El Viaje de Coquita
El Capítulo Veintiuno

Socorro reached the base of de la Cruz's tower in time to meet Coco. "Mamá Coco!"

"There you are, mija!" Coco ran up to her. "Okay, so, good news first: we won the music competition, so we can get into de la Cruz's party."

"What's the bad news?"

"Papá went to get a disguise because he'd tried to talk to Tío Nesto before I died, but the guards wouldn't let him in."

"Ah." Socorro looked to the queue at the entrance to the tower. "Should we wait for him?"

"No, you need as much time talking with him as you can get." Coco went to join the guests waiting to board the train.

As one train left, another came down ready for new guests.

One by one, the attendees boarded the train. Among them was El Santo, who posed for a picture with the guard's head.

The two Cocos presented the prize ticket. "Ah! The competition winners! Congratulations!"

They squeezed into the compartment, and the door closed behind them.

"So, what's the plan, mija?"

"Bueno, if Papá Héctor needs a disguise to be here, we probably shouldn't mention that he's related to us." Socorro noticed she still had her book with her. "And we can't let him find this book." She started thinking. "Maybe if we just pretend to be really big fans, he can tell us his secret to success."

"I think that sounds like a plan."

After three minutes, they reached the top of the tower and disembarked.

"Now, we just need to figure out where he is."

"I'll stay here and wait for Papá if you want to go find Tío Nesto."

"Okay." Socorro adjusted her sombrero and went looking for de la Cruz.

She struggled to navigate through the crowds of skeletons as they watched performers doing fancy tricks, picked snacks off of porcupine alebrijes, and mingled with one another.

Right now, Socorro desperately wished the flaps on her sombrero really were soundproof.

One skeleton suddenly pointed up a large marble staircase. "¡Mira! There's Ernesto!"

Socorro saw a man in a sparkling white charro suit walking up the stairs waving to the crowds as he entered the mansion.

"De la Cruz!" She started running toward him."Señor de la Cruz! Señor de la - -"

Coco noticed Socorro running up the stairs of the mansion and started following after her.

The only thing protecting Socorro from being squished by the crowd was her sombrero. "Señor de la Cruz! Señor de la - -"

She suddenly found herself in a large foyer with a guitar shaped pool in the middle of the floor. Projector screens were draped all around the walls showing clips from Ernesto's films.

The girl tried to figure out how to get to Ernesto, who was standing at the far end of the pool talking to a handful of guests, when Coco found her.

"There he is. Now we just need to get his attention."

"And get through the crowds, mija."

"How are we going to do that?"

The two Cocos heard one of Ernesto's film clips play overhead.

"You must have faith, sister."

"Pero Padre, he will never listen!"

"Then, I will make him listen! With music!"

Socorro's eyes flashed. "Do you still have the guitar?"

"Sí."

"Let's see if we can get up there." She pointed at the balcony over the entrance.

They sifted through the partygoers on the stairs as they made their way to the balcony.

"What do you want me to play?"

"El Mundo Es Mi Familia." Socorro climbed up on the railing.

"Tell me when you're ready."

Socorro took a calming breath before belting out a grito that reverberated throughout the entire foyer.

Every guest went silent, and the DJ stopped the music as Coco started playing the guitar.

Socorro made her way towards Ernesto, singing all the while.

"Señoras y señores, buenas tardes, buenas noches;
Buenas tardes, buenas noches, señoritas y señores.
Esta noche están aquí, es mi pasión, qué alegría;
Pues la música es mi lengua y el mundo es mi familia!"

She finally caught sight of Ernesto de la Cruz.

"Pues la música es mi lengua y el mundo es mi familia!"

Ernesto finally noticed the girl and started singing along with her.

"Pues la música es mi lengua y el mundo es mi familia!
Pues la música es mi lengu - - AAH!"

Socorro suddenly disappeared into the pool in the floor.

Ernesto immediately flipped his sombrero off his head and jumped in to pull her out.

Coco embraced her bisanieta as the late mariachi laid her on the tile floor. "Gracias, Señor de la Cruz."

Ernesto kept his attention on Socorro. "Are you alright, niña?"

"Sí." Socorro coughed as shoe polish stung her eyes.

She wiped the shoe polish out of her eyes, only then realizing it was running off her now totally exposed face.

Coco was the only one in the foyer who didn't gasp.

Ernesto raised his hand towards Socorro. "It-It's you! Y-You are that girl! The one who came from the Land of the Living!"

Socorro fished her waterlogged sombrero from the pool. "You... you know about me?"

Ernesto chuckled. "You are all anyone has been talking about!" His expression quickly slipped into confused concern. "But... why have you come here?"

"I... I wanted to get the chance to meet you in person."

Ernesto was still worried. "Does your family know you're here?"

Socorro pointed to Coco. "She's my bisabuela. She can send me home at any time. But we wanted to make the most of this and visit my town's hero in the... bones."

Ernesto responded with a hearty laugh. "I suppose I can treat you with the best time of either of your lives, muchacha."

Socorro squeed and gave Ernesto a big hug. "Gracias! Muchas gracias!"

Ernesto rustled Socorro's hair. "How's about a grand tour, eh?"

At the base of the tower, cameras were snapping away at a new arrival.

"Look! It's Frida!"

"Yes, it is I, Frida Kahlo."

"It-It is an honor, Señora!"

"Gracias."

"Frida" boarded the train and fixed "her" unibrow as the train started upward.

The only person who noticed was a woman in a purple dress watching from a long distance away.