Miguel tucked himself under the blanket after he turned off the lamp. It was a peaceful sleep until there was a golden light flashing in front of his face with something large, and heavy falls on him.
"Ahhhhhh!" He screamed, and rushed out of his bed to switch on the lights, "Ladrón! Somebody help!".
"Miguel?"
The boy looked at the old man with a cowboy hat.
"Papá Julio!?"
Puff! Another young girl around 3 appears next to the old man. She looks exactly like the girl in the oldest photo on the ofrenda!
"Mamá Coco?" Miguel gasped.
Abel's scream came from outside, the 3 quickly rushed to the courtyard.
"Una bruja appears in our workshop!" Abel screamed as he was running away from a woman in a purple dress.
"Mamá Imelda?"
The woman stopped at Miguel's call.
"What is going on!?" Carmen, and Rosita screeched in horror as they ran into the courtyard where everyone was gathering in except Luisa, and baby Coco.
"I swear this is not my doing." Miguel told Imelda as they looked at the extraño event before them.
"I don't think any human could do this, mijo" she replied.
"Enough!" Elena shouted.
She had enough of this voodoo! Last year Miguelito disappeared the whole night, and came back with one of the most tonto stories she had ever heard in her entire life! And even it was proved that her Grandpa wasn't who she had grown up believing him to be, meeting the dead in another dimension always sounds like a lie.
And now here they are! Right in front of her! Her Mamá, Papá, Tía Rosita, and Todopoderosa Mamá Imelda! She deserves to know…
"What is going on!?" She shouted.
Golden lights came from the sky as the wind started to send chills down everyone's spine. The clouds formed into a giant woman, she might be wearing a grand red dress with a hat, but Elena could tell that her entire body was made of bone like how Miguel described the dead last year.
"Don't be afraid, the livings." Said the Giant Woman, "The dead mean no harm to you all.".
Her whole body shrank almost like what Rosa would do before apologizing.
"Actually it's my fault that they can't go home." She chuckled nervously, "But don't worry, I will make sure everything is solved by the next Día de Los Muertos. So please, welcome them with love for now." She winked, "And the dead, I'm sorry I can send you back to the only where you die, not your house. So if you are buried at Santa Cecilia, but died far away, have a safe journey home." She said kindly before turning serious, "And seriously, guys, take care of yourself! You can still get hurt, and die, and if you die-" she disappeared with glitters, and then reappeared again "You will be forever gone." She warned "So enjoy the family time! use it wisely!"
And then she disappeared, and the sky turned back to normal.
"So we have you" Miguel pointed at the young woman in purple dress, and then at the three years old girl "Mamá Coco, Papá Julio, and Tia Rosita."
He looked at all the dead.
"Where is Papá Hector?" He asked in horror.
"He didn't die here" she replied calmly, "So is Oscar and Felipe.".
"Victoria too." Said Papá Julio, and Mamá Coco in union.
And then Berto's phone rang, making everyone look at him. Who would be calling the shop at this hour?
"Rivera Zapatos" Berto replied, "ah-huh, okay." He nodded, and then handed the phone to Miguel, "A man wanna talk with you, mijo.".
Quién diablos would need to talk to a child in the middle of a very late night? Enrique thought as Miguel answered the call.
"Miguelito speaking?"
"It's me! Chamaco."
"Papá Hector!?"
Miguel quickly turned on the speaker, and the young woman in purple moved closer.
"Hector?"
"Imelda!? ¡Gracias Dios! do you know what's going on?".
"Not much, do you know where you are?" She asked.
"Yes, La Estación de Buenavista, Mexico City." he replied.
"Good, stay there we'll go get you." Imelda replied, and Miguel hung up.
Mamá Imelda turns to Papá Julio.
"You go get Victoria, and the twins. Coco and I will take the train to Mexico City."
"I'm so sorry to interrupt, Señora, but the train doesn't go there anymore." Said Enrique.
"Fine, I'll drive there." She replied with ease.
"I'm coming with you!"
"No Miguel." Imelda, and Enrique replied in union.
It would take 6 hours to drive there, and another six hours to get back. The kids will have to go to school tomorrow.
"Go to bed, kids." He said to all the children.
"But Papá-"
"I will go with them." Enrique reassured, "He'll be here after you finish from school tomorrow, I promise." He hugged the boy "Go to bed, okay?"
He felt his son nodded to his shoulder, and let go of the boy.
"Let's tuck you guys to bed" Carmen said to the kids, and guide them back inside.
"Let's go, Mijo." Rosita said, and guided Miguel back inside with the group.
Enrique turned back to look at Mamá Imelda, and Mamá Coco. It's going to be a long night.
Ladrón = Theif
Una Bruja = A Witch
Extraño = Bizarre
Todopoderosa = Almighty
Quién Diablos = Who The Heck