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Bruno walked slowly around Casita's empty courtyard. The place, moments ago full of life, was now quiet and deserted. The gift ceremony ended before it truly began. With Mirabel's door disappearing on everyone's eyes, there was nothing to celebrate and a lot to fear.
Bruno's mother thought that his gift would help to understand what had just happened and why. She convinced him that, for the first time in years, his special powers would actually be helpful.
And Bruno believed her. He so much wanted to believe…
The higher the hopes, the harder they fall.
He had no control over his predictions, and yet he was feeling terrible. Let down, betrayed, disappointed. But, above all, worried sick about the future of his family and the fate of his youngest niece. And he was completely alone with his concerns.
One question remained: should he tell anyone? Whether the possibility of being heard and understood was worth the risk, he was not so sure. Nor that he would be able to conceal the truth or lie to the people who were dearest to him.
The man needed a breather, a time to think. A chance to collect his thoughts. The exact things he didn't get, as Abuela stormed out through the nearest door, nearly bumping into her son.
"Brunito, what took you so long? I've been looking all over!"
Before he knew, Bruno was grabbed by the arm and dragged into the kitchen. Giving him no time to react, the woman said,
"No matter, just show us the vision."
Bruno looked around the room. There were his sisters with their husbands, all sitting at the table and staring at him in complete silence. His shoulders dropped under the weight of their expectations.
"Well? Where is it?"
He glanced back at his mother and then at the floor. His voice was quiet and yet it echoed off the walls.
"I don't have it. It − It broke."
The atmosphere changed with a single frown. Bruno felt Abuela's grip tighten.
"What do you mean it − broke? You must have seen what it meant!"
"I'm not sure," he said, this time holding her gaze. "This one, it − it was different."
"What kind of nonsense is this? Did you make a prophecy or not?"
There was this tone again, Bruno realized. Imperative, demanding, accepting no contradictions. His mother often used it to manipulate him into doing things he never wanted. Like foretelling the future to everyone in town just because his gift was supposed to serve the people.
He was defiant to oppose it this time. All he had to do was find the strength.
Seconds were passing and not a single word escaped his mouth.
"How was your vision different?" asked a different voice, a soft one. Julieta leaned towards her brother, her expression worried. She needed to know what was happening to her daughter.
But Bruno had no answers. He shook his head and shrugged apologetically.
Once someone had the guts to interrupt Abuela, other people entered the conversation, talking over one another.
"How can he not be sure?" asked Pepa between the thunders that came from her cloud. "He's had hundreds of visions, and they were always accurate."
Felix clapped his hands. "I knew it! It's probably another disaster. That's why he'd rather keep his mouth shut."
"Why must it be our daughter that's in the middle of this all?" Agustin's question was left unanswered.
Involuntarily, Bruno listened to their assumptions. None were addressed directly to him. He felt as if he was absent from the room. Dismissed before he could explain himself.
The man made up his mind. He no longer wished to reveal anything about the future. Whatever he'd say, his family knew better. If he told them the truth, he and Mirabel would be blamed for destroying his father's legacy. Had he only omitted the girl's involvement, on the other hand, Bruno would protect his niece and Julieta's part of the family. However, his life would turn into a nightmare.
So many years later, he was still blamed for causing a weather break on Pepa's wedding. Predicting the destruction of Casita would haunt even his grandkids.
"Quiet!" Abuela raised her voice, fed up with all the commotion. "Let him speak."
Again, all the eyes were at Bruno. He took a deep breath.
You can do this.
"Look, guys. Whatever it is I saw, it doesn't really matter. I'd rather keep it − to myself, I mean. Trust me, it'll be better for everyone."
Even before he'd finished, Bruno knew he said something wrong. Abuela's face paled. She shut him with a gesture.
"Nonsense! Our miracle has been taken from us. This is not the time to keep secrets."
Julieta stood up.
"Bruno, but what about Mirabel? Is she going to be alright?"
Her brother's face saddened. He so wished to say yes.
"I… I don't know."
Abuela stretched out her hand.
"We'll deal with Mirabel later," she said to Julieta, and then her attention returned to her son. "Why did the magic disappear when Mirabel touched it?"
To everyone's shock, Bruno refused to falter. His chin was up, his chest swelled. His entire posture was saying, I won't budge.
The lights went dim, the floor shook dangerously. It was Casita resonating with Abuela's anger. The woman was practically shouting now.
"Listen to me. If you know something, you've got to tell us! If you love your family, you must help us protect our gift."
The silverware clattered in the cupboard. His mother's face was so close to his own that Bruno could see her nostrils flare.
What was he to do? Out of nowhere, he found himself in a highly unfavourable situation. Even though he knew beforehand that nothing good would come out of him getting involved. Bruno was angry with himself for letting his mother drag him into this. How she managed to convince him was beyond him. She had this dangerous ability to pull the right strings.
Intimidated and overwhelmed, Bruno looked around for support. Everyone was just sitting there, observing the argument between him and Abuela as if it did not concern them. Their unspoken assent was too much for him. But what did he expect; everyone always assumed the worst in him. They always would.
When none of the family members took his side, he just… gave up.
"I don't want to be a part of this anymore," said Bruno, freeing himself at last from Abuela's grasp. "I should have never had this vision. Or any vision at all. I'm out. Count me out."
He turned to the door that shut right into his face.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I don't know," replied Bruno, bumping into the door. They opened on the third try. "As far from here as I can."
He walked through the courtyard despite the tiles moving under his feet. Abuela followed him, and so did the rest of the adults.
When he finally reached the entrance, the man heard his mother's threatening yells.
"Don't you dare go through that door!" He flinched, his hand on the doorknob. "If you leave this house, you're dead to me! You hear me?"
"Mama!"
Julieta winced, visibly aghast. The woman refused to believe that her own mother would ever treat her brother like that. Abuela couldn't have possibly meant what she'd said, Julieta was sure of it.
But Bruno wasn't. With a heavy heart, he looked back. His defeated, tired voice was barely audible.
"I wish I was."
Next moment, he was gone.
Once everyone went to sleep, Bruno returned to his room to pack his things. He didn't have much; it all fitted into a bag that he could easily carry. Now, all he had to do was leave the house without being seen.
When he was passing the nursery room, the man came to a sudden halt. He could swear he heard somebody crying.
Bruno knew he had no time to waste. He could not be seen. So, he resumed his walk − only to turn around a few steps later.
He knocked quietly on the wooden frame, opened the door, and saw an empty room. Hushed sniffles told him that there was someone hiding under the bed. He crouched right next to it, having left his bag outside.
"Hey, I know you're in there," he spoke softly to a person he could not see. "Wanna talk about it?"
Bruno's words were met with silence. He tried one more time, doing his best to sound understanding.
"It − It's cosy out there, I know. But you see, I cannot fit in next to you. Do you fancy coming out?"
Something moved, so at least the man knew he'd been heard. He sat on the floor, his back against the bed frame, and gave the kid a moment to decide.
It didn't take long. He looked up. Mirabel stood next to him, still wearing her ceremonial clothes. Her face was in tears.
Today must have been the worst birthday ever.
She reached out to her uncle with both arms, just as she always did to get onto his lap. Bruno adjusted his position and sat the girl on his knee. Holding her with one arm so that she wouldn't fall.
He felt he should probably say something but didn't know the right words.
"So, today didn't go as planned, huh?"
To his dismay, his niece's crying resumed with unexpectedly high volume. A small smile that was supposed to be comforting quickly disappeared from Bruno's face. With his eyes wide open, he said in a slight state of panic,
"But, hey! It's okay, isn't it? I mean, don't worry, right? It's not like this is the end of the world."
This didn't seem to help. So he stopped talking and embraced the little kid instead. He rocked her delicately from side to side, hoping it would somehow soothe her.
This worked better than his earlier attempts. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken at all.
Mirabel mumbled something inaudible into his sleeve. Bruno moved his arm to hear her better.
"Oh, sorry. Sorry. Didn't catch that. You were saying?"
With her big, shining eyes, his niece looked up at him. She repeated in a shaky tone,
"Why am I not special?"
Bruno stared back at her, his eyebrows raised. He was at a loss.
"What do you mean? Of course you're special. Why wouldn't you be?"
"But Abuela said that my gift would be as special as me. And I didn't get a gift."
Leave it to his mother to make someone feel important. Bruno cleared his throat.
"You know what? Let's not worry about what your Abuela said, okay?" With his free hand, he searched his pockets for a fresh tissue and handed it to Mirabel. "Gift or no gift, we love you all the same. Nothing's gonna change that."
At least, your lack of gift can't hurt the family, he thought.
The girl's face brightened. "Promise?"
"Cross my heart." Bruno emphasized his statement with a gesture.
Out of nowhere, he could feel two small arms wrap around his neck. The man realized he was being hugged.
"I love you, Tio Bruno."
His eyes widened. He wanted to say something but his voice stuck in his throat.
Of course, he loved her too, all of them. But he rarely heard that they loved him back. Despite that, he'd do anything for his family.
He would never break them apart.
Bruno believed that his choice was the right one. Not sharing his predictions with anyone should give Mirabel a few more years of not being accused for the magic's disappearance. He knew how hard it was to be blamed for something outside of someone's control.
He wished such fate upon no one.
Realizing that Mirabel was slowly dozing off, Bruno got up with the girl still in his arms. He put her to bed, covered with a soft blanket.
"Now, time for some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a better day, you'll see."
Playfully, he gave her a delicate punch on the shoulder. She was evidently feeling better than when he'd found her.
Go figure.
Half-asleep, the girl called after him. "We can go to the bridge and play with bark boats, right, Tio?"
Even knowing that he would never see Mirabel again, Bruno couldn't bring himself to correct her.
"Goodnight, kid," he said instead. In a hushed voice, he then added, "You take care."
He picked up his things and left for the second time.