BRUNO P.O.V
Excitement can be felt throughout the town. Everyone joyously singing and dancing as people mill about in preparation for a joyous occasion. Decorations can be seen on every corner. Smiles all around. The weather was a perfect, sunny day. Mirroring the emotions of the bride. Pepa Madrigal from the illustrious Madrigal family is finally getting married.
In the Encanto, everyone knows and respects the Madrigals. For they were the ones who led them to safety and are the people who help them every day. In the Madrigal family, everyone is given a gift. A gift that they use to help people to show that we have earned our miracle. With their gifts come their job where they can contribute most.
Bruno was doing his. Seeing in the future, making sure that no grave danger befalls the family. Or so he believes. Many believe that because anything he sees become a reality, felt like a curse. They do not see that he was only a messenger. Their future was on their hands. Not his.
He couldn't believe they were blaming him. Margaret's goldfish died because she wasn't feeding it enough. Not because he warned her of it dying. The priest's hair, well he didn't know why he became bald. Lastly, Benjamin's gut was because he was drinking too much and wasn't exercising. I mean it wasn't even a vision. He just casually warned how he was going to grow a gut with his drinking and eating habits. But even as he explained, people didn't believe him.
Contrary to what people believes, Bruno only wanted to help. To make his family proud. To make his Mama proud. And so, he pours sand on the floor. Preparing for the ritual he must make at the very top of his tower. The echo of the falling sand was all that can be heard on the wide space of Bruno's room. With the sand forming a circle he stops. Lighting up the dry leaves he prepared beforehand and sat down.
He was anxious, hoping to see something good for Pepa. He knows that if he sees something bad happening, he will be the one who's going to be blamed. But he wanted Pepa to be happy, and if he see's something he can prevent. Then he will make sure it doesn't happen. Even if changing the future seem to be impossible.
He closed his eyes concentrating, all the while throwing salt over his shoulder to ward off bad luck. Feeling the familiar sting in his eyes, he opened them, glowing brightly as he used his gift. The sand around him shifting, circling him as it showed visions of the future.
He saw her mad, thundering and cloud over her head, then witnessed how Felix took her hand, kissing it all the while shooing at the cloud. She smiled at him, joy and love radiating his face. The image changed, 2 children by their side as they hold a newborn in her hand. Finally, an image of a cloud falling hail over her head, but still smiling and dancing with Felix.
Satisfied, his eyes slowly dimmed. The sands falling, as an emerald block falls in his hand. An image of a happy family can be seen. Feeling ecstatic, he stood up, vision in hand as he planned on hiding it, and put it up sometime.
It was nearing the time for Pepa's wedding he noted, as he got out of his room and through the town. People were frantic now, as last-minute preparations were being made. Many were near the church, patiently waiting for the event to start.
A grin was on his face as he came but turning into a slight grimace when he heard whispers of how it creepy it had looked on him. He couldn't blame them, he was usually nervous, and with constant bad visions, he rarely was seen smiling. He wasn't used to smiling, hence the reactions.
When he entered the bride's room, where Pepa was preparing with their mother and Julieta, he couldn't help noting the nervousness on his face. Her forehead sweating as she paced back and forth, a thundering cloud following her ahead. But it still didn't ruin how beautiful she looked.
"Calm down Pepa, the cloud, the cloud. It will ruin your makeup." Their mother scolded her worrying.
"Everything's going to be fine Pepa." Julieta, calm as ever, soothed Pepa. It seemed to be working as the cloud slowly lightens. Pepa then saw him at the corner, with a worried face, she ran to him.
"Well?" She asked clearly nervous. Bruno smiled.
"It looks like rain" he joked, trying to lighten the mood, as her nervousness was palpable. But as always, his jokes tend to fly past people as a full-on storm materialized outside.
"What!? What do you mean!? What's going to happen?" she asked even more anxious. Their mother and sister were instantly by her side. Urging her to sit down and calm down. Julieta giving her water and attempting once again to placate her.
"Nothing, I mean, that's not –" Stuttering to explain, he was cut off by his mother.
"Bruno! You know how anxious your sister is right now. Why don't you sit with the others and wait." He sighed, as he was misunderstood once again. He stepped out, and looked back once more, seeing his family fanning Pepa. An ache in his heart, he bore good news, yet even then he failed on delivering it.
Maybe I really shouldn't have made the joke. He thought as the groom and bride made their vows, a hurricane outside. He was happy though, as he saw the adoration in Felix's eyes, even with the weather outside.
"So, when are you getting to get a bride hijo?" He almost choked, spitting out the food he was eating during the feast, his mother's question surprising him.
"Ah, I, uh" he stuttered, unprepared for the question. Nobody even likes me. They all think I'm cursed and creepy. He thought, unsure how to answer hi mother.
"You know, I know of this girl who would be perfect for you. A great addition to the Madrigal family." His mother was smiling at him. His head was in turmoil, thinking of something to escape the situation.
"Why so sudden Mama?" he asked instead.
"Oh, I'm just worried about you hijo. You're the last one of your siblings yet to get married. Here let me introduce her" Getting more frantic, Bruno grabbed his head.
"What's this, I feel a vision coming, I have to go and see what it is" he paused and stared at his mother for a moment. "Bye" he said before rushing off to his room. But coming back quickly to take the plate he had been snacking on before leaving once more.
He closed the door to his room, leaning on the doorframe, exhaling in relief. One of his rats came out his sleeve and looked at him in disappointment.
"What?" he asked, "we both know how that's going to go. No Thank you." Only a squeak was heard from the rat.
"I am not." He answered, "you know what, whatever, I'm going to bed."
Years passed by things hardly changing, except for the little additions the Madrigal family had received. His nieces running around the casita as they played around.
His gifts sometimes vague and misunderstood. Other times straight to the point. Him looking at his niece's future had become a tradition. Every time they would reach of age and receive their gifts, he would give them a vision.
"The life of your dreams will be one day yours, Isabella" He was kneeling in front of his niece. Giving her one of the few nice visions he had seen. "And your power will continue to grow like the grapes that thrive on the vine"
Dolores vision, on the other hand, he wasn't too happy delivering it to her. "The man of your dreams would be just out of reach, betrothed to another" the kid clearly still not familiar with romance, only looked at him silently.
"Well, being single's not too bad. I mean look at me" he joked, then realized what he said. "You know what, don't take me as an example. Maybe I didn't fully see you're future."
His only nephew, Camilo, had been different. He wasn't able to give him his vision as the kid seemed to be terrified of him. He would scream and cry every time he sees him even more so when his rats popped out of his back that one time. He was utterly terrified and Pepa would do her best trying to calm her child.
"No mama, he can see dreams and they say that he feasts on screams" Camilo whispered to Pepa, sniveling. Honestly, as days pass the rumors about him had become more and more ridiculous. People had this strange concept of their fates being sealed when he read's their prophecy.
And this day would be the day he read Mirabel's future. But just as we watch the door of her door fade to nothingness, he knew something was wrong. And with Mirabel back in her room, crying at the event, mother had asked me to see into the future. To know if our family's magic was fading.
And so, he did. And the future left him with even more questions. It had been vague and was confusing. The only thing he was sure of, was that their family's magic depended on Mirabel. But knowing how people thought of him. They would assume the worse. And he couldn't do that to her. Couldn't watch as people would ostracize her because of the vision he had. He knew how that felt.
Bruno loves his family, but he feels like his gift isn't helping at all. Like maybe he was the reason for all the bad luck. Maybe if he doesn't read the future, if people don't know what the future would hold. Then maybe his family would be better off without him.
And so, to protect Mirabel and his family. He left.
Then he came back after 6 hours. The mountains were too tall. He couldn't possibly climb it up that high. He maybe had better endurance compared to others due to his room, but climbing that mountain was impossible.
Going back, he was preparing himself to what his family would say. He was thinking of what he would say to not harm Mirabel. Maybe omit details. But just as he was about to enter his room. One of his rats bit the end of his cape stopping him from moving further. He looked down and saw that he was being urged to go somewhere.
"What is it?" he followed Jorge until he climbed inside a painting. Feeling lost he tried to call him back. Jorge peeked out of the painting and squeaked. He pushed the painting only to reveal that it can be opened and lead to a big hole in the wall.
Following inside and going further in, he could see cracks forming on the walls of the house. He traced the lines worried for his family. He stopped on a gaping hole in the middle of the floor where more cracks can be seen on the side. He looked at Jorge beside him, then watched as he jumped from one broken piece of the floor protruding on the side, to another.
Jorge squeaked urging him to follow him.
"I can't do that" he said pertaining to the parkour the rat had just done. Jorge squeaked once again and he took a deep breath, knocked on wood, and threw salt over his shoulder, before jumping. He exhaled a breath of relief when he reached the other side safely. Deeper in, at the end of the hallway, was a small space, big enough to stay in.
"Well, I guess home sweet home." Hernando squeaked and he followed. "Sweet, its kitchen adjacent" He peeked in the small crack on the wall, finding it was just by the table where the family would eat. He looked around once more and let out a sniffle.
He stayed there for a long time. Taking food from the kitchen nearby. He would get lonely sometimes of course, but at least he gets to eat with his family. Even if they didn't know that he was eating with them. He drew a small plate on a table, close to the crack. Sometimes he would pretend that he was still with them, laughing and sharing stories with them but he knew he couldn't.
Over the years cracks on the wall that increased over time. He hoped it would help. That it would make a difference. He would patch it up, mumbling and talking to himself, a trait he had developed from years of solitude. Something that made Dolores realize he was there.
While murmuring under his breath he peeked outside, only to see Dolores looking directly at him. Panicking he closed his mouth and held his breath, hoping she wouldn't hear. But it was already too late. Dolores pulled at her mom's dress who had been passing by. Gaining her attention Dolores told her, "I can hear Tio Bruno in the –"
"We don't talk about Bruno Dolores." Pepa cut her daughter off, a small thunder in her cloud and left. Dolores squeaked a small 'hm' and shrugged before leaving.
Bruno didn't know whether to be relieved or to be hurt. It seemed his family wanted to forget about him and couldn't even talked about him. He collapsed on the big chair he had found and closed his eyes. Maybe it was better that way. 2 years had passed and nothing bad had happened yet.
A while later, he saw a stack of snacks and some books on the outside of the painting. He looked around and saw Dolores looking at him. They both stared at each other before Dolores left, pretending nothing had happened. Understanding who had left it there, he smiled.
And so, he stayed, and somehow it had been more bearable.
Bruno had felt it when his room was being entered, felt the rumbling and felt when that it was destroyed. Good riddance he thought, thinking of the stairs that he had to climb every time. But he was also worried, his visions were in there, who would go there and why? Later his rats reported how Mirabel had taken the pieces of his last vision. The one he didn't one anyone to see.
He felt so stupid. Why did he just leave it there? Nobody ever goes to his room, he thought no one would ever do. He cautiously went out, trying to see whether he could take the vision from Mirabel before it was too late. Then he heard a catchy beat. It seemed someone was singing quietly. He saw both Mirabel and Dolores dancing and singing about – him?
"Hey, grew to live in fear of Bruno stuttering or stumbling, I can always hear him sort of muttering and mumbling, I associate him with the sound of falling sand, ch ch ch"
"It's a heavy lift with a gift so humbling"
He tiptoed trying not to get caught but was almost seen by Mirabel but was saved when Dolores dragged her out to her other side.
"Always left Abuela and the family fumbling, grappling with prophecies they couldn't understand, Do you understand?"
This song was so great though and he couldn't help but pause and dance to the beat and vibe with his head moving side to side. As the song progressed, he couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the song. Don't talk about him yet here they were singing about him.
He peeked at the crack in the wall and saw them still dancing and singing a song of all the prophesies he had made. Why couldn't understand that the future wasn't up to him? He just sees them.
His heart stopped when the vision that he told no one about was pieced together and brought in front of his mother. He quickly turned and ordered his rats to retrieve it. Quickly running he held the pieces up to him when he noticed someone in the corner of his eyes.
Mirabel
Quickly running, ignoring her calls, he was grateful that at least something good came out of the exercise his room had made him do. He lost her just as he jumped at the crater in the floor. He stopped when he heard her scream and instantly went back, catching her just in time.
"You're very sweaty" he said to Mirabel holding her hand. The weight of both of them together was too much for the floor to bear as it gave out under him and he fell in, this time caught by Mirabel. He smiled thinking he was saved when Jorge suddenly came out of his sleeve and frightened Mirabel causing her to let him go.
His life flashed before his eyes at that moment but just as he fell, he felt the ground under him. He looked down. I'm Alive! … That was it? All this time I've been doing parkour and it was only that shallow?
His interaction with Mirabelle left him hope. Maybe I could finally go back with my family. He wished that she would be successful. He wanted to go back, to be with his family. He had missed them despite being so nearby.
His hopes were crashing alongside the house as it crumbled down to the ground. He saw how everything fell to pieces and was relieved to see everybody was safe. But when he heard the frantic cries of Julieta looking for Mirabelle, he worried. He looked for her regretting his choices.
Everything had been fine until Mirabelle had seen his vision. It was his fault. They were right about him.
He shook that thought and focused on finding Mirabel, as he was getting even more concerned. Finding a horse, he instantly took it and sped away. When he saw his mother and Mirabel, he couldn't help but think of all the time she had scolded him whenever he saw a bad prophecy. He urged the horse to be faster, wanting to explain that everything was because of him. That it wasn't Mirabel's fault.
Just as he was prepared for his mother to hate him, to get mad at him, he was bewildered instead by the hug she had received form her. He melted into her warm embrace and savored the rare moment. He was confused what was happening, but it felt everything was going great.
He was anxious what his sisters would say to him and was ready to clarify all the misunderstandings that he heard by their little musical number a while ago. He was pleasantly surprised when they had just hugged him too. He felt their love for him, and he felt their acceptance of him.
Building the new house with them, with everybody, he felt that he was finally contributing to the family.
And he couldn't help but smile.
He's home.