Chapter 5

40 years before Encanto


Julieta and Pepa laughed as Bruno leapt around in front of them, dramatically performing the next episode of his ongoing stageplay for them.

"You hid the treasure here all along?" Bruno demanded in a deep voice. He quickly swapped sides of his makeshift stage, this time his voice feminine and high pitched. "Amor! You are my only treasure, you know this!"

The sun shone brightly as his sisters laughed. Bruno smiled, enjoying their reactions.

"There's only one problem." Bruno continued in his high, girly voice. "I am... In love with another!"

Julieta and Pepa gasped, grinning at eachother, then turning back to the show.

"And who might that be?" Bruno demanded, his deep voice cracking with emotion. He quickly swapped sides again, his voice high again. He reached into his pocket. Pepa tried to lean forward and see what he was doing, but Julieta pulled her back to the floor.

"Down in front!" Julieta teased, holding Pepa.

"Why, the man I'm in love with…" Bruno said slowly, his voice high as he reached into his pockets. "Is… your half brother, Jorge!"

Bruno pulled out a rat from his pocket and held it out for his sisters. They both shrieked, the sun shining brighter through the windows as they laughed at their brother. Bruno performed a carefully choreographed fight scene with his rat before performing a dramatic death scene.

"Señoritas… Tell Camila…" Bruno said weakly. "I'm sorry… and I… love her." Bruno flopped down lifelessly, feigning death.

His sisters glanced at eachother with big smiles, then back at Bruno.

They waited in anticipation for what came next, leaning in until they were inches from Bruno. The girls waited excitedly.

Suddenly, Bruno leapt up with a dramatic roar and tackled his sisters, rolling over the floor with them as they shrieked with laughter, bright rainbows dancing above them.

They lay on their backs, their heads touching as they looked up at the rainbows together.

"That's some weather forecast, Pepi." Bruno chuckled meekly. "That means you liked it, right?"

"I loved it!" Pepa exclaimed, throwing her arms around her brother. "And I love you! Bruni-ti-ti-" she tickled her brother and they laughed, wrestling together.

"Hey!" Julieta interrupted, her voice fake serious. "Some of us poor, non-rainbow audience members enjoyed it too, thank you for asking."

Bruno laughed nervously, unsure if she was joking or not until Julieta broke into a smile and winked. Seeing it, Bruno grinned too.

"Look at all these beautiful rainbows!" Alma chuckled as she entered the room.

The triplets immediately jumped up and rushed over to their mama, knocking her to the floor. Alma laughed as the triplets climbed over her.

"Mamí," Julieta laughed, cuddling Alma. "Guess what happened - Camila left Hernando for a rat named Jorge."

"And he was Hernando's half brother," Pepa exclaimed excitedly. "They fought to the death… and guess what Mamí?"

"Tell me, mijita."

"The rat won!" Pepa laughed.

"Is that so?" Alma laughed too, bringing Bruno in close and kissing his face. "I don't know if my bedtime stories can hold up anymore against the mighty Hernando. Maybe Brunito should tell all of our stories from now on, hm?"

Bruno snuggled in close to his mother, his hands playing with her long black braids.


35 years later


"Bruno."

Abuela's voice brought Bruno back to the present. He looked up to see his mamá standing in front of him.

He was still in the same room as before, sitting on the floor. He looked around for the rest of the family, but everyone had gone. The bed that Pepa had been in was clean now and the sheets were gone. Bruno shifted guiltily, knowing he must have been in his head for a while this time. He got back up, wondering if everyone had seen him hiding away in his head and thought he didn't care about what had happened.

"Is Pepa-" Bruno began nervously.

"Fine." Abuela finished his sentence. Bruno winced at her short tone. "Antonio too. Thanks to Julieta and Isabela, they will both be just fine."

Bruno shifted his weight guiltily. He didn't want the family to hate him, but he was scared that it was already too late. He loved his sister. He didn't mean to hurt her.

He wasn't sure how he was ever going to talk to Pepa again. He imagined Pepa's angry eyes and clouds and he shuddered.

Bruno shook his head and thought instead of younger memories again, of little Pepa laughing and playing and dancing with him.

"I love you, Brunito!" She would laugh, her eyes warm and full of sincerity. She would hug him so tight that his feet would lift off the ground.

"I love you too, sis." Adult Bruno smiled sadly.

He missed those days.

"What did you say?" Abuela asked, confused.

"Nothing." Bruno laughed nervously, before continuing in a serious tone. "Mamá. About the vision-"

"That is exactly why I am here." Abuela spoke quietly, leaning in closer to her son. "I need you to find something for me."

"Anything!" Bruno smiled hopefully. "You know me, old Bruno, always happy to help."

Bruno chuckled nervously, but his mother didn't. She stayed calm. Bruno gulped.

"What, err - What did you need?" He asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't going to be more bad news.

Abuela sighed, rubbing her forehead before looking up at the walls of the room.

"This casita…" she begun. "I saw it cracking. I saw-"

Abuela turned to her son, a rare vulnerability in her eyes. She took Bruno's hands in hers. Bruno looked at her lovingly, seeing a glimpse of the mamá he knew all those years ago. Sweet Mamá with her long black braids. The mamá who would laugh and hold him, the mamá who would tell stories. The mamá who loved him.

"I… don't know what I saw." Abuela sighed, turning away. When she turned back to Bruno her eyes were guarded again. His gaze fell sadly to the floor.

"Which is why we need you, mijo." Abuela put a hand to his chin, lifting his face up to look at her again. Abuela smiled, and Bruno watched her hopefully.

"I need you to find out more about the cracks in the casita." Abuela spoke in a serious tone. "I need you to find out why the magic didn't choose Mirabel. I need you to find out what is happening to our family, so that we can fix it."

"That's a lot of finding." Bruno laughed nervously, but quickly stopped as he saw his mamá's stoic expression. He gulped, then slowly reached for his hood, pulling it up over his head.

"Consider it done." Hernando nodded seriously.

Abuela smiled, lightly pinching his cheek.

"I knew I could count on you." She sighed, watching him leave the room with a sense of purpose.

Abuela watched her son leave, not realising that this would be the last time that she saw him.