Bruno sighed as he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already 12 am which meant that a brand new day had arrived. But it wasn't an ordinary one. It was tenth of October, his first birthday outside the walls of Casita. His first opportunity to spend that special day in the company of his family members instead of dozens of rats which used to emerge from every nook and cranny of his old room. Not that he didn't appreciate their presence but deep inside he craved for humans. He craved for someone who would wish him, bake a cake for him, ask him to make a wish and blow the candles, who would give him a present and talk to him nonstop. Yes, he had always been too shy and awkward for people's liking, but he still needed someone who could fill the empty hole in his heart that had been present since the day his isolation began.

That was then. However, truth to be told, he didn't need much now. In fact, he was so relieved to be with his family again that even if they didn't wish him at all, he wouldn't mind it. He would be content to spend the rest of the day just watching them, drinking them in, filling every inch of his heart with the joy of their mere presence. Only time could tell what the day was planning for him but he would make sure he could enjoy himself anyway.

Bruno yawned and stretched, giving some relief to his aching shoulders and spine. He was quite tired and was about to go to sleep when the door banged open and he suddenly found himself surrounded by his sobrinas and sobrinos who were busy giving him a bone-crushing embrace, squeezing the life out of him.

"Feliz cumpleaños, tío Bruno!" – They yelled in unison. Well, almost all of them. Dolores had to cover her ears for a second to regain her composure before joining the rest of the kids.

"Gracias" – Bruno managed to blurt out as soon as their arms loosened enough to let him breathe and speak. The kids finally let him go and he smiled at them, his eyes dangerously close to tears but he held himself back, not wanting to spoil the mood with the salty waterfall that was threatening to come out at any second. Oh, how he adored them! He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy.

"Sorry for disturbing you, tío, we just wanted to be the first to wish you" – Mirabel explained, giving him a shy smile.

"This is so sweet of you, guys". – Bruno said. Despite his best efforts, a few tears still manage to escape and roll down his cheeks. He wiped them with his sleeve, giving an apologetic smile to the kids.

"Hey, no tears! We got you some presents!" – Camilo clapped his hands together and gestured Dolores to bring the gifts. Several minutes later the gifts were delivered to his room and the kids were arguing about who would be the first to give Bruno their gift.

"I am the oldest one!" – Isabela complained, her face twisting into a pout.

"I am the youngest one, I must be first!" – Antonio argued back, looking a bit angry.

This would go on and on if Bruno hadn't found enough courage in himself to put an end to the chaos.

"Relax, everybody!" – His voice sounded surprising in his own ears. He wasn't used to shouting. It hurt his ears and he could see the way Dolores flinched at his voice, her hands swiftly finding their way to her oversensitive ears, enveloping them completely to shield them from any possible noise.

However, his voice brought the desired effect. The kids stopped arguing and looked at him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting such outburst from their quiet tío. Bruno let out a breath he had been holding and sat down in his huge comfortable armchair, his gaze never leaving the kids.

"Now", - He began in a quiet tone – "Relax and calm down, kids. See how stressed Dolores looks? We all should be as quiet as possible in her presence, ok? You don't want to cause her any kind of discomfort, do you?"

The kids lowered their heads in shame. They had forgotten about Dolores's condition. The poor girl just stood there shaking, her hands wrapped tightly around her ears and tears bathing her rosy cheeks. The kids felt pity for her and were about to offer her some comfort when Bruno raised a hand to stop them and reached his sobrina. He removed her hands from her ears and used his thumbs to wipe her tears before giving her a comforting hug.

"It's ok, mi princesa" – he whispered in her ear – "The noise is gone. I am sorry for raising my voice. We are all very sorry, right guys?" – He pulled away and glanced at the children, giving them a pointed look.

"Sí, lo siento, Dolores" – Isabela said and gave her prima a light hug. The rest of the kids followed her example. Their warmth brought the desired effect and Dolores finally calmed down.

"I shouldn't have behaved like that". – Dolores began but Mirabel cut her off.

"Hey, it's ok. It's not your fault, you can't control it. We all get overwhelmed from time to time". – She said and turned to the others.

"Ok, guys, let's do it this way. Dolores will be the first one because she deserves a reward for tolerating us, then Isabela, Camilo, Antonio, I and Luisa".

Nobody protested it so Dolores went to Bruno who was still sitting in his armchair and placed a middle-sized brown box in his lap. The man smiled at her and opened the box. His eyes widened slightly upon seeing what it contained and then he pulled out a beautiful white shell.

"It's very beautiful". – He whispered, running his fingers across the smooth surface of the shell.

"Press it against your ear". – Dolores instructed. Bruno obeyed her and as soon as the shell was close to his right ear he heard a strange sound similar to sea waves. It was very calm and soothing, bringing relief to his head almost instantly.

"If the world ever gets too loud or if you feel anxious, just press it against your ear and it will take your stress away. I use one like this all the time because it blocks the rest of the sounds". – The girl whispered.

Bruno looked up and gave her a grateful smile. Reaching over, he caressed his sobrina's cheek and thanked her. It was so thoughtful of her. He indeed felt too anxious from time to time and having something like this wouldn't hurt.

Next it was Isabela's turn. The girl brought a huge cactus which had lots of colorful flowers and placed it on the table.

"I don't know if you like plants or not but I thought this might bring some freshness and make your room look more lively".

"Gracias, Isa, the cactus is great. It is very thoughtful of you". - Bruno said gently.

It was Camilo's turn. He approached Bruno with an uncharacteristically shy look on his face. He gave his tío a tiny blue box and gestured him to open it. The older man opened it to find a beautiful green mask in it. It could cover his entire face except for the eyes. Pulling it out, he ran his fingers across the fabric of the mask. It was smooth and silky. He liked it almost immediately.

"Tío" – Camilo's voice brought him out of his reverie, making him look up and look his sobrino in the eyes. – "I know you like acting as much as I do. Even before becoming a shapeshifter, I knew I liked acting and was doing my best to improve my skills. I don't remember much about you. In fact, I remember almost nothing but I do remember the way a man in a green ruana would hold me on his shoulders and play with me when I was a kid. He would tell me stories and play with me. I don't remember his face but I remember his words. Whenever I felt shy about revealing my acting skills or just talking to people (I was a shy kid), he would place a small blue mask on my face and tell me it was magical and would make me invisible. "You are Alfredo and you are seen by no one!" – He used to tell me. It really helped, you know? I used to walk down the street with the mask on, thinking no one could see me. I let myself be me, speaking freely to everyone, inventing different characters, changing my voice, using my skills fully and just being myself. It felt like I was in my own room, practicing different scenes and roles. I didn't understand it then but I do now. You wanted to make me see that sometimes it's ok to just put a mask on and forget the world around you, to pretend there is no one around and just let your talent show. Thank you for that, tío Bruno. Today, I want to return the favor. Whenever you feel insecure, put this mask on. It won't make you invisible but it will give you enough confidence to talk freely and do whatever you like. I know how much you like inventing new characters, so I think this one might help you".

By the time Camilo was done with his sensitive speech, everyone had tears in their eyes. Bruno stood up and pulled him in a warm embrace, stroking his hair.

"Camilo, I am amazed by you". – He whispered, releasing the boy. – "I didn't think you would remember that mask".

"I still keep it". – The boy said. – "Yes, I was too young but I remember it. However, I forgot you way too easily. In fact, as soon as you vanished from my memory, I used to think it was a gift from my imaginary friend but then I grew up and figured out it was impossible. I didn't know who gave it to me but I could forget neither the gift nor the giver so I kept it as a reminder from a special someone".

"How did you know it was me?"

"I recognized your voice and your green ruana".

"I see. I am glad I could help, kid".

"You did wonders to me. I never let your words out of my head. That's why I am so confident now".

"Camilo, this is very sweet of you, but we require tío's attention, too". – Mirabel pointed out.

Camilo muttered an apology and stood next to his sister. Everyone looked expectantly at the little Antonio. He pulled a tiny kitten out of his pocket and placed it in Bruno's hands.

"I helped señora Gonzalez's kittens choose their new owners two days ago, remember? This one noticed you when you came to take me home and liked you instantly. She asked me to convince you to adopt her, so I brought her here. Will you keep her?"

Bruno looked down at the tiny furball in his arms. It was a white kitten with some black spots here and there. It would be a month old, no more and it was looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, expecting him to say yes. Bruno's heart melted at the sight. His fingers found their way in the kitten's fur, stroking and caressing it, giving the tiny creature some love and comfort. The kitten meowed approvingly and leaned more into him, seemingly loving his open display of affection.

"I'll keep her gladly, gracias, Antonio". – He said after a while.

"Yay! I knew you would like her". – Antonio exclaimed, making Bruno chuckle and ruffle his curls – "Please, keep her away from the rats, ok?" – The little boy added a moment later.

"Noted".

"What is her name?" – Isabela asked suddenly.

"He will think about it later, Isa". – Dolores elbowed her gently.

"Her name is Maria" – Bruno declared – "Do you like your new name?" – His attention shifted to the little animal in his arms which meowed happily, earning a wide grin from her new owner.

"So, it's settled then! Nice to meet you, Maria". – Bruno took one of her paws in his hands and shook it gently. The kids couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight. Seeing Bruno so happy and carefree was a rare occasion. He was always too shy and quiet around adults but he was exactly the opposite around kids and animals. They provided him with much needed comfort, making it easy for him to communicate with them.

Mirabel was next. Her gifted had a bright silver wrapper with a tiny bow on it.

"Go ahead and open it". – She encouraged.

Bruno's eyes lit up as soon as he saw a huge notebook with a pen. He had been stealing papers for years to write the plots of his telenovelas. Getting papers was a tough job and there were times when he was unsuccessful and was forced to wait for another opportunity and keep his ideas in his mind until then. Surely, Dolores had been helping him a lot, providing him with some necessary things like food, water, blankets, furniture and so on but she couldn't always steal enough papers because Bruno needed tons of them. Sadly, most of his writings got destroyed when Casita fell and he hadn't thought much about writing new ones.

"I know you are a brilliant storyteller". – Mirabel said, claiming his attention. – "We all love your stories. I thought this notebook would encourage you to write more. Please, tío, keep writing stories, you shouldn't waste your talent".

Bruno's eyes watered again. They were too sweet, too kind to him. He didn't deserve that but since they were willing to shower him with their love, he didn't mind it at all.

"I will write more, gracias, Mirabel". – He said gently, hugging his gift to his chest.

Luisa was the last one. She was rather shy to approach her tío, blushing and stuttering but the kids encouraged her to do her part. Bruno sensed her discomfort and gave her a comforting smile, gesturing her to come closer.

"Umm…" – She began, scratching her neck nervously – "Mama told me you like sweets, so I baked this cake for you". – She revealed a huge tray with a chocolate cake placed on it. It looked absolutely delicious, making everyone's mouths water. The cake also had several candles for Bruno to blow them.

"Wow, Luisa, it looks so appetizing!" – Bruno exclaimed, clapping his hands like a child who got his candy – "I didn't know you could cook".

"Mama taught me. I often watch her while she cooks". – She said shyly, heat radiating from her cheeks. Bruno approached her and wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her closer. He looked rather ridiculous, trapped in the large arms of his sobrina whose grip was strong enough to make him gasp but he paid no heed to it. He needed their affection as much as they needed his.

After pulling away from Luisa, Bruno made a wish and blew the candles, making everyone cheer. Then they cut the cake and ate while Bruno busied himself with telling them a story. As soon as they were finished with the cake, Mirabel declared it was time to leave.

"Guys, we need to go before abuela finds us and skins us alive for disturbing tío".

The kids hugged Bruno one by one, wished him goodnight and left. Bruno let himself fall into the bed, stretching his arms under his head with a big smile plastered on his face. It was the best birthday he had ever had!

The End