I just discovered Encanto, and I really liked it. I needed more interaction between Mirabel and her sisters, and I was also curious about where the family lived while Casita was being rebuilt (which must have taken some time).
Many neighbors were willing to open their homes to the Madrigals, who had done so much for the village over the years, but none of them had enough room for all twelve members of the family. Encanto wasn't a poor village, but it wasn't a wealthy one, either. After their Casita was destroyed, the Madrigals wound up split into three groups of four. Julieta, Augustin, Bruno, and Alma stayed with one neighbor, and Pepa, Felix, Camilo, and Antonio with another. And the four young ladies of the family – Dolores, Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel – stayed at the home of a sweet old widowed woman with a large spare bedroom.
Nobody said that no married woman wanted Isabela – so long admired as the most beautiful, perfect young woman in the village – sleeping under the same roof as her husband. Yet all four of them thought it as they settled into their new room and unpacked the few things that they'd recovered from the rubble of Casita.
The room had four beds arranged along one wall, with a trunk at the foot of each one. It had been the bedroom of the widow's children when they were still young. Despite how little they carried, unpacking was awkward. None of them were used to living in a normal house, one where the furniture couldn't respond to commands or predict your wishes. They missed their magical Casita almost as much as they missed their Gifts.
"We'll have to make sure we keep this place clean," Dolores said. She was kneeling in front of her trunk, arranging her spare handkerchiefs on top of her night shift. "I'd hate for anyone to think we're slobs just because we grew up in a house that cleans itself."
Luisa, standing beside her bed, fidgeted nervously and smoothed down the quilt, even though it wasn't wrinkled. In Casita, her bed and all her other furniture had been a bit bigger and stronger than usual, to account for her bulk. She looked at this new, smaller bed as if she was terrified of breaking it.
As large as the room was, it still felt crowded with all four of them in it, and Mirabel sighed as she and Isabel took in the blank white walls. Then Isabela grinned and snapped her fingers.
"I know what this place needs!" she said brightly, looking around at her sisters and cousin. "Some flowers! I can grow us some right now, and..."
She stretched out one hand, expecting a bouquet of flowers to shoot from her fingertips, and when nothing happened, her face showed confusion for a moment. Then Mirabel touched her shoulder, and something in her gaze flickered. Her bright smile faded, and her empty hand wobbled uncertainly in the air.
"Isa, it... it's gone," Mirabel whispered. It had barely been a full day since they'd all lost their Gifts, and Mirabel had been waiting something like this to happen, for one of them to forget.
Mirabel moved closer, as if about to hug her sister, but before she could, Isabela shrugged off her hand and turned away. "I know that," she said quickly. "I know it's gone. I-I guess I just forgot for a second." She crossed the room to the window, which looked out on the mountains that surrounded Encanto, and stood there for a moment while the other three watched her, concerned. When she spun around – her long black flying out in a sudden swoosh – she was scowling.
"Well, I guess there's no point to wearing this anymore..." And with a sharp yank that made them all wince, she began pulling loose the flower that she always wore pinned in her hair.
They watched her in sad silence for a moment, and then Luisa said softly, almost to herself, "I always thought the flowers in your hair were pretty."
Isabela's scowl softened, and she unpinned the flower more gently. "Gracias, Luisa," she said. "I thought so, too, for a long time. But then..." She looked at the floor and gave a little shrug. "Then I got tired of always wearing them. And then I got sick of it. But I thought I had to keep doing it."
She had pulled the flower free of her hair now, and she'd been planning to crumple it up and throw it away, but she stopped. She held it out to her sister instead. "You know, Luisa, I bet this would look pretty in your hair, too."
"Oh, no, no," Luisa said quickly, backing away as if the little pink flower in Isabela's outstretched hand was dangerous. "No, I don't think..."
"But you just said it was pretty in my hair. Why wouldn't it be just as pretty on you?"
Luisa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Was this a trick question? Wasn't it obvious? "Because you're the pretty one."
"Gracias," Isabela said again, "but I think you're pretty, too. Don't you two think so?" she asked, turning to Mirabel and Dolores.
"Yeah, definitely!" Mirabel exclaimed, while Dolores nodded.
A blush began to spread over Luisa's cheeks. Everyone in Encanto had always complimented her on how strong she was, how big and tall she was, what heavy loads she could carry. But never, not once, could she remember anyone telling her that she was pretty. Her sisters and cousin couldn't really mean what they were saying. Could they?
Isabela fluttered over to her, her pink skirt billowing out behind her. "Look, I'll show you. Sit down, and I'll do your hair for you." She pushed at her sister's broad shoulders, but Luisa didn't budge. She might not have her Gift for moving mountains anymore, but she was still the strongest girl in the village – certainly stronger than pretty, petite Isabela.
"I'm the strong one," Luisa protested, shaking her head. "I can't have my hair getting in my face. I have too much work to do."
Mirabel stepped forward. "You don't have your Gift anymore, either, Luisa," she said softly. Luisa's face fell at this – she'd forgotten for a second, too – but then, not wanting to seem weak in front of anyone, she forced herself to look calm again. Mirabel went on, "You can't work as hard as you used to, and you shouldn't, anyway. You need a break."
Luisa didn't agree, but she didn't protest, either. When Isabela pushed at her shoulders again, she allowed herself to be guided to sit on the edge of her bed – which she did very gingerly, still certain that she would break something.
"I'll do your hair tonight," Isabela said, as she gently began undoing the tight bun that Luisa always wore. "And if you don't like it, you can put it back up tomorrow morning, and it'll just be our secret, si?"
"Si, I'm great at keeping secrets," Dolores put in.
Mirabel was so offended by this that she actually stomped her foot. "You liar!" she cried, pointing at Dolores. "You couldn't keep my secret about Tio Bruno's vision!"
Isabela glared at them over Luisa's head. "Would you two stop squabbling and make yourselves useful, por favor. Mirabel, bring me my hairbrush, and Dolores, can you find me a mirror?"
And that was how the Madrigal granddaughters spent their first evening in the widow's home – Isabela gave Luisa a makeover while Mirabel and Dolores watched and assisted. Luisa didn't want to admit it, but she actually liked it. She liked the soft, gentle way her sister's hands moved in her hair and touched her face. Even though Isabela had been so rough yanking the flower from her own hair, even though she got a little snappy when she told Mirabel or Dolores to do something – "And one of you get me a glass of water, apurate" – whenever she touched or spoke to Luisa, she was always gentle. "I'm just going to turn your head this way a little, okay?" And then she'd move Luisa's chin with a feather-light touch of her fingertips. Luisa had always thought of herself as rough and indestructible, but Isabela touched her as if she were very delicate.
And when Dolores held up the mirror afterwards, Luisa almost couldn't believe how different she looked. Isabela had done her hair in soft waves around her face and pinned the flower at her ear, the same place where she usually wore it. Luisa stared, turning her face to one side and the other, then slowly, shyly smiled at her reflection. She looked so girly. She almost looked... just a little bit... pretty. And even though she knew it was silly, she wished that she could go out to the barn and show the donkeys.
Hope you'll leave a review if you'd like to see more!
