El Viaje de Coquita
El Capítulo Once

The year was 2026. Miguel was now 21 years old. Over the last nine years, he had compiled all the information he had about his Papá Héctor and used it to write a book. It had been published the year before and dedicated to his now 9-year-old sister, Socorro, whom he set about molding into her namesake, her and Miguel's late great-grandmother Mamá Coco.

Miguel was reluctant to advertise the book, not only because of what his family would've said, (he wrote the book mainly to avoid keeping the secret bottled up without spilling the beans to his family) but also because of how it put Ernesto de la Cruz in a suspicious light. Nobody had been able to unlock the secret of his success, but Miguel had reason to believe that his great-great-grandfather had a hand in that success. He was stopped from investigating the matter further by his promise to Mamá Coco.

So far, the only place that had copies of his book was the Santa Cecilia library, and he had no idea if anyone had touched them. He did, however, secretly use the book to teach his sister how to read. The rest of the family just assumed she was a fast learner.

Socorro was in her room getting her hair braided by Miguel.

"Guess what today is, hermanita?"

"It's Día de los Muertos!"

"That's right! It's a day for being together with our family, living and dead."

"I'm so excited!"

"Mí también."

Miguel looked at himself in the mirror. He had grown up to look just like his Papá Héctor. Same face, same body, same hair, same ears, even the same soul patch on his chin. Of course, the only ones aware of the similarities were those who both met him in person and read his book. And the only person that he knew fit that bill was Socorro.

The family had succeeded in making a shoemaker out of the young man, and his specialty craft proved to be, of all things, chanclas. He still played music in secret along with his sister Socorro, but the only evidence of that was the fact that Papá Héctor's entire body had been ripped out of Mamá Imelda's foto. And the family's own taboo against the musician prevented them from figuring out what had happened to it.

That and a pair of special sombreros with ear coverings that Miguel and Socorro had tricked the family into thinking would keep out the sound of music.

Their 81-year-old Abuelita walked into the room. She was using a walker, but she still had the power to effectively wield a chancla.

"Are you almost finished, mijos?"

"Just putting on the finishing touches, Abuelita."

"It's almost time for dinner."

"We know."

Miguel finished tying the ribbons at the ends of Socorro's braids and topped off the look with her sombrero before donning his own. "Let's go wash up, and then we can eat!"

Socorro led the way to the tables, where all the other family members were sitting. Elena and Abel were showing his new wife Patricia the family's ofrenda. Luisa and Gloria were making dinner, and Rosa was running dishes from the kitchen to the courtyard. Benny and Manny were wearing matching tuxedos, and Enrique, Berto, and Carmen were setting the table. Franco was seated at the end of the older adults' table, waiting for dinner to begin. The tables were decorated with cempazuchitl pedals and sugar skulls.

As Socorro walked past the ofrenda room, she could hear her Abuelita talking with Patricia.

"So, now you know why this family does not allow music."

"Verdad. It's just seemed to me like your Abuelita was jumping to conclusions about what had happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Bueno, I read a book about that man, and it seems like the family is missing a lot of pieces."

"How do you mean?"

Socorro walked into the room. "Hola."

Patricia saw the girl first. "Oyé, you're Miguel's sister, Socorro!"

"Sí."

"I read your brother's book! It was amazing!"

Elena looked quizzically at Patricia. "What book?"

Patricia took out a copy of the book, which sported the complete foto of Imelda, Coco, and Héctor on the front cover. The Mystery Rivera by Miguel Rivera.

Elena gasped before taking off her chancla. "MIGUEL ALEJANDRO RIVERA QUINTANA!"

Socorro retreated to the corner as Elena made her way to the courtyard.

Héctor and Coco made their way through the pedal-littered streets of Santa Cecilia toward the Riveras' zapatería.

"And that's when I learned that in the Land of the Dead, you need a license to operate a catapult."

Coco laughed. "But why did you need the extra femur, Papá?"

"I was using it to test the catapult to see if it would reach the Land of the Living, or if the bridge would catch it."

"Did it work?"

"I never got to figure out; I was arrested before I could use the catapult on myself or even figure out where the femur went."

The discussion got sidetracked by a voice in the courtyard.

"What is this?! You keep secrets from your own family?!"

They rounded the corner to see the entire living family confronting Miguel, and the other dead family members watching from the sidelines.

"It's all that time he spent in the plaza!" Berto huffed.

"It filled his head with crazy fantasies!" Carmen shrieked.

Socorro stepped in to defend her brother. "All he did was write a book! There's nothing wrong with that!"

"A book about that walkaway musician!" Manny rebutted.

"Who left his family to follow his dreams!" Benny added.

"Just because one family member went missing from our lives doesn't mean anyone with a dream will leave their family!"

Rosa pitched in her two cents. "But why take the chance?"

"All the mariachis in la plaza grew up in Santa Cecilia, and they're still with their familias! Miguel can still be a musician without going Héctor on us!"

Elena threw her chancla at Socorro. "You do not mention that man, mujer joven!"

"Why not?"

"That man's music was a curse!"

Enrique walked up to his children. "Both of you will listen: no más música!"

"Papá, I - -"

"End of argument!"

Elena turned to her son. "Enrique, open the well." Then her grandson. "Abel, find where Miguel has all the letters from that músico."

Socorro gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"We will not let Miguel end up like that man! Forgotten and left off the family ofrenda!"

That's when Socorro snapped. "Maybe Papá Héctor was right to never come home!"

Every living and dead soul in the courtyard gasped at the girl's words.

Elena's face tightened with anger as she snatched Socorro's sombrero from her head.

"No!" Socorro grabbed it back, and a tug-of-war quickly ensued.

"Socorro, let go of the sombrero!"

"It's mine!"

"Give it to me!"

"NO!"

"Listen to me!"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO TOUCH IT!"

The exclamation was punctuated by Socorro kicking Elena's walker out from under her and down the open well.

Both females fell to the ground, and the sombrero slipped from Elena's fingers as her head hit the side of the well.

A full three seconds of stunned disbelief enveloped the hacienda on both sides of the veil.

As the gravity of her predicament became apparent, Socorro bolted out the gate with her sombrero pulled over her head.

Miguel and his cousins ran after his sister as the rest of the family tended to the fallen matriarch. "Socorro! Come back!"

Coco and Héctor followed in short order, unsure of what was about to happen.