It's Bruno's turn to take the limelight with his story about a time traveller and his assistant. You know what to do by now. Grab yourself a brew and come make yourself comfortable. This one might get a little weird.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, and Bruno does not own Doctor Who. He's never even heard of it. It's all just a crazy coincidence. Probably...
A Lot of Time: Not so Much Space
Dolores paused when she noticed her uncle across the balcony. She was relieved to see that he was now sat quietly writing something in a notebook. The incessant banging was finally over!
Now that the entire family knew about the entrance into the walls and the shortcut to the vision cave, the Casita had realised it was pointless hiding it anymore. It had therefore created a proper doorway and made the passages inside more spacious and comfortable. Although the Casita could change its shape and move things around with ease, it could only use what was already there. It could not manifest something new out of thin air; that was purely the domain of the miracle itself. The house was incredibly resourceful at times and had on occasion, managed to create doors or even rooms by shifting stone, but it had been unable to manifest a wooden door for the new entrance.
Bruno had wasted no time after seeing the entrance. He had a surprising talent for woodwork and in much the same way that his sister, Julieta, expressed her love through cooking, Bruno liked to make things he thought would be helpful to the people he cared about. As such, a smart yet understated new door now stood on the balcony almost invisible next to the grandeur of Dolores's door.
Her uncle looked up and Dolores quickly lowered the book she had just taken from the library, then raised her free hand. Bruno waved back and returned to writing. Relieved that he didn't come over, Dolores turned towards Julieta's door.
In the days immediately following the new miracle being granted, the doors had remained unformed and full of possibility, glowing on the balcony as they once had before the gift ceremonies. No one is entirely sure why, but some family members speculate that they were waiting for the person they belonged to, to learn more about the new version of their gift, or else, to discover something new about themselves. Once they began to display images, they were not static motifs showing the family member surrounded by representations of their gifts. Instead, the scene would constantly change and the images could move.
The Madrigals were more than just their gifts, and so the doors reflected that. They would display images or scenes from recent events that celebrated who the person was and what was happening in their lives.
Julieta's door currently showed her standing beside what looked to be Camilo, healing his latest injury. Something the new version of her brother's gift did not give him, was the ability to avoid injuring himself, although he could at least transform into someone who wasn't injured, in order to get himself to his aunt. Dolores shook her head at the image, and then with a gentle knock, she entered the room.
Camilo was sitting on one of the three beds, wiggling his ankle.
"There. Good as new," said Julieta.
"Thanks."
"Again? Seriously Camilo?" remarked Dolores.
He just shrugged.
"What can I do for you, Dolores?" asked Julieta.
Dolores showed her aunt the book.
"I found this in the library."
"What is it?" she asked, taking the book and flicking through the pages.
"It's about folklore from Japan. It talks of various demon-like spirits that bring misfortune upon people. Some need to be appeased by strange rituals like throwing cucumbers into rivers. I'm not sure it's wise to leave this in the library."
"Oh dear. I see what you mean."
"What shall we do? Bury it? Burn it? Throw it off a bridge?"
Camilo hopped down from the bed. "Can I have it?"
Julieta didn't look convinced. "You've no idea the damage this could do if your uncle sees it..."
"He won't. I promise. It's just, I've got an idea for a story, but I need to come up with loads of different monsters. That book would be great for inspiration."
After a little thought, Julieta finally agreed. "Fine, but promise me you won't mention anything about cucumbers. He has enough rituals as it is."
.
That night...
"Well, Tía Pepa. Do you have a story for us yet?" asked Mirabel once everyone had settled into their usual positions in the vision cave.
"No. Sorry. Still working on it."
"Bruno has one!" announced Julieta, patting him on the shoulder.
"I do?"
"You know... the time traveller thing."
"Oh, I said 'maybe next time', not 'definitely next time'..."
"Don't be silly. You're a natural. You'll work out the details as you go," Julieta insisted.
Bruno looked around at his family members smiling with expectation and sighed. He didn't want them to be disappointed, and as no one else was offering to go next;
"Fine."
He had done this many times before. Maybe not in front of eleven people who he loved dearly and really wanted to please, but he knew he could do it all the same. He took a sip from his mug and then with a deep breath, he began.
.
"The professor was a kind, unimposing man in his fifties, and popular amongst his students at the academy where he taught. He was also exceptionally intelligent. Too intelligent some might say. Nobody knew his real name. He had gone by many at one time or another, but to most people, he was just 'The Professor'. He was such a talented and well-liked lecturer, that no one concerned themselves too much with his secrecy. His name was not his only secret, however. There was one other that only his assistant, Miranda, knew. Miranda, a former student of his, had intelligence that could easily rival that of the Professor. She knew about his secret, because she helped create it.
"For many years, the Professor had been building a vessel that had the capability to travel through time and space, but while he was sure his calculations were correct, he could never get it to work. That was until he enlisted Miranda's help. The quiet, bespectacled girl that sat alone at the back of his lectures, invisible to her fellow students, had impressed him with the theories she would write about. He saw something special in her and after much deliberation, decided to let her in on his secret. After only a few hours of looking over his calculations, Miranda spotted a tiny detail that he had missed. Just one small change that created ripples through the entire system, and allowed his device to work at last!
"Since then, they had been on many adventures together and were always back in time for dinner. Although the Professor could tell the vessel where to travel to, it could also alert him if there was somewhere he needed to be, and choose the destination itself. That's how this story begins; with a flashing light on the mysterious copper and emerald bracelet that told the Professor there was someone, somewhere that needed help.
"The Professor and Miranda met at their usual place, a big empty barn, ready for their next adventure, and—"
"Wait," Mirabel interrupted. "You didn't tell us what the Professor looks like."
Bruno was puzzled. "Does it matter?"
"Sure it matters. If you want us to sympathise with your main character, we need an idea of what to imagine."
"Like I said, he's an unimposing man in his fifties."
"What's his hair like? What's he wearing? Come on Bruno, I thought you were a visual guy."
"I am. I just don't care what people look like."
"Well, you should."
"But I don't."
"Ugh, at least give us something," Mirabel pushed.
Bruno realised it was hopeless to keep arguing. "Fine. He has wild hair and wears a long, green... uh..." He panicked when he realised he'd started describing himself. "...scarf!"
"Scarf?"
"Yeah... a very long scarf. That reaches the floor. The longest-ever scarf," he confirmed, doubling down on that particular detail and feeling like he'd nailed it. "And he has a black sombrero..."
"And his scarf is green?" asked Mirabel, ignoring the sombrero.
"Yep. Now back to the—"
Mirabel narrowed her eyes. "And I suppose this scarf has hourglasses on it, does it?"
"What? No... And for your information, they're butterflies."
"What are you talking about? 'Butterflies'? They're hourglasses. You know, because of your gift..."
"Yeah, but I don't use my gift... so..."
"But that doesn't—"
"If you two are done squabbling, I'd love to hear the rest of Tío Bruno's space-man story. Preferably before the sun comes up," said Camilo impatiently.
"Time traveller... but whatever..." Bruno replied, and then returned to his story at last.
"The Professor admired his fantastic green scarf. 'Oh what a lovely long scarf I have. I particularly love this charming butterfly pattern!' he said." Bruno threw Mirabel a glance to make sure she'd got that.
"'So where are we going?' asked Miranda.
"The Professor slipped off the bracelet and placed it on the ground. 'I've no idea,' he replied, stepping back. 'But somebody needs us.'
"They watched as the familiar vessel materialised around the bracelet. The Professor opened the door and he and Miranda stepped inside—"
"What? You're not even going to tell us what the vessel looks like?"
"Mirabel! Please..."
"Just a general description would do."
"I dunno. What does a time machine look like?"
Mirabel shrugged. "Like a pocket watch?"
"Fine..." Bruno said with a sigh. "So, before they stepped inside, the Professor and Miranda looked at the big... round... uh...copper thing. It was like a metal igloo with... with green windows...That went all around like a band of glass. Because you know, if you're travelling through time and space you need to be able to see in all directions at once... How's that?"
Mirabel gave an approving nod. "It'll do!"
"Once inside the vessel—which by the way, was a lot smaller than it appeared from the outside, due to the extra thick walls that were filled with the cogs and springs necessary to operate it—the Professor turned a dial on his...uh, navigation... desk... It lit up as though bursting into life and with a whirring sound, the room began to spin, slowly to begin with and then building in speed until it was whizzing by in a blur. The Professor and Miranda didn't spin though. Only the room did. And the view through the continuous green windows remained stationary too. The view suddenly disappeared and was momentarily replaced by stars and swirling light, until with a deep pop everything went completely black. In reality, it was darker than black. It was a complete lack of light—of anything—but the limitations of their human senses registered it simply as 'black'. Even the lights on the navigation desk were snuffed out as though sucked into the nothingness. On and on the spinning continued at tremendous speed until there was another pop and the light returned. A scene then came into view once more: A treeless, desert landscape, cast in twilight. The spinning slowed and the vessel finally came to a halt..."
"THAT was more like it!" beamed Mirabel.
"Thanks kid. So, uh...'Where are we?' asked Miranda.
"The professor looked at the navigation desk and it told him they had arrived on the planet... uh... on A planet." Bruno turned to Mirabel before she could say anything. "Mirabel, I swear if you try to make me come up with a name..."
"I wasn't gonna say anything." She definitely was.
"Anyway... It was a planet with which the Professor was very familiar, and he had become good friends with the alien race that lived there; the Rat..tok...ians... The Ratokian people.
"Ratokians?"
"Yes, Mirabel. That's what they're called."
"Then the planet is 'Ratokia', surely?"
Bruno thought for a moment. "Sure, why not.
"The Professor was horrified when he stepped out of the vessel and saw that the once great city had been reduced to rubble. So many good people, good friends, just gone..."
"Wait... wait..."
"Yes, Mirabel?" Bruno sighed as though gradually losing the will to live.
"If he has a time machine, can't he just go back to before the Ratokian city was destroyed and prevent it from happening?"
"No... because there are only certain points in time that he can travel to. See... there are fixed points in time, and there are fluid points. It's like... It's like the fixed points are tiny islands floating in a vast ocean. You have to land on those islands, or else you'll end up in the water and be washed away, never to be seen again. Time is never set in stone until you observe it though. Until you pick your island. But the second you do that, you're locked into a timeline and there's nothing you can do to change it. You're now stuck in that one place, that one island, with no way off, while the rest of the infinite possibilities of fate melt around you and wash away forever."
"You've really thought about this, haven't you?"
"Oh yeah!"
Camilo joined in again. "And that will be the last interruption thank you. Some of us have a full day of rehearsals tomorrow. Mirabel, save your questions for the end... Tío Bruno, stop letting her bother you, you're doing great."
That was quite a compliment coming from the finest storyteller the Encanto had to offer, so Bruno nodded and continued.
"The sky was a patchwork of red, orange and yellow due to the sun being lower in the sky in Ratokia. When the city still stood, the golden light shone perpetually against the thousands of spear-like buildings that had once lined the streets like giant stalagmites, and reflected off the polished metal of the machinery that kept everything ticking. Some of the buildings on the outskirts were still intact, glowing angelically in the golden light like beacons of hope amongst the ruins. The Professor knew that if he was going to find any of his friends alive, they would be there, and so he picked up the bracelet that lay on the floor where the vessel had dematerialised, and began heading towards the fallen city.
.
"'So, how do you know these Ratokians anyway?' Miranda asked as they were walking.
"'I lived with them once.'
"'You mean, you stayed with them a while?'
"'A while, yes.'
"They eventually reached the tallest of the shard-like buildings that remained intact. It consisted of many conical houses that had been built one on top of the other, with the houses at the bottom being fairly wide, and then gradually getting narrower towards the top. A large, tubular structure with many windows along its length, wrapped around the outside of the building like a corkscrew. Although not visible from the outside, the Professor knew that it contained stairs that accessed each floor.
"Miranda looked up in awe. 'So this is where the Ratokians live?'
"'They did. Let's just hope there are some left alive.'
"The Professor and Miranda entered the encased stairway and began to climb.
"'How far up do we need to go?' Miranda panted when they were less than a few stories high.
"'Right to the top. That's where the Ratokians with the most status and power live, and if my friend is still alive, he'll have looked for the tallest remaining building to take up residence.'
"'That makes no sense,' Miranda groaned, stopping to catch her breath. 'You're saying those with the most power have the smallest houses and the furthest to travel?'
"'Yeah... But that's because the families that live near the bottom have to share their houses with other families. They're wider, sure, but they also house hundreds of Ratokians so are pretty cramped inside. The ones at the top get their houses all to themselves. Besides, the wealthier they are, the less they have to work, and so the less they need to leave their homes.'
"'So you're saying the most important people stay up in their tower and never come down unless they have to?'
"'I suppose I am, yes.'
"After climbing a few more floors, Miranda stopped again, this time sounding more out of breath than before.
"'This world is ridiculous!' she yelled. 'You're seriously telling me that an alien race with advanced technology has no means to reach the top of a huge building, other than stairs?'
"'I never said that. No, the buildings have elevators too.'
Miranda gave the Professor a furious glare. 'What?'
"'Well sure they do. But you have to go inside to access them, and what's to say it's even working?'
The Professor continued up the stairs, while Miranda stayed still and watched him for a moment, wrestling with the urge to thump him, before continuing after him with a growl.
.
"When they finally reached the top floor, the Professor knocked on the door. After a few moments, a strange voice called out from within.
"'Who's there,' said the voice, except only the Professor could understand it because it was in the Ratokian language.
"'Joe? It's me, the Professor,' he replied, also in Ratokian.
"Miranda looked confused, and a little impressed, though she tried to hide it. 'You can speak their language?'
"'Of course I can. I told you, didn't I? I lived with them once.'
"'How long for, for crying out loud?'
"'Ten years.'
"'TEN years?'
"'Well, ten years, two months and sixteen days to be exact. But who's counting?'
"'Wait. What? When?'
"'Last Thursday.'
"'But...' Miranda cast her mind back to the previous Thursday evening. 'We went out for dinner on Thursday. You never thought to mention that you'd just spent ten years on an alien planet? Without me, I might add.'
"'I would have mentioned it, but I couldn't get a word in. You just went on and on about that stupid intern, that for some reason you refuse to talk to.'
"'David is NOT stupid. He's perfection on legs. And there were plenty of opportunities for you to tell me. What about the fifty minutes you spent explaining the potential toxicity of wine? At no point in that monologue did you stop and say, "oh and by the way, I've just spent ten years on a freaking alien planet"! I thought we were meant to be a team, Professor. You need to tell me these things.'
"'Ahem.' The Professor's friend had opened the door and was watching in bafflement as the two humans were bickering back and forth in a language he bearly understood.
Although clearly not human, Joe had a lot of familiar features. The most obvious difference being his grey skin, closely followed by his legs that bent backwards at the knee, rather like a dog standing on its hind legs. His face was more pointed than a human's, and his ears stuck out further. Unlike human hair, which grows most prevalently on the top and back of the skull, the Ratokians had hair follicles that continued down their neck and across their shoulders. Other than his white, glossy mane, Joe was otherwise completely and unashamedly naked.
"'Ah, Joe. I'm so glad to see you alive,' said the Professor, hugging his old friend. His expression intensified. 'What happened here?'
"'We were attacked,' replied Joe. His dark, glassy eyes trembled with moisture. 'It happened so fast. They took everything, Professor. Even your technology. Our vehicles, the generators, all of it. They wanted to take our people too. I begged them to meet with me. I hoped to come to some kind of peaceful arrangement. They agreed, but before I had even left the Shard, they opened fire. We didn't get a chance to defend ourselves. The city was flattened within minutes.'
"'Are there other survivors?'
"'There are many, yes. We're tough. But many, many more were lost.'
"'And where are these aliens now?'
"'They've set up a base to the east of the city, but they have stations all around the outskirts. You're lucky not to have bumped into their patrols. Nobody is getting in or out of here alive. Well, besides you. I don't think they're aware of you or your vessel, and I think it's better it stays that way.'
"'What's going on? What are you talking about?' asked Miranda impatiently.
"The Professor gave her a quick rundown of what Joe had said.
"'Then we have to help them, Professor. We can't let these aliens get away with this.'
"'I know, but what can we do? It's not like we can just go and talk to them and try to persuade them to leave," said the Professor as a grin spread across Miranda's face.
.
"And so Miranda and the Professor set off east, to go and talk to them and try to persuade them to leave.
"'Did you even miss me?' Miranda suddenly asked.
"'Sorry, what?'
"'While you were gone. Did you miss me?'
"'Well, not exactly. But to be fair, I'd literally just seen you that morning.'
"'From MY perspective! It'd been years for you!'
"'Yeah, but I kept thinking I'd be back any minute. It's just... well you know how distracted I get when I'm in the zone.'
"'You were "in the zone" for ten years?'
"'Ten years, two months and sixteen days, yes. Is that so impossible to believe?'
"Miranda sighed. "With you Professor, nothing's impossible.'
"They soon left the boundary of the city and a strange black mound appeared on the horizon, contrasting abruptly against the desert landscape. They both knew that the other understood it was the base, and so they continued towards it without a word.
"As they drew closer, they could see that the base was a wide but very low dome constructed from sheet metal. The Professor wasn't particularly tall, but he imagined it would be difficult to stand up straight once inside. The walls were flat but with many corners, and there were no obvious doors or windows. Hundreds of egg-shaped pods were arranged in a continuous row, like a chain, around its circumference, but they did not appear to offer a way in.
"'What now?' asked Miranda.
"'We look for a door.'
"The Professor scanned the area for a way in, but there was nothing obvious.
"'Let's see if there's anything on the other side,' suggested Miranda.
"They walked around the vast structure for a while, without spotting any discernable doors, then something caught Miranda's eye.
"'There's something there!'
"The Professor looked where she was pointing and instantly burst out laughing. 'What is that?' he asked through laughter.
"'A plucked chicken, maybe?'
"'On Ratokia?' The Professor regained his composure. 'They don't have chickens here. Just huge bugs that poop out a sweet honey-like substance that the Ratokians use to make cakes. And pink stuff called shwelk, that tastes almost like chocolate.'
"'They eat poop?'
"'So what? Milk is just a fatty secretion from modified sweat glands, and eggs are basically a hen's erm... Well anyway, it's not like our diet is any less weird. Besides, that pink stuff? It's really, really good!'
"'Erm, Professor. As much as I love your lectures, the chicken thing is coming this way.'
"Sure enough, the little creature was heading straight for them. It looked a lot like a featherless chicken, except its legs bent at the knees like human legs, and its arms pointed backwards so that it was hard to imagine how it could possibly feed itself, or even scratch its nose; which it did have. Its head was shaped somewhat like a bird, but it had a fleshy snout rather than a beak. Oh, and it had no discernable neck.'
"Upon noticing this strange appearance, the Professor started to laugh again.
"'Oh God, look at the thing! What is that? It's so weird,' he laughed, pointing and covering his eyes with one hand.
"'I am a Gallek,' hissed the little creature.
"'It can speak our language?' The Professor started laughing harder. 'I can't... I'm going to die...'
"'Professor!' Miranda snapped, elbowing him.
"'Okay, sorry, I'm sorry... I'm done...'
"'Who are you? And what makes you dare approach the Galleks' domain?'
"The Professor wasn't done after all. He burst out laughing again upon hearing the Gallek trying to sound intimidating.
"Miranda elbowed him again, but harder, flashing him a furious look. He turned away, hoping that he would stop laughing so long as he couldn't see the creature.
"'Forgive my companion,' Miranda said. 'We're still working on a diagnosis.'
She then crouched down so she was closer to the Gallek's height. 'Are you the people who attacked this planet?'
"'Indeed we are.'
"The Professor spun back around, no longer laughing. The little creature was not so amusing after all. 'Then we would like to speak to your leader,' he ordered with a force he rarely displayed.
"'We are all the leader,' replied the Gallek. 'You may speak to me.'
"'Very well, I should ask you to leave this place,' said the Professor with a warning tone. 'Take what you must and then go. Let the remaining Ratokians rebuild their lives.'
"'I'm afraid that's not going to happen,' replied the Gallek. 'You see, we have already destroyed our planet, and this one is a perfect fit for us.'
"'But it's not yours,' barked the Professor.
"The Gallek gestured towards the ruined city. 'Oh but it is. I think you'll find we have very much earned it.'
"The Professor was enraged. 'And what happens when you destroy this planet too?'
"'We find another, and then another. And on and on it goes...'
"'Not if we stop you first!' The Professor rushed forward as he spoke and made to grab the Gallek, which instantly tottled away, every bit like the featherless chicken it resembled. The Professor might have found it amusing had he not been so filled with rage.
"As the Gallek reached one of the egg-shaped pods, it began to crack open down the middle to reveal a strange contraption inside.
"The outer structure of the contraption consisted of a single length of thick, metal tubing that had been wound roughly into the shape of an upturned bucket. It was hollow with an opening at the top, and a seat attached to three wheels operated by pedals was just visible through the piping. The Gallek quickly climbed up the side, using the piping as a ladder and then dropped down into the seat.
"'I'd start running if I were you, Professor and Miranda,' it called out menacingly, alarming them both by using their names. It began to pedal and the contraption rolled forward. With one of its backwards pointing arms, the Gallek reached behind and pulled the basket-like lid of the contraption shut.
An eerie, golden flame ignited above the Gallek's head, clearly visible through the woven lattice of twisted strips of steel. The contraption picked up speed, as other pods began to open, and many more identical contraptions poured out. Miranda and the Professor barely had time to take in the scene, when a ball of fire launched from one of the contraptions and landed near their feet. The fire had such a fierce heat that it created a puddle of molten rock where it landed. They flashed one another a horrified look as the situation dawned on them, then immediately bolted back towards the city.
"The Galleks weren't particularly fast, so they were soon out of range of the fireballs, but they both knew they couldn't keep on running indefinitely. Especially not Miranda, whose sedentary lifestyle meant she lacked the Professor's extraordinary speed and agility, despite being nearly thirty years his junior. It wouldn't take the Galleks long to catch up to them once they stopped, so they needed to come up with a plan, fast.
"'What do we do?' Miranda panted.
"'All we can do is try to lose them in the city. Once they give up the chase we'll go back for Joe and the other survivors.'
.
"They made it into the city and started to pick their way through the rubble, aiming for some of the larger segments of building to hide in. Just as they thought they'd lost their pursuers, another swarm of Gallek contraptions began closing in on them from ahead, and several fireballs struck the ground.
"'This way!' yelled the Professor, grabbing Miranda's hand and leading her in the only direction free from Galleks.
"'I can't keep running much longer,' Miranda cried out.
"'You have to. Come on... we're almost there,' the Professor lied. He had no idea how much longer they'd have to run.
"Then both their hearts sank as yet more Gallek contraptions appeared in the distance. There was nowhere left to run.
"'Professor! Activate the vessel. We've gotta get out of here.'
"'I can't. There's rubble everywhere. It needs more space.'
"'Can't you at least try?'
"The Professor reluctantly removed the bracelet and threw it onto the littered path a little way ahead of them. As soon as it landed it began to change shape and grow, but then instantly snapped back into the bracelet. 'I do hate being right all the time!' he grumbled, snatching it up again.
"The Galleks were closing in from all sides. There was no escape. A ball of fire hit the ground less than a hundred yards in front of them.
"The Professor stopped running and slumped over. 'I'm so sorry Miranda. This is where it ends. I've got us both killed,' he cried out in anguish.
"'No, you haven't. Not yet anyway,' replied Miranda valiantly, as another fireball struck the ground much closer.
"'Thanks for that. I feel a lot better now. For the next fifty seconds, I shall revel in the glory of having not yet gotten us killed...'
"Miranda ignored the Professor's sarcasm and calmly scanned her surroundings for a way forward.
"'The building!' She pointed to one of the shards that was partly intact but missing the uppermost floors. 'The top looks flat. That should be enough space.'
"The Professor straightened up, feeling his resolve return and gave a firm nod. 'Come on,' he said, taking her hand once more. With a sudden burst of energy, the two of them sprinted for the building, careful to avoid the puddles of molten rock as fireballs showered around them.
"They reached the bottom of the stairs that hugged the outside wall and began hurrying up them, hearing the fireballs strike the steps below. There was then angry yelling, followed by some rather violent-sounding thuds. The Professor looked over his shoulder and then stopped, forcing Miranda to stop too.
"'Professor?'
"'Ha! Would you look at that!'
"Miranda looked back. The Galleks were angrily shooting at the lower steps as some of the contraptions fell over backwards in their futile attempt to follow. One of them accidentally shot another, instantly dissolving it.
"'The stairs? The STAIRS saved us? Ha!'
"'All the same, I don't think we should hang around too much longer. Come on,' said Miranda, motioning to keep going.
"They continued up the stairs, albeit much more slowly, until they reached the flattened top of the ruined building.
"As they had hoped, it was wide enough for the Professor to activate the vessel. He paused as he opened its door. Looking out over the ruins of his home of ten years, he felt a deep regret.
"'Everything okay, Professor?'
"'Yeah. I just... Joe is out there, you know? He'll be waiting for us. Hoping we've managed to save his people. Yet here we are, running away.'
"'What choice do we have? It's not your responsibility to fix everything that's wrong in this universe.'
"'Isn't it? I have the means to influence events for the better. Surely I have a responsibility to use that power?'
"'When you can, sure. But you can't keep blaming yourself whenever it goes wrong.'
"'It does go wrong rather a lot though. Remember the Carassians?'
"'I thought we'd agreed never to talk about that? But yes, bad things are always going to happen. That's how life is. Just because you can't change that, doesn't mean it's your fault.'
"They entered the vessel and the Professor set the coordinates for home.
"'This won't be the last time I come here,' the Professor announced solemnly as the room began to spin. 'I am coming back for Joe.'"
.
Bruno took a sip of his now cold chocolate santafereño and the vision cave fell silent. One by one, his family members realised he had finished the story.
"Shouldn't you say, 'To Be Continued' or something?" suggested Camilo.
"I don't know if it will be continued."
"You kidding me? He's got to go back for Joe now!" said Mirabel.
"I haven't really thought about that though..."
"Go on. Just say it!" Mirabel pushed.
"Fine. To—maybe—be continued."
Then to Bruno's surprise, everyone started clapping and Pepa patted him on the shoulder. Did that mean they liked his story?
.
The family returned to the balcony and split off to their rooms. After saying goodnight to Julieta and Agustín, Bruno started walking up the steps to his own door.
"Tío Bruno!"
He turned back when he heard a voice. Mirabel was alone on the balcony behind him.
"Great story!"
"You think so?" he said curiously. That wasn't the impression she'd given him.
"You know I was only pushing you because I know you have it in you, right?"
Bruno had been criticised a lot in his life, but never because people believed in him. "Oh, then, thanks. I guess..."
Mirabel smiled. "We do make quite a team, don't we? I'd love to go on adventures with you for real. Travelling far and wide. Saving the day..."
"What? You think that was us? No, no... they were completely made-up characters."
Mirabel didn't look convinced. "You sure about that?" she said, nodding towards his door with a grin before heading towards the nursery.
Bruno looked up the steps and realised what she'd seen. His door showed an almost identical image to the one in the old Casita, but with a few changes. The hourglass in front of his likeness had rotated 90 degrees and was slowly fluttering its 'wings', as were the two smaller ones below it. However, the most significant changes were the addition of a sombrero, and that billowing around him in place of his ruana, the figure now wore an exceptionally long scarf.
He heard Mirabel's voice call out as it travelled along the balcony.
"Good night, Professor!"