Chapter 18

31 years before Encanto


"We welcome you to our Encanto." Alma spoke in a pleasant voice. "Here, where the magic is strong. Please, do not be afraid."

The people gathered around curiously. They had travelled from the Caribbean Region of Colombia and made their way into the Encanto, seeking refuge and a new home.

One of the people had a bloody and bandaged hand, having injured themselves during the long journey over the mountains. Alma gestured for them to come forward.

"This is my daughter, Julieta." Alma explained, as Julieta stepped forward with a gentle, reassuring smile. She held out a buñuelo for everyone to see, then handed it to the man. He looked at it hesitatingly, then took a bite.

Alma gestured to his bandages. He took them off and stared in wonder. The people all gasped as they saw his hand was completely healed.

"Our family was blessed with a miracle." Alma announced, and as she did so, Pepa held her arms up to create a rainbow over their heads. The people gasped again and Pepa beamed proudly at her mama, who smiled back in relief. She did it.

Félix watched Pepa from the crowd with a grin. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen somebody like her before. The woman looked like sunshine.

"This is my other daughter, Pepa." Alma explained, before turning to Bruno, trying to keep the worry from her voice as she continued. "And this is my son, Bruno."

Alma nodded to Bruno, her eyes hard. Bruno could see it in her expression - don't mess this up.

Bruno gulped, stepping forwards and muttering nervously to himself as he prepared his vision circle, just like they'd planned. "Let the sand swirl, let it glow green, then let it drop..." He whispered under his breath. "No big deal."

Bruno muttered a couple superstitious sayings to himself and tossed a handful of salt over his shoulder, hitting Pepa in the face. She cried out, putting her hands to her eyes as her cloud suddenly thundered and rain poured down. Alma's face dropped.

"Bruno!" Alma scolded, her eyes looking in horror as the people all exclaimed and covered their heads, huddling together in confusion under the rain.

Julieta rushed to Pepa's side, gently putting her hands to her sister's face. "Look up." She said softly, helping her to rinse the salt out against the falling rain as Pepa sobbed. Julieta got out a buñuelo, but Pepa was too distressed to eat it.

Félix watched as the older lady spoke to the crowd, looking worried but trying to calm everyone down. Her son looked horrified and her smaller daughter was trying to fix everything. Sunshine lady looked like she was having a bad time.

He looked up at the rain, then around at his worried friends with a grin. Félix called out with a trill, throwing his hands up at the rain and laughing. Everyone, including the magical family, turned to look at him.

Félix jumped forward into a puddle with a big splash, then started to dance, trilling again as he laughed and splashed around, calling out playfully for his brothers.

Félix's brothers grinned too, joining in. Before long, the whole group was laughing and dancing together in the rain as Alma watched in disbelief.

As Pepa ate Julieta's food and her blurred vision was restored, she looked out at the enthusiastic crowd in confusion. It was raining, but they were happy about it - dancing together under her clouds. Pepa blinked in surprise. She'd never seen people do that before.


The next day Félix explored town, hoping to see Pepa again. He searched for a little while, before breaking into an excited grin as he spotted her. She was wearing a wide brimmed hat, a gardening dress and boots, and held a yellow umbrella over her shoulder as she strode through town like she was on a mission. Félix laughed to himself. She was so cute.

Following after Pepa, Félix headed up to the fields where the crops were being grown.

"You need help today, Señora?" One of the farmers asked Pepa as she passed them.

"No, thank you." She replied quickly.

Félix hurried after Pepa, grinning and waving at the farmers as he passed them.

"Ay! Keep your distance, muchacho!" One of them warned after Félix. "She doesn't like to be interrupted!"

Félix considered for a moment, then shrugged at them, deciding to follow Pepa anyway. The farmers sighed and shook their heads at eachother.

"Que cabron..." He heard them mutter to eachother. "Gonna be a big one today, chicos."

Félix followed Pepa through the fields and watched as she stood in the middle of the crops, putting up her yellow umbrella. Pepa exhaled slowly, then stared out at the fields in concentration. Félix watched in intrigue.

Pepa started muttering to herself with a frown, as if she were having an argument with someone. Félix crept closer to find out what she was doing.

"Stupid Pepa! You can't do anything right." She snapped bitterly at herself, her hands twisting against the handle of the umbrella. "I hate you! Everybody hates you."

Félix blinked in surprise.

"Mama hates you." Pepa's voice started to shake as clouds formed over her head. She swallowed, her arms wrapping around herself as she continued. "You embarrass her. She doesn't want you. She never wanted you." Rain started to pour as Pepa dropped her head, her shoulders shaking as she began to cry.

Félix hurried over in concern.

"Ay! Are you..." Félix's voice trailed off as Pepa turned around with wide and furious eyes, the clouds around her thundering. Félix quickly skidded to a stop.

"What are you doing here?!" Pepa demanded, the thunder crashing with her voice.

Félix looked into her angry eyes. She was breathing heavily as she glared at him, her hands gripping tightly to her umbrella. Félix smiled back.

She reminded Félix of a cat he'd found, back when he was a boy. People had treated it badly and hurt it, so it didn't trust anyone. If people came nearby it'd hiss and spit and scratch. But Félix remembered after a little time and consistent love, that cat had warmed up to Félix, until it was brushing up against his leg purring for food and letting Félix pick it up for cuddles whenever he approached.

Félix watched Pepa, wondering who had hurt her, and if he might be able to earn her trust in the same way.

"I said go!" Pepa exclaimed, the thunder crashing again as the rain poured harder over them. "You hear me?"

Félix squinted up at the swirling, flashing clouds above him in wonder. "Wow..." He said softly, watching the vibrant colours as they thundered against eachother and shot sparks. "You really did that?" He turned back to Pepa with an amazed smile.

Pepa groaned and rolled her eyes, frustrated that her scare tactics weren't working.

"You make them?" Félix asked again, his voice full of excitement as he gestured up at the storm clouds. "They're amazing!"

Pepa exhaled in a frustrated puff. She raised her angry eyebrows. Usually people would be running away by now. Why wasn't he running? This man was infuriating.

"How are you doing it?" Félix asked in genuine curiosity, looking back up. "You make them with your hands?" He held his own hands up towards the clouds thoughtfully, before turning back to Pepa with bright eyes. "You make them with your voice? Your mind?"

Pepa's expression softened a little, the thunder quietening. No one had ever asked her this before, not even Mama.

"My heart." Pepa answered quietly. The thunder stopped and the rain sprinkled lightly around them.

"That's beautiful." Félix said with a genuine smile.

Pepa watched him curiously.

"You can keep on doing what you're doing." Félix said, holding his hands out peacefully. "I'm not gonna stop you. I just-" he glanced back up at the clouds, then back to her with a grin. "I just wanna watch. I've never seen anybody like you before! You're amazing, chica! You're like... Mother Nature."

Pepa laughed at the absurdity of what he'd said, and as she did the rain stopped. Pepa looked around in surprise, then turned to Félix with a frown.

"Great!" Pepa groaned, throwing her arms up in frustration as her cloud reappeared and thundered. "Look what you did! Now I have to do it all again."

"No, you don't." Félix grinned, gesturing up at her cloud. "It's back, see?"

"Not thunder," Pepa sighed, the cloud darkening. "Rain." She looked up at the sky with worried eyes. "If I don't make it rain, then the crops don't get watered, and if the crops don't get watered, then the crops die, and if the crops die..."

Félix watched her curiously as she spoke.

It seemed strange that all this was her responsibility. Félix wondered why they'd put all that pressure on one person.

"You know, I could just go gather some water for the crops, from the river." Félix suggested with a smile. "Then you could relax-"

"I don't want to relax!" Pepa exclaimed, her clouds thundering in frustration at the audacity of him. "This is the only time I'm allowed to cry, hm? So stop ruining it!"

Félix blinked in surprise. Only time she's allowed to cry?

"Now go!" Pepa instructed, shooing him with her hand. "Let me work."

Félix wanted to ask more, but he respected her wishes. He gave Pepa one last smile and left.


Félix spent more time in town the following day waiting for her, but he soon learnt that Pepa didn't leave her casita unless it was a scheduled day for her to come out and water the crops.

The next day came and there she was, heading through town with her umbrella, looking grumpy.

"Ay!" Félix called out to her with a smile and headed over. Pepa rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Great." Pepa groaned, walking faster towards the fields as Félix hurried after her.

"Don't you dare follow me!" Pepa muttered at him as they walked. "Thanks to you, the coffee beans got overwatered, and one of the banana trees got struck by lightning, and the soil got too damp and-" she stopped, noticing an angry cloud appearing over her head and took off her hat to flap at it. "Shoo, shoo, shoo!"

Félix laughed a little, but stopped as Pepa glared at him. She kept walking and Félix quickly followed.

"I got you something." Félix called out, hurrying in front of her so he could hand her a book.

Pepa stopped in her tracks. She looked down at it in surprise, then glanced back up at Félix. Pepa felt conflicted. She adored story books, but she couldn't stand this irritating little man.

"It's an apology present." Félix explained with a smile. "The story's called María."

"I know it." Pepa said softly, her eyes searching the cover with intrigue. "Its a sad story, right?"

"Very sad." Félix grinned.

Pepa sighed.

"Then I can't take it." Pepa said quietly. "Sorry. Mama says I'm not allowed to read sad stories. The clouds ruin the books before I finish them."

Félix smiled kindly, opening the book for her to see.

"That's why I painted the pages with wax." He grinned, "An old sailor's trick." Félix offered it over to her again. "Hm?"

Pepa slowly took the gift in her hands and looked at Félix strangely. Her cloud started to rain. She flinched, quickly looking up at her cloud, then down at the book in panic.

"María is ok!" Félix laughed. "See?" He gestured to the pages, as the rain droplets fell and slid off of them. "No problem."

Pepa looked back up at Félix, her eyes soft with gratitude. The rain stopped.

"This way you can enjoy your crying time." He said with a smile. "Without the, ah... Part where you say all those mean things to yourself."

Pepa blushed, her cloud sprinkling again. She glanced up at it with a frown, then turned back to Félix.

"I should go." She said quietly. "...Thank you."

Félix grinned, watching her hurry away. Just before she went around the corner, Pepa glanced back at him over her shoulder. She smiled, then hurried off.

Félix held in his excitement till she was gone.

"Yes!" Félix whispered with a grin, jumping up in joy.