I do not own Encanto.

Translations

Changuito: Little monkey
Mocosos: Brats
¿Entiendes?: You understand?
Chiquita: Little one

The Stair Climbing Contest

"Come on, Mira."

"Camilo, I told you, no."

"Why not?"

Mirabel let out a huff of exasperation. "You know why not."

She tried to focus on the breakfast dishes, her hands submerged in the warm water and scrubbing at the remnants of huevos pericos stuck to the porcelain. She piled the clean, wet dishes on the counter but rather than dry them off like he was supposed to, Camilo just pouted at his cousin. When the stack became too tall for Mirabel to add to, she spun around and put her damp hands on her hips.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Only if you show me Tío Bruno's room," countered Camilo.

"Tío Bruno doesn't want anyone in his room," said Mirabel firmly. "We need to respect his wishes."

"You got to see it!"

"I don't know if I'd quite put it that way," said Mirabel sheepishly. "Besides, I saw his old room. I have no idea what his new one looks like."

Everyone's rooms had gotten a complete makeover when the magic returned to Casita. Bruno's door was no longer shrouded in a cave and Camilo, forever nosy, eagerly approached his uncle with the expectation of being invited into the previously forbidden room. But to his surprise and confusion, Bruno ushered him away, kind but firm.

This, of course, did nothing to deter Camilo. For the past few days, he'd been trying to convince Mirabel to explore Bruno's room together but she continuously refused him.

"We'll just take a peek," wheedled Camilo.

Mirabel narrowed her eyes. "If you're so desperate to see what Tío Bruno's bedroom looks like, I'm not going to stop you. Why do I have to show you?"

Camilo pursed his lips. "If I get caught, I don't want to get in trouble by myself."

"Oh, wooooow," said Mirabel in amusement. "Since when are you scared of getting in trouble?"

"I'm not scared—"

"It kind of sounds like it."

Camilo tossed his dish towel onto the counter with a scowl. "You know what, you're right. I'll just go into Tío Bruno's room by myself."

He stormed out of the kitchen and Mirabel floundered for a minute, her eyes darting between the doorway and the unfinished dishes. She made up her mind and scurried after her cousin, who was ascending the stairs to the second-floor balcony. "Camilo!" she hissed.

Her primo ignored her, striding down the balcony and pausing in front of Bruno's door. His uncle had most definitely left Casita that morning, going down into the village with Pepa, giving him an unknown amount of time to snoop.

Before he could grip the doorknob, a squeak sounded next to his ear, and he let out a rather undignified noise. He whipped around, his nose an inch from Dolores'. He went to shove his palm into her face but she sidestepped the gesture.

"Don't do that!" he snapped.

"I see you're disrespecting Tío's privacy," she said casually.

"I'm not disrespecting anything," insisted Camilo, trying to squash down the squirm of guilt. "I'm just going to take a look. He'll never know."

Dolores studied her brother and Camilo braced himself for a dose of sisterly scolding. But instead, her lips quirked upwards and she said, "I'll keep an ear out. But let's make it quick."

Mirabel's jaw dropped as Camilo grinned broadly. "You're amazing, hermana."

"Tell me something I don't know," said Dolores airily.

"I can't believe this," Mirabel groaned.

Camilo arched an eyebrow. "No one is making you stay." When Mirabel only glared at him, not moving an inch, he smirked. "That's what I thought."

Camilo opened Bruno's door with flourish. Mirabel's lingering reservations evaporated and her eyes went wide as they stepped inside the room, which was no longer a bleak, desolate cavern. The wooden floor was covered in soft green rugs, and instead of a bed there was a hammock filled with gold pillows. There were wooden tables scattered around, interspersed with the oversized armchairs, full of good luck charms and jars of salt and sugar. Rats scurried about the floor, squeaking at the intruders in an almost disapproving manner, and Mirabel waved feebly at them.

Sand fell down the stone walls, gathering in small mounds around the edge of the room. Dolores squealed and raced over to the miniature stage set up in the corner, where she started to rifle through a chest of rat-sized costumes.

"So this is why his telenovelas have been getting more dramatic," she said in delight.

Camilo spared a second of appreciation for the theatrical flair before his gaze wandered up, up, up, following the twisting stone stairs that snaked all the way into Bruno's tower. Mirabel wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. The stairs."

"Why are there so many?" asked Camilo, aghast.

"I have no idea."

"What's up there?"

"His vision cave. He needs a wide-open space in order to have his voluntary ones. It's where I found the vision of me standing in front of the cracked Casita."

"You did not walk up all these stairs," said Camilo in disbelief.

"I did," said Mirabel, her chest swelling with pride. "It wasn't easy, trust me."

Competitiveness ignited within Camilo and he crossed his arms. "I could probably do it."

Dolores snorted. "I would love to see you try."

"Why so smug?" demanded Camilo. "Think you can do better than me?"

"Obviously, hermanito."

"No," protested Mirabel, knowing exactly what was about to happen next. "Don't even—"

"It's a challenge, then," declared Camilo, thrusting out his hand. "We'll see who can get the furthest on Tío's stairs."

"You're on," said Dolores with a grin, shaking his hand.

"You can't participate," Camilo directed at Mirabel, "because you've already made it up the stairs. But you can observe if you want."

"Yeah, observe Camilo and make sure he doesn't cheat," spoke Dolores.

"You wound me," said Camilo, grasping at his heart. "Do you think so lowly of me?"

"Yes," said Dolores, pinching his nose.

"Mirabel! Camilo!" Pepa shouted, her irritated voice puncturing Bruno's door and making the kids jump. "Get in here and finish your chore! Vamos!"

Soft thunder rumbled throughout the house and Camilo and Mirabel raced for the door, tripping over each other as they squeezed through the opening. Dolores chuckled, following after them at a more leisurely pace. "I suppose we'll have to have our little contest later."

…

Bruno returned home before Mirabel and Camilo finished the dishes, much to Camilo's disappointment. Dolores was pleased that the challenge she and her little brother had established would have to wait, for it gave her time to tell Luisa and Isabela. The two insisted on also taking part, and Camilo was delighted to have more competitors that he could soundly thrash. Isabela smacked his side with a vine when he told her such.

Bruno's rats overheard everything and relayed the information to Antonio, who promptly confronted his siblings, eager to be a part of their game. Dolores and Camilo were quick to refuse, balking at the very idea of what their mother would do if they allowed the five-year-old to traverse such high, dangerous steps. But they were forced to obey Antonio's wishes when he sweetly told them he would tell Bruno if they didn't let him play.

Camilo was both irritated and proud of his little brother's manipulation tactics.

The tricky part was finding an opportunity to gain access to Bruno's room. Their tío didn't go into town much. Though some of the townspeople had let go of their previous notions about the seer, there were many who still considered Bruno to be bad luck, who gave him distrustful glances whenever he wandered through the village and whispered behind his back. The family did their best to put a halt to any slander they heard, but you could not control the words of the people, however wrong they were. While Bruno had reunited with his familia, he remained distant from the village, and rarely went to town by himself.

So they waited, biding their time, and a few weeks later their chance arrived.

Pepa and Julieta had some shopping to do, Abuela was having tea with some other elderly señoritas, and Agustín and Félix had convinced Bruno to take a hike in the forest with them. That meant Antonio was left in the care of his siblings and cousins, and the kids had the Casita all to themselves.

The second they were left alone, Camilo, Isabela, Luisa, Antonio and Dolores sprinted for Bruno's room. Mirabel hurried after them, flinching as Casita clicked its tiles in rebuke. "I know, Casita, I know."

They filed into Bruno's room and Luisa, Isabela and Antonio peered around the cavernous space with awe. Isabela walked over to the wall, holding out her hand to feel the sand dust against her fingers. "This is pretty cool," she remarked. She turned around, noticed the stairs, and her face fell. "I take that back."

"Tío Bruno must have really strong legs," said Luisa with wide, impressed eyes.

Camilo cracked his knuckles. "So do I," he boasted. "If anyone wants to bow out, this is your chance."

"Are you kidding? This is going to be great," said Luisa excitedly.

"I'm gonna get to the very top," declared Antonio.

"Not with those little legs," said Isabela teasingly.

"Try not to cry when I beat you, Cami," taunted Dolores.

"You're the one who's going to be crying, hermanita," retorted Camilo.

They gathered at the base of the stairs, and there was a moment of silence as they all craned their necks to gaze into the tower. Luisa gulped audibly, Isabela lost a bit of colour to her cheeks, and Antonio's jaw dropped.

"All right," said Camilo with determination. "No using your powers to try and get yourself to the top. Because Mirabel has already done this climb before, she won't be competing but she's going to come and make sure we all play this fair and square. Mira, give us a starting signal."

"This is ridiculous," said Mirabel, though it came out far less scolding than she intended. She couldn't help but be intrigued to see how this would turn out, and she cleared her throat. "Go!"

The stairs were narrow, so they began to climb in a single file line. Mirabel was at the very end, staying behind Antonio, keeping intent eyes on his movements, arms held out and ready to catch him should he fall. Isabela was in the middle of the group, flitting her attention between the steps and her family, prepared to use her vines with minimal forewarning to prevent a nasty tumble.

At the start, they made idle chatter, mostly filled with bickering and goading. But their words became shorter and their breaths heavier the further they climbed. Antonio made it up about fifty steps before his legs gave out. Mirabel hoisted him onto her back and Antonio groaned in disappointment, his body heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"That's…a…lot…of…steps," he wheezed.

"Tell me about it," said Mirabel feelingly. "You okay, hombrecito?"

"Mm-hmm."

Isabela gave up when they were a quarter of the way up the tower. Her legs were jelly, her skin slick with sweat, and she collapsed to the stone steps, squishing against the wall to let Luisa and Mirabel pass. "You good?" asked Luisa, clapping Isabela's shoulder.

"Fine," gasped Isabella, her legs feeling like they were on fire. "How…did…you…do…this…Mira?"

Mirabel shrugged. "Trying to stop the death of a miracle gives you quite the motivation. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No." Isabela waved her on. "Make sure Camilo doesn't shift into some long-legged villager."

Mirabel and Luisa continued on. Luisa's breath was coming out in puffs, but she embraced the pain rather than let it affect her. She enjoyed the strain of a good workout, and every time Camilo peeked over his shoulder and saw his cousin enjoying herself, he quickly regretted Dolores' flapping lips.

Oh well. So he wouldn't win. All he had to do was beat his sister.

They reached the halfway mark, their lungs burning, their skin damp and their legs screaming. Dolores' and Camilo's pace greatly slowed, and Luisa gingerly squeezed past them. Camilo glared after her. "Show-off," he panted.

"Maybe if you exercised once in a while, you wouldn't be struggling right now," returned Luisa.

"Ugh. I hate exercise." Camilo hunched over, gulping for air. "This was such a stupid idea."

Mirabel shook her head. "You always have that realization at the worst time."

"You giving up, bro?" asked Dolores between gasping breaths.

"No way." Camilo straightened and continued, even though each step made agony pulse through his muscles.

"This family," murmured Mirabel with fondness. "So stubborn."

Dolores laughed weakly. "No kidding."

But stubbornness and sibling rivalry simply couldn't overcome the limitations of one's body, and Camilo collapsed against the stone stairs ten minutes later with a miserable, pained groan. With shaking limbs, Dolores managed to make it one step past her brother before she also crumpled.

"I win," she said, too exhausted to properly relish in her minor victory.

"I hate you," whimpered Camilo.

Mirabel tilted her head back and squinted, but was unable to see her sister. "Luisa!" she called. "You won!"

"I'm not stopping until I make it to the top, sis!" answered Luisa, her breathless voice echoing down the tower.

"Figures," said Mirabel in amusement. In a louder tone, she said, "Okay! Tell us when you make it!"

"You got it!"

Mirabel lowered to sit below Camilo, shifting Antonio into her lap. She ruffled Camilo's curls. "How are you doing?"

"Awful," he said at once. "I couldn't even beat my own sister."

"That's what you get for being so cocky, hermano," said Dolores, her eyes closed and her limbs splayed out.

"It was only by one step," grumbled Camilo. "Don't get so smug." He rolled his head against the stone so that he was facing the dark depths. Ignoring the jolt in his stomach from the dizzying distance between him and the ground, he shouted, "You good, Isa?"

"I can't feel my legs!"

"Me either," replied Camilo.

"Me too," said Mirabel with a tired laugh.

"Me three," muttered Dolores.

"Me four," chimed in Antonio.

Camilo jabbed his little brother's side. "You didn't even make it that far."

"I climbed a lot of steps," said Antonio with a huff. "And it was hard. But I had lots of fun!"

"Yeah, so did I," said Camilo softly. "It's…it's been a while, since we've all hung out like this. I've missed it."

"We all have," said Dolores. "But that's going to change."

"Yeah," said Mirabel with a nod. "You're going to spend so much time with us that you're going to get sick of us."

"Too late," snickered Camilo.

"But por favor, next time, let's just go for a swim or have a picnic," said Dolores with an exhausted sigh. "Something nice and peaceful."

They fell into a contented silence, lying still to try and ease the ache in their legs. The quiet was broken by a triumphant, "Yeah! Take that, Tío Bruno's stairs!" thundering down the tower.

"I don't think she made it," deadpanned Camilo.

"All right," said Mirabel, straggling to her feet. "Let's get going."

Though her legs were shaking, this was not her first trip up Bruno's stairs, and she was in much better condition than last time, given that she hadn't scaled nearly as many steps the second time around. But as she waited for Camilo and Dolores to stand, and saw the unease and severe discomfort filling their features, her stomach dipped.

"You can't move, can you?"

"Nope," said Dolores in dismay.

"Luisa!" Mirabel called, concern colouring her tone. "Are you okay to climb back down?"

"Not really," came Luisa's oddly cheerful reply. "I may have super strength, and my legs might be in solid shape, but these stairs are something else, sis."

"It's no big deal," Camilo assured his cousin, who began to look a bit frantic at their predicament. "Casita will help us out." He rapped his knuckles against the rough stone wall. "Hey, can you bring us to the bottom of the steps?"

But the stairs remained stationary. Mirabel frowned. "Casita? I thought you had power in here, now that Tío Bruno is back with us." The stair above Dolores gave a firm rattle, and Mirabel, who had always been deeply connected to their home, gasped. "What do you mean, no?"

"No?" cried Camilo. "No what?"

"Casita refuses to help us to the bottom of the stairs," said Mirabel in a strained voice.

"Oh, trying to punish us, are you?" asked Camilo in irritation. "Thanks a lot, you traitor." The stairs beneath his legs jerked upwards and he howled with pain, his legs not at all happy to be bent or moved in such a manner. "Ow! Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, Isa!" Mirabel shouted. "Do you think you can get us down with your vines?"

There were a few beats before Isabela replied. "I'm exhausted, so I'm afraid any vines I make are too brittle and weak. Can't Casita help us down?"

"Casita says we're on our own," said Mirabel, her voice picking up volume so that Luisa could also hear. "We have to get to the bottom ourselves."

"Are you serious?" shrieked Isabela, the noise exploding through the tower, and Dolores clapped her hands over her ears with a wince. "We're stuck here?!"

"Kinda seems that way," said Mirabel with a groan. "I can help Antonio down, and maybe Isabela, but that's probably about as many trips as I have in me."

"I'll help Dolores and Camilo," said Luisa at once.

"But you told me you couldn't climb back down!" protested Mirabel.

"It's just a bit of pain. I'll be fine."

"No, Luisa, we'll figure something else out," insisted Camilo. "You don't need to hurt yourself because of us."

"You need me," said Luisa stubbornly, and Mirabel could picture the grim determination on her sister's face, the ingrained desire to be the strong, dependable, unbreakable rock of the family.

"Luisa, you can't push yourself," Mirabel said firmly. "You need to rest just as much as we do."

"I'll relax later, sis. Don't worry."

"Luisa, don't be silly," spoke up Isabela in frustration. "There's no point in you—"

"Quiet!" called Dolores suddenly, her eyes popping open. She sat up; her head tilted as she listened to something very intently. "He's coming," she said seriously.

"Who's coming?" asked Camilo nervously.

"Tío Bruno. He's left Papi and Tío Agustín in town and he's coming home. He'll be here any minute."

"What do we do?" asked Antonio with wide eyes. "We're going to get caught!"

"Okay, Casita, we're sorry!" said Camilo, his tone bordering on hysterical. "This was all very dumb and completely my fault, and we won't invade Tío Bruno's space ever again. Please get us out of here!"

But the house did not seem to be in a merciful mood. Dolores squeaked. "We're doomed."

"I can't believe this is how I chose to spend my morning," lamented Isabela, her forlorn voice reverberating up the tower. "What is wrong with me?"

"The same thing that's wrong with the rest of us," replied Luisa. "And if you ever figure out what that is, let me know."

Dolores focussed her enhanced hearing on her tío. She listened as he crossed the yard, the blades of grass rustling under his feet. The groan of the door as it opened, and the thuds of his shoes against the tiles. The hitch in Bruno's breathing as he immediately realized how quiet it was, and the increase of his heartbeat.

"Kids? Where are you?" When there wasn't a response, he became panicked. "Kids!"

"He's freaking out," said Dolores guiltily, flinching as she heard Bruno race about the main level, checking all the rooms.

Camilo bowed his head. "Bring him here, Casita," he said in defeat.

This was a request Casita was more than happy to fulfill. Dolores heard the tiles clink as they rolled, and Bruno's surprised yips as he was carried through the house and up to the balcony. He was deposited in front of his door, and it took a second for Bruno to understand what Casita was telling him.

"What?"

He ripped open the door, rapping his knuckles against the frame and inhaling deeply before charging into his room. He whipped his head around, growing increasingly frantic when he didn't see a single niece or nephew. His heart dropped into his stomach and he looked up into his tower with a dry mouth, his chest squeezing with anxiety.

"No."

"Hi, Tío Bruno," Dolores spoke, hiking up her volume and keeping her tone light and cheerful to ease her uncle's anxiety. "We're okay, don't worry!"

But her attempt at reassurance only served to ramp up Bruno's panic. He sprinted for the stairs, but Casita decided to bring the kids to him. The steps flattened and the tower was filled with surprised shrieks as the Madrigal children zoomed down. Isabela arrived first and Bruno scrambled to her side, gripping her arm with trembling hands and helping her to her feet. When Isabela whimpered in pain, Bruno framed her face, wildly assessing her for any injuries.

"Where are you hurt?" he demanded.

"I'm fine, Tío," Isabela said quickly. "It's just my legs. Those are, um, a lot of stairs."

Dolores, Camilo, Mirabel and Antonio rolled against the rugs in a collection of limbs, and Bruno made a choked noise at the back of his throat. He dug into his pocket and flung a handful of salt over his shoulder before plucking Antonio into his arms.

"Are you okay, Toñito?" he asked desperately.

"Yup," said Antonio happily. "Mirabel carried me most of the time, so my legs don't really hurt like everyone else's."

Camilo struggled to stand, his legs refusing to cooperate, and Bruno hastened to support him, balancing Antonio against one hip. He helped Camilo into the nearest armchair, which he sagged into. Mirabel assisted Dolores to the chair across from Camilo, and Isabela walked stiffly towards them, perching on the armrest of Dolores' puffy jade green chair. Luisa finally made it to the bottom and she got to her feet with a grunt.

"Whew! That was pretty intense."

"Over here, please, Luisa," Bruno instructed with quiet steel.

It was a manner in which they had never heard their uncle speak before, and for a second, Camilo could pinpoint the seed of the rumours of Bruno being a terrifying figure. Luisa quickly complied with the order, her expression becoming nervous. Bruno handed Antonio to Camilo and when he surveyed his nieces and nephews, his face was that of a thundercloud, and they shrunk back.

"What were you thinking?" Bruno demanded. "Do you know how dangerous—" His throat seemed to close up, and he took a shuddering breath. "Do you have any idea—"

"We're sorry, Tío," said Mirabel remorsefully, her hazel eyes beginning to sting with tears. "We…we didn't mean to upset you."

"It's my fault," said Camilo, guilt and shame burning in his belly. "I just wanted to see your room, and I saw your stairs and I decided we should have a stair-climbing contest. It was my stupid idea. I'm sorry."

"In order to have a contest, you need to have participants, and we all went along with you," argued Dolores. "It's not on you, bro."

"A con-contest?" spluttered Bruno, looking equal parts incredulous and horrified. "You—my tower isn't for entertainment. You could have gotten hurt, or worse, what if you had fallen—" His throat convulsed, his hands shaking, his face creased as if he were in pain. "And you brought Antonio with you—"

"I made Dolores and Camilo bring me!" said Antonio tremulously, large tears beginning to spill down his cheeks. "Please don't be mad, Tío Bruno, I won't ever come in your room again! I promise!"

His distress extinguished the ember of anger and Bruno's hands flapped desperately at his sides. "No, no, I'm sorry, Toñito, please don't cry."

Camilo hugged Antonio close. "He doesn't deserve to get in trouble," he said protectively. "We should have known better."

Isabela bowed her head. "We have no excuses," she said sadly. "We've been very disrespectful to you."

"No, you don't—it's just—" Bruno let out a rush of breath, his fingers raking through his dark curls. "Hey, Toñito, shush," he said gently. "Come here."

He held out his arms hesitantly and was not prepared for the speed with which Antonio ran at him. He grunted slightly as the boy collided with his stomach, sniffling into his ruana. He set a hand against Antonio's head. "No one is in trouble," he said. "And…and you haven't been disrespectful."

"We kind of have," said Dolores quietly. "We knew you didn't want us in here, but we came in anyway."

"It's not that I don't want you here," said Bruno quickly. "I just…I worry, you know?" He gave a dry chuckle. "I'm rather good at it."

Mirabel approached Bruno, lying a hand against his shoulder. "Why do you worry about us being in your room?" she asked.

Her uncle smoothed an errant strand of hair from her forehead. "I don't really have…good associations with my room," he said carefully. "I've had a lot of visions here. Most of them not great, some of them bad, and a few…well, I'd rather not speak about them." His chest squeezed tight, anxiety surging, and he leaned over slightly to bang his knuckles against one of his wooden tables. "There was just…I feel like there's a lotta bad luck in here, you know? I didn't want it rubbing off on you."

Mirabel hugged Bruno tightly, causing him to squeak at the force. "You're not bad luck," she said fiercely.

"Don't listen to what the villagers say," said Luisa earnestly. "They don't know anything about you."

"And I shouldn't have ever listened to them," said Camilo with great regret.

Bruno's shoulders lifted as best they could with Antonio and Mirabel clinging to him. "You were young, sobrino, and I didn't interact with you nearly as much as I should have. I…I thought you might be happier, if I kept away." He gave his head a slight shake. "So don't apologize." He paused before adding, "Well, not for that, anyway."

"So we can come into your room whenever we want?" asked Antonio hopefully.

Wet eyes shone at Bruno, and his heart melted. "Maybe not whenever you want, but yes, I'd…I'd like it if you came to visit me. But no more playing on the stairs."

He shook his finger sternly at his nieces and nephews, who chuckled sheepishly. Luisa rubbed the back of her neck. "Of course, Tío Bruno. We got carried away."

"So, uh, who won?"

"Guess," said Dolores with good humour.

Isabela crossed her arms over her chest. "That leaves me as the only sister unable to conquer the tower," she said with a sigh.

"How will you live with the shame?" quipped Mirabel, peeking around Bruno with a smirk.

"Same way as Cami," said Dolores. "He'll have to go the rest of his days knowing he lost to me."

"By one step," stressed Camilo.

"I, uh, was going to ask how the contest came to be, but I think I have an idea," muttered Bruno, and he couldn't help but chuckle when Camilo and Dolores smiled innocently at him. "So, Antonio, what trickery did you use on your siblings to force them to bring you along?"

"The rats told me what they were gonna do, and I told them if they didn't let me come with them, I'd tell you," replied Antonio.

"That's…very Pepa of you, changuito," said Bruno in bemusement. "From the gossip to the blackmail." He twisted his neck to raise his brow at Mirabel. "This is the second time you've broken into my room, Mira."

"Does the first time really count?" asked Mirabel with wide eyes.

"I'd say not," said Isabela thoughtfully. "I mean, it wasn't technically his room then, was it?"

"Definitely not," said Luisa with a nod. "He wasn't living in it anymore, so I don't think you could really call it his."

"And if it wasn't his room, Mirabel didn't really break in," agreed Dolores.

"She just walked into another part of the house," added Camilo. "I mean, to break in somewhere, you gotta do more than just open a door, right?"

"Right," chirped Antonio.

"Mocosos," said Bruno with deep affection.

He motioned for the others to come to him. They did so gladly, albeit awkwardly, walking stiff and rigid as they tried to coddle their sore legs. The final screws of tightness left his chest when they wrapped their arms around him, his breath flowing free and easy.

"Dios mío, you scared me," he said with a weak laugh. "No more stair contests, ay?"

"No more," promised Camilo. "But geez, Tío Bruno, why do you have so many stairs going to your vision cave?"

"Didn't used to be this much," said Bruno absently. "I mean, there were still a couple of flights, since the climb helped to calm me when I went to have a vision. But over the years, as I…as I became more distant from the family, the stairs kept growing."

He very nearly got clipped in the chin as multiple heads whipped to stare at the imposing, soaring staircase. Terror and grief clouded their sweet features, and Bruno hastened to dissolve their fears before they took root. "No, no, don't…don't take it the wrong way! I mean, it's only been, what, a few weeks, since I've been back with the family? That's, uh, a short time compared to ten years of isolation, you know? There's still some…some issues to work out, but I'm sure one day the stairs will go back to how they originally were."

"But you're happy?" pressed Mirabel.

"More than you know, kid," said Bruno feelingly.

"The rats say you're the happiest they've ever seen," said Antonio brightly.

Bruno clicked his tongue, squinting at his rats, who scattered into the sand dunes under his gaze. "Can't keep anything from you, can they?"

"We have an understanding," said Antonio cutely.

"So, um, Tío," spoke Camilo. "Are you, uh, going to tell the others about this?"

"Well, just one," said Bruno, and he allowed Camilo to look at him in fear for a second before clarifying, "If Julieta doesn't heal your muscle aches, you're not walking tomorrow, and that'll definitely be suspicious."

"Can we stay in your room until then?" asked Mirabel hopefully.

"Make yourselves comfortable," invited Bruno warmly.

His nieces and nephews didn't need to be told twice, each of them claiming a soft, cushiony armchair and sinking into the material. Dolores lingered, and she looked at Bruno with such intensity he retreated a few paces.

"I want a personal show," she said with narrowed eyes, pointing at the stage he used to perform his telenovelas. "¿Entiendes?"

"Sí, sí, chiquita!"