Chapter Text
Trusting the town’s weather to a child’s emotions wasn’t ideal. But Pepa Madrigal did the best she could to live up to her family expectations. Her gift that, with time would no doubt become prosperous, was at the moment unreliable.
During a good week, however, Encanto was made up of sunshine and rainbow, summer breezes and laughter. The sounds of children playing under the cloudless skies would ring through the town they called home. They would run down the cobbled street twisting and turning around the lives of older kids and adults. Desperate to keep up with their own games of make-believe and avoid chores until their parents would inevitably call them home.
Unfortunately, weeks like that seemed so far away. This week had started as a sprinkle, that turned into a drizzle, followed by a downpour, before long the town was in a hurricane. The exact reasoning for the rain wasn't known, but somewhere in the town, a rumor had sparked up that it was Pepa's brother who has upset the girl. No one dared to directly say the Madrigal boy's name when blaming him out of fear that his mamá, or even worse he would hear. Very few grown-ups in the town were willing to be directly cruel to a child as young as him, no matter how unusual or off as he was.
The children of the village were another matter entirely. They listened, they watched, they learned, they tried to one-up and spook each other. The dreary week was the perfect time for the kids to act on their new thoughts. And thoughts thought of during a hurricane are rarely pleasant, and so to the children, Bruno Madrigal became the Madrigal Monster.
It had truly begun to seem like out of all the Madrigal family Alma and the child Julieta were the town's favorite playing the roles of healer and protector. Julieta had a far more controllable gift than that of her sister Pepa's thunder or that of Bruno's foresight.
Instead, she could do what she loved, cook and heal. Out of all of her siblings, Julieta was closest with their mamá. It was why whenever Alma left the casa Madrigal Julieta was quick to follow a basket of usually arepas, though the more recipes she learned the more excited she would be to share them.
The week of rain, while troublesome to others, was exactly what Julieta had needed. She had an excuse to stay inside the new kitchen that casita had created for her within the enchanted Madrigal home. With her mamá's gentle encouragement Julieta only left when it was time to hand her food out to the townspeople in need of help.
One such day required her to be out not only longer than planned, but much earlier as well. The previous day's downpour had softened once Pepa was sent to her room, but the unexpected rain and chill had left multiple families feeling under the weather. Luckily for everyone, Julieta had her gift.
It was well after midday on this day when a man came running up to mamá. Julieta hadn't paid much mind to it many people ran to her mamá, and besides, she was more interested in getting home to play with her hermano. Sadly she doubted Pepa would feel like playing given that the sky had yet to brighten.
The young girl only tuned back into the conversation when the man mentioned a baby.
"There's a baby?" She asked curious to know what she missed.
Instead of answering her mamá only glanced down at her concerned before bending to her level and taking a hold of Julieta's basket. "Mija, go home, let your siblings I won't be back for a while."
Alma's strict tone made it impossible to miss the tension. Julieta considered listening without pause, but her desire to help (but mostly curiosity) made her stay.
"Can... can I go with you? If there's a baby I can help. I promise I'll stay out of the way!" She pleaded.
"Julieta-"
The man (rather badly in Julieta's opinion) cut her mamá off. "Señora I don't mind if she comes. We have a kitchen- not much granted- but enough that if needed.... you know"
Mamá took Julieta's hand in her own nodding to the man. "Sí, let's go."
Mamá and Julieta were led through the stone street all the way to a flower-fronted shop with tiles as colourful as the garden. The inside had multiple eye-catching dresses and rolls of fabric, Julieta wanted to admire them more but instead followed her mamá and the man up a flight of stairs to a home portion of the house. There were already three other women there, the man stayed in the hall while Alma and Julieta went in.
The woman squatting the lowest to the ground had a mess of dark hair with curls that reminded Julieta of Pepa's hair. The woman was clearly in pain as she held the hand of a light brown girl next to her. The moment Julieta recognized the woman was in pain she was quick to offer one of the remaining arepas to her.
With a forced smile, the woman said "Gracias,"
Julieta was never sure if the woman ate it or not as her mamá called her out of the room asking her to go downstairs. Julieta didn't argue, she had faith that her mamá would call her when she was needed. So with permission from the man, who she learned was the woman in pains husband, she settled for wandering around the shop.
The fabrics there seemed to come in every different shade, the brightest yellows, most bold reds, and purples fit for a princess. Hidden among the teals, emeralds, and ruby was a blue that Julieta loved immediately. Such a light shade with green undertones, she could picture herself spinning around in a dress made from it. She’d have leaves embroidered on it, and flowers- lots of flowers! Maybe some small animals as well? She could look like a princess from the jungle. Eventually, she tore herself away from the fabrics to look for more inspiration for her dress. There were somehow even more colors of thread than there was fabric, nearby were little examples of different stitches. The buttons were fun to look at, Julieta found one that was shaped like a silver heart and loved it immediately. That was when she decided her dress would have multiple buttons on it.
That was how the day, and eventually part of the night passed. By the time Alma came down to get the child, Julieta had dozed off on the stairs. The young girl had been planning to wait until she got into the room, but sleep had evidently won that round. But finally, after Julieta was sure was a year of waiting mamá stepped out of the now almost silent room. The only notice was a crying child.
Concerned Julieta asked, "Is everyone alright?"
"Yes," with a smile mamá continued. "Señora Morales had her baby,"
Julieta paused to consider that. She had heard the loud cries, here and there depending on how she moved through the shop. She hadn't thought a single baby would be the reason for so much pain.
"Babies must be awful to hurt that much," Julieta informed her mother.
Despite how seriously her little girl spoke Alma couldn't help her smile."I think babies are wonderful. You were a cute one after all."
"Cuter than Pepa and Bruno?"
Alma chuckled running a hand gently through Julieta's dark hair.
"Would you like to see her before we go?"
"Sí, por favor!"
****
"She's smaller than I thought she'd be," Julieta said looking down at the swaddled baby.
An exhausted smile traced señora Morales's lips. "She didn't feel like it,"
Julieta was too distracted by the baby to question that.
If it weren't for the breathing Julieta would've thought the child was just a doll. So small, with soft brown skin and such pretty black hair. She was being held as gently as one too. Julieta was sure this was a living doll. But soon Alma made Julieta say good, and head home to the other two children they lived with. Ones that Julieta sometimes wished were a doll.
On that dreary Summer's night, the small Catarina Morales was born. With her, a new future was set.