"They can stay in the nursery with me!" a little voice squeeks.
"Everyone stops abruptly, turning to the girl with a mass of beautiful dark curls atop her head and a pair of lime green glasses resting on her nose. She had been hidden behind a sharply dressed man's legs and is now stepping out to speak. "I've been all alone since Camilo got his own room. It'd be like a sleepover!"
"Mirabel," the matriarch speaks with authority, "we are not allowing some strange woman to sleep in the same room as you."
"What about the children, then?" Pepa asks. "She can stay in…that extra room we have."
"Still not willing to speak of Bruno?"
"We don't talk about Bruno, Félix!"
"Alright, alright!" booms the elderly woman.
Once again, silence fills the room, this time with our attention directed toward the matriarch. "I will allow it for now," the room erupts in chatter before the she silences them once again with her hand, "but as soon as any issues come up, they are out of the house. I won't have anyone jeopardizing my family." She then turns, directing her next words toward me. "As for you, I expect you to make yourself useful around our home and in town. We pride ourselves in being a help to the community; you must represent this role while you are staying in our home." I nod. "Good," she says.
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After tucking Alejandro and Camila into their new beds and kissing them goodnight, Julietta is the one to lead me to my new room. She is standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face. In her arms is a new set of pale green sheets and a blanket.
"How old are they?" she asks as we walk down the hallway.
"Alejandro is seven and Camila is four."
"That's perfect! Mirabel and Camilo are seven as well. I'm sure they'll become great friends."
I ask her why Mirabel doesn't have her own special room like Camilo, which leads to further discussion. I learn that all those that I had seen earlier are part of one large family, all living together in this home that they've named "Casita". Casita herself is magical on her own with her ability to move and interact with those within its walls. This family Madrigal also has a few tricks up its sleeve as many of its individuals possess their own supernatural powers. Julietta can heal any wound or illness with the food that she cooks, Pepa can control the weather with her emotions, hence the earlier thunder in the room. Their husbands, Augustín and Félix, do not hold any powers, but their children all do, except for little Mirabel, who never received one.
A lull slips into the conversation, after which I turn to look at the door in front of us. The man carved in the wood has his arms stretched out, expression neutral, almost foreboding. It is the same door I saw earlier, the only one missing its glow.
"You'll have to forgive us," Julietta says while opening the door, "this room has not been used in two years. Not since my brother…well, he disappeared."
Within the room is nothing short of miraculous: a giant cave, the opening covered with a curtain of pouring sand. The room -if you can even call it that- gives off an eerie and mysterious feeling, beckoning you forward to meet your doom.
"I'm so sorry," I reply.
She waves me off. "It's not your fault, dear. In fact, I'd say it's the fault of this family and this town. Just don't tell Pepa I said that. He's been treated rather harshly all his life because of the nature of his gift."
"Why would he be treated that way for his gift? Isn't it a blessing to the town?"
Julietta's features scrunch together as she lets out a sigh. "He had the ability to see into the future—"
"That's incredible!" As we walk through the sand, my words echo through the cave. She nods in response with a sad smile.
"It should have been. He was so excited when he received his gift, thinking of all the lives he could save and people he could help avoid danger. It didn't take long, though, for him to realize how rare it is for a future vision to change. Many of the actions done to avoid a situation became the reason for it coming true. People began to despise him, saying that he was bringing about misfortune or making the visions himself to hurt others. He was just a little boy with such a big heart; he believed everything they said. Sadly, the happier visions were few and far between. Warnings of horrible fates, death, and betrayal overwhelmed his daily life. Two years ago, something must have finally snapped in him. He disappeared the night of Mirabel's gift ceremony."
"How awful, the poor man. That must have been so hard. Why is Pepa so angry with him? Did she get a bad vison from him?"
"Honestly, you may need to ask Pepa, though she's really not one to talk about our brother. Some conversation was had on her wedding day. It had her so upset that she caused a hurricane, ruining her wedding. She blames him for it and wouldn't talk to him for years. That woman can surely hold a grudge."
"I'll have to remember to never get on her bad side." I say, and Julietta laughs.
"Why doesn't his door glow like the rest?" I ask, finally letting out the burning question.
"It died out not too long after he left. We assume it's because he hasn't used his powers since then and not that he's—well—"em dead/em. A sudden understanding dawns on me. He could have died, and no one would know. How could Pepa still hold a grudge for her own brother when he may not even be in this world to gain her forgiveness?
"We tried it ourselves. With my powers being a little too important for the community and Pepa and Delores's so hard to control, we asked Isabela, my oldest daughter, to go without using her powers for a week. She can control nature and create beautiful flora, it's quite lovely, but mostly only necessary for weddings and celebrations. Anyway, within just a few days, her door's light went out as well. It is my hope that Bruno is alright and just taking some time to learn his worth. That he'll come back to us a new man. A confident man." I nod, unsure of what to say. I hope more than anything that their brother will soon return, wherever he may be.
Looking ahead, I spot a giant stone hand, pointing upward, the words 'Your Future Awaits' carved into it. As my eyes travel upward, my heart drops. Thousands of stairs spiral upward along the cave walls until they are out of sight.
"Casita normally helps us get to where we need to go a bit faster but…" We both look back toward the doorway, only to see Casita's floor tiles reaching up in an apologetic wave. My eyes slowly turn back toward the stairs, travelling up the height until they fade away into a sandy fog.
"You've got to be kidding me," I say.
"I'm so sorry. We have a couch in the living area but it's not very comfortable to sleep on. Plus, Mamá is not fond of guests sleeping on the couch and we're already on thin ice with her as it is. Let me at least walk you up there and help with the sheets." Julietta begins to take the first step, but I stop her. "No, Julietta. I've got it. There's no reason for you to take that massive trip just for some sheets. Thank you for everything." I take the sheets from Julietta's arms, and she smiles, a bit of relief on her face before bidding me goodnight and heading out of the room.
With a sigh, I look back upward at the towering staircase. "Well, come on feet," I say before beginning my trek.
After reaching the top, I throw the sheets to the platform before me, gasping for breath and dragging myself behind them. "Bruno!" I cry, "What kind of psychopath has a room like this!?" The sound of a deep chuckle seems to whisper through the air, but just as quickly as it appears, it is gone.
After pulling myself to my feet once again, I walk forward, across a bridge and toward a large, circular door. I twist the doorknob and open the door, light slowly peeking in to reveal a large room filled with glowing green tablets along the walls. At its center sits an engraved circle, sand filling the indentions. A shattered tablet rests in the center.
There are two doors on either side of the room, each just a smooth slab of dark wood. I turn to the left and walk toward that door. Inside I find a massive graveyard of green tablets. Piles reach toward the ceiling and encircle a small table in its center. Neatly atop the table is a small pile of tablets, maybe ten or so. I take a step forward to inspect them further when…
Suddenly, a shattering crash is heard in the room behind me. I jump at the sound and yank my body around to face the doorway. Grabbing one of the discarded tablets for protection, I slowly step back into the vision room. My eyes search the area, only to find it dark and empty. A shifting shadow and a scuttling sound from a dark corner catches my attention. I yelp, chucking the tablet in the general direction of the sound only to watch it shatter in against the wall. A rat chooses that moment to run out from the shadows, shooting off toward my feet. This time I let out a scream, jumping out of the way of its path.
"So, that's what made the noise…about gave me a heart attack."
With a disgusted shiver, I walk toward the other door, which opens to, thankfully, a bedroom. After making the bed, I finally tuck myself in, basking in the feeling of clean sheets, before promptly passing out.