Chapter Four: Small Problems
The silence was terrible…For what felt like forever, nobody said a word as they took in the sight of the youngest Madrigal standing in the doorway with those glowing green eyes. Even the way he anxiously clasped both hands and kept his mouth in a tight line proved that it wasn't Antonio.
Bruno felt a bit disoriented by the sudden change. He gripped the doorframe to keep from falling over. Everyone was staring…Pepa's grey cloud grew bigger by the moment; it matched her open-mouthed expression of horror brilliantly. Felix was looking pretty horrified himself but kept an arm around his wife in a valiant attempt to keep her calm. The rest of the family wasn't faring any better: Augustin was frozen, Julieta imitated Pepa's expression (minus the cloud) while the kids seemed rather disturbed and intrigued by all this. Camilo was choking back an amused bout of laughter, though.
Worst of all was Abuela. She frowned with bewilderment at the physical Antonio, who still had a toucan and a rat perched on his shoulders. "Bruno, what on earth…?"
Before anyone else could utter a word, Bruno just turned tail and headed back inside. "Bye."
"Hold on!" Mirabel ran to grab his wrist—er, Antonio's wrist—and dragged him back onto the veranda before he got far. She shooed away the animals and gazed down at what appeared to be her little cousin. The way he blinked up at her was unnerving, but also quite interesting. So that's how she must have looked when Bruno was in control… "How did this happen? Couldn't you get back to the tower?"
"I was headed there! But Antonio got in the way!" Bruno hastily explained, fighting the urge to clear his throat because of how childish his voice sounded.
Pepa's raincloud had yet to evaporate. Bruno tried backing away as his sister came closer; no doubt lightning would come at some point. But Mirabel's grip was really strong for some reason—or maybe he was just too weak to pull away?
"Er…I'm so sorry, sis!" He apologized to Pepa. She listened to her little boy's speak with her brother's words, all the while keeping a hand clamped over her mouth to prevent another scream from escaping. Bruno tried to explain, "I bumped into him in the kitchen and the magic just sorta sucked me into his head!" The statement only made her whimper. The cloud began to drizzle and rumble, so he hid behind Mirabel, unsure what to do. "I just—I—I can't figure out how to control it!"
"But you're OK, at least?" Mirabel asked with concern, stooping to be at the same level.
"Well, uh…" Bruno considered that. Was he OK? Looking down at his hands, they seemed awfully tiny. Everything felt different, but not in the same uncomfortable, awkward way as when he was possessing Mirabel. Now it felt as though he had shrunk…The ground was a lot closer than it should be, and his niece seemed so tall! She was actually kneeling in front of him! "Well, I guess I'm alright…except for the fact everyone is a giant…" He finally answered, craning his neck to look up at her as she stood. "What about you? I was seeing the present through you for the better part of an hour!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Mirabel assured with a smile. "This is gonna sound crazy, but I was conscious the entire time! Even during lunch! I could see and hear everything going on, and I could sense your moods, too, when you were in control. It was quite a ride, hearing my own voice but not being the one talking. Like I was just watching from the sidelines."
"Really? Wow…I had a weird feeling you were there, but I wasn't sure." Bruno breathed, running a hand through his wild mop of curly hair. "That's such a relief! I thought the magic had thrown you into space or something! Or worse, we had switched places!"
She laughed at the idea. "At least we're figuring this thing out. It looks like proximity is what makes you see through another's eyes. When you were explaining it to everyone, you said that you had gotten too close to me on the balcony, right?"
"Yeah! That's how it happened in the first place!" Bruno agreed. "And I literally bumped into Antonio just now. I didn't mean to do that, but why would—"
"Oye! New problem, remember?" Camilo pointed out. He kneeled to be at face-level with Bruno. "So, my new little brother, how do you propose getting out of this one?"
"Uh…same way as before, I guess." Bruno shrugged. He pointed at the fork still in Camilo's hand. "When you jabbed me with that, it forced me out. No idea why…maybe it was the pain of it?"
"But you could've poked us a bit gentler, Camilo!" Mirabel rubbed her shoulder in the place where her cousin had jabbed it.
"Hey! I was right about the pain part, wasn't I? But I guess Antonio could have been right, too. The surprise of it might've played a part..."
Julieta cut in. "There'll be time to theorize later." She anxiously gazed down at Bruno. "I want my brother back. No matter how cute you are right now."
"So do I!" Pepa frowned angrily. "Wait 'till I get my hands on you, hermano! That's my baby you're possessing!" Without warning, she picked 'Antonio' up from under the arms and held him directly in front of her and spoke loudly. "Toni, don't worry! You're going to be just fine. Your Tio is just trying to figure out this new talent, that's all."
"Mi vida, it's alright!" Felix patted Pepa's arm. "At least we know Antonio is OK; nothing unsavory happened to Mirabel, right?"
Bruno kicked his tiny child-sized feet, which dangled a good three feet off the ground. Pepa had always been taller than him, but never on a scale like this. "Put me down! It's bad enough I've shrunk; do you have to rub it in?"
"I don't know how much more of this I can take, Pa…" Luisa groaned. She had taken a seat at the dining table again, along with Isabela. "First Mirabel, now Antonio...who's next?! It'd better not be me!" Augustin reassured her that everything would be fine. Isabela even made a crown of blue flowers to cheer her up.
Camilo held up the fork, ready to give Bruno another quick jolt of pain to force him out of his host. "Alrighty, let's try this again. Now that we know Antonio can hear us, this'll only hurt for a split second, little bro. I'll be extra gentle, I promise—"
"Wait! Not here!" Bruno threaded between a few pairs of legs to be out of reach. "We should go up to the tower! Just in case something else goes wrong, you know?"
"I agree, mi hijo." Abuela said sternly. "Even if this was by accident, it cannot happen again!"
Even though she knew it was really Bruno, Mirabel stood in front of her little cousin protectively. "We're so, so sorry, Abuela! It was all my idea in the first place, testing his gift like this—"
"It was my fault, too, Mama!" Bruno peeked out from behind, ready to defend his niece. "I didn't have to agree to the experiment, but I did!"
"I'll hold you both accountable." Abuela rubbed her brow. "Once this is over, we're going to have a long, long talk about responsibility." Despite her exasperation, she softened up at the sight of Antonio blinking up at her with Bruno's glowing green eyes. Even his expressions shone through the different face; she would recognize him anywhere. It was kind of adorable, her grown son suddenly being a little boy again. But she tried to stay serious. "Honestly, the trouble you two get yourselves into…"
A voice suddenly called from the path leading up to the house. "Senora! Good afternoon!" A man greeted in a nasal tone.
"Oh, now what?" Abuela complained under her breath. The Madrigals immediately recognized their visitor as Moises Perez, who owned the biggest donkey herd in town. (Luisa was often tasked with retrieving the herd whenever they broke out of their pasture.) Abuela played it cool and welcomed him as he came up to the veranda where the Madrigals were gathered. "Moises! Ola! What brings you here?"
"The donkeys have gotten out!" He explained in his nasally voice.
"Again? You really outta fix the latch on that gate, Senor Perez." Luisa commented. She stood up and stretched. "Well, I'll lend an arm or two and round' em up in no time. I know it's technically my day off, but—"
"Actually, Luisa, I was wondering if Antonio could talk to them." Moises smiled pleasantly. He failed to notice how the request made everyone go stiff. "Maybe he could ask the donkeys to stop wandering so far? I don't know if they want a different field for grazing, or if they just like breaking out to explore, but it'd be nice to know for sure. Whatever they want, I'll make sure they're happy!"
Unheard in the background, Bruno gasped with alarm. He was already half-hidden behind Mirabel, who was careful to block him from Senor Perez's sight.
"Uh—well, Moises—Antonio can't come right this second," Abuela explained, thinking fast. "It's our day off, and we have our whole afternoon planned already, so—"
"It's alright, Senor! I can lend a hand!" Luisa interrupted when Moises began to apologize for forgetting about the family's personal weekend. "If it's just the one chore, it'll take no time at all. I'll be back in no time, Abuela." As Luisa strode past, she whispered to Augustin, "To be honest, Pa, I need a break from all the weird happenings around here!"
Senor Perez was grateful for the help. "Perhaps Antonio could have a word with the donkeys tomorrow, maybe?"
"Of course! I'm sure he'd be glad to help." Felix called as Luisa and Moises headed down the path towards town. The moment they were out of earshot, he and everyone else exhaled in relief. "Whew. That was a close one…he'd would've noticed the eyes, don't you think?"
Abuela brought order to the chaos. "Anyone who wants to come to Bruno's tower, feel free to join us. Camilo, bring that fork. Now that we know what makes you come out of someone's head, Bruno, we can just—" she turned only to discover her son was nowhere to be seen.
Mirabel spun in every direction, but 'Antonio' had disappeared. "He was right here. Tio Bruno? Where are you?" She wandered through the kitchen's side door. It was the only direction he could've gone without being spotted by Senor Perez. The rest of the family followed close behind.
Casita helped with the search by moving the floor tiles. It flipped them to form a path leading to the lower kitchen cupboards where pots and pans were stored. Mirabel took the house's hint; she followed the clinking tiles, and once she reached the cupboard, Casita simply swung it open to reveal Bruno wedged in there behind the giant soup pot. His eyes reflected off it and glowed even brighter in the shadows. Kind of a creepy sight.
"Is he gone?" Antonio's face peered out. Bruno, still very much in control, crawled out. "Hey! This body is a lot easier to hide. I wouldn't fit in there normally." He gazed around the kitchen with interest, noticing the higher countertops and giant-sized cupboards. This new view sure was fascinating. Mirabel still towered over him, though not as much as the adults. He wondered how tall Luisa would appear from this perspective; he'd hadn't had a chance to stand next to her before she left to deal with donkeys.
Bruno was very distracted as he continued looking at the surroundings. "Huh. Everything is really big…This isn't so bad, really. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock! Knock on wood!" He wrapped the cupboards just in case he jinxed it by saying that.
Felix found the sight hilarious and laughed. "This means better opportunities for hide-and-seek, maybe?" He flinched at Pepa's rumbling scowl. "What? I'm just saying—"
"Felix! We are not encouraging this!" She proceeded to scold her husband. This made yet another dark cloud appear in the kitchen, prompting Julieta and Abuela to step in to break things up. Augustin lingered in the background, always unsure what to do when it came to Pepa's storms.
Camilo skidded over to Bruno and Mirabel. He whispered, "Tio Bruno! Do me next! But later, when my Mama isn't around."
"What is wrong with you?" Mirabel questioned her cousin with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously, you have no idea how bizarre it is not being in control of your own body and hearing your own voice while…" she trailed off upon witnessing something strange.
Bruno was looking up at the countertop with an expression of amazement. Perched on the counter was the toucan who'd been hanging around Antonio since lunch, along with one of the many rats who always seemed to know where Bruno was at all times. The animals were squawking and squeaking, respectively, both cocking their heads with inquisitive gazes. The toucan in particular was being a lot more vocal. At the same time, he stared at 'Antonio' with an intense look, as if trying to tell him something...
Bruno blinked several times as he listened to the toucan's squawking. This couldn't be real, could it? He replied with a stutter…"Uh…Y—yes, Antonio's fine! He'll, uh…be back soon…" The toucan spoke in bird calls again and fluttered his wings. Bruno gasped, unable to believe this was happening. "N—nice to meet you, too…" He glanced at Camilo, Mirabel and Isabela, who were all speechless by the phenomenon. Isa sprouted so many orchids on her head that it looked like a colorful halo.
Although it made perfect sense Bruno would experience Antonio's gift, it was still kind of crazy to witness. The other adults were busy dealing with the storm in the kitchen, for Pepa was scolding Felix for his little joke earlier. None of them noticed what was going on with the animals.
The kids listened to another string of bird calls from the toucan as he talked to 'Antonio.' Bruno nodded and listened. Even the lone rat stayed quiet, apparently having picked up on Bruno's politeness.
"Huh? And do what?" Bruno asked. The toucan's words did not sound like Spanish at all; he still sounded like a bird, but Bruno could understand it all. Apparently, he wanted to gather all his toucan friends together, fly through the market, and swarm the stands to pick up more fruit to eat. The mango he'd tried at lunchtime was delicious, and he wanted his friends to try some, too. Bruno was kind of on the spot. "Well, eh…that might cause a bit of chaos in the market. But it's definitely something a five-year-old would let you do, so go nuts."
The toucan flew away through the open window, squawking excitedly, while Bruno shrugged at the kids with a grin, unable to believe what had just happened. "I just talked to a bird." His smile was instantly recognizable even on Antonio's face. "So that's what it's like! I've got to talk to the rats while I have a chance!"
With the thundercloud evaporated, and Pepa reciting her 'clear skies' mantra, the kitchen had grown quieter. Bruno was about to greet the lone rat perched on the counter's edge, but his mother marched over in a huff. "Now that that's all settled, we are going up to the tower and putting an end to this. No more hiding away in the cupboards, Brunito! This isn't a game!"
He pointed up at the rat sitting on the counter. "But Ma! I can—"
"No more delays! Now come along." She picked him up effortlessly before he even had a chance to explain about the animals.
"Hey! Everyone quit picking me up!" Much to Bruno's embarrassment, his mother held him in her arms. He struggled hopelessly. "Ma, I don't need you to carry me! I'm a grown man!"
"Oh, hush, now. I haven't carried you or your sisters since you were children. This is close enough." Once the rest of the family was behind her, she smiled to herself. It may be Antonio's body, but she was still holding her son in her arms. It had been many years since being able to do this. "And that statement doesn't hold much weight when you say it in that voice."
"Ugh…" Bruno relented with a groan and quit struggling. His mother's grip was extremely strong—plus, he was a kid now, so there was no escape. Looking over Abuela's shoulder, Pepa and Julieta followed up the stairs, snickering quietly at the sight. Behind them were Mirabel, Camilo, Pepa and Felix, all coming up to the tower to see this whole thing fixed. As bizarre as this phenomenon was, it was just too fascinating not to witness.
Augustin and Isabela decided to stay behind. Neither of them wanted any more to do with this whole fiasco. "You know, Pa," Isabela flicked her braided pigtails. "If Tio Bruno jumps into someone else, I don't think I want to know. C'mon; let's finish doing the dishes."
Augustin watched the rest of the party head upstairs before nodding in agreement. "Si, that's probably for the best…"
…
A fair distance away, Dolores and Mariano were together in the town square, having just finished their lunch date. The little restaurant owned by the Pezmuerto family always served delicious food. It was the perfect place to stop for a meal on their day out. But Dolores had been a tad distracted by all the commotion going on at home.
She sat with Mariano on the edge of the fountain, enjoying the lovely sunshine. Friends and passersby waved in greeting, but mostly left the couple alone. For it seemed they were wrapped up in a very serious discussion.
Mariano prompted in a hushed tone, "So, what's happening now?"
"Well, Abuela is savoring the moment, judging from that happy little sigh no one else heard." Dolores giggled. "Secretly, I don't think Tio Bruno minds. Those two still have a lot of reconciling to do, after all."
Mariano chuckled, imagining the sight. He loved his own mother dearly and was kind of jealous of the opportunity to be a kid again. "Shouldn't we go there to help? You've been listening in ever since Mirabel was overshadowed."
"Hm." Dolores squeaked. She was rather concerned that her uncle had yet to return to his own body…She cocked her head and listened as her family clambered up the stairs towards Bruno's tower. "It sounds like they've got everything under control, more or less…I don't think they need an extra hand."
"If you're sure, mi amor. But if you're worried, we can head there whenever you like. Just say the word." Mariano stood and offered her a gentlemanly hand. "In the meantime, shall we browse the market and enjoy our afternoon?"
Dolores smiled and took his hand. Really, Mariano was so understanding when it came to her family's magical mishaps. As they walked across the town square, she made sure to periodically tune her ears in to what was happening back at Casita.
…
The oasis in the tower came as a surprise for the small group when they went inside. They walked the pathway amongst palm trees, cacti, desert grass, and flowering plants, quite impressed by Isabela's handiwork. The added benches and chairs courtesy of Bruno were nice homey touches that made the tower very warm and inviting.
"Like it? I think I'll keep it this way." Bruno noticed his sisters admiring the room. He was still hanging over his mother's shoulder, since she didn't want to let him go. "Much better than a drab pile of sand, that's for sure. The rats seem to like it, too. Right guys?" He spoke to a trio of the creatures who scurried as fast as they could along the stone pathway to keep up. They squeaked in response, to which Bruno replied, "Yes, I know. It's a big change, getting used to so much open space, but it's all worth it! Trust me."
Camilo wondered to Mirabel. "Hey, if Tio Bruno is in there and doing all the talking, does it count as having double powers?"
"Huh. I guess so. Temporarily." Mirabel agreed.
Camilo observed Bruno's conversation with the rats. "How about a side experiment, Tio? Why don't you take over me and try to shapeshift into yourself? Like this!" He shifted into a perfect Bruno replica.
"Absolutely not! No more possession!" Pepa thundered.
"But wouldn't the practice come in handy? Ow! OK, I'm done!" Camilo winced when his mother dragged him by the ear, turning back into himself.
Felix waved away Pepa's raincloud dutifully but was very much tickled by this whole situation. He was careful to hide his amused grin from his wife.
The vision dome hadn't changed at all and stood strong. The sight was so unique that it threw everyone who hadn't seen it yet for a loop: every grain was perfectly still, hovering in place without any magical wind in the room, as would normally be the case for visions. The green glow wavering throughout the sandy surface was jade-colored, instead of the usual emerald of the future. It perfectly matched the glow of Antonio's eyes.
Abuela froze at the sight. She had never seen her son's gift behave like this. She finally set Bruno down—albeit reluctantly, since she'd enjoyed the moment. "My goodness…" She went closer to the vision dome, unsure what to make of it.
Bruno regained his composure after being carried all the way here like a child. "Whew! I'm still in there." He breathed, squinting through the sandy walls to see himself in a deep trance. Several rats were inside as well and scampered over in greeting. "Ola, everyone! You'll never believe what happened…Yes, it's me…No, really! I'm in this one, now! But Antonio's aware of what's going on; we figured that out just now with Mirabel." Bruno squatted down to explain. "How are you guys holding up in there? There's another arepa in my shirt pocket if you're still hungry…"
Pepa and Felix listened in disbelief as Bruno carried on distractedly. The group of rats were on the other side of the glowing sand but could still hear and talk to 'Antonio' with ease. From their excessive squeaking and chittering, they were very excited to be talking to Bruno this one time. And judging from the way Bruno was smiling so much, he was just as ecstatic.
Mirabel found it quite sweet. Bruno talked to his little friends on a regular basis, but only in a one-sided way. As much she and everyone else wanted Antonio back, they couldn't resist allowing Bruno to have this chance. Even Abuela was practically gushing at the sight. The rats were constant companions who'd kept Bruno company for years, and he spoke so animatedly as Antonio that no one had the heart to interrupt.
Meanwhile, Julieta was still disturbed by the sight of the physical Bruno within the dome. She wasn't the only one. Camilo tentatively came over for a closer look, only to see the unoccupied form of his uncle inside. He tapped the sandy barrier with a finger, watching as the sand swirled around before reforming into the wall. "This is kinda creepy…how'd he even pull this off in the first place?"
"It wasn't easy…even I'm not sure how he did it." Mirabel cut in, twirling her hair anxiously. "It wouldn't have happened at all if I hadn't brought up the idea in the first place…"
Julieta sighed, too worried to even lecture her daughter right now.
Abuela bit her lip in fear. Her son's true self was veiled by sand and glowing green light, sitting cross-legged, straight as a rail and still as a statue. His eyes were shut without a trace of emotion of his face. Nobody was home…it was almost frightening to see, but also so fascinating.
Eventually, Pepa decided enough was enough. "Oye! Hermano! Now's not the time for small talk!"
"Right! Sorry, sorry…I just—yeah." He straightened up. Antonio was always happy to translate the rats' speech for him, anyway.
Abuela was tempted to pick up her boy again, for he looked a bit disappointed at not being able to talk to his pets for much longer. But she refrained and brought him back on track. "OK, mi hijo, it seems like being surprised forces you out of whoever's eyes you're seeing through, so let's try it again. Camilo?" she turned to her eldest grandson.
Camilo ran over, skidding to a halt in the sand. "Ready, Tio?" He grinned at the form of his little brother. Standing behind him, he posed readily to give another jab with the fork. Pepa, Felix and Abuela all stepped back, while Julieta and Mirabel held hands to watch anxiously.
Bruno sighed with Antonio's voice. "Just get it over with. The sooner I figure out how to control this, the sooner we can all—Yeow!" Camilo jabbed his shoulder blade when he didn't expect it. And just like before, the surprise and pain triggered the same reaction as with Mirabel.
The sensation of magic tugging on his mind returned in a rush, and he felt himself flying upwards once again. The feeling of being weightless and free all came rushing back in an instant! It was starting to become very familiar, now. In this aerial state, he was once again able to move freely about the room. The moment he was set free from Antonio, Bruno flew some distance away from the others. He didn't want to risk overtaking anyone else…He smelled the grounding piles of burning foliage, and felt sand underneath him, but he still wasn't fully back in his body. Mentally floating above the group, he gazed down to check on his nephew.
"Antonio!" Felix rushed forward as Antonio collapsed backwards.
Camilo caught his brother as he fell and helped him lie down on the sandy floor. "Easy, Toni; you alright?"
Antonio held his head and sat up groggily, brown eyes spinning without a trace of Bruno's gift. He wavered a bit, dizzy and dazed from all that. Pepa and Felix fawned and cooed over him as he recovered. They expected their young son to be upset or start crying, but on the contrary, he was quite excited. "Whoa…" the boy shook away the dizziness. "Let's do that again!"
"Let's not." Felix chuckled, relived that his little boy was alright.
"But it was really neat!" Antonio exclaimed with a grin. "Tio Bruno was the one talking and walking, and I was just watching but couldn't do anything. Is that what it was like with you, Mirabel?"
"Pretty much, yeah." She shrugged. "Except Bruno was freaking out a lot more as me! The 'seeing through another's eyes' part was such a huge shock to us. Oh, that and him suddenly turning into a girl, you know?"
Pepa and Julieta couldn't help but giggle at their brother's earlier predicament. Despite everything, they now had the ultimate material for teasing him. Unseen, Bruno heard their laughter. He'd get back at his sisters later; he'd had enough of this whole experience. He flew above the vision dome, ready to break this trance and get back into his body…
"Tonito, this is not a power for your tio to play with!" Abuela scolded. "It is a very serious—"
"Never mind that right now, Mama." Julieta silenced her mother's argument. She placed her hands on the dome, the magical walls giving off a few grains that swirled around her fingers. "Hermano? Are you in there? Please say that you are!"
"Sort of…" The Bruno sitting inside managed to answer. "I'm still out there with you, but I'm also in here. It's hard to describe…" He tried to explain what he was experiencing, for when not in possession of anyone, it truly felt like being in two places at once.
Mirabel remembered Bruno's vivid description of how he could mentally fly around to explore Casita. She curiously gazed around the room, expecting to see something that indicated he was near, but nothing was amiss. She called at the physical version, "Tio Bruno! End the vision, already! We have to set things right and never do this again."
Bruno sat rigidly on the other side of the barrier, obscured by all the sand. He remained wrapped in the weightless effects of the present vision. Mentally, he was directly above, in the exact same place where this whole out-of-body experience first began. He could even see himself sitting inside the dome of sand, breathing hard and gritting his teeth. "I…" he began, trying to stay focused. Ending a vision was easy! He'd done it countless times. "I—I'm trying to end it, Mirabel! I—I can't seem to…to…" he trailed off, putting every ounce of strength into concentrating.
He tried guiding the magic into letting him fly down to return to his physical self. But he couldn't even get through the barrier. He tried cutting off the magic, like he always did when having a normal vision. But that didn't work, either. Something was wrong…
Pepa and Julieta became very nervous. They practically hugged one another for reassurance. Felix and the boys were all confused, while Abuela was downright scared. "Brunito! Are you alright? What's going on?"
"Hang on, give me a few minutes…" Bruno tried opening his eyes but still couldn't. Yet the tower was clearly spread out all around as if he were watching from a bird's eye view. He tried moving his arms and legs but couldn't, due to the partial trance he was in. A tight feeling of dread arose in his chest as he came to realize this vision of the present was still going strong…and he couldn't end it! No matter how hard he concentrated, nothing was working!
"Uh…Mama, I think I'm in trouble!" Bruno panicked.
"What? Why? Aren't you…you again?" Abuela questioned with alarm.
Mirabel better understood what was going on. She practically yelled, "You mean you're still in two places? C'mon, Tio, snap out of it!"
"I'm trying!" Bruno called back fearfully. The rats sensed the distress. One of them climbed up into his shirt pocket and curled up in there, right next to his beating heart, which was steadily speeding up. Bruno held his breath to focus better. The magic wasn't holding him captive—it simply wouldn't allow him to change anything. "You know, I really miss being Antonio…"
Mirabel wailed with regret. "Oh, this is a disaster. And it's all my fault! Why did I come up with this stupidexperiment in the first place?! Me and my bright ideas—"
"Mira, calm dawn, panicking doesn't solve anything…" Julieta hugged her tightly, for the girl was about to start crying. She gazed through the sandy walls at her brother, unsure what to say or do to fix this.
Felix and Camilo wore identical expressions of concern. Meanwhile, Antonio squinted towards the top of the dome, expecting to see something that indicated Tio Bruno was there. There was nothing, of course, but he kept an eye out anyway.
Pepa's foggy cloud grew very big as the minutes ticked by. But when Bruno's physical-self began hyperventilating in fear, she bashed her hands against the surprisingly solid wall of glowing sand. "Hey! Hermano! Stay calm, OK? Remember the breathing exercises?"
"Right, right…Those won't help me fix this, Pepi! Maybe you could go get some salt, instead?" Bruno called back, trying to get ahold of himself.
"You haven't tried my idea yet. What if you wandered away from here?" Pepa suggested, reminding of her idea back at the lunch table. "Maybe distance is the key! It could be too much for your gift to handle. You're still—uh—floating around somewhere, right?" she joined Antonio in observing the oasis garden. Her brother's consciousness may not be visible, but that didn't mean he wasn't nearby.
"OK…anything's worth a shot…" Bruno breathed more steadily. He did his best to think bravely. "This'll all be fine…if I managed to do this, I can undo it…just gotta figure out how." He muttered under his breath. Had he been able to move, he would've pulled his hood up. "I am Hernando and I'm scared of nothing!" He suddenly blurted loudly for self-encouragement, startling everyone. Hernando wouldn't be scared of a little spell gone wrong, right? Nope. He'd be cool, calm, and think things through…
So Bruno reached out and mentally wandered off. If Pepa's theory worked, all he had to do was get some distance away, right? In an instant, he was flying through the tower's entrance hall and out into Casita's courtyard. He heard the squawking of Antonio's toucan still hanging around, perched on the railing. Yet at the same time, Bruno also heard the many worried voices of his family as they offered encouragement.
"Tio? How are you doing? Where are you right now?" Mirabel paced frantically, while everyone else sat around with bated breath.
"Kitchen. I'm going to try heading into town." Bruno's physical being explained in its trance. "Augustin just dropped another dish, by the way."
Julieta groaned. Not another broken dish… "Keep narrating, hermano. We've got to know where you are in case something else happens."
"And for goodness' sake, don't get too close to anybody!" Abuela warned. "If word of this—whatever it is—got spread around the Encanto…oh, Dios Mio, I shudder at the thought." This magic was evidently very powerful; even Bruno was having trouble with it, and he was the caster! She went closer to the vision dome to keep an eye on her son…The burning cactus flowers were at his feet; two of the five piles had finally burnt out. Unless someone stamped them out, the magic of a vision lengthened the burning process by quite a lot of time. "Hm…" Abuela made a note of the slowly burning foliage. She had a very strong feeling that it was an important clue…
"I still say this has some potential." Camilo thought aloud. "Seeing the present could be really useful for checking up on people."
"That's called spying, Camilo!" Felix scolded.
"Or if not that, it's still kind of a fun power to have—"
"Tio Bruno is not having fun!" Mirabel argued. Pepa nodded in agreement, the cloud threatening to rain.
"But he was having lots of fun being me!" Antonio pointed out. "He could talk to the rats and everything!" Indeed, the little boy had been able to sense Bruno's moods during his own possession.
Bruno's out-of-body experience continued, all through the family's argument. The weightless, floating sensation would be more enjoyable if only he wasn't so distressed about how to bring it to an end! Pushing through the kitchen window and into the open air felt so much like flight…He had full control at the moment; the magic guided him exactly as it had before, taking his mind where he wanted to go. He reassured his worried family, "I'm on the path leading into town…no changes yet, though."
"Well, keep going, then." Pepa encouraged. She sat in the sand beside Julieta to watch. Perhaps the dome would collapse any moment and they could hug their flustered brother for real. Using his gift could be taxing if it went on too long. He'd been having this vision for well over an hour. Naturally, they were worried about his condition in such an aftermath.
As he approached town, Bruno made sure to fly high enough so as not to bump into anyone. Family members were one thing, but a neighbor from town? That wouldn't go over well. Coming here was nerve-wracking on a regular basis—but since he was unseen, flying between the buildings was more of a happy adrenaline rush. It was kind of nice, observing the community without causing a scene. His reputation for being a bad omen was still on the mend, so it was kind of a relief to be invisible this one time. People were going about their days: walking along the streets, pushing carts full of goods, children playing and laughing without a care, and groups of friends catching up in front of the shops. He noted a few moments as he flew by—Abuela was ever more fascinated by her son's new ability as he described what was going on in town in the present moment.
"Mirabel, that little friend of yours, Cecelia, is shopping for a new hat right now. She wants to get you a thank you present." Bruno mentioned upon hearing a snippet of conversation the girl was having with her mother.
"Oh, really? That's sweet!" Mirabel gushed. "I've been giving her some sewing lessons. Just the basics, but she's picking it up fast."
"Any change with the vision?" Abuela prompted to keep him on track. "Is it getting harder the further away you go?"
"Not yet, Mama." Bruno soon reached the town square. This was a busy place, so he flew even higher to keep far away from all the people. Since he rarely entered the square at all, it was most refreshing to see it during the middle of the day, when so many people were out and about. No one could give him odd looks of disdain. There was so much activity going on, and he observed it all with interest. On one street, he spied two familiar figures strolling along, hand-in-hand. "Oh! There's Dolores and Mariano; looks like they're headed to the market."
Camilo was most disappointed at not getting the chance for more interesting dirt on his sister and her boyfriend. But perhaps he could ask Bruno to do some snooping later.
The trip through town felt so easy and effortless. Even without a body in use, Bruno found the experience as natural as breathing. Perhaps he was doing this instinctively. Nothing was changing, though…it still felt very easy. Surely more distance would break the spell if he went far enough. It had to!
He quickly reached the edge of town. This was where the stone streets ended and dirt roads began, branching out to more rural homes of the community. These consisted of neighbors who owned herds of animals, mostly, along with grazing pastures and big, open fields for farming. Bruno hesitated, unsure if going out this way was even worth it. He was already pretty far from Casita and didn't feel any different. "Should I keep going?" he asked the family's opinion. "I'm at the edge of the farming lands."
"Si, keep it up," Mirabel agreed. "There's gotta be a limit to this. And I swear, Bruno, I'll never make you do another magical experiment ever again!"
"This is my fault too, you know…" Bruno insisted.
Since there were less people out this way, his mental-self ventured a bit closer to the ground. He travelled along the road, observing the world around him. The first field he passed belonged to Moises Perez; his donkey herd frequented here when they weren't wandering around town. The field was currently empty, save for a single donkey who grazed peacefully. Bruno saw how the broken gate was secured by a rope. He chuckled; donkeys would chew through that fast.
"There ya go, big guy!" said a nearby voice. Accompanying it were heavy thumping footsteps.
Bruno turned to see who it was. Just down the path was Luisa, placing a huge donkey into the pasture, not bothering with the gate. "Now, you sit tight and I'll go fetch your buddies…" she marched off again, swinging her arms in time cheerfully.
Right. Luisa had left earlier to help Moises round up the escaped herd. Bruno waited until his niece marched away before flying down to be at level with the fence. He needed a minute to think…Even now, he still didn't feel any change from being so far away from the vision dome. How far would he have to go? Beyond the farmlands, there was nothing but the wilderness of the Encanto, until the surrounding mountains. That was miles away…he paused at the fence for several minutes, wondering what to do…
In the middle of the field, the two donkeys brayed and neighed at one another, back and forth as if having a loud chat. If only he had Antonio's gift again, Bruno would be able to join their conversation. The loud braying masked the sound of approaching footsteps…that, coupled with being lost in thought, Bruno didn't even hear the person come near.
A strong tug on his mind bared down fiercely without warning. Bruno was taken by surprise, which quickly turned into alarm and panic as invisible hands dragged him backwards, towards whoever had bumped into him…It happened so fast that he barely had time to register what was happening!
"No! Not again!" Bruno startled as he tried to resist and pull away. But the magic guiding his mind was far too strong. "Nonononono, don't—!" The flying, weightless feeling disappeared, replaced by the weight of a very heavy body as he felt himself fall in a wave of dizziness…
"Ugh! What in the world…?" the new host gasped in discomfort. An invisible force pushed her over without warning—which was amazing, since no one in the Encanto was able to do that. The two donkeys on her shoulders brayed and kicked free as she staggered against the fence. "Ah!" she cried out as the lightheadedness got worse. She tried to stay standing but ended up collapsing to the ground with a loud 'THUD.'
The world stopped spinning and Bruno opened his eyes to see a beautiful clear blue sky above…That was nice. But something was definitely off…The disorientation was a lot worse this time around. Sitting up was a struggle, so he gripped the fence post to steady himself. This host sure felt different from the previous two…
Still recovering, Bruno took a deep breath to try and stay calm. He ran a hand through his hair—but that was impossible since it was pulled up into a bun. He caught sight of his new hands; they were enormous! "Oh dear…" he glanced down at himself. Two blue-sandaled feet stuck out in front of him, which were attached to what felt like thick, sturdy legs. And the rest of him felt very solid and sturdy, too—wait, was he wearing a dress again? Bruno tensed up terribly. "Oh no…!" Sure enough, when he spoke, the voice of Luisa came out. "And right after Luisa said she didn't want to be next!"
Bruno thanked the stars he wasn't in town. Luisa's eyes were sure to be glowing jade green right now. The donkeys came trotting back and started licking her face—which was also his face at the moment. "Shoo, donkeys! I've got a new problem to fix…knock, knock, knock. Knock on wood!" He wrapped the wooden fence post, since it was conveniently here. All he had to do now was get back home and avoid eye contact with anyone along the way…somehow. If the townsfolk saw Luisa's condition, word would spread and certainly do no favors for his on-the-mend reputation.
"Luisa! Luisa! I saw you fall! Are you alright?!" A nasally tone called out in concern from the other side of the field.
Oh no. Bruno tried not to panic. "Uh…yeah, I'm fine! I think…" He called back with his niece's voice. Time to get away; fast! He tried to get up, but this body was so heavy! The sheer weight of all this muscle was a huge change. Still sitting by the fence, he shielded his glowing green eyes with one hand, for Moises Perez was running this way!
…
In the marketplace, Dolores pulled Mariano aside to avoid prying ears. He raised a brow in confusion. "Dolores?"
She motioned for him to stay silent and cocked her head to listen to something in the distance… "Hm." she peeped. "OK, this might be a good time to help! There's a lot less control over the situation, now!" Without bothering to explain, she snatched Mariano's hand and hurried off towards the edge of town.