Summary: My goodness but things do change quickly in the Encanto. Time, time, time if only you could make more of it...
Hermanita Fuerte
Luisa stood in the archway of her room looking out at the different apparatus and wondering at the purpose of a few. Some had not been there before, so their use was not immediately apparent to her. Off to the right and not visible unless you went through the archway were a few surf boards. Further still she saw an area that held a volleyball net. She'd heard about the game from several of the newcomers and she'd watched a few matches but had not yet played. She wanted to enough that she'd learned the rules and was excited that there was more to do out here than just exercise. All of this made her curious, so she continued on and was surprised when her shoes began sinking. She looked down noticing the sand she was walking in for the first time. There was an unexpected sound of water pushing up on a shore, but she could not see it yet, so Luisa moved closer.
Reaching the edge of the water, she removed her shoes and took a few tentative steps out into the water; she could smell the salt as the hem of her dress was soaked by an especially large wave making it a little heavier. Looking out she saw seaweed floating on top a few yards away. She jumped when something brushed by her leg. Whatever it was, wasn't visible because of the sand she'd stirred up. It was hard though. She stood perfectly still and waited for the water to clear. She saw it then, a turtle. A pretty darn big turtle. It came up for air and spit water from its nose that hit her hand. She threw her shoes to the beach as she knelt down and realized there were a number of turtles in the water around her. She wondered why they were all there and wished Antonio was nearby. She carefully made her way back to shore and sat down in the sand.
Today was the day of the official town meeting and it was her father, not Abuela, who showed her the list of what was being requested. He reminded her that she did not have to agree to do any of them and could choose the day and times to work. Everything was so different. Most of the requests were things she could handle pretty readily. Others she was sure she would not do. Tía Pepa brought Antonio to the family meeting because even though he had no specific requests, he did have something to say about certain requests. He stood atop his chair and said the animals in the Encanto did not want their river moved. And certain trees needed to be left alone, it was egg time, as he called it, and moving the river would kill a lot of the eggs that had already been laid. Young animals would be separated from their parents, and no one wanted that.
Luisa realized she'd never considered the animals when doing such tasks in the past and wondered how disruptive her Gift had been. How many times had she rerouted the river? Or pulled up trees to make a road? While some of it was surely necessary, not all of it was. She saw now that she needed to take these things into consideration before doing them. Abuela too, told Antonio that she'd not realized they were doing harm to the creatures of the Encanto, and it was good that he had brought it to the family's attention. Antonio beamed at her praise and Luisa let it sink in a little more that her Abuela was holding to her word.
While in some ways she missed the routine of doing the same things every day, she also had come to enjoy her free time. And that's just what it was…free time…time to do the things she wanted to. Learn about things she'd only had a passing interest in before because there wasn't any time for them. One of which was windmills. Tío Félix was a master builder and she'd tagged along with him as the construction of it had gotten underway. She'd even suggested some design changes based on her own experience and he'd listened to her. Some he incorporated, others he spent time teaching her why certain things could not be done the way she wanted. Some of the requests on the list were specific to this project and she could not wait to get to working on it.
She looked at the clock, it was just after noon. Isa told her she was going with Mira today to see if she could figure out what was spooking their sister. Isa seemed to think it was Casita related. Luisa agreed. For as many years as Isabela avoided Mirabel, she'd become very adept at reading her just in the last twelve months. Luisa knew it was because they were just too much alike and when they actually talked and didn't argue, stuff could get done.
Hermanita Extraña
Mirabel was sitting on a stool only half listening to her father and Abuelo chatting about the meeting that was supposed to take place later that afternoon. That whole scenario made her nervous so instead she focused on watching Isabela talk to Mariano outside. She liked Mariano, he had always been kind to the weird little sister of his former intended. She wanted to add something to her favorite skirt to represent him. Maybe little hearts near her cousin's musical notes. She'd already added an hourglass for Tio Bruno
Still, she was fascinated as she watched her sister go from Isa at home to Isa in town. Mira wondered what was going on in Isa's head behind that smile she used. She preferred Isa at home, but she supposed she should probably learn to how to be more like Isa in town. Mirabel tried to think happy thoughts so she could smile without looking mildly crazy. Just thinking about that made her even more nervous and she put her hands on her knees when she realized her feet were bouncing.
Mariano bent down and whispered something to her sister then left with a huge smile on his face. Isa was looking at something he'd placed in her hand. Mirabel noticed the people starting to collect in front of the shop and sighed. Isa smiled at whatever it was in her hand and came in. She was followed by an older woman, whose name Mirabel could not remember at the moment…Sanchez maybe?
"Hey Mira," Isa said handing her the something Mariano had given her, "can you put this in your bag?"
"Sure," Mirabel said as she turned it right side up. It was a flower. "Oh, is this a cactus flower?"
"You remembered," Isa said with a smile and tilt of her head when Mirabel nodded, "Yes, Mariano said he found it in the rubble and figured it was mine."
"Is it?" Mirabel's smile collapsed to a frown as she put it in her bag. She really didn't like to remember Casita as rubble, but that was all she could see when she closed her eyes sometimes. She really should have tried harder…she still needed to…
"Yes, I got it from Tio…Mira?
Mirabel started and pushed her practiced smile onto her face as she bit her lip.
Isa put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You need to stop doing that, Mira."
"I'm not doing anything," Mira said working to keep her smile looking normal.
"Mmm hmmm," Isa said as she gave her shoulder a squeeze, "Just saying, hermana, you're a terrible liar," she added as she brushed a few of Mira's errant curls from her face.
"I'm not lying," Mirabel said a bit too defensively letting the smile drop.
"Yes, you are, something is bugging you and has been for a while," Isa said, and Mira had to back away as her sister leaned in, "I'm going to haunt you until you tell me."
"Nothing's wrong, Isa," Mirabel said a touch angrily.
Their conversation was thankfully interrupted when more people entered the shop and seemed mildly confused as to why they were there, though they seemed interested in the clothing on display. Mirabel tried to shrink down a little. Not that that seemed to help. This was going to get pesky, but Abuela said it would stop…eventually. Hopefully eventually didn't mean years. Isa noticed and rolled her eyes as she put herself between the folks and her sister. Her father and Abuelo noticed as well, and they came over, ostensibly to talk to the customers while still managing to block access to the two them as they greeted the folks asking how they could help them today.
Isa was looking at something behind them and poked her as she pointed to the back of the shop where their Abuela Valentina was waving to them. Mirabel let out a relieved sigh as she slid off the stool and Isa nudged her from behind toward the back.
Her Abuela Valentina was a tiny woman, smaller by a few inches than Mirabel with strong features, large dark eyes and a long silver braid that never quite was able to tame her wavy tresses. She welcomed her nietas after she pulled the curtain closed behind them, smiling as she kissed them both three times, each cheek and the forehead. It was a ritual that Mirabel never got tired of (as long as it was Abuela Valentina that is). Isabela at first was unused to that much outward affection from this Abuela. Up until the breaking she'd had minimal contact with their father's mother but she seemed to revel in it now.
"Good morning Abuela," Isa and Mirabel said together as both moved through the workshop to the living area at the back of the shop.
Isa leaned closer and said, "You know Mira, you don't have to make the pants or ask Abuelo to make them, I'll ask myself."
"Well, I did already cut the material…"
"Oh, in that case, think extra big pockets and take your time. Anyway, I've almost figured out how we can do what we talked about. It's gonna be a snap with Luisa there to help. Have you talked to Dolores or Camilo yet?"
Mirabel shook her head; she'd just not found the time with everything else she was working on. She did wonder what changed Isa's mind about asking Abuelo to make the pants, but she wasn't going to complain. Making the costumes for Camilo's play was eating up a lot of her spare time. Bea and Bri were going to come to Casita tomorrow so hopefully they'd at least have everything cut up.
Abuela Valentina led them to the kitchen worktable where there was a plate of cookies set out. She gave them both small cups of coffee she'd already poured, then picked up a larger mug, filled it then sat at the table with them.
"So," she said after taking a sip, "what brings you two here today?"
"We were dropping off the extra cloth that Abuelo donated for my cousin's show." Mirabel said as she too took a sip. Abuela made some good coffee. "And to visit."
Abuela turned to Isa and her sister said, "Visit and to ask you some questions about the curcubi."
"Oh? You said they were doing well."
"They were but now I feel like something is wrong with them. I've noticed some small white powdery spots on the leaves. Is it because the soil has been so wet?"
Her Abuela nodded, "Sounds like la alheña. It'd be best to cut off all the affected leaf stems. After that mix 1 part milk with 9 parts water and sprinkle it all over the affected plants and anything around it, in the sun."
"In the sun? I thought…"
"This is an exception, mi vida. You're not fertilizing so it will not burn the plants. The white is a fungus so the milk and the sun together will help kill it. Sprinkle it on everything to make sure it does not spread. You'll need to repeat that every few days for at least a few weeks."
"Oh, like the strep thing we had at the house?" Mirabel asked remembering the white spots in her mouth.
"Perhaps, for plants maybe – it tends to happen to most curcubi when it's damp. You just have to be vigilant."
"Thanks, Abuela, I'm going to do that. Such a simple answer," Isa said and took a longer drink of the coffee.
"Most problems with plants have simple answers. Perhaps after you've harvested a few fruits you can save the seeds. Get a feel for your plants before you grow them. Like you have been doing with the corn, come out back and see how much they've grown since your last visit."
Mirabel followed behind but stopped at the door so she wouldn't be seen from the street. There was a low stone wall and Mirabel spotted Camilo as he passed by the shop laden down with a box of something. She hoped his interview went well. He didn't look unhappy so she assumed it did. At least today he ate his breakfast, and her mother really hadn't given him all that much on his plate. A testament to just how nervous he's been all week. The jacket style her father suggested looked nice, she'd barely gotten that done in time. The short cut of it made him look taller but then Mirabel wondered if he'd even noticed he was only just shorter or maybe even with his sister now.
Isa was asking a flurry of questions, so Mirabel went back to sit at the table. She picked up a cookie and set it on the napkin in front of her. Have to start with a good foundation, she thought. There were so many things she was trying to do all at once. Multi-tasking was something she was good at, but lately it seemed like her pile kept getting bigger and bigger. She picked up another, called it family and set it atop the other. She picked up another and named it Abuela and placed it in her stack. Then she named, Luisa, her cousins, Tía, Tíos, parents, stacking them all, trying to keep it all balanced. Focusing all her attention on not letting her tower fall. When she got it ten high, she reached to get a specific cookie for her Isabela and bumped the table causing the stack to collapse. A few of the cookies broke as they hit the table and Mirabel pulled her hands back. The broken ones were the ones she named Abuela and Tio Bruno. She'd been careless, rushing when she should be taking her time. She stared at the mess she'd created but did not clean it up before she carefully began restacking the cookies. She was humming to herself and after a few tries got her tower to fourteen, broken ones and all. Satisfied with the stack she thought, 'Yes, I can totally do this.'
"What are you doing nieta?" she heard her Abuela Valentina ask behind her causing her to turn. As she did, she bumped the table and the stack again tumbled making an even bigger mess as a few more broke and one rolled off the table onto the floor. Mirabel wondered how long she'd been doing this. Worse how long had her Abuela been watching her do this. Mortified, Mirabel faltered as she reached out to start restacking but then pulled her hand back. What am I doing?
"Mira?"
Her Abuela's voice was gentle, but Mira could hear her concern.
"I…I don't know."
"You have many people who rely on you and more that will come to rely on you. A daunting task for anyone and you are barely out of childhood. You have always been able to find a balance, but maybe, mi vida, you are doing too much?" Abuela Valentina paused as she swept the last of the crumbs into her hand. When Mira didn't answer Abuela picked up the cookie from the floor. It was remarkably whole. "So, mi vida, who was this?" her Abuela asked handing it to her.
Mirabel took it, her hands were shaking just a bit and said, "Me."
"Ah, that is fitting," her Abuela said as she refilled Mirabel's cup.
"What do you mean?"
"You remained whole, even after your world crumbled around you."
"I don't understand, I don't feel all that 'whole'."
"That is because Corazón, you lost a dear friend. Casita was not human, but it was the one you relied on to keep your heart whole. You have been going non-stop, trying to fix what you believe you were responsible for breaking. Am I wrong?" Mirabel shook her head. Her Abuela sat next to her, putting an arm around her, "You did not properly grieve for that loss when it happened and even though Casita, your friend, has come back to you, I feel you worry constantly it will happen again."
Mirabel's shoulders sagged and she gave her Abuela the barest of nods and said, "I feel like…like, if I can make everyone happy-"
"No," her Abuela said quietly though her tone was sharp. "Do not repeat that lie to yourself again. No one is happy all the time, and I know you know that, but I will no longer allow you to tell yourself otherwise." And she punctuated this by knocking on the wooden table.
With each word Mirabel sunk a little lower in her chair, jumping when her Abuela knocked on the table. It is not impossible she thought angrily but aloud she said, "I'm sorry, Abuela, I won't say it again."
"But you'll think it," Isabela said from the door and Mirabel closed her eyes and groaned, "I told you I'd find out."
As Camilo reached Casita he said, "Dol, I'm home. Gonna drop some stuff in my room. I'll meet you there." Casita opened the door, so he went to his room and set the box on the desk. A few minutes later there was a knock then the door opened. Dolores came in and quickly closed it. Camilo only had time to remove his new jacket and pull on his everyday ruana before sitting on the bed.
"So, what can I help you with sis?" Camilo asked.
"They're up to something," she said while pacing the floor.
"Who?"
"Isa, Lu and Mira. They were together last night planning something."
Camilo watched her getting more and more agitated. There had to be more to it than just those three 'planning something'. "Okay, but why are we caring about this?" then it dawned on him, "They're using sign language again…" Camilo snickered.
Dolores frowned, but stopped pacing and sat next to him on the bed. "Probably, so whatever they're up to is probably going to be way more interesting than sitting around here."
"Why not just ask."
"Because, I wasn't invited, and…"
"And what?"
"And nothing. Ah well, anyway Mariano is here for lunch, I left him with Abuela so I gotta go back now." She got up then and slipped out the door.
Camilo flopped back on the bed and figured he'd ask Mira about it later, otherwise Dolores would pester him about until he did. When there was another knock on the door. Camilo rolled his eyes and said, "What?"
"Camilo?" It sounded like Antonio.
"Come on in, Toni," Camilo said as he sat back up.
The door opened and Antonio came over with a small rat on either shoulder.
"Those Tio's?"
"No, they live in the forest. They were curious about the rats that live here, and they tell me the best stories."
"Should you be bringing them into the house?"
"No one told me not to."
"Fair point, hombrecito. So, what do you need?"
"Can you take me into town?"
Camilo looked over at the box on his desk. He'd been accepted as an apprentice at the school and Señor Gomez had given him some books he needed to get familiar with by Monday. He really wanted to get started on that but since Antonio couldn't go to town without someone being with him, Camilo nodded and said, "Let me change out of these new clothes and we'll go."
Antonio smiled, said he'd be waiting downstairs and out the door he went. Camilo met Antonio at the door saying, "Dol, me and Toni are going into town for a few hours, can you let Mami know? Thanks." and together they left Casita.
"Isa, come sit and talk some sense into your hermanita," their Abuela said as she rose. She poured more coffee into Isa's cup. There were loud voices coming from the front and Abuela left, Mira assumed, to go back to the shop. She was probably mad at her now and Mira had no choice but to focus on her sister as she rounded the table and sat directly across from her. Isa's appraising gaze over the rim of her cup made Mirabel even more nervous. She did not like the way her sister seemed to be summing her up. This was one of those times she wished Isa would go back to ignoring her existence but at the same time she actually felt a tiny bit better knowing that someone else knew what she was feeling.
"You know that first night, I came into your room when you were sleeping, and I was awestruck at the number of spaces and things Casita had made just for you. It is ever so apparent how that house loves you and wants to do everything in its power to support you. I'll tell ya sis, I am just a tiny bit jealous. I even wondered in that moment what Gift you would have gotten if that door had opened for you, but I realized at the same time that you were in fact the luckiest of the Madrigals."
"Never felt lucky," Mirabel said as she picked up and balanced her Mira cookie on its edge. "Just felt lonely."
"I know, and it pains me when I look back and see my part in that. Good thing Luisa and Casita were there to keep us from killing each other," Isabela said and set her cup down. "I'm twenty-three years old and I have no idea who I really am. All I know is that I can't be who I was. But when I say lucky, I mean, you got to grow up just being Mirabel. You have no idea how many times I wished I could be just like you. I mean no one expected anything from you. You were free to explore and try new things." She reached across the table gently running a finger across the knuckles of Mirabel's left hand. She'd balled it up fist in front of her on the table so was forced to open it as a single cactus flower bloomed there. "You stood up for me when I couldn't do it for myself. You shined a light on my imperfection and were not horrified by it. Instead, you accepted it, encouraged it, and it was the best worst day of my life. So, when I saw that door in your room and Abuela's door attached to yours I was actually kinda terrified for you," Isa said quietly, "It frightens me to think you could end up like I was. So, if it seems like I'm over the top where Abuela is concerned…I probably am because I won't let her hurt you the way she hurt me."
The anger in Isa's voice did not surprise Mirabel, but it did make her wonder if this was a part of what was making her worry. She understood it was the discord within her family that had caused the previous miracle to die and with it, Casita. She didn't know it then, but her friend was already terminal as the house's 'health' was tied to her family's unity. It still made her sad to think if she'd just been a little bit more accepting of her situation, Casita would not have broken apart. But then again, she also realized that the cracks in its magical foundation were too deep to fix with just a hug between two estranged sisters. She didn't think Tio Bruno had told anyone else his theories on how the younger Madrigal Gifts were gotten and she hoped he kept it that way.
Mirabel did have odd random memories from when she was really small of Isa being angry or upset causing all sorts of issues because her Gift, kinda like Tia Pepa's, because it was tied to her emotions. It seemed like she never got mad, was never unhappy, always ready to do what she needed to, to keep Abuela happy. She got so good at bottling them up, masking her unhappiness that people just assumed she was okay. She'd become that perfect golden child. Must be a heck of a tight lid she kept on them, even now. But they still leaked out, as Mirabel noticed the vine sleeve Isa liked to wear had grown thorns that were pushing into her arm. Isa didn't even seem to notice. If like Tio said La Candela saw the end coming and singled her out for this role, shouldn't she be able to help Isa see what she needed? It sounded so weird to her, but she decided her Abuela Valentina was right. She was doing too much. Isa needed to make peace with Abuela, but she would have to find the way herself, she was clearly not ready to forgive her.
Mirabel looked at the cactus flower still in her hand and said, "Thank you, Isa, you made me realize something important." She set the bloom on the table and gently stroked the petals. They were warm and tingly like at home, and it smelled kinda fruity. Over the past week Mira began realizing this was part of being the source of the magic meant. She could feel it in the things her family did. She put her Mira cookie at the center, gently balancing it atop the petals. She would do her best to watch over them, assuming they would let her. But hiding the fact that she was concerned seemed like a bad idea too.
"Don't know exactly why I'm so worried, Isa," Mirabel said then added, "Don't know why I think I have to do everything myself either. Casita tells me constantly that its fine and I shouldn't get so stressed out. Maybe it's because it's really happening, everything I ever wanted since I was small."
"Maybe, hermanita, just do me a favor and remember we're here to help. Now which of these are Mariano and which Dolores."
Mira pointed at a pair of broken cookies near the edge. Isa took another sip of her coffee and picked up the broken bits of cookie from the pile. Mira watched wide eyed as her sister popped them in her mouth whole. Slowly chewing it. Isa's eyes narrowed at her expression and Mirabel snorted as Isa shrugged and said, "They'll be together forever in my tummy."
So passive aggressive, but the thorns had retracted with only one leaving a scratch and Mirabel was again awed by her sister's control of her Gift. Truth was the whole thing was so ridiculous that Mira smiled as she picked up the bits of her assigned Bruno and Alma cookies and ate them in the same deliberate fashion. The sisters laughed, which caused Mirabel to choke on them a little. Their father came in then and asked if they were ready to head out. Mira nodded as she collected the last of the crumbs and Isa said, "Mira, we'll finish our little talk later." To their father she said, "I'm going to stay awhile. There are some things I want to talk to Abuela about." Her father raised an eyebrow and Isa rolled her eyes and said, "Plant stuff Pa, just plant stuff."
He nodded and said, "The meeting is going to be at two, Isa." She nodded as he gave her a quick hug and Mira started for the front, but her father stopped her and guided her to the back garden. "Too many people still in the shop," he said, "it'll be best if we go out this way."
Mirabel sighed and followed him to the back gate. They went through and Mira spotted a bit of cloth on the ground under a small bush. She picked it up and found it was attached to a small cloth doll. It wasn't too dirty so it couldn't have been here for long. She showed it to her father, and they looked about for an owner but there didn't seem to be anyone around. She brushed off the excess dirt and leaves then dropped it in her bag, and they continued up the alley and were almost to the street when they heard shouts further up the road.
Isabela watched Mira leave with their father and poured herself another cup of coffee. Mira didn't realize it, but she'd been humming and stacking cookies for almost 45 minutes. Completely oblivious to her and Abuela when they returned to the kitchen. Mira's ability to focus on a chosen task was downright scary, she learned new skills so quickly you would think she'd been doing them from birth. She'd even taught herself to read by the time she was three. Isabela smiled when her Abuela returned to the kitchen and refilled her mug.
"So do you think you got through to her?" her Abuela said as she sat down.
"Maybe, a little," Isa said and picked up the cactus flower. The cookie balanced atop it was the one Mira had assigned to herself. "Thanks for your help today, how did you know?"
"Mirabel is a very transparent person. Wears that big heart of hers on her sleeve so to speak. Something you, Corazón," Abuela said pointing at the small scratch on her arm, "should try more often but in a less destructive way."
Isa lifted her arm and looked at the scratch. When had she managed that? Probably when she was talking about Abuela. She'd been serious when she said she'd protect Mira from her. Watch her like a hawk. The thorns reappeared and Isa had to make a conscious effort to make them disappear.
"You have a great deal of anger inside you, mi vida," Abuela Valentina said, "You will need to deal with it or it will fester inside you like a cancer."
"I don't know if I can Abuela," Isabela said and sighed as she shook her head, "Just don't know."
Her Abuela nodded, "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here as well as your Abuelo."
"I know, and thank you, I'll do that."
The conversation did turn to plant things after that and Isa left a little while later to head to the meeting. People were moving about as if looking for something and Isa worried it was her sister. Instead, it turned out that some of the Encanto's children were missing. They'd not been seen since breakfast and it was unlike all of them to miss lunch.
Several people said they seen Mira heading up to Casita when she found out. Why would...Isa remembered the depiction of the Encanto on Mira's floor and immediately started running for home.