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After yet another bad vision and getting blamed for it, a twenty-two year old Bruno wanders off to the edge of town, near the towering mountains, wanting to get away from everything just for a while. He can tell that the people of Encanto are starting to hate him more and more. He can feel it in their whispers and their sneers directed his way.
“Stay away from Bruno if you don’t want anything to be ruined.”
“He’s creepy.”
“This happened to me because of his damn vision!”
“His gift is nothing more than a curse.”
A bad omen personified.
Of course, Mamá took notice of what the townsfolk think of him. So with each passing day, Bruno can tell that she is becoming more disappointed in him that his gift isn’t helping their community.
He can’t even talk to his sisters about it because they already have too much on their plate. What with Julieta spending everyday literally cooking enough food to feed a whole village and Pepa always being aware of her emotions in case she causes a hurricane. The last thing they need is him dumping his anxieties on them. There’s also the budding love they have for two lucky men in town and Bruno would rather die than mess up their chances with them.
They wouldn’t understand anyway. No one could.
Being able to see more than anyone else has given him a perspective on the world and life itself in a way that is incomprehensible to the ordinary person.
See, the future is unknown to other people. If they think about it too hard, it becomes something to fear as it forces them to confront the truth that no matter what they do, they are never truly in control. They, along with everything else on this Earth, are subjected to the will of fate, chance, or luck. Tomorrow, a businessman could hit the jackpot and become the richest man in his town, or it could be his last day alive. All it takes is one wrong step.
The more optimistic ones say that the best way to go about life is to smile, keep your head held high, and take things as they come no matter how bad they seem.
In reality, everyday is a gamble. But not for Bruno.
The future is laid out for him in shimmering emerald. He is the one who is able to peek through the keyhole into the complex mechanisms of the encompassing motor of the Universe known as Time. Sometimes the images were glad tidings he was blessed with sharing. But these days, they are becoming more like dreadful warnings he was unfortunate enough to witness and tell.
It is amazing, terrifying, mysterious, awe-inspiring, and….incredibly burdensome. Especially when the people who still want to cling onto that illusion of control, rely on what you see. If they don’t like it, they find other people to blame for their misfortune. Usually it’s Bruno.
At this point, the young man himself is starting to believe that perhaps he truly is cursed to bring bad luck upon those comes in contact with.
Maybe, he is better off alone in order to avoid hurting the people he cares about.
Being an outcast for the forbidden, terrible knowledge he holds is a heavy responsibility he alone must carry.
At least, that was what he thought until an intruder quite literally appeared out of nowhere in their beloved paradise.
Night has fallen, turning the sky to black. It was dotted with numerous twinkling stars and the clouds gave way for the moon to grace its bright pale light on the lands below. Bruno should be going home by now but he wasn’t quite ready yet to face Mamá. He wanted to enjoy the calm night for just a bit longer. He sat down on the grass with his knees up to his chest and sighed, basking in the peace and quiet that he so rarely gets.
Until the cool winds suddenly picked up their speed. The young man first thought that Pepa must be nearby but then he heard a strange noise. It sounded like grinding metal.
Bruno let out a startled yelp when the winds then circled around a bright light that came out of nowhere, and was blinking in and out. He scrambled back into the bushes and watched. The noise got louder and the light got bigger with each flash, until it started forming something rectangular in shape.
It looked to be some sort of tall box, fading in and out of existence until it became fully tangible with a resounding thump. Now that the light was gone, the young man can see that the mysterious object was dark blue in color with two windows on its front and words above them written in English.
“Police Public Call Box”
He had no idea what that meant but he was nonetheless thankful to himself for learning some of the language back when he was a curious kid.
Before he could slowly creep out of the bushes and let his curiosity take over, its doors opened. Bruno ducked down as a man stepped out wearing a tweed jacket and a bow tie, and had an excited grin on his face.
“Okay! Where have you brought me to this time, old girl?”
He whirled around, taking in his surroundings before letting out his tongue to seemingly taste the air. Then he confirmed to himself quite happily,
“Haha! Earth! Somewhere in 20th century Colombia….I think,” his smile turned into a light frown as he pondered it to himself more.
He then reached in the inner pocket of his tweed jacket and whipped out some sort of metal wand. Its tip glowed green and made a buzzing noise as he waved it around, muttering to himself about “energy readings” and “temporal fluxes”.
Bruno took this as his chance to sneak away and find his mother to inform her about this strange man. But as he began to move, he stepped on a stick with a loud crunch that made him wince. The stranger paused and turned his gaze to the bushes where he was hiding.
“Hello?”
Bruno held his breath as his heart rate sped up when the man tucked his metal wand away and slowly walked closer. He then stopped just in front of the bushes with his hands up in a placating manner.
“It’s alright, I’m not here to harm you. I’m just a traveler passing through.”
That’s the problem! No outsider should have been able to enter here!
Bruno screamed in his head, but he forced himself to calm down and think of what he should do. There’s not much point in hiding anymore now that the mysterious man knows he’s here. He does seem harmless enough though, not like your typical kidnapper or murderer. But he does have that metal wand and that magical blue box.
Breathing in and out, Bruno steeled his nerves as he made his decision. He slowly stood up from his hiding spot and in full view of the stranger who smiled kindly.
“Ah, hello there! I’m the Doctor,” he held out his hand for him to shake.
He nervously shook it.
“I-I’m Bruno. Bruno Madrigal,” he meekly introduced himself in turn.
He’s still unsure that interacting with him was a good idea, but there’s no turning back now.
“Pleasure to meet you Bruno! Now, if you don’t mind, can you tell me where I am?”
“You’re in the town of Encanto, señor,” he replied before internally cringing.
Mierda, he probably shouldn’t have answered him. He really can be too kind to people sometimes, huh.
The Doctor, if that’s really his name, furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“Sorry, what did you call me?”
Now it’s Bruno’s turn to be confused.
“¿Señor?” he nonetheless repeated for him.
The Doctor nodded slowly as he muttered,
“Huh, strange. It didn’t translate…”
“What?”
“So! Tell me about your town, Bruno,” he slung an arm over said man’s shoulder.
Bruno tried to hide how uncomfortable he was as the Doctor continued talking.
“Um-”
“How’s the food here? Delicious I hope. You know, I once took an old friend of mine to this country and the Bandeja Paisa was incredibly tasty!”
“That-”
“Well that was until a gigantic lizard showed up. Not just any lizard mind you, a lizard from space. But we still had a good time, all things considered. I should really visit that restaurant again now that I think about it.”
“A what showed up-”
“Anyway, your town looks great from here. Doesn’t look that old though. How are the people? Are they nice? A little tight-knit community? Places like this are always great spots for a vacation. I’d like to know your price rates. Will there be Wi-Fi? Possibly breakfast in bed-”
“Doctor!”
He thankfully stopped rambling and Bruno shrugged off his arm. He’s had enough of this. This day has been horrible enough and now he has to deal with an outsider saying things he doesn’t quite understand.
“Look, with all due respect señor, I don’t know who you are. I don’t know where you came from but you’re obviously not from here. So take your-” he gestured to the box, “-magical blue box and leave. Por favor.”
The Doctor regarded him for a moment before speaking,
“You lot are not fond of outsiders, are you?” it was more of a statement than a question.
“To be completely honest with you, yes we generally aren’t. Shouldn’t. Look- It’s just-” he gestured wildly with his hands in his frustration, “-There’s no way you could have ended up here! The miracle was supposed to keep out the rest of the world, so it should be impossible for you to find this place, let alone set foot in it.”
He really didn’t mean to air out his irritation like that but he only wanted to spend a few moments in peace for once. And more importantly, if this man was able to enter the Encanto with no problem at all….
The more negative implications are too frightening to think about. Unless…he was allowed in on purpose-
“Miracle?”
Mierda, not again. He should probably keep his mouth shut from now on.
“Miracle as in magic? No! Wait, hang on,” the Doctor started talking to himself again.
“Not magic….but psychic energy!”
He fished out his metal wand and waved it around again.
“This place, this paradise, is flowing with psychic energy on a scale that is nearly impossible. A literal miracle! Whoever was the precursor for this must have been an extremely powerful psychic who never got to harness their abilities properly. Something happened that caused their power to burst forth like an explosion until it became some sort of free flowing energy almost independent of its owner. Haha! That’s brilliant!” he grinned like a lunatic.
“But! That still doesn’t explain the fluxes in the temporal flow I keep detecting…”
He waved his metal wand around some more until the buzzing became a different pitch when he pointed it at Bruno. He was just as surprised as he is.
“Huh, wasn’t expecting this.”
“I- What- What?! What does this mean?” the young man gestured to the wand, mostly confused but also a bit scared.
The Doctor thankfully put it away but then he grabbed his shoulders and looked straight into his wide green eyes.
“Bruno, be honest with me. Have you time-traveled before or came into contact with anything related to the ability to do so?” he asked him with a deadly serious tone.
Don’t answer him. Don’t answer him.
Bruno repeatedly told himself in his head. His resolve began to falter though when he gazed into the other person’s eyes. If it’s true that they are the windows to the soul, then the Doctor is an old- no, ancient man.
Underneath his eccentricness and youthful facade, lies someone who has seen, done, and lost so much. Far too much for anyone to comprehend. His eyes are worn and tired like he had the entire universe weighing heavy on his shoulders.
And there was an air about him that was authoritative, as weird as that sounds. But also mysterious and foreboding as if trying to unravel who he is would be trying to get your hand closer to the flame. You would either get burned or be satisfied with the heat. In a way, it felt…familiar.
For Bruno, it felt similar to….to using his gift.
Who are you Doctor?
Swallowing thickly, he answered his question,
“Visions. I get visions of the future.”
He remained silent so Bruno decided to elaborate,
“I suppose you can say that the ‘precursor’ of the miracle was my mother. When me and my hermanas turned five years old, it blessed each of us with a special gift. Julieta can cook food that would heal you instantly, Pepa’s emotions affect the weather, and I…can see the future.”
The Doctor nodded silently as he let go of his shoulders.
“I see. That…That’s amazing Bruno,” he said it with such sincerity and genuine awe that the young man was taken aback.
When was the last time he has heard someone see his powers as something to marvel at? He honestly couldn’t remember anymore.
“Is it okay if you do a demonstration? I really want to see how it works.”
The Doctor’s words registered in his brain like cold water and that familiar anxiety whenever he was asked for a vision came back in full force.
“Oh- Sure- I guess. Uh, what do you wanna see?” he asked, trying to maintain his composure.
“Oh I don’t know, really. Something simple I suppose. Not for me though! I’m personally not a big fan of spoilers,” he replied with a smile like it was some sort of inside joke.
“Right. Um…” Bruno wracked his brain for something he can look into.
Then he got it.
“Okay, okay. You might wanna brace yourself ‘cause it’s about to get a little windy,” he warned as he shook his hands and breathed in then out.
Alright, he can do this. It shouldn’t be too complicated. He only wishes he had some wood to knock on or salt to throw over his shoulder beforehand.
Closing his eyes, he then reached out with his senses and tugged on the invisible threads of Time that formed, are forming, and will form the soil beneath their feet, the roads and structures of the Encanto, and finally the people.
He found the one he was looking for and began to unwind it for its minute details.
Bruno opened his glowing green eyes to the swirling dirt and dust around them. Specks of emerald appeared in it, twinkling like the stars above, and started forming shaky images.
A little girl with two braids found a tambora. It was a bit too large for her size but with a stool she pulled up, she was able to try it out. She sampled a few simple beats and had a big smile on her face when she got a rhythm going. The images changed once again to an adult version of the little girl, no longer needing a stool but a chair for her to sit on. She was playing in a street band to her heart’s content using the same tambora with a more complex but enjoyable rhythm.
A bright light flashed and the emerald formed a glowing tablet in Bruno’s hands, showing the final portrait of the street band. The swirling dust and dirt stopped, falling to the ground around them. His eyes also returned to normal as he gazed upon his newest vision.
His head was starting to throb with a migraine but it was overshadowed by his relief that this prophecy was nothing bad.
The Doctor came up beside him with an amazed, almost giddy, smile.
“Oh that was brilliant,” he hovered his buzzing metal wand over the tablet.
“Of course, it makes sense now! The fluxes I detected weren’t fluxes really, but instances of you forcing yourself in to take a peek at the timeline! Your method is a bit crude hence why the images weren’t crystal clear but that’s to be expected since you’re a human and you’ve never really gazed into the Time Vortex itself. But this was still incredible!”
“Uh, thank you? I guess,” he gave the tablet to the Doctor who stared at it a bit more.
Bruno didn’t understand much of what he said but the bottomline was, he thought his gift was incredible. He still finds himself stunned at that.
“It was a vision for the daughter of one of the street band performers. Looks like she’s gonna follow in her Papi’s footsteps.”
“Brilliant. Could you do it again? But this time, I have some suggestions for you,” he requested before somehow tucking the tablet away in his tweed jacket.
“Um, si but maybe a little later ‘cause heh- my head hurts a bit.”
“Oh. Are you alr-”
“I’m fine! I’m fine. This usually happens after I have a vision. I-It’ll go away soon,” said Bruno as he started massaging his own temples.
The Doctor’s hands fluttered a bit, not sure what to do. But then he made up his mind as he brought up his fingers to either side of the young man’s head and with a gentle voice, he asked,
“May I?”
He looked unsure for a second but then he slowly lowered his hands and let him touch his temples. The Doctor closed his eyes and Bruno was subjected to the strange sensation of something probing his mind but it quickly turned to relaxation as his migraine began dissipating.
He almost closed his own eyes until the light pressure on his temples released and his head felt much better already.
Huh.
He then stared at the person in front of him with newfound uncertainty as he rummaged around in the pockets of his tweed jacket.
“H-How did you do that?”
“Gift or no gift, your human brain isn’t built to stand the mental strain of peering further into the timeline. Believe me, the migraines are the last things you have to worry about and you’ve only scratched the surface. If you tried to see further than that without proper preparation or been exposed to the Time Vortex already, it could potentially kill you. Not that staring into the whole of the Vortex is any less dangerous. Even for people like me,” explained the Doctor instead of answering the question.
He pulled out a paper bag, opened it, and offered it to Bruno.
“Jelly baby? Don’t worry, it's just candy.”
Que mierda, how big are those pockets?
Bruno hesitantly stuck his hand in and pulled out a small, red, squishy, piece of candy coated in sugar. He copied the Doctor’s movement of just popping it in his mouth and to his relief, it did just taste like sweet candy.
“What do you mean, ‘people like you’?”
“Time Lords,” was the almost nonchalant reply.
“Ti- What?”
“Time Lords, come from the planet Gallifrey, out there in the Constellation of Kasterborous.”
He put away his bag of jelly babies and had an easy grin on his face while Bruno could only stare at him in shock.
“Time Lords.”
“Yep.”
“You’re a Time Lord.”
“Yep.”
“Are-Are you human?”
“Nope.”
“Right. You…You come from another world.”
“Yep.”
Bruno slowly blinked.
“Dios mio.”
“You okay?”
“Si, si. It’s just…It’s a bit to process.”
“Right.”
They stood in awkward silence for a while.
So people from other worlds are real. And not just any sort of people, but people more knowledgeable about how Time works and don’t fear it.
People who could…who could understand his situation. His gift.
He could almost laugh and cry. This felt too good to be true.
“Bruno,” the Doctor’s voice cut through his thoughts.
He smiled kindly at him, like he knows what he’s thinking about.
“Would you like to see something really cool?”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Woah. Doctor, your box is….It’s like Casita!”
“Casita?”
“Oh, Casita is my family’s magical house. Just wow. Me and my sisters’ rooms are like this! Bigger on the inside!” he then chuckled in amazement.
As it turns out, the blue box had a huge dome-like room inside.
It definitely didn’t look like a magical bedroom but it was nonetheless a wonder of its own.
The walls had circles that gave off an orange hue and there were stairs that lead up to a raised glass platform with a column in the center. The column’s panels had all manner of buttons, switches, and levers in a seemingly random order.
Bruno avoided touching them but he couldn’t help but brush his fingers on the side of the console instead. It was made of metal but it didn’t feel cold like he expected, instead it felt warm. A comforting kind of warm. Coupled with the steady humming and low vibrations, it was like a living creature.
He jumped when the lights on the ceiling got brighter and the humming raised in pitch.
“Ah would you look at that, the TARDIS likes you! That doesn’t happen very often with newcomers,” commented the Doctor with a grin.
“TARDIS?”
“Yep, that’s T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.”
“Wow. That’s-” he shook his head almost speechless for a moment, “-This is definitely cool.”
The last time he ever felt this child-like, innocent awe, was when he first got his gift all those years ago. It was like stepping into a whole new magical wonderland straight out of those fantasy stories. No caution or worry, just pure curiosity and excitement over something incredible he discovered.
“Cool? Oh no no no. This is just transport.”
The Doctor began flipping switches, pulling levers, and pushing buttons. The ship gave a lurch that had Bruno yelping in surprise and holding onto the railing behind him with a white knuckled grip. As the room continued shaking, the grinding metal noise came back and the curved glass bulb inside the console’s column rose up and down like a pump.
After a few minutes, it all stopped then the Doctor leaped down and bounded over to the doors. Bruno took a few moments to steady his breathing and his heart which felt like it was gonna burst from his chest, before releasing his grip on the railing and following the Time Lord down to the doors.
“A little warning would’ve been nice.”
“Ah, sorry about that,” he seemed way too excited to really be sorry.
Despite the literal stomach-turning event he just experienced, he too got excited for whatever the Doctor will show him.
“Now, this here is what I would call ‘cool’,” he opened the doors to the most beautiful sight Bruno has ever seen.
There were more stars than he had ever seen in the sky of Encanto. All of different colors, sizes and brightness, splattered on the backdrop of an infinite blackness. What looked like huge clouds of pink, purple, green, yellow, and red, flowed among them like a sea. An unseen force kept all of them from straying too far and in orbit around each other, almost forming a cosmic kaleidoscope.
A real life painting.
“This is one of the many nebulae that you would find all across the universe. They’re usually leftovers from a gigantic, old star that died in a supernova. A big boom! Spreading its elements across the vastness of space and these elements form a nebula, huge clouds of gas, dust, and other debris. Then give it a few more billion years, gravity will pull them even closer together to form more stars and planets. Like your Earth and Sun.”
Bruno only nodded absent-mindedly at the Doctor’s explanation, because he didn’t know what to say. Words fail to fully encapsulate this heavenly sight. He had no thoughts, only pure admiration for this part of creation that he was lucky enough to witness.
In that moment, he forgot all about his troubles.
His frequently terrible visions that keep him up at night, the townspeople wishing he just stayed in his tower and never came out, the expectations and pressure Mamá placed on him, his hermanas also working themselves to the ground in order to bring honor to their family and serve the community. All pushed away into the deep recesses of his mind.
For the first time in years, his heart felt light.
He felt at peace.
Bruno didn’t know how long he stood there in awe but he was soon broken out of his trance when the Doctor offered him a handkerchief. Turns out, he had a few tears trickling down his cheeks. He didn’t have the heart to be embarrassed though because he was then given some arepas from the TARDIS kitchen.
The Time Lord then sat down in the doorway of his ship with his legs dangling off the edge. Bruno hesitantly sat down next to him. He initially felt a spike of fear of falling into the void of space with his legs also hanging outside the TARDIS like this but he immediately began to relax as he and the Doctor dug into their respective snacks.
The arepas were good but still not as good as Julieta’s cooking. The Doctor also had some interesting food that Bruno’s never tasted before.
(“What is that?”
“Fish fingers in custard sauce. Wanna try?”
“....Sure, why not.”)
The duo ate and shared stories with each other to pass the time.
Bruno recalled some happy memories from his childhood before he and his sisters were forced to grow up too quickly.
He told him about how they would play in the rain Pepa created, splashing in puddles and mud. That time he and Pepa tried to help Julieta around the kitchen only to end in the three of them throwing handfuls of flour at each other. How they would sometimes hang out in his room and build all kinds of sand castles.
The Doctor in turn, told him about some of his adventures.
From traversing the distant past to the far future. From exploring Earth to exploring planets in far flung galaxies. Meeting famous people like William Shakespeare and Vincent Van Gogh. Discovering new, interesting, and outrageous things about the universe. As well as meeting beings and visiting civilizations that are more amazing than they could ever imagine.
His stories all sounded too fantastical to be true but given everything Bruno has seen and learned so far, he doesn’t doubt a single word.
He also learned about the Doctor’s friends, Amy and Rory, as well as his wife, River Song. They sound like great people he would love to meet someday.
Except for River though.
No offense to her husband but based on what he’s hearing, she sounds too bold and daring than what his poor, anxious introverted self can handle. And that’s saying something, given he’s siblings with someone like Pepa.
He tried asking about the Time Lord’s home world but he always brushed it off and changed the subject, so Bruno didn’t push it.
Eventually, the conversation dwindled down, their stomachs were full, and they were left in a comfortable silence. Though it didn’t last very long.
“Bruno, why were you all alone out there at the edge of your town?” the Doctor asked with a serious tone in his voice, a complete contrast to how he told his stories earlier.
Bruno stiffened and remained silent for a while, figuring out how to answer his question.
“I guess, I just…wanted to get away from everything for a while.”
“‘Everything’ being what?”
The young man turned his gaze down on his lap as he started playing with the fabric of his ruana.
“I guess….everything being my life I suppose, heh.”
The silence became more awkward this time.
“Is it because of your gift?” the Doctor tried again.
“Well...yeah. Mostly.”
“How so?”
“....My gift, wasn’t really helping anyone. People come up to me and ask for a vision about something. Then when they don’t like what I saw, they storm off and the bad thing happens anyway, and who do they pin it on? Me. As if it’s somehow my fault that they eat so much or don’t take good care of their goldfish,” Bruno let out a tired sigh.
“But they might have a point though. I mean, it seems like all the prophecies I get these days are just bad news so I probably am cursed with rotten luck. Mamá wants our family to always do what’s best for the town so…maybe the best thing I can do is stay away from people. Heh, at least their days won’t be ruined just by seeing me and I won’t have to worry anymore about going deaf from all the yelling I get so, win-win am I right?” he tried to joke but it fell flat with no real humor in it.
The Doctor only looked at him almost with pity in his expression but then it became a bit stern, almost like a parent, as he asked him,
“Did you want any of those bad things to happen to those people?”
“What?! No! I just wanted to help them. There’s nothing good whatsoever about them getting misfortune because my vision said so. They’re just trying to make do with what they have in a world where almost anything can happen. Me, being able to see the future, is meant to be a comfort for them that something will go the way they want it to instead of just sitting there and hoping that the worst doesn’t happen-“
“And that’s where you lot got it wrong,” the Time Lord cut him off.
“I- What?”
“Your gift of foresight is amazing, Bruno. An incredible ability for a human such as yourself to have. But no matter how much you, your family, and your community have deluded themselves into believing what they think it’s supposed to be, it will always be what it is. Being able to view what will happen in accurate detail does not mean you can expect that it will go the way you want it to. You’re only taking a peek, that’s it. Nothing's changed. The universe still doesn’t care about what’s convenient for you. Those worst outcomes you envisioned would have happened anyway regardless of whether you saw it or not.”
Bruno found himself hanging on to the Doctor’s every word, especially what he said next,
“Your gift isn’t meant to comfort nor is it to curse. It is to give the cold, hard truth. Whether that is good or bad, it is still the truth. Now, what those people do with that information is out of your hands. If they don’t like it, that’s on them, not on you.”
“But…I-I’m supposed to help them as much as I can.”
“Well, if you ask me it seems like the town relies too much on your family. Yes, you’re meant to help them not solve every problem they have. In your case, warning them of what their present actions will lead to is the best way you can do that. The prophecy was about them. Changing what you saw will have to start with them.”
The young man was speechless.
“What are you saying?” he asked quietly.
“I know how it feels to want to isolate yourself because you feel like you cause nothing but hurt. That it would be safer for everyone else, including those you love. It’s painful but you think it’s for the best. But what you tend to forget is that there are those who love you back. By closing yourself off, you’re also hurting them. It’s hard, but you have to stay within reach somehow. Not just for their sake, but also for yours because believe me, completely withdrawing from everyone is not a path you will survive. It will break you. Turn you into someone else,” the Doctor mumbled the last part to himself.
Then his eyes met his.
“Bruno Madrigal, you are not a bad omen. The universe is just doing what it’s always been doing and I am sorry that others have tried to convince you otherwise. People are simply too close-minded to see that.”
He said it with such conviction and certainty, that Bruno’s throat suddenly became tight and his eyes stung. He tried to keep it down but a choked sob still made its way out. A pair of arms wrapped around him and he cried his heart out on the Doctor’s chest. His whole body shook like a leaf and tears streamed down his face. There, he let it all out, the pain, the loneliness, the pressure, and how it was all breaking him down.
He’s just so tired.
He didn’t know how long it took, but eventually, he could feel himself calming down. Pulling away, he mumbled a “lo siento” for ruining the Time Lord’s shirt but he brushed it off saying that he has plenty of shirts like it.
They settled in a comfortable silence once again.
It was broken when the Doctor broached the subject again of Bruno doing another vision but with some of his suggestions.
Reluctantly, the young man agreed and off they went, deeper into the TARDIS for a proper space to do it.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Uh Doctor. No offense but um, I don’t think this room is a good place for me to do a vision.”
“What? Oh no we’re just here for a quick stop to get what you might need. Think of this place as like the ‘Room of Requirement’!” he grinned at the young man but it faltered at the lack of reaction.
“‘Room of Requirement’? Harry Potter? Ah, you’ll probably get it in a couple of decades,” he waved it off.
Right.
Bruno turned back to the numerous, towering piles of junk in front of them.
“So what are we looking for?”
“I don’t know, what do you need?”
“What?”
“Well you see Bruno, I think that you need something to ground you before you use your gift. When you had that vision of the girl in the street band, the images were coherent but shaky. You could’ve also seen more details of that future. It might have been due to your anxiety over the whole thing.”
“Si, I guess, but that’s just how my visions usually are.”
“Just because something works fine does not mean it cannot be improved on. That is the bedrock of an intelligent species’ evolution.”
“But didn’t you say that peering any further could potentially kill me?”
“Only without proper preparation and a safe handle on the timeline you’re trying to see.”
“Ah, okay. That…That makes sense.”
Something to ground himself?
“So, what would help me relax, basically.”
“Yep. It could be a blanket, a cup of tea, some food if you’re the type to stress eat, or even a simple routine if you like.”
Right.
Bruno walked around, searching and thinking of what would give him comfort.
Come on, what makes him feel safe when everything gets too overwhelming for him? The first thing that popped in his head was his tower with its sandy oasis.
Sand.
He picked up a metal bucket. He would have to ask the Doctor later if there’s some sand in the TARDIS that he can use.
Even though the Time Lord believed he wasn’t cursed with bad luck, he still wanted his prophecies to be as good as possible. So he went ahead and picked up some wooden sticks and leaves. He was also able to find a box of matches and a small vial of salt in a drawer. Just for good measure, Bruno picked up a wooden plank as well.
Then the ship led the both of them to another quick stop in an indoor beach that the Doctor apparently forgot that he had.
With everything needed, the duo entered another room which looked like a stone courtyard surrounded by trees. The walls and ceiling mimicked a blue sky, and there was a large bright light in the center as the sun.
Laying his things on the floor, Bruno went to work. He made small piles of sand where he placed the sticks and leaves. Then using the bucket, he poured the rest of the sand in a large circle surrounding him and the Doctor. When he was done, he sat down cross-legged in front of the sticks and leaves, with the Time Lord sitting across from him in the same manner.
The young man let out a long breath.
“Okay, just calm down. Calm down,” he told himself.
“You know, when I said ‘simple routine’, I wasn’t exactly expecting this. I thought you would do some stretches or breathing techniques.”
“W-Well, you just told me to do what calms me down so,” he replied suddenly feeling self-conscious.
Realizing his mistake, the Doctor was quick to reassure,
“Oh no no! This is fine. Sorry. Just thinking out loud.”
“O-Okay.”
Bruno let out another breath.
He grabbed the wooden plank and knocked on it a few times, then he poured out the salt from the vial onto the palm of his hand and threw it over his shoulder. He lit up a match then set the sticks and leaves on fire.
Closing his eyes, he reached out again to the invisible, delicate, but indestructible thread of a timeline. The sand picked up around them, swirling like the dust and dirt did before. He opened his glowing green eyes as the shining emerald formed images.
He was doing the same vision of the street band performer’s daughter but nothing changed, the images were still shaky and showing the same details.
“It’s-It’s not working Doctor. It’s just the same thing,” he said despondently.
“No, don’t give up hope just yet,” came the defiant reply as the Doctor reached out and held Bruno’s hands in a firm but not bruising grip.
“Bruno, listen to me,” he paused as glowing green met his hazel brown eyes.
“You’re forcing the timeline into submission for the details. You have to relax. Loosen your grip and let the timeline wash over you.”
Bruno nodded and looked up at the forming images. He slowly loosened his grip on the thread and opted to gently brush his senses against it similar to how he touched the TARDIS console.
The images became less shaky and even revealed more information.
The girl’s Papi found her playing the tambora and started teaching her. He played a few beats first and his daughter copied him. He continued teaching her through the years as she grew up. When she was old enough, she met up with the two other guys in the street band and they practiced together. They eventually took their music outside, near the Madrigal family mural, where people clapped after their performance.
A bright light flashed and an emerald tablet formed. This time, it also showed visual details of where the street band performed and the people who watched them play. Another thing Bruno will notice later is that his head wasn’t throbbing as much.
He let out a laugh in disbelief.
“I did it!”
“You did it mate!”
They both laughed and embraced each other tight, their hearts swelling with joy.
~~~~~~~~~~
The TARDIS landed in the same spot it first appeared, at the edge of the Encanto.
Its doors opened and out stepped Bruno along with the Doctor.
“And here we are! Home sweet home, only five minutes after you left.”
Bruno looked up at the night sky that hadn’t changed and the soft lights of the town where most of its residents peacefully slept. Yup, it was indeed like he was never gone. He smiled softly at the sight.
“Yeah. Thanks Doctor.”
“Unless…you want to come with me?”
He turned sharply back at the Time Lord who had an excited grin on his face.
“Fancy a trip through all of Time and Space? Everything that ever will be and everything that ever was. You could pick any star up there in the sky right now and we’ll be there before you could say ‘fish fingers in custard’. So what do you say?”
It’s tempting. Very, very tempting. But…
He turned his gaze up to the hill where La Casa Madrigal resides.
He thought of Pepa with her headstrong personality, who doesn’t take shit from anyone, who is protective of him and the rest of their family, and is caring in her own way. He thought of Julieta who is gentle and mother-like, always attentive to others’ needs even if they don’t admit it, and is willing to listen and offer comfort. He thought of his mother, Alma, who can be tough and strict, but ultimately loves him, his sisters, and their town in her heart.
The people of the Encanto are not always kind to him but they are a close-knit community. Home did not stop at their respective houses and families, but it extended to their neighbors. You can see it in how they greet each other everyday with a genuine smile, and may even stop to chat. In this place, music did not just flow from instruments played but in the people’s beating hearts. The warmth of life and color was in everywhere you looked.
Truly, this paradise is a miracle.
Bruno’s life here isn’t perfect. Nothing ever is. But there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.
“No.”
“Brilliant! Then let’s- wait pardon?”
“I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. But this is my home. This is where I belong. And there’s no other place like it.”
The Time Lord’s mood was clearly dampened that Bruno felt a little guilty.
“I see. Well!” he quickly plastered a happy smile on his face.
“It was nice meeting you, Bruno Madrigal. I’ll see you around then!”
“Si…”
Then Bruno suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug.
“Gracias. Muchas gracias, Doctor. You have no idea how much you helped me. Gracias.”
The Doctor chuckled as he patted his back.
“Of course, mate.”
They pulled away and smiled at each other with a twinge of sadness that it was time to say goodbye.
“Have a good life Bruno.”
“You too.”
The Doctor patted his shoulder and walked back to his ship.
“¡Adios!” the young man yelled.
The Time Lord waved in reply before shutting the TARDIS doors.
The wind picked up, the top of the blue box flashed brightly as it faded in and out of existence, and there was that familiar noise once again. Only this time, Bruno no longer associated it with the sound of grinding metal, but with the universe itself warping as the traveler of Time and Space departed from this plane to his next stop.
When the ship completely disappeared, Bruno still had that soft smile on his face as he turned and started his trek home.
He knew that he would get quite a scolding from Mamá for staying out so late but it didn’t bother him as much.
There’s going to be many more bad days ahead of him. Days where he wants to stay in his room and never interact with another human being again. Days where he wants to curse the candle for giving him this gift. Days where his own mind torments him with thoughts that his own family doesn’t want anything to do with him.
But that doesn’t matter because tonight, at this very moment, he feels good and content with himself.