Chapter Text
"Someone's in a good mood this morning." Pepa commented as she was helping her son and youngest niece get ready for the day.
Mirabel was always very chipper first thing in the morning—the exact opposite of her own son. But today she seemed to be extra chipper, if that were somehow possible. There was a skip in her step, the glowing smile hadn't left her face since she woke up and an excitable energy seemed to be coming off her in waves; as if someone had given her a full cup of tinto rather than the few sips the youngest Madrigals were allowed.
In fact it appeared some of Mirabel's energy was rubbing off on Casita. Tiles clinked happily and furniture hopped lightly in time with the four-year-old's own hops
"I'm really excited for today!" Mirabel bellowed, literally bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"I can see that!" Pepa chuckled as she finished fixing a few of the mismatched buttons on her son's shirt. "What's so exciting about today? Do you have something fun planned?"
"Nope!" Mirabel replied, still bouncing, her voice never wavering from her animated tone.
Pepa chortled at the unexpected blunt answer. "Then what's so exciting about today mi niña?" She had come over and taken her niece's hands into her own. Mirabel stopped bouncing and started rocking back and forth on her heels.
"I don't know!" The little girl answered, beaming up at her, her brown eyes sparkling. "But whatever it is it's gonna be really good!"
"Well alright then," Pepa replied, grinning back at her niece, internally cooing at her adorable behavior. "Well whatever's happening today, you certainly can't go do it in your pajamas can you? Let's get you changed."
—
Unsurprisingly Mirabel's good mood continued throughout breakfast. She fidgeted so much in her chair that her Abuela had to scold her lightly. She then ate so fast, shoveling forkful after forkful in her mouth, that her mother had to tell her to slow down before she choked.
"I'm sorry mami!" Mirabel apologized, bits of food still in her mouth. "I just can't wait for the day to start!"
Many at the table assumed she was just especially eager to start helping that day. But Pepa quickly observed that that wasn't the case. Her niece had been given the task of helping her in the fields, and rather than be attentive and remarkably laser-focused for someone her age like usual, Mirabel was distracted the entire time, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Whenever any of the children helped her they were required to wear a rain jacket and boots, no exceptions. This was (mostly) to make sure no one caught a cold from any spontaneous rain. Secretly Pepa got immense joy from watching the little ones waddle around in their big bright yellow rain gear. But another purpose was to make her little helpers visible from a distance, considering how vast the pieces of land she worked spanned. Several times today Pepa'd had to look out and call her adorable little yellow ball back to her when Mirabel had wandered off further into the rice paddies.
Pepa didn't mind. After all Mirabel was only four, what four year old's attention could be expected not to wander when faced with the idea of work. But still the sudden change was on the redhead's radar, especially since getting to be a Helper was normally the height of her niece's day, rather than something she couldn't wait to be over.
It didn't concern her though. If anything Mirabel was just showing her age, something her niece had been opposed to doing recently. So really it was a good thing! And it really was adorable seeing just how excited the little girl could be over nothing apparently. Oh to be a child again…
"Is it quittin'-time yet? Is it quittin'-time yet?!"
The turn of phrase was charmingly out of place coming from someone so young. Clearly her little niece had been spending too much time within earshot of Encanto's working men. "Almost, but not quite." Pepa admitted. She crouched down to the dark-haired girl's level, careful not to let her dress touch the waterlogged ground. "But I think I can let you off early today. How does that sound?"
Mirabel cheered. "I'd like that very much. Thank you Mami!"
Pepa felt her heart explode with happiness. Instantly a brilliant rainbow formed above her, filling the sky. It had been a while since Mirabel had called her mami. Given her energetic mood today she probably hadn't even realized she'd done it.
It was no secret that the Madrigal triplets were close, and it had remained so when Pepa and Julieta had fallen pregnant with their children, particularly when they found themselves expecting at the same time. With two newborns between them they'd fallen into step like a well-oiled machine. Sharing the responsibility of breastfeeding, changing diapers, rocking their little ones to sleep, one taking on the responsibility of watching both babies so the other could nap or have some much needed alone time etc. They were such a formidable team there were days where they hardly needed their husbands!
Julieta's babies were Pepa's babies and Pepa's babies were Julieta's babies.
And as their babies began their forays into learning language they'd referred to the both of them as Mami interchangeably. It made the two sisters so happy they saw no reason to correct them. Funnily enough, it got to the point where they'd actually had to sit down and explain things to three year old Isabela and Dolores when their dance teacher made a fuss about the two being 'confused'.
Both Isabela and Luisa had grown out of calling Pepa mami, as had Dolores with Julieta. And it had broken Pepa's heart when Mirabel had stopped doing it all of a sudden, correcting herself and going as far as to apologize if she ever slipped up. Apparently big girls about to receive their Gift could only call one person mami.
It felt good to have her baby back, even if it was for just a little while. Unable to contain herself, Pepa squealed with delight before placing a kiss on Mirabel's cute little chubby cheeks. Her rainbow shone brighter at the sounds of giggling. "You're welcome mi amor! Have fun and remember to be careful."
"I will Mami, bye-bye!"
With that Pepa watched her baby zoom off, her little boots sloshing against the muddy ground, until she was nothing more than a tiny yellow dot in the distance.
"Good day today huh Señora?" Called a smiling suntanned farmer, clearly referring to the shining sun coupled with the enormous vibrant rainbow.
Yes. Today was a very good day indeed.
A mother shouldn't enjoy when her child is upset, and normally Pepa didn't, but the little pout on Camilo's face was just so cute!
"What's the matter Papito?" She asked, trying to resist the urge to pinch her son's cheeks.
Camilo huffed in his seat in his aunt's lap and crossed his arms, looking very much like a grumpy kitten in his mother's opinion.
"He's just a little upset," Julieta explained patiently, stroking the little boy's hair with one hand and handing boñuelos to the next injured person in line with the other.
"What happened?" The redhead asked, trying to get her son to look at her. Currently Camilo was glaring down at the healing stand's wooden countertop so hard you'd think it were in danger bursting into flames. The grumble she receives back is completely unintelligible, luckily Julieta was there to translate.
"I saw Mirabel wasn't with Camilo." The boy in question made a harsh noise at the back of his throat. "Camilo said he didn't know where she was so I called for Dolores and asked her to check on her for me."
"And?" Pepa prompted. Camilo still wasn't making any sense. "Use your words Papito."
Instead Camilo whined furiously and kicked his legs before turning and wrapping himself around his aunt, grumbling into her blue apron. People still in line to be healed, as well as passersby in the plaza shot the adult Madrigals looks of sympathy at the apparent tantrum that was building.
Pepa knew—along with most everyone in Encanto— that her son inherited more than just his eye color from her. Her Camilo felt his emotions very deeply. This, by and large, was a good thing, but at this age it meant that her little boy was very prone to throwing fits when something upset him. Camilo's tantrums were legendary, though not nearly as legendary as Pepa's had been of course.
"Ah-ah," Julieta chided gently, in her soothing voice. "Remember what we talked about."
Camilo whined even louder than before and seemed to tighten his grip around Julieta's middle. The two sisters waited, wordlessly handing food to people in line, not looking at the little boy.
After about a minute Camilo huffed. Then his angry huffs turned into forceful sighs, then slowly his sighs transformed into slow deliberate breaths. Once the four-year-old felt calm again and ready to stop hiding his face in his aunt's apron, he spoke, struggling slightly as he sorted through the right words to use. "I am feeling…upset and...a little sad right now."
"Why is that Papito?" Pepa questioned, working not to form her own sympathy cloud.
"Because Mirabel is…playing without me." The way he said it you would've thought someone had died.
"Well done Papito," Julieta praised, giving Camilo a squeeze and kissing his hair. "Good job clearing the skies and good job using your words." She handed Camilo a hard candy from one of her apron's many pockets, then filled her sister in while he was busy enjoying his sweet.
When Dolores had made her way over to them and listened for Mirabel as requested, she reported that her prima seemed to be having an excellent time—having uttered the words "Tag! You're it!" and laughing like there was no tomorrow.
This news devastated Camilo of course, and he'd thrown his own little 'hurricane' about five minutes before his mother had arrived to witness her 'grumpy kitten.'
"I'm Mirabel's friend," Camilo explained from around his hard candy, feeling his mother should know the whole story. "She's not 'spose ta play without me."
Julieta nodded in understanding, then spoke in a tone that told Pepa they'd discussed this earlier. "It's sad not to be part of a game, but we don't mind that Mirabel has other friends do we?"
Camilo nodded, expression grim while his candy puffed out his cheek.
"And it's okay to play with other friends sometimes?" Julieta prompted.
Camilo again nodded before asserting quickly, "But I'm Mirabel's best friend. Nobody else."
The two sisters couldn't argue with that.
When Pepa asked Camilo if he'd like to go with her and leave Julieta to her work, he thought hard before replying. "Papito's not ready to go yet. I'll stay with Mamá Julieta."
The redhead made a show of clutching her chest and falling over herself, loving the sound of her son's laughter at her antics.
Julieta laughed along too before offering, "But soon, once we're ready and we feel all better inside, maybe we'll go and see if we can join Mirabel and her friends?"
Camilo agreed before settling himself in a more comfortable position in his aunt's lap to snuggle.
Pepa often wondered if there wasn't more to her sister's Gift. Even as children when she helped her deal with own tumultuous emotions, Julieta always seemed to be able to calm her down no matter what. As though she held this aura that put you at ease and made you feel that everything was alright now that you were with her—healing your insides as well as your outsides in effect.
And really, people did gravitate towards her sister. As kids Julieta was the most popular girl around, everyone wanted to be her friend. She was so kind and charming, she just seemed to draw people to her. She'd been the original town darling before Isabela had come along.
Her sister never took her seriously when Pepa brought this up however. She'd just chuckle and say something like, "It's just practice Pepa. I've been helping you feel better since we were kids, you'd think I'd be good at it by now!"
This was true of course, but personally Pepa didn't feel it made her theory any less likely.
—
It was very hard for Pepa to see her son when he was down, especially since he was normally such a little ray of sunshine. Camilo had been unsuccessful in finding Mirabel to join her game. Feeling neglected by his other half he'd run home and had been sulking in the Nursery ever since. Mirabel had yet to come back home and this fact seemed to act as salt in Camilo's wounds.
Fostered by the fact that the Encanto was exceedingly safe for even the youngest of its citizens—everyone collectively watchful over all the little ones—culturally, it was common practice for Encanto children to be out and about on their own, playing in the streets until their mother's called them home for the day or the sun went down, whichever came first. It was an excellent way for children to grow up. But right now it meant her son had been left to sulk for some time, waiting for his prima's return.
With it being winter soon and with the days shortening, the sun would start to set soon and Mirabel would come home and Camilo would finely perk up. But it wasn't soon enough for Pepa's liking.
Did Pepa Madrigal spoil her children? Many would answer yes. Pepa herself felt that this was debatable. She just liked her babies to be happy. And it was with this in mind the redhead set out into town, back-dropped by the soft orange glow of the setting sun. She planned to stop by Panadería Sandoval, the local bakery, to buy Camilo—and of course the rest of the family—some pastries as a surprise.
The image on the horizon of an all too familiar adorable yellow ball walking home was a welcome sight.
When Mirabel finally sees her she runs to her smiling. She's going so fast her glasses look in danger of falling off her face.
"Slow down cariño," Pepa called out. "You'll trip." As the caution left her lips she picked up the pace to meet her niece half way.
Mirabel jumped into her arms, giggling madly and looking flushed from activity. "Hi!"
The green-eyed woman smiled, enjoying her niece's infectious mood once more. "Hello mi amor! Did you have a good day today?"
The answer to that question was a resounding "YES!"
As the two walked to the panadería hand in hand, Pepa listened attentively as her niece spun her a fantastical tale of all she'd done that day.
The four-year-old's imagination was on full display as she described all the things she'd done that day like meeting 'Mr. Bear' and how she got to be so high in the air she was like a bird and how she'd floated back to the ground like a feather, among other things. It sounded like a lovely game of pretend.
Pepa was all too happy to indulge the precious little fantasties and was adapt to drop in a "Really?!" And an "Is that right?" every so often.
"I'm glad you had fun amorcito." Pepa said fondly.
"Me too!" Mirabel beamed, "I can't wait to do it again tomorrow!"
.
.
.
When her Tía told her she could finish work early Mirabel ran as fast as her feet would carry her. Normally after helping her Tía Pepa she'd go home and change out of her jacket and boots, but not today, today she was too excited!
What she was excited for she couldn't exactly say. She couldn't exactly say where she was running to either.
As she ran, other people in town called to her, asking where she was headed, telling her to slow down. Someone even said, "Where's the fire?" for some reason. They were probably kidding though because when Mirabel had stopped to assure them there was no fire they laughed and ruffled her hair.
Mirabel's feet took her near the edge of Encanto, where houses were scarce and jungle lay mere feet away. She wasn't allowed here. With the jungle so close, mami said an animal might come and gobble her up so she needed to stay away. Mirabel usually had no trouble listening to her mami's rule, she certainly didn't wanna be gobbled up after all. But today she did not listen. Instead she kept walking, crossing the imagined boundary line that designated the end Encanto proper and stepping into the jungle.
Mirabel didn't know where she was going or what she was looking for. She also didn't know why she wasn't scared about walking into the jungle by herself. But none of that bothered her, she just knew that she had to keep going.
Mauricio was scared though. Mauricio was one of her Tío Bruno's rats. He was one of her Tío's favorite rats actually and Mirabel had been very surprised when he'd given him to her. Her Tío had said that Mauricio was her's to look after for now. He wouldn't explain why exactly, but he did say that Mauricio had to be with her wherever she went otherwise he'd get terribly lonely.
"Wherever you go Mauricio goes okay kiddo? Promise me."
Mirabel didn't mind. It was nice of her Tío Bruno to give her Mauricio and she liked having a pet. It was fun feeding Mauricio little bits of food and watching him hold it in his tiny hands and nibble on it. She would trade Mauricio for her Tío though. Around the same time her uncle gave her the rat he'd stop going out to town with her. Mirabel personally thought Tío was upset with her after what'd happened with Spider and that was why he didn't wanna spend time with her anymore. Her Mami promised that Tío wasn't mad, but Mirabel wasn't so sure.
But anyway—Mirabel could tell Mauricio was scared of the jungle because of how hard he was shaking in her coat pocket. Mirabel wanted to hold the rat to help him feel better but she knew that hiding made rats feel safe so she let him stay where he was and spoke instead. "Don't worry Mauricio. We're almost there."
The dark green vegetation got thicker as the four-year-old went along, but she was so small she wasn't encumbered by having to duck. She did have some trouble with roots though. She had to be very careful where she stepped as they tended to criss-cross each other.
As Mirabel felt she was nearing her destination her rainboot caught on a thick set of tree roots. But before she could tumble forward she found herself scooped up into a pair of strong arms.
"Careful little one."
A thousand-watt smile spread across Mirabel's face. "Auntie! I found you!"
"That you did little one," Auntie praised, smiling back at her. "I knew you'd remember."
Mauricio scurried out of her pocket then and sat on her shoulder, no longer afraid.
"Hello Mauricio," Auntie greeted. "Lovely to see you again."
The rat nodded and squeaked back his own greeting. "I'm not 'spose to be in here," Mirabel said as her Auntie began to walk deeper into the jungle with her still in her arms. "Did I tell you that?"
Auntie nodded. "You did. Your mother is right to warn you away from the jungle. But as long as you are with me you have nothing to fear here."
Mirabel grinned. None of the other kids her age had been in the jungle before. They would be so jealous! "Where we going?"
"There's a clearing nearby," Auntie explained."It will be a good place to sit."
As Mirabel enjoyed being carried she noticed a few things. One: The jungle was very pretty.
She didn't think she'd ever seen this many shades of green before, and there were so many different plants; far more interesting than the roses her sister made. And the animals too! There were animals Mirabel had seen before like hummingbirds and lizards, but there were many more that she hadn't seen up close before. The most exciting was meeting a big bear with funny marks around its face. Mirabel had been scared at first and had hidden her face in the fabric of her Auntie's dress.
"Don't be afraid," Auntie cooed, "remember you have nothing to fear while I am here."
"But what if it wants to eat me?" Mirabel whimpered, still hiding.
"The bear will not eat you—you are with me. And even if you were not, the bear is not only not hungry, but he also has many things he'd prefer to eat before you. As long as you respect the bear, the bear will respect you. He has no reason to harm you; to do so anyway would be cruel. Cruelty is a human trait, my love."
Feeling braver but still a little scared, Mirabel peeked out cautiously. To her surprise the bear had bypassed her completely without so much as an angry roar and was now scratching its back against a mossy tree. "Wow…Hello Mr. Bear."
The bear looked her way and Mirabel's heartbeat a little faster. Not with fear this time though, but with excitement.
"Come," Auntie said, "we're almost there."
Mirabel whispered a quick, "bye-bye Mr. Bear" before they continued down the path.
Another thing Mirabel notices is that Auntie hardly makes any sound when she walks. When Mirabel had been making her way through the jungle on her own she'd made plenty of noise. Her boots would thump along the uneven ground, she'd squish weeds and stomp over roots, she'd make the leaves and plants swish and rustle loudly as she moved through them—all kinds of noises. But Auntie made no noise. Her steps were silent. And even though Mirabel could see her step, it was almost like her feet weren't even touching the ground at all, like she was gliding or like she wasn't even there.
Dolores would like Auntie, Mirabel decided. Dolores always liked it better when people weren't so noisy.
Mirabel doesn't know how long they walk for, she's enjoying the ride too much to really notice, but eventually they reach the clearing Auntie was looking for. It's a very big space and the ground there is spotted with pretty flowers and mostly flat—good for sitting like Auntie said—and surrounded by wax palms so tall they probably touch the stars at night.
Big open spaces like this were good for one thing in particular—Tag! And that's the first thing Mirabel wanted to do once Auntie set her down.
"Tag! You're it!"
Mirabel was very good at Tag, the best in fact, because among the other kids her age she's the fastest. Sure, Cami says that he's the fastest, and Mirabel didn't mind sharing the title too much. Either way she was the best at Tag and the other kids always had to try really hard to catch her. She loved running, feeling the wind blow through her hair, pretending she was a mighty jaguar that no one could catch.
Auntie is very good at Tag too. It surprised Mirabel because a lot of the time adults had trouble keeping up with her. Auntie doesn't even lose balance and fall over when Mirabel changes directions at the last second to keep from being tagged, and that always makes people fall over. Mirabel is 'It' more times than she expects. If she had to explain why, the most likely culprit was her raincoat and boots; it wasn't her usual playtime attire so it made sense that it'd slow her down.
Tag slowly becomes a game of chase. It's very fun because Mirabel gets to run as much as she wants, but also fun to see how Auntie catches her. When playing Tag Mirabel noticed how good Auntie was at catching her. No matter how fast Mirabel ran, even when she thought she'd left Auntie in the dust, she'd always pop up and catch her!
The point of a game of chase was to not get caught, but really that was what Mirabel wanted to happen. She'd run and run making sure Auntie wasn't behind her, but Auntie would always sneak up on her somehow. Auntie doesn't make noise when she runs either so a lot of time she catches her by surprise. It didn't matter where Mirabel hid, Auntie would always find her.
On their last round Mirabel decided to hide deep in the wax palm grove surrounding the cleaning, absolutely sure her Auntie wouldn't be able to get her this time. Pleased with herself, she peeked from behind her hiding place to see if anyone was coming. The four-year-old grinned triumphantly when she saw the coast was clear. She knew no one would ever find—
"Gotcha!"
Mirabel shrieked with laughter as her Auntie appeared behind her and began mercilessly attacking her sides. "No no don't! That tickles Auntie. That—that tickles!"
"What was that mi amor? You want more tickles?"
"No-no!" More laughter filled the jungle air.
.
.
.
"You were really good at that game Auntie,'' Mirabel praised once she'd had a chance to catch her breath. The two were back in the clearing, leaning against a palm tree with Mirabel sitting in the older woman's lap. "How'd you know how to find me? I was hiding real good! Did Mauricio tell you?"
The grey rat shot out from her pocket and squeaked indignantly, very much offended by the accusation, while Auntie smiled. "I have many ways."
"Can you tell me one?"
"Well," Auntie said slowly. "There is one I can share with you that I think you may find interesting, but I'm not sure you'll understand little one. It's the sort of thing you have to see, it may be hard for you otherwise."
"You can tell me Auntie!" Mirabel insisted. "I'll understand—my teacher says I'm real smart"
"That you are my love!" Auntie gushed, kissing her on my cheek. "Think of it like this: You have many people in your life that you are connected to, like your mami, your papi and all your cousins," she explained. "People like this are tied to each other. No matter where you go those bonds are with you always. It is like thread in a web, each piece is connected to make a greater whole. If you follow these bonds—these threads—you can always find your way back to your people."
Mirabel thought hard. "So…so we've all got strings that tie our families together?" Auntie nodded. "So I've got a string that ties me and Cami together? And if I followed it I'd find him even if he was a bajillion miles away?"
"Yes mi niña. And people can make ties with other people too, not just with blood. The more ties you make the bigger the web gets."
Mirabel surveyed herself, from the crown of her head to the soles of her bright yellow boots. Though she looked hard she didn't see any string. "I don't see anything Auntie. Are you sure?"
"It's not the sort of thing other people can see with their eyes. This is a special talent of mine."
The little Madrigal nodded along enthusiastically, feeling that she now understood perfectly. She knew all about people with special talents. "I didn't know you had a Gift Auntie!"
The older woman grinned. "I have many gifts my love, and I can't wait to share them with you...would you like to know why I brought you here instead of meeting in town?"
Mirabel nodded, though a part of her felt she might know the reason. Something must've shown on her face because Auntie chuckled and said: "True I have certain…obstacles," Mauricio looked away sheepishly. "That make me cautious of how I insert myself in the Encanto. But this had no bearing on my decision to bring you here today."
The four-year-old listened patiently as she explained. "Many years ago, when I first came to the Encanto, this place was my home—a place where I could rest and be at one with things. I wanted to show it to you."
Mirabel looked at the clearing with new eyes. "Really Auntie?"
Nodding, she continued. "I have been all over this land. But this place," she ghosted her hand along the ground. "Is special to me because it was made for me by my friend."
"Your friend?"
"The Encanto is my friend." Auntie explained. "I hold a great love for them."
Mirabel understood what Auntie meant. She loved the Encanto too. "Where'd you live before the Encanto?"
A wistful smile graced the long-haired woman's lips. "My home before this place is very far away. It's farther North. Do you know what that means?" Mirabel shook her head. "Well I suppose directions don't matter. It was very different from the Encanto but equally beautiful. In the plains a fierce wind would blow and in the mountains you would find a blanket of mist. And where the desert meets a beautiful blue sea—it is breathtaking."
Mirabel tried to picture it in her mind. It was hard because she'd never seen 'plains' or the sea as her Auntie had described. She'd read books that talked about beaches though and she knew about misty mountains—Encanto was full of them!
"I had to get used to many things once I came here. For instance, my home did not have nearly as many palm trees!" Auntie joked, laughing.
A place with few palm trees, or even no palm trees seemed strangely foreign to the little girl. She looked up at the tree above her, craning her neck trying to see the top. She could just make out the silhouettes of birds as they flew overhead. "It must be nice to be a bird." The four-year-old professed, thinking out loud.
"Why is that mi niña?"
"When you're a bird you get to go as high as you want and see everything." She explained. "Me and Cami were talking about what kind of Gifts we'd like and we made this big list. Wings were on my list, that way I can go as high as I want. Cami put wings on his list too."
"Would you like to go high?" Auntie offered plainly. "I may not have the wings of a bird. But I can show you what it means to leave the ground."
Not understanding what her Auntie meant, Mirabel said yes. She was quickly held tight in the darker skinned woman's arms, and when asked to close her eyes she did so.
She tried to guess what Auntie was doing. She could feel that they were moving, she could feel the wind, the sounds of movement in the jungle but she couldn't figure out what was happening. But before she could even think to sneak a peek Auntie spoke in her ear. "You can open your eyes now. Remember, don't be afraid. I have you."
When Mirabel opened her eyes she did not feel afraid.
Even though she was sitting on top of a wax palm—what had to be a million feet off the ground— she was not afraid.
The emotion that fills her then is nothing less than pure wonder.
They were high-high up, probably the highest anyone who was not a bird had ever been, and Mirabel could see everything! The tops of hundreds upon hundreds of trees, there was green as far as the eyes could see. And birds! So many birds of so many colors—big birds, small birds, green birds, yellow birds— all sitting in the treetops around her. The sun looked so big in the sky and she could see houses—whole houses!
Mirabel knew that the world she saw now and the one that existed on the ground were the same, but everything was just so…so different, up here. It was pretty in a way she'd never witnessed before.
The only times the littlest Madrigal has seen anyone climb a palma de cera, whether it's because its red fruit is ripe for picking or they need to cut one down, it's always been with a rope. Auntie has no climbing equipment, nothing with her but her bare hands. And even with a rope Mirabel has never seen anyone reach the top of a wax palm, not once.
She doesn't ask how her Auntie's managed to make her way up here though. The four-year-old was too amazed by it all; asking questions was the last thing on her mind.
Mirabel could hear Auntie talking to her, asking if she likes the view, but she doesn't turn to look. Abuela says it's rude to not look at people when they talk, but she couldn't help it. She was too entranced, struck dumb by the view. All she can do is nod.
"I can not give you wings my love, for spiders do not have them. One thing a spider can do is climb—this I can give you."