at their joined hands, Stephanie nodded in understanding as she gave Pedro a quick kiss on his cheek. "Next picture," she promised, smiling warmly.

As the family gathered together, Pedro felt a weight lift off of his shoulders and he smiled as he stood in the middle of the shot, Pepa's family on one side and Julieta's on the other with Bruno and Mirabel in front of him.

'Such a wonderous Gift, this family,' Pedro thought to himself as the picture was taken. 'Thank you, Alma, for giving them to me.'