Chapter Five: Bigger Problems

Pepa and Julieta sat in the sand next to the vision dome, keeping an eye on their brother while his mental self drifted off. That had to be the key to fixing this problem...He was practically grimacing with how much effort and concentration he was putting in. But nothing would end this bizarre vision, no matter how hard he tried. Julieta was especially worried; a vision had never gone on this long before. She kept hold of Pepa's hand; there was a looming grey cloud overhead that expressed the turmoil which everyone in the room was feeling.

Felix, Camilo and Antonio were pacing around, keeping an eye out for any weird happenings. The mere fact that Bruno had discovered this ability was a lot to comprehend. Mirabel was giving her uncle pep talks while he traveled through town. Abuela also offered encouragement as she joined the others in pacing restlessly. All seemed to be going well so far...Bruno's mental self had made it all the way to the other side of town without any trouble.

Suddenly, the physical Bruno cried out in alarm, "No, not again!"

Abuela immediately ran over. "Brunito, are you alright?!"

But her son didn't answer. He was busy fighting the magic pulling on his mind with such force that he could do nothing to stop it. "Nonononono, don't—!" And then his body went as straight as rail, falling into the deepest of trances once again.

Abuela and a few others all called out, "Hey! What's going on in there?" "Is the spell breaking?" "Bruno, answer us!" But the man was completely unresponsive. The vision dome stood strong, still and quiet, wavering with the unchanging green glow. Bruno, still trapped inside, did not move an inch. Once again, nobody was home.

"Oh, no!" Mirabel gasped in fright. "He ran into someone!"

Camilo and Antonio both winced. This whole situation was getting to be a lot less fun, now. Even their father seemed to agree, judging from Felix's wide-eyed look of horror.

"He said he made it to the farmlands, right?" Mirabel reminded. "We've gotta find him. Now! Before someone else does!"

"Breathe, Mira!" Julieta tried to calm her daughter, although she was just as frantic. This was becoming a most unusual afternoon.

"Let's all keep our heads about this!" Abuela rallied everyone's attention. "We cannot all leave. If I know my boy, he'll try to get back here on his own."

"It can't hurt to search anyway, Mama!" Pepa stood with a fretful cloud of worry. She and Julieta glanced back at the vision dome, both reluctant to leave their brother, even if he wasn't in his body right now. Felix came over to comfort his wife, and she accepted a quick hug; that was the only thing preventing her from bursting into rainy tears.

Abuela sensed her daughters' distress and came up with a hasty plan on the spot. "Girls, you two stay here in case Bruno manages to, uh...unpossess whoever was unfortunate to bump into him." She turned to the rest of the family. "Everyone else, split up into pairs and head out. We've got to search town! Augustin and Isabela are downstairs; I'll tell them to keep an eye out in case Bruno manages to walk home."

Pepa and Julieta nodded, relieved at being allowed to stay, but also feeling helpless right now.

Mirabel immediately grabbed her cousin's hand and ran through the tower's oasis garden. "C'mon, Camilo! Let's take the long way around town. I have a feeling Tio Bruno will go that way to avoid people."

"Got it. But what if we don't find him first?"

"I'll diffuse any situation if something happens." Abuela announced, ready to go into town as well. If she came across a huge commotion, that would no doubt be a sign someone had found her boy. She shuddered at the thought of their neighbors fearing her son's powers once again. His reputation still had a long way to go before fully mending. If the townsfolk knew he had the ability to see the present through another's eyes? That wouldn't go over well...Abuela smoothed her hair to stay composed. "I'll take the direct route through town."

Felix took Antonio's hand, still shaking his head at the absurdity of this mission. "I guess we'll search the side roads, then. But if that man can get back here on his own without being seen, it'll be a miracle itself!"

"Felix!" Pepa scolded with a rumble.

"Please hurry, everyone!" Julieta clasped her hands as the others rushed towards the tower's entrance hall.

"Don't worry, Mama! I promise Bruno and I will make up for all this trouble!" Mirabel called back, still dragging Camilo along.

Now alone with her sister, Julieta paced around the vision dome uneasily. The distressed Pepa staggered over to a bench under a palm tree to try and keep her emotions from erupting into a hurricane. She took deep, calming breaths while reciting the usual mantra, "Clear skies...keep those skies nice and clear…" She never took her eyes off her brother, who remained still as a statue in that eerie trance. The veil of sand between him and the rest of the world was keeping his body protected, at least.

Julieta eventually joined her sister on the bench and put a comforting arm around her. "What a disaster…He could be possessing anyone right now!"

…

"Luisa, let me help you up!" Moises Perez ran across the pasture, weaving around the two grazing donkeys.

"No! No, I'm fine. Really! I just need a minute…" Bruno reached for the fence rail and pulled himself to his feet, albeit very unsteadily. He was still recovering from the sensation of taking on a new host. Bent over with vertigo and clutching the fence, which threatened to snap like a twig from the strong grip alone, he kept his face turned away from the approaching Moises. A dead giveaway that something was amiss was Luisa's eyes—they were glowing with his own gift right now! Bruno thought fast for a cover story. "I'm good!" He spoke with his niece's voice. "I just got a little dizzy, that's all."

"A fainting spell? Oh dear. You stay right there, Luisa, and I'll get you some water." Moises turned back before even reaching the fence, hurrying back towards his house.

It was a merciful relief for Bruno. Shakily, he took a deep breath and finally managed to stand up upright. His whole center of balance was completely thrown off by how different this body felt. "Whoa. This sure feels weird…" He walked in place a few times, trying to get used to the weight of all the muscle. He felt solid as a rock! And this was a much, much greater height then what he was used to, seeing the present from Luisa's six-foot-five point of view. That was kind of fun; he'd never been so tall in his life.

But with a shudder of dread, Bruno also felt extremely uncomfortable being the opposite gender. Luisa's strong, womanly figure was vastly different from Mirabel, so he made sure to keep both hands as far away as possible. "Oh no...this was awkward enough the first time!" Even while just standing here, he could tell certain things were missing once again. It was all too weird. "Now I really miss being Antonio…"

Moises Perez came back outside, walking swiftly across the pasture while carrying a water glass. "Uh oh…" Bruno groaned with dread as the man approached. The first instinct was to run away as fast as possible, but not only was he still unsteady, it would raise questions as to why 'Luisa' had run away in the middle of doing a chore. Think fast, think fast! Bruno panicked internally.

"Here, Luisa! Sit down and take it easy." Moises insisted, holding up the water glass.

"Uh, thanks…" Bruno feigned feeling dizzy, rubbing his face while keeping it turned away. The extra height came in handy; Moises was now over a head shorter, making it harder for the man to look up and notice the glow. Taking a few sips of water, Bruno did his best to keep up the act. "Just overdoing it, I guess."

"You? Overdoing it?" The statement made Moises raise an eyebrow. Luisa was tireless, courtesy of her super-strength. At least that was what he assumed. "Don't worry, Luisa. You're still human, after all. And it's a rather hot day."

Bruno was actually feeling parched. Luisa must have power-walked all the way out to the farmlands. The water glass helped shield his face, for Moises was staring up at 'Luisa' in concern. The two donkeys on this side of the fence kept on nudging Bruno, as if they sensed something strange was going on. Or maybe the animals just liked Luisa a lot? They never seemed to mind the girl throwing them onto her shoulders when she rounded them up.

Bruno put those acting skills to use. "Whew! Thanks, Senor Perez, that really helped." he said, handing the glass back. He rubbed a temple to appear dazed. "I might be getting a bit of sunstroke. Maybe I should be going home. Ju—uh, my mom made a fresh batch of healing arepas this morning, so, you know…"

"Let me escort you home, then." Moises offered. "I don't want you going back on your own; you might faint again!"

"No! That's not necessary—"

"It's my fault for bothering your family on your day off! You didn't have to come all the way out here if you're not feeling well." Moises explained guiltily in his nasally voice. "Sunstroke is no joke!"

"But I'm fine! Look!" Without thinking, Bruno picked up a donkey and used the bewildered animal as a shield. In the back of his panicked mind, he knew picking up a donkey would be easy. But actually doing it still threw him for a loop. "Wow!" He gasped under his breath, surprising himself. "Uh—See? Everything's great! I feel better already!"

Moises wasn't convinced. "Luisa, you don't have to round up the donkeys today. I should have remembered that it's your day off."

"It's alright! Nothing's wrong, Senor Perez. This is my only chore for the day, after all, and these guys won't herd themselves, right?" He patted the donkey on his arm, who blinked lazily while chewing a tuft of weeds.

"Well...if you're sure." Moises scratched his head, confused by the girl's odd behavior.

"Here you go," Bruno carefully lowered the donkey to the other side of the fence. To his amazement, the donkey felt no lighter then one of his pet rats. He caught sight of the gate, which was held together flimsily with a piece of rope. "That sure isn't going to hold, Senor. Maybe you should use something a bit more sturdy? Or do a few repairs while I get the herd?"

"Hm. That's a good idea." Moises Perez started walking across the field again. He called back over his shoulder, "Thank you for the help, Luisa, but if you insist upon it, please don't push yourself!"

The moment Moises disappeared into his house, Bruno suddenly realized the predicament he'd gotten himself into. "Maybe I should have just tried to make a run for it...OK. Donkeys. Right...How many are in the herd, anyway?"

The other donkey kept nuzzling up to lick his hand, so Bruno carefully placed the friendly fellow into the pasture to join the others. Now there was a quartet braying at each other in greeting, ready to graze contentedly in the warm sunshine.

Bruno tried to find a bright side. At least it was a beautiful, sunny day, with a warm breeze. And he was a ways out of town, with not many people around, so that was good, right? Bruno thought it best to quickly take care of this chore, since Moises was hanging around. That was what Luisa would do, and he was Luisa at the moment! How had he gotten into this mess, again?!...He took several deep breaths, knocked on the fence, and did his best to walk along the stretch of dirt road without falling over. The rest of the donkey herd couldn't be too far. However, the weight of this current body was really throwing him off balance. "Focus, focus, focus...don't trip and fall flat on your face…especially when it's not your face." Bruno muttered nervously.

Remembering that whoever he was possessing was also aware of what was going on, he spoke aloud to reassure his niece. "Don't worry, Luisa! Everything is going to be just fine! I'll get the donkeys, then I'll take us home and get out of your head. I promise I'll make it up to you later! Please don't be too mad at me!" He profusely apologized, waving his hands around wildly like he always did when scared or stressed. With Luisa's strength, however, the habit proved to be disastrous when he accidentally whacked a low tree branch. It snapped so that it was hanging by a twig.

All fretful thoughts were put on hold when another donkey sauntered into view, dragging all hooves lazily, making a beeline for the long grass growing on the other side of the road. Two more emerged from the bushes, following. The trio paused to stare at 'Luisa' with their giant, expressive eyes...Bruno timidly waved back with an awkward smile. The three animals then went on with their snack mission.

"Hey, wait! I'm supposed to take you back!" Bruno circled the group as they started grazing. "C'mon, go back that way! Please?"

"Luisa? Are you feeling better?" Moises Perez was back outside. He had a toolbox in hand and was tending to the broken gate.

"Yep—I mean, yes! All good here!" Bruno averted his gaze again. Moises was some distance away, but still watching in concern. So he stood up straighter, head held high with a confident air just like Luisa always did. Not a problem! All he had to do was be brave and think like Hernando! He could do this! But it was sure hard to act when he was so uneasy. "OK, donkeys, time to go back to your field…" Bruno gently steered them back towards the fence. But the three animals were being stubborn and enjoying their fresh grass too much to move. "Um...Please go back? I've really got to get going, you know."

A short distance away, Moises was disassembling the gate, but paused to stare at the fiasco.

Bruno realized how this must look and refrained from wringing his hands out of nervous habit. If Moises suspected anything, this afternoon would quickly get a lot worse. So Bruno took a steady breath to brace himself and picked up a donkey—with one hand! And just like before, it was no heavier then a single rat. But still a bit awkward, given this was a large donkey and not a rat. He maneuvered it carefully onto his shoulder, trying to mimic Luisa, and then reached out to pick up another one. The donkeys didn't kick or bray; they were definitely used to this sort of transport.

This was so unlike anything Bruno had ever done, that it was hard not feel impressed with himself when placing the donkeys on the other side of the fence. He picked up the third one and lifted it over his head with both hands. (It had a chunk of grass hanging out of its mouth, still chewing away.) "Huh. So this is what it's like to be strong!" Bruno put the donkey down into the field, quite amazed by how easy this was.

Moises heard that. "Luisa, are you sure you're alright? The sun isn't getting to you, is it? Let me get you some more water!"

"No! That's nice of you, but I'm fine." Bruno insisted, hurriedly walking away. He made sure to swing Luisa's arms in time to the steps like she always did. "All good here, Senor! You just keep working on that gate! Uh—how many donkeys are there, again?"

Moises Perez blinked in confusion. "Sixteen, Luisa, but you don't have to…" He trailed off as the girl walked away—much faster then usual—and went out of sight within moments. He decided to finish up the gate repairs and get a snack for her when she returned. It must be a minor case of sunstroke if she'd forgotten how many donkeys were in the herd.

The moment Bruno was safely off the road, he hid behind a tree for a breather. "Sorry, Luisa! I'm doing my best, here! It's not easy being someone so important."

Getting this chore over with was vital, so he set out to try and locate the remaining nine donkeys. From Luisa's casual chatting during the family's dinner, Bruno knew the herd never strayed far from one another. Hopefully they would all be along this one stretch of road...But with the way this unlucky afternoon was going, that probably wouldn't be the case. "Knock, knock, knock...knock, knock, knock on wood…" Bruno rapped his knuckles on each tree he passed; one of them was nearly uprooted with a loud creak. "Ah! OK, better not touch anything..."

Bruno fought not to hyperventilate. He was in big trouble! Trapped in a very strong and powerful host on the other edge of town, the family probably had no idea what had happened to him, and now he had to do this unforeseen chore! He took a deep breath and tried to stay focused. "Just get the donkeys and get out of here. I can do that..."

For the next little while, Bruno searched the grassy areas around the trees, making sure to duck out of sight from any people who walked along the road. He couldn't help knocking on every tree—being extremely gentle—while calling softly for the donkeys to come out. It certainly wasn't how Luisa went about rounding up the herd. She just marched around and piled them up all at once. Lucky for Bruno, the animals were scattered within a decent distance from the farm. The unkempt grass and weeds in the area proved to be an excellent buffet.

The donkeys did not run away at the sight of him, and he even managed to find the herd hanging around in groups of two or three. None of even bothered to flinch or kick as he picked them up. Carrying them back to the pasture was effortless! And with some practice, Bruno got the hang of walking with both shoulders loaded up. Being in this body wasn't so bad, really. Aside from the obvious issue of being a girl, he felt great. All his life Bruno had been on the small and skinny side, but now he was over six feet tall and strong enough to bend trees. Strolling through the farmlands collecting wayward donkeys was the most fun he'd had in a while, despite the weird circumstances.

He made multiple trips back to the field, returning the animals two or three at a time. Each time carefully holding them in such a way that his face was hidden. Moises Perez still hadn't noticed 'Luisa's' glowing green eyes and Bruno vowed to keep it that way.

While Bruno was wandering, there was a moment when a whole flock of toucans flew overhead, all carrying fresh mangoes in their beaks. They flew directly from the marketplace, and far away in the distance, a commotion of people could be heard yelling with annoyance. "Right...Maybe I shouldn't have given the toucans permission to do that…" Bruno winced with regret. When he was occupying Antonio back at the house, the toucan had asked ever so nicely if he could bring his friends to the market for a feast.

Soon, after placing the fourteenth and fifteenth donkeys on the other side of the fence, Bruno set out yet again to find the last one. Moises still seemed worried about Luisa, so Bruno tried to act flawlessly, marching around the same way she did when she went around the community helping people. It seemed to work. But Moises insisted on him drinking another glass of water and eating some sliced fruit for a little burst of energy.

Bruno downed the snack only to avoid more questions and hurried away the moment he was able to. Only one more donkey to go and then he could go home! "They'll have a fit when I tell them I was way out here doing Luisa's chores instead of trying to fix more pressing matters! Augustin is gonna kill me when he finds out!" Bruno wrung his hands anxiously. His brother-in-law wouldn't like that he'd ended up possessing another one of the girls. Nope. Definitely not.

Bruno had trouble finding the last donkey. He ended up much farther down the road then he was comfortable with. The Perez farm was a fair distance away, now. Even worse, the first houses on the outskirts of town were in view! Along with people! Bruno went stiff for a moment—then dove into the bushes, his heavy muscular self sending leaves flying.

Doing that wasn't enough of a surprise to force him out of Luisa's head, though. He peered out from the bushes and with a gasp of dread, the last donkey was way down at the end of the road, having wandered into someone's front yard and grazing on flowers quite happily. Worse still, Senora Sanchez and her children were there, trying to shoo their visitor away.

"Well, that's just perfect. Where's help when I need it?!" Bruno kicked a tree root, paying no mind to the hole in Luisa's sandal. Now what? He couldn't go out there. Luisa's eyes would be noticed; she was popular! People would stop to say hello! Lots of neighbors were wandering along the street, going about their business in town or stopping to chat with friends. The Sanchez children laughed at the donkey's escapades as it ate their flowerbeds. Senora Sanchez didn't seem to find it very funny, however. She gently used a broom to try and push it away, but the donkey was a stubborn one.

Bruno backed into a tree, causing it to creak ominously. He awkwardly fussed with the blue skirt as he sat down in the grass to think of a plan. "OK, let's think. How do I get out of this?" Maybe he could get out of this body on his own! All he needed was to get surprised by something, right? It was kinda hard surprising oneself, though...What if he slapped himself in the face like Camilo had suggested during Mirabel's possession? That might work...But Bruno couldn't bring himself to do that. Getting slapped by someone with super-strength seemed like a terrible idea. And he didn't want to hurt Luisa whatsoever!

He peeked out from the bushes again. Maybe the donkey would wander back this way eventually. That was his only hope. But then, a much better solution to the problem came running into view.

It was Dolores! With Mariano close behind!

Never before had Bruno been so glad to see them! He watched as his niece screeched to a halt in front of the Sanchez home, pointing at the donkey and saying a few words in greeting. Senora Sanchez smiled and nodded, while Mariano coolly jumped the fence and led the donkey away from the flowerbeds by its collar. At one moment, Bruno saw Dolores glance down the road in this general direction.

Wait. Had she been listening this entire time?

He stayed put as Dolores and Mariano bid goodbye to the Sanchez family before casually leaving town and strolling onto the dirt road. The donkey was in tow, looking most disappointed at not having any more delicious flowers to eat. Mariano led it along at a slower pace, while Dolores broke into a run until she reached the patch of bushes where her uncle was hiding.

Bruno immediately stood, leaves flying all over the place. He blinked at her, not bothering to shield his eyes, with a clumsy wave in greeting. "...Hi."

"Bad day, Tio Bruno?" Dolores quietly prompted as she looked at what appeared to be cousin Luisa. Those glowing green eyes really did looked better on Bruno.

"Oh thank goodness, I don't have to explain!" Bruno lifted Dolores clean off the ground by the shoulders. "You've gotta help me! You won't believe how I got mixed up in this donkey-herding job—"

"I know. The rest of the family are out looking for you." Dolores explained, her feet dangling. "But your sisters are still in the tower. And Isabela is in the kitchen with Tio Augustin. We'd better not tell him where you ended up, though."

Bruno nodded profusely, tight-lipped with anxiousness. He gently put her down, surprised by how short Dolores had become. A fact only emphasized when Mariano caught up, who was also a whole head shorter. "Ah! This whole afternoon is only getting weirder by the minute!" Bruno cried out, feeling another panic attack coming on. "It's fun being tall and strong, I'll admit, but it's just not me! I can't figure out how to fix this! You've got to help me get home!"

Dolores held her uncles' hands to calm him down—as best she could, given her cousin's giant hands dwarfed her own. Mariano lingered nearby, feeling sorry for the man's predicament. He wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better. Bruno was upset enough as it was, but having a supportive family member here seemed to be keeping the fear and frustration at bay. Though not by much...

Bruno couldn't help knocking on yet another tree for luck, but ended up breaking its trunk. "Oops! Sorry! This gift is kind of hard to control."

"Understandable." Dolores glanced back towards Senora Sanchez's place. The children had heard the tree snap and were looking around for the source of the sound. "C'mon, Tio. Let's get out of here."

"But what should I do with…?" Mariano motioned to the donkey trying to chew on his sleeve.

"Will you take it back to Senor Perez, mi amor? Tell him you found it nearby. Then meet us on the back road!" Dolores proceeded to steer the giant Luisa-possessing Bruno away from town.

…

Scarcely five minutes later, the three of them were on a long secluded stretch of wilderness. It was more of a scenic path, really, that led around the entire town, winding through the trees, farmlands and hillsides. If someone wished to go for a nature walk, this road was the place to go if one wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. It would have been a peaceful trip back to Casita. Except for the fact that one of them was in the midst of an epic freakout.

"Tio Bruno, slow down!" Dolores jogged to catch up with 'Luisa,' dragging Mariano with her, who was coping with all this rather well. He wasn't used to actively being involved with the Madrigals' magical mishaps.

"There's no time to slow down. Nope. I gotta get back." Bruno kept muttering, unaware of how big his strides were. Every finger was crossed to reassure himself that everything was going to be just fine. "My body is just sitting there in the tower with no one in it! And my rats are trapped in there, too. There must be a way to end this vision…"

"Uh, Bruno, half your family are still out looking for you." Mariano reminded.

"That's right!" Bruno spun around. The crazed look that appeared on Luisa's face was quite alarming. "They have no idea where I went! But I can't go into town like this. People will talk."

"Why don't we round everyone up while you head back?" Mariano suggested, looking at Dolores. She could pinpoint their locations easily.

Dolores agreed with a nod. She cocked her head and focused her hearing, listening for the rest of the family's whereabouts. "Let's see...Abuela is in the market—Hm. She sounds pretty anxious. Also, the toucans' mango feast made quite a mess...My Pa and baby brother are searching the side streets...But Mirabel and Camilo are—oh! There they are!"

Bruno and Mariano turned to see the duo a fair distance away, running along the path in this direction. Both were very out of breath as if they hadn't stopped running since leaving the house. Which was exactly the case. Mirabel picked up the pace even more, her glasses threatening to fly off. "Luisa! Dolores! We've got an emergency! Something terrible happened with Bruno's vision and—"

"The man is missing in action!" Camilo summed up. "So we're all running around like ants trying to—Whoa!"

"Gah!" Mirabel also jumped upon seeing Luisa's eyes. The supernatural glow was still noticeable even in the bright sunshine. But the sunshine and pleasant surroundings of nature did nothing to help matters. Camilo gawked in confusion, while Mirabel seemed greatly relieved. "Tio Bruno? Is that you?"

"Don't ask. Just be glad I ran into your sister instead of one of the neighbors." Bruno's fear subsided a bit, now that more help had arrived and this little setback was getting under control. "Can we go home, now? Being super-strong is fun, but I really want to get out of here! It's too...different." He glanced down at himself, still very uncomfortable.

Mirabel nodded with pity. "Yeah, I can see how that would be strange." Having been aware of her tio's emotions during her own possession, she understood how awkward he must feel, being the opposite gender. Especially with Luisa's curvy figure. "C'mon, then. Let's get home and come up with a new plan."

"Hey, I still have this!" Camilo held up the fork triumphantly. "You wanna get out of there, Tio Bruno? Leave it to me. I'll jab you when you least expect it."

"That's...not much of a plan." Mirabel disagreed, shielding their uncle despite him being twice her size. "The last two times only made things spiral out of control! Bruno, you should just stay in there, for now."

"But I'm pretty sure this is against Luisa's will! You heard her in the kitchen earlier. She didn't want to be next!"

"Does that mean I can be next?" Camilo asked excitedly as the group resumed walking along the path.

Mariano lingered behind with Dolores. "Mi amor, perhaps we should help him unpossess your cousin, at least…" He pointed out how upset Bruno was, all while Mirabel and Camilo argued over the matter.

"Hm." Dolores considered. "But then there's the risk of him bumping into someone else...Maybe Mira's right. He should stay where he is until we get home, at least."

"But I don't like being a girl!" Bruno whined miserably with Luisa's voice.

"And I'm volunteering!" Camilo threw up both hands.

"Again, cuz, something is seriously wrong with you…" Mirabel shook her head in disbelief.

Bruno sighed, took a deep breath, crossed his fingers, and just kept walking. The sooner they made it back to the tower, the less chance there was of something else going wrong! The rest of the group followed close behind, with Dolores trying to break up Mirabel and Camilo's argument. While that was going on, Mariano ran ahead to catch up with Bruno. He didn't feel like it was his place to intervene with a Madrigal squabble. "So, Bruno, is uh—isn't there any way you can get out on your own?"

"Nope. Tried several different ways. Once it happens, I'm stuck! Unless I get surprised by something. Then it happens all over again!" Bruno couldn't describe how guilty he felt. Luisa would surely be mad once she was back in control; she'd never speak to him again…

Meanwhile, Dolores was talking some sense into her brother. "Now, Camilo, you're going to help me round up Abuela, Pa and Antonio, alright?"

"Fine. But expect a lot of complaining." Camilo frowned.

"I'll go back home with Luisa—er, Bruno. I mean, both of them!" Mirabel ran a hand through her curls, flustered.

"Good. Please try to undo this experimental mess you started." Dolores tried to scold, but it came out sounding more amused then anything. Listening to the fiasco had been rather entertaining, after all.

The group was about to split up when a sudden yelp of pain came from up ahead. They all looked in time to see Bruno hopping on one foot after kicking a boulder in frustration. The pain and surprise was a lot more then he expected, thanks to that hole in Luisa's sandal. What happened next was very sudden: the large, muscular frame of Luisa collapsed to the ground without warning. There was a loud 'THUD' as she fell directly onto Mariano, who tried to catch her as she fell and failed miserably. "Oof!" the young man grunted, the wind getting knocked out of him.

"Ow…" the person who looked like Luisa groaned. "I'm OK! Just stubbed my toe real good..."

Mirabel, Camilo and Dolores hurried over as the girl struggled to get up. "Oh Dios mio, that was awful!" Luisa lamented, her head spinning. "I mean, I know it was just an accident, but it was still awful! There was nothing I could do, Mirabel! How did you not freak out when it was your turn?! The donkeys couldn't even tell it wasn't me who was doing all the work. I was just pushed to the side! And Tio Bruno was so nervous and scared the whole time; I sure hope Senor Perez didn't suspect anything—Oh! Sorry, Mariano. Are you alright?"

The poor guy was pinned on the grass from trying to break Luisa's fall. His eyes squeezed shut as he lay there, as if in pain. Luisa managed to shakily crawl to a safe spot off the path to recover from her ordeal. Mirabel held her sister's hand and was glad to see her eyes had returned to their usual brown without a trace of Bruno's gift in sight. Now that it was over, the sisters couldn't help but laugh with a strange sense of relief.

Dolores and Camilo pulled Mariano to an upright position. "Oh dear…" The man groaned, wavering on the spot. Being winded wasn't much of a surprise, given Luisa had nearly crushed him. Locks of wavy hair fell out of place as he rubbed his eyes.

"Hey, Pretty Boy, you alright?" Camilo joked, flinching when Dolores smacked him.

…

Back in the tower, Pepa and Julieta were more or less calm as they played the waiting game. Suddenly, the physical Bruno inside the vision dome came out of its trance!

Julieta spotted it first. Her brother snapped into reality for a brief moment, breathing hard. But the dome did not collapse. She banged on the solid wall of sand as Pepa ran over to join her. "Hermano! Are you OK? Where are you right now? Tell us!"

But he didn't respond. Almost immediately, the magic drew his mind away again, so there wasn't even time to answer Julieta's plea. Both sisters watched helplessly as Bruno's frown of concentration faded away and his body went into yet another deep trance. The rats inside the dome snuffled their whiskered noses at him in concern.

Pepa's moody cloud had been absent for a while, but came back quickly. "W—What just happened?"

Julieta shrugged. She was feeling rather moody herself. She squinted through the sand to see only two of the grounding piles of cactus flowers remained. The other three had finally burnt away, the magic finally having worn out the flames. "Hm…" Julieta wondered. Pepa followed her gaze. Both were thinking the same thing, and just like their mother earlier, they now had a strong theory on how to end this nonsense.

…

"Mi amor? Are you hurt?" Dolores asked as Mariano fought not to tip over.

Luisa had recovered from her intense dizzy spell and apologized for crushing him. "I'm so sorry about that! Did anything break? I can run home and get some food from Mama in a snap—"

"NO! No touching!" Mariano sounded unusually panic-stricken and kept his gaze downcast, waving his hands wildly. "No one come near me! There can't be any more mishaps!" The others were alarmed as the calm, sensitive, and relaxed man jumped to his feet with a great burst of energy. "Dolores, I really think you should go find my mother, now."

"Your mother? Mariano, the fewer people know about this experiment-gone-wrong, the better—"

"No, not Senora Guzman! I meant your Abuela." Mariano pushed back the locks of luscious wavy brown hair to reveal...a pair of glowing green eyes.

There was silence for a moment. Dolores clasped her hands daintily and took in the sight of her possessed boyfriend before finally releasing a small squeak. "...Hm." She then turned and walked off tensely without a word, going off the path and straight towards town to find Abuela.

Bruno watched her leave, slouching unhappily. He turned to his astonished nephew and nieces, stood up straight and cleared his throat—nope, that was Mariano's voice. Still not quite right. So Bruno crossed his fingers, now attached to another new pair of hands. He stared at the kids awkwardly before taking a deep, steady breath. "...I'm just gonna go home, now. Bye."

Luisa and Mirabel immediately ran after him, still wrapping their heads around what just happened.

Camilo was left alone and pouting. "Hmph. I wanted to be next!" He trudged after Dolores to help round up the others, thoroughly disappointed.