El Viaje de Coquita
El Capítulo Diecisiete

"So, I take it Mamá Coco managed to convince the rest of the family to let you back in?"

"Not exactly. They still want nothing to do with me, but the only way Coco will be part of the family is if she's allowed to see me."

"Ah. And she's the exact opposite of you in terms of being the family favorite?"

"Exactamente." Héctor plucked his arm off and shot it archery-style up a fire escape with his suspenders.

The arm landed on a windowsill before knocking on the window and waving.

A few seconds later, a woman with red curly hair opened the window. "What do you want this time, Héctor?"

"I'll tell you when we get up there."

Coco waved to the woman. "Hola, Ceci!"

Ceci lowered the fire escape, allowing the trio to climb inside.

"Do you know this woman?" Socorro asked Coco.

"Cecilia Rodriguez?"

Socorro recognized that name. "Oh, she's the one who made your wedding dress!"

"I also borrowed a few things from her for ways to cross the bridge before Coco died."

Socorro climbed in the window. "Hola."

Dante followed her inside, then Coco, and finally Héctor.

"Okay, so, here's what we need." Héctor put a hand on Socorro's shoulder. "Mi tataranieta has gotten herself cursed, and she has some questions to ask Ernesto de la Cruz before I give her a blessing to go home. I was wondering if Frida was around to talk to."

Ceci looked quizzically at Socorro. "What do you mean 'cursed'?"

Socorro lifted one of the flaps on her ear. "My brother wrote a book about Papá Héctor, and there were some details about him and de la Cruz that weren't making sense."

Ceci gasped. "You're still alive, niña?!"

"Oyé, everything's under control." Héctor fished a pedal from his pocket. "We have until sunrise to get her back to the Land of the Living."

While Héctor and Ceci continued talking, Dante started sniffing around the studio.

The two Cocos followed the Xolo alebrije, passing an unclothed skeleton posing for a painter. Coco pulled her bisanieta along when Socorro paused to try to figure out if she should be seeing that.

After a few moments, Dante stumbled upon a spider-monkey alebrije, which started riding him like a horse and leading him on a chase through the studio before hopping on the shoulders of a skeleton standing before an incomplete painting.

She turned when she heard the two Cocos approaching short of breath. "You! How did you get in here?!"

"Papá led us in through the back window."

Socorro noticed the unfinished painting was a self-portrait. "Are you Frida Kahlo?"

"Yes, it is I." Her eyes drifted to Dante. "Oh, the mighty Xolo dog! Guider of wandering spirits!"

"I think this is Papá Héctor's alebrije."

"Ah ah ah. The alebrijes of this world assume many forms, and can guide many spirits at any time." The spider-monkey alebrije climbed on the painter's shoulders, changing colors and breathing fire as it did so. "They are as mysterious as they are powerful."

Coco leaned toward Socorro. "Papá told me that alebrijes reflect the personas of those they guide."

Frida whisked the two girls to a large open space. "Come! I need your eyes!"

She sat the two Cocos down on a bench and retreated a few steps to the edge of the light.

She clapped twice, and all the lights went out. "Darkness!" Frida struck a match. "And from the darkness,..." two spotlights illuminated two mountains, "...two tall peaks! On one peak rests a giant merlin," the left spotlight adjusted to reveal a giant hawk perched on the mountain top, "who is me! On the other rests the mighty golden eagle," the right spotlight adjusted to reveal a giant eagle perched atop the other mountain top, "who is also me!"

Socorro watched as the birds' chests slammed open.

"Dancers emerge from the hearts of the birds, and the dancers... are all me!"

The dancers turned their faces to the audience to reveal themselves to be likenesses of Frida.

"Dancers from the merlin fall from the mountain as they try to reach the golden eagle... until the dancers from the eagle's perch come to help them over the abyss!"

The dancers performed trapeze flips across a tightrope strung between the two mountains, and the merlin's dancers made trapeze swings off the eagle's dancers to the other side.

Frida glanced to the two Cocos. "Is it too obvious?"

Socorro wasn't sure what to say. "I... think it's... just the right amount of obvious?" She started thinking about things she could add. "Maybe if you added some music?"

Frida nodded in contemplation.

"So, when the birds appear, you can do something like 'Boooon! Doon doon doon doooon!'"

Frida snapped her fingers toward the orchestra, and they repeated the melody.

"Then when the dancers try to get across but fall off the mountain, you can do 'Doon dododoon doon! BOM BOM!'"

The orchestra repeated the melody.

"And when the other dancers come to the rescue, how about 'Jat tatatah tah! WHOM WHOM!'"

The notes bounced back via the orchestra, with the tromboner providing the ending flare.

Frida gasped with inspiration. "And what if there was fire all around them?!"

The dancers gawked in horror.

"Yes! Fire all around! Inspired!" Frida rubbed Socorro's shoulder. "You have the spirit of an artist!"

"Gracias."

Frida turned her attention back to her setup. "The dancers exit, the music fades, and Ernesto de la Cruz rises to the stage..."

Socorro watched as a figure on a platform rose up from the floor. As it stopped, the spotlight came on to reveal...

...a mannequin made of fruit shaped like Ernesto.

Frida finished off with a sigh. "And then he does a couple of songs, and the sun rises, and everyone cheers."

"I guess you're more fond of art than music, huh?"

Frida shook her head. "No, it's because Ernesto doesn't do rehearsals. What, with him hosting a fancy party at the top of his tower."

Socorro saw the tower in question out the window, and she started thinking of a new plan.