Alma was sewing when it happened. More specifically, she was embroidering purple butterflies onto Pepa's new dress. It was, after all, the triplets' birthday as well as the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Encanto, of the miracle, of Pedro's death, Alma added bitterly. She pushed the thought out of her head. Focus, Alma. The town wants a ceremony. They'll probably expect a speech too. I'll have to write one. On top of the cooking, the cleaning, the decorat-
"¡Mamá, mamá, mamá!" The sharp pain of the needle piercing her skin would have roused her from her thoughts if the childrens' shouts did not. As she pressed an old cloth to her finger to avoid staining the pristine fabric, Alma could hear their footsteps growing louder. It was one thing for Pepa and Bruno to get excited over any small thing, but even the usually calm Julieta wore the same anticipatory enthusiasm as her siblings. Upon seeing her, Bruno grabbed her arm, half dragging her out of the room in his eagerness.
"We've got new rooms!" Pepa exclaimed.
"One for each of us!" Julieta added.
And there they were: three glowing, golden doors stood next to Alma's own bedroom. "Santo cielo," Alma murmured in astonishment, crossing herself.
"Can we go inside, Mamá? Please?" Bruno begged.
Alma was tempted to say yes, to leave the children to their own devices and out of her hair while she prepared Casita for the night's ceremony. But one did not leave three five year old children to fend for themselves in mysterious rooms that were not there yesterday.
"If you help me clean the house, you can show everyone your new rooms during the party." Where you'll be well supervised, and where the town can take part in whatever new blessing we've received. At the childrens' giggling, she added, "But, if I catch you going inside before then, you won't need to worry about showing it to your friends because you'll be spending the party in the nursery. ¿Comprenden?" The children nodded vigorously. "Bueno. Now go clean up the nursery."
The children scampered away, and Alma returned to her sewing. Perhaps it was time for the children to get their own rooms. After all, they were all growing so fast. Ay, Pedro, you would have been so happy to see them like this. Why did you have to go? Alma pushed the thought back into the recesses of her mind. There was no use in focusing on the past. Not now, not so publicly where she might break down.
She had just started cooking when she heard a voice from behind her.
"¿Mamá?" Julieta was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, a tiny apron in her hand. Alma remembered that she had helped Julieta make it just a few weeks ago.
"¿Dónde están tus hermanos, Mijita?" Alma asked. Surely the children had finished their chores by now.
"They went out to play. They wanted to climb trees. I don't like climbing trees, so I thought I could help you." Julieta looked up solemnly. Alma loved all her children equally. Pepa was so lively, so vivacious. She brought joy and laughter to all who met her when not in one of her volatile moods. Bruno was so sincere, so funny, when he could be coaxed out of his shell. Just like Pedro had been. But Julieta was so mature, so eager to please…so easy. It was hard not to breathe a sigh of relief whenever she felt a tug at her skirt or a call of "Mamá" and turned to see Julieta behind her.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Mijita," Alma replied. Truth be told, she could use the extra help. "How about you help with the drinks?" That task would be easy and safe enough for Julieta while Alma could get started on the bandeja paisa. Casita brought a pot to heat on the stove and a stool for Julieta. Julieta carefully poured water into the pot, gingerly dropping bits of panela. Alma held Julieta's hand in her own, guiding the spoon as she stirred the aguapanela mixture. Julieta was a fast learner, and soon, she was making mazamorra, pandebonos, and cocadas almost completely unaided.
Alma only looked away for a second. Just a second, to make sure the torta de natas had cooled down when she heard Julieta's piercing scream. She turned to see her cradling her wrist, an angry red burn marring her skin. "Mija, what happened?"
Julieta started crying, "I saw you frying the arepas, and I wanted to fry some too, but…"
"It's alright, Juli," Alma said gently, grabbing a pail of water from the corner. A bundle of clean cloth flew into her other hand. She cleaned Julieta's burn and bound it. "I'll teach you to make arepas some other day, okay? But you have to be careful." Julieta nodded. Alma kissed the cloth covering Julieta's injury, "I've almost finished, so go find Bruno and Pepa and get ready for the party." Julieta nodded, an eager smile blooming upon her face at the mention of the ceremony. She dashed off, as Alma finished the last of the arepas.
The guests eagerly filtered through Casita's doorway, as many stopped to admire the three new glowing doors. Bruno and Pepa had probably told the whole village about their new rooms, and it seemed all the children in the Encanto were trying to get a closer look. One or two had tried to touch it, but Casita, shaking a shutter, simply turned the hallway into a slide before they could do so. Pepa danced with Félix, the young shepherd, while Bruno cracked jokes with Ángela, Teresa's young bookworm of a daughter. Julieta danced among the guests telling them all about the food that she had made and asking them whether they enjoyed it. Alma tapped a spoon to her glass, and all went silent.
"Five years ago, we were forced to leave our home. We joined together, looking for a new home. We climbed mountains, forded rivers, crossed meadows. And yet we could not escape the dangers. Many of us were lost-" Like my Pedro, Alma wanted to add. But that would be selfish. They had all lost people during that horrific time. "But in our darkest moment, we, thanks to my Pedro-" She could mention him here. She could honor him in front of the town he saved, even if she could not mourn him. She choked down the tears that always threatened to spill out when she mentioned Pedro. "-Thanks to my Pedro, we were given a miracle. This candle-" She raised it high for all to see. "-Became a magical flame that could never go out, and it blessed us with a refuge in which to live. A place of wonder. Un Encanto. And look where we are now." Amidst the applause, Alma raised her glass, "To the miracle!"
"To the miracle!"
"And to new beginnings!" Alma called out, gazing lovingly at her children, who were trying to stand up straight in front of everyone.
"And to new beginnings!"
"And now, Bruno, Josefa, and Julieta have something to say." The children stepped forward. Julieta tried to stay calm although Alma could see the excitement brimming just under her dignified smile. Pepa didn't even try. But most surprising of all was Bruno. He had always kept to himself during these functions, staying in the corner except to take a plate of food. If he spoke to any of the other village children at all, he was being outgoing. And here he was, dancing and cracking jokes with Ángela Rodríguez! Alma had hoped his earlier withdrawnness was just a phase, and perhaps she was right because he looked like he was having so much fun.
"We, the Madrigal triplets," Julieta began stately, "do invite all of you to see-"
"Our amazing new rooms!" Bruno interrupted.
The guests chuckled as Pepa led them to the glowing doors. The chuckles turned to gasps once her hand closed over the doorknob. Alma's eyes widened in shock as a rainbow materialized over Pepa's head. Realizing what she had just done, Pepa grinned wildly, and suddenly it was snowing! The children giggled in glee, only to fall into an awed silence when Julieta approached her door. Once her bandaged hand touched the doorknob, cries of relief filled the air.
"My headache! It's gone!" Osvaldo García shouted.
"My arm!" cried Alonso Rojas, who had broken his elbow in an accident the day before.
Alma surreptitiously took a sip of her aguapanela. In an instant, it seemed that all her aches and pains from the preparation for the party and her tiredness from spending the entire night helping put out a small fire in the church had evaporated from her body. Even the small wound she had accidentally pierced with her needle earlier that day closed up and stopped itching. Julieta, noticing this, took a pandebono from a nearby tray and bit into it. She gasped as she removed the bandage from her hand to reveal clear, unblemished skin. The guests cheered, calling for Bruno to open his door.
Smiling, Bruno obliged. Immediately, the awe turned into a tense silence as he froze in place, his eyes glowing a bright green. When José Flores approached him, reaching out a gentle hand, Bruno suddenly clutched his arm. The green light in his eyes subsided. The crowd seemed to collectively hold their breath. Bruno blinked. "I-I saw a man. He looked like you. I think he was your son."
Alma's mouth dropped. It had been known that José and his wife desperately wanted a child. Every morning, María could be heard praying at the church. Every year, during the feast of San Ramón Nonato, she would light candles, beseeching the saint to intercede on her behalf.
José's face seemed to waver between ecstasy, disbelief, and astonishment as he cried, "¿Mi hijo?" He dropped to his knees, still clutching Bruno's hand, "Dime Brunito, is it true? What will become of him? Our prayers have been answered!"
Bruno took a deep breath. His eyes glowed green again. Now, the entire Casita froze in place as glowing smoke materialized and swirled around the pair. Some crossed themselves as the sky darkened. Within the smoke, Alma could make out the silhouette of José, standing next to an exhausted but joyful María, who was holding a bundle in her arms. The vision shifted. A young boy that was the spitting image of José except for a full head of dark hair, dressed in white, knelt to receive Communion. It shifted again to an image of a slightly balding man, dressed in priestly garments, being handed a chalice by Padre Manuel. And again to the same man, completely bald, baptizing a baby.
And then the smoke disappeared, and a green sheet of glass fell into Bruno's hands. He offered it to José, who laughed in glee.
"Ay, we'll have a son! ¡Dios nos bendecirá! And he will be a servant of God!" He took María in his arms, dancing in joy. Bruno smiled, seeming to enjoy the attention for the first time in his life. As more and more people asked him for visions, or Pepa for rainbows and snow, or Julieta for another cocada, Alma looked on wistfully. Pedro, you would have been so proud of them, serving the community like this. Ay, how I wish you were here to see this. But whether Pedro saw this from above, Alma did not know.
What she did know was that her family had been blessed with three more gifts. And later that night, Alma Madrigal would vow to whoever saw fit to bless them again that she would not take these miracles for granted, that she would teach her children to be worthy of such gifts, that she would do everything in her power to protect the miracle that had once protected them all. But at the moment, she simply took a sip of wine and watched her children shine.
