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It was like any other day in the Madrigal household, the sky was clear and breakfast was served already. All the members of the family were doing what they usually do around that time –some were doing chores, some were going for a walk, or perhaps reading a book– all, except Agustín.
His mind was rushing and so were his feet as he walked from one side of the hall through another, muttering something not even Dolores would be able to understand.
Félix, who watched the distressed man from afar, decided to check on him.
“Agustín, bro! You okay?” he said while carefully putting a hand on his in-law's shoulder. Agustín blinked in shock as if he was taken back from a trance. He looked at Félix in confusion.
“Ah? Oh! Yes, yes, I’m fine! Super! Why’d you ask?” his tone denoted that he was, in fact, far from fine. He couldn’t lie to save his life, and if he did, his face would be the first thing to betray him.
The shorter man looked at him, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, which was more than enough to make him talk.
“Okay, I’m not fine! But surely I’ll be! I hope…” the man in blue took a moment to clear his mind, sighing before continuing. “Listen, I’ve been wanting to talk with Alma for a while now… but I don’t know how to… um…”
“Approach her?”
Agustín nodded while scratching the back of his neck, a little bit embarrassed. Félix laughed it off as he patted his back.
“No worries, Agus! You just wait until she’s on a break or when you see her in a good mood, and I’m sure she’ll be more than glad to talk with you! Whatever… you want to tell her. Something good, I hope.”
“Uh… I guess? I don’t know, it's… complicated.”
Félix stared at him with a concerned look in his dark eyes. He simply shrugged and gently squeezed the arm of the one he practically considered his brother.
“I mean, if it’s worth it, I don’t see why it isn’t worth a shot either.”
That same evening he was given a great opportunity to talk with his mother-in-law.
Alma was sitting peacefully on the stairs that lead to the backyard, drinking some coffee while enjoying the summer breeze. Agustín approached her, holding his breath while going downstairs. He expected to fall… but he didn’t. Normally he used to fall from that same stairs, so he took it as a good sign.
“Ah, ¿suegra?”
Agustín , the matriarch thought while she turned to face the man who stood rigid like a wooden plank beside her. She tilted her head, curious about his strange behaviour. Normally he seemed a little bit tense around her, but this was pushing it.
“Yes, yerno?” she said playfully. At this point she didn’t understand why he treated her this formally, she even asked him out of curiosity. The poor man simply forgets… or at least that’s what he always tells her, but in reality he was scared that she still didn’t think that he was enough for her daughter Julieta, so he just got used to addressing her like that.
“I-I would like to talk with you, if it’s possible.”
Alma sighed. Her yerno truly was beyond repair. She patted the empty space beside her in an inviting manner and he simply nodded and tried to sit as fast as possible, which nearly made him fall face first against the floor. He felt his cheeks burning as he felt the embarrassment devouring him, sitting and avoiding her gaze. She sighed and shook her head. Agustín was gonna be the death of her one of these days.
“So, are you going to tell me or…”
“Ah.”
He took a second to gather all the courage that was left on him, which in reality… wasn’t a lot.
“So… I want to propose to you a family trip. To the city.” She was about to reply to him but he was faster. As soon as he started talking he couldn’t stop. “Before you say anything, I have everything planned and most of the things needed are prepared, I just need… your blessing. I can’t tell you why or what we are going to do there yet, it’s a surprise, but I assure you that you’ll like it.”
Or at least that’s what I hope, he wanted to add, but prefered to put that thought on the back of his mind.
Alma looked at him with a growing interest. She pondered her in-law’s idea while finishing her coffee without muttering a word. On the one hand, they’ve never gone on a trip together as a family, and now that they are closer than ever it would be nice to relax and simply bond with each other. The proposal was tempting, but she was terrified of leaving the Encanto in case something could happen out there and because Agustín, as much as he was a really nice man, wasn't as trusty when he had to plan something as important as this.
“Hm. I’ll think about it.”
Agustín nodded. He wasn’t expecting an immediate answer, and the fact that was even going to think about it was enough for him, even if she ended up declining. Still, it didn’t take Alma too long to come to a conclusion.
The next morning, while they were all having breakfast, she answered him.
She stood up while they were eating, which brought everyone’s attention to her. It was known in the family that when she stood up at the breakfast table she was about to announce something important. She had this dignified aura that made it clear why she was the matriarch, and also the one that everyone in the whole of the Encanto came to for advice.
“I have something important to announce…” she looked at Agustín with a growing smile while he tried to understand her expression. “We’re going on a trip!”
The poor man nearly choked with the juice he was drinking. Not only did she consider his proposal but also accepted it, and he couldn’t believe it. He had the sudden urge to run and hug her, but he restrained himself, shaking with excitement.
Félix was watching him from the other side of the table, a beaming smile glued onto his face while he subtly gave him a thumbs up. So he planned a trip? That sounds great! Although he still couldn’t understand the reason why Agustín was so upset the day before.
There was commotion on the table, most of them were extremely surprised about this seemingly sudden trip. The triplets looked at each other with a tint of concern, although mostly astonished. Dolores, even though she obviously knew about it, couldn’t wait to travel, just like Isabela, Mirabel and Antonio. Camilo, on the other hand, wasn’t as excited to leave the Encanto as the rest of the grandkids. Luisa didn’t know how to feel about it, nor did her mother.
Agustín watched over the table, seeing their reactions with a growing nervousness. They were whispering to each other, and their expressions were now quite ambiguous. Alma raised a hand, asking for silence. The tension was palpable, and got more noticeable when a sudden breeze made its way to the table. Alma looked at Pepa with a reassuring smile, which caught her daughter off guard and surprisingly made the wind stop instantly.
“There’s a few preparations left to do, but if everything goes according to plan we’ll part tomorrow morning.” The fact that they were going to part so soon only got the table more confused, but Alma simply pointed at Agustín. “I’m sure you’ll have a lot of questions, so I kindly ask you to go to Agustín, who was the one that proposed this journey.”
Agustín’s eyes widened as if he just saw a ghost walk past him, and the whole table turned their heads to look at him. He avoided their gaze, suddenly feeling very interested in his breakfast. Luckily for him, breakfast was finished not too long after and everyone got assigned some chores to finish before they left the next day, one of them brought Alma to the kitchen.
“Julieta, would you be so kind to…”
“Done, Mamá.”
The dark haired woman gave her mother a thumbs up while showing her the basket filled with goods she just finished preparing. Julieta knew Agustín like the back of her hand. They would be damned if she didn’t, considering they were married after all. It doesn’t matter what he was doing, he somehow ended up getting injured in one way or another, and somehow it always ended up with him in the kitchen while she healed him, shaking her head and muttering under her breath “¡Ay, Agustín!”
Meanwhile, the man himself was also helping out with the last details, although he got interrupted by two pairs of eyes that looked at him in excitement.
“Where are we going?” asked Antonio with that childish energy and curiosity only kids his age seemed to have.
“To the city.”
“Yeah but… Where, exactly? What are we even going to do there?” This time it was Mirabel’s turn to ask her father, while Antonio nodded excitedly.
“Well, I can’t tell you yet…” he tried passing through them, but they had him locked in the middle of the hall, nowhere to escape. He sighed in distress. “Kids, come on, I need to finish this, now it’s not a good time to…”
“You leave us no other choice.”
Oh no. He knew exactly what was coming so he avoided looking at them. Mirabel always has this tendency of doing puppy eyes to her father when she didn’t get what she wanted, and somehow she ended up passing it down to Antonio too. It doesn’t matter how hard he tried, he always fell for it, but not this time. He had to be strong…
He shut his eyes and, putting his hands together to break through the kids, he walked as fast as he could.
“Nope, this time is not going to work!”
He didn’t look back even though he heard the kids groaning behind him. He thought they would follow him, but to his relief, they didn’t. He spent the rest of the day avoiding bumping into them, although at that point he was actively avoiding everyone in the household. One more question and he would end up spoiling the surprise, and that was the last thing he wanted. Luckily for him, he didn’t get disturbed again and he didn’t even get in any accidents, which was a great relief for him… and for Bruno.
The youngest of the triplets had been watching him through the day. As anxious as he normally was, he was terrified of anything going incredibly wrong while travelling, but the fact that Agustín didn’t get in any accidents at all the day prior made the man think it was a good omen. He even considered manifesting a vision, but in the end he didn’t, for it would’ve been unfair for Agustín and the rest of the family. After all they weren’t only family, but also the bestest of friends, and he wouldn’t want to ruin his surprise. In any case he ended up calming down, a shiver traveling through his spine while a warm, fuzzy feeling spread throughout his body.
In normal circumstances Bruno’s clairvoyance manifested through visions, although his intuition was really powerful as well. If he had a bad feeling about something, it would for sure go incredibly wrong, but it also worked the other way around.
And once again, his intuition was right.
The trip to the city went great. After all, all the preparations were made for it to go well, and there was one that Dolores casually carried around her neck. She was carrying a pair of red wool earmuffs, decorated with some warm yellow and orange music notes. Agustín warned her that the city could be extremely noisy, and he didn’t want his niece to be left out and even less to be in pain, so he asked his daughter Mirabel to make her a pair of earmuffs to which his daughter accepted happily. Luckily she didn’t need them for the first part of the trip.
Now it was time to cross the river.
The vast majority crossed with no difficulties whatsoever, even though Agustín nearly fell on the river while he was in the middle of crossing it.
Still, there was something holding Alma back, who was frozen at the river bank. She wanted to move forward, but her feet were stuck in place as if they were glued to the ground, unable to move. Suddenly it all came over her. The memories this river brought back to her were mostly unpleasant. Shadows of what once happened there. She was remembering them so vividly that she didn’t notice the family watching her with extreme concern.
A warm feeling took over her left hand, taking her out of the trance. She turned her head to meet with a pair of soft, warm, brown eyes. Julieta smiled back at her before looking to the empty space beside her mother, now filled by her sister Pepa, who took her mother’s hand in hers and smiled at her with a determined beam. Bruno didn’t take too much longer to stand behind her mother and place his hands on her shoulders. Alma looked at her children, gratitude in her eyes.
And just like that, they crossed the river the same way they crossed it the first time almost fifty years ago. Together.
Alma stopped for a moment in front of the only plant that managed to grow in the very middle of the river, slowly bending and gently taking one of the leaves on her hands, leaving a kiss on it. The triplets looked at her in awe, a tint of sadness in their eyes. She turned back to them and took her daughters’ hands once again while gesturing to Bruno with her head, encouraging them to keep going.
Since then, the trip went smoothly, no accidents at all and everyone was feeling well. Maybe a few mosquito bites, but nothing that an arepa couldn’t fix quickly.
The first thing that caught their eyes as soon as they arrived was how busy the place was, so crowded, filled with noise and most importantly, cars. Agustín and Pepa made sure that Dolores wasn’t too overwhelmed with the noise, to which she nodded vigorously. She was wearing the earmuffs, and although she got used to the noise as it gradually became louder, she decided to keep them on for comfort.
Everyone was amazed by the chaotic environment the city offered, although Alma was amazed by something else. After all, she was originally from this same city, and seeing how much it has changed made her feel both nostalgic and uncertain. She missed the city that watched her grow up, although she wouldn’t change her current life for anything.
They decided to split up to investigate their surroundings. Dolores, Camilo and Isabela found a park close by; Mirabel, Luisa and Bruno found a bookstore not too far from the park; Pepa, Félix and Antonio found the hostel they were going to stay in thanks to Agustín’s directions, while Agustín, Alma and Julieta found a spiritualist shop that, to Alma’s surprise, still existed. Truth be told, what surprised Alma the most was the fact that Agustín was actively searching for it.
When they gathered again, Agustín brought them back to that same shop and asked everyone to pick a candle. And so they did. Funnily enough they all chose a candle that matched their personalities perfectly.
Before Agustín could do anything else, Alma came up to him cautiously.
“Agustín, you got something to pay with… right?”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. It took him a few seconds to remember that his parents gave him money for the trip, although they didn’t actually tell him what it was for. He nodded slowly and turned to take the money out of the bag he was carrying with him and gave it to her.
“I didn’t know they were valuable.”
Alma sighed in relief as she took the money and shook her head.
“Things are far more different here, Agustín.” She said in an understanding tone while patting his shoulder. The Encanto sustained itself thanks to the community, and they never felt the need to use money. On the other hand, the city was really different, both in a good and a bad way.
Alma then approached the counter to pay, while Agustín, Julieta and Félix followed close by, looking at her with curiosity. Once she paid they all left with their candles in hand.
It would be a while before it started to go dark, so once more the whole family split up to spend some time and rest from the long walk. At some point they reunited again in the park to have a snack together and to make sure everyone was alright. Antonio was about to fall asleep at any given moment, so both Agustín and Pepa encouraged him to take a nap. The rest of the family was doing great… except for Agustín.
His agitation was getting worse just as fast as the sun was going down, his head filled with so many doubts that went in and out so fast that they were asphyxiating him. What if I don’t find the way? What if we get lost? What if this just worsens the family bond? What if…?
A warm hand laid on his shoulder, grounding him.
“Mi amor, are you okay?” Agustín exchanged glances with Julieta, and in her eyes he could see a tint of concern. He sighed and nodded slowly, taking his wife’s hand in his.
“It’s just… there’s a lot of things going on inside my head… a lot of things that could go wrong… and I don’t want to ruin it now that we’ve come so far already.”
Julieta pursed her lips, squeezing her husband’s hand gently while taking his face with her free hand. She took a moment to look at him thoroughly. She couldn’t help but give him a reassuring smile.
“Agustín, you’re not gonna ruin anything. You never had, and this is definitely not going to be the first either, okay?” He was unsure, but she looked at him in the eyes and nodded. “I promise.”
He sighed, nuzzling his face one Julieta’s shoulder and hugging her from the waist. She chuckled, hugging him while rubbing his back.
“Besides, I talked with Bruno and he told me that there was nothing to worry about.” Agustín held his breath, fearing that Bruno might have gotten a vision about it and therefore ruining the surprise for him. “He wanted me to tell you that he did not have a vision, but that he did get a good feeling.” She replied quickly, not wanting to make her husband feel worse.
He let out a deep sigh, tightening the hug gently before letting go of her and giving her a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you, corazón. I don’t know how you do it, but you always know what to say.”
She chuckled, shaking her head while rolling her eyes playfully. She stepped behind and pointed at him in a light hearted manner.
“You know that’s not true.”
“That’s what you think.”
Julieta was about to reply back, but before she knew it, Agustín took her in his arms and peppered her with kisses all over her face, getting a few laughs from her as a reward as she tried to let go of him.
Camilo was watching them from a distance, his face filled with disgust over their public display of affection, although it didn’t last long. He felt a smack on his nape, and while turning to see his sister Dolores, he looked at her with wide eyes, definitely upset. She just shook her while rolling her eyes, with a faint smile on her face, this kid had no remedy at all.
It slowly started to get dark, and slowly the streets that were so crowded in the day got empty and silent. It was time.
And so, the twelve members of the family Madrigal, candles lit in hand and led by Agustín, walked with a solemn aura through the dark alleys. Whoever saw them would think they had seen a ghostly image, for only the soft light of the candles illuminated them, being silhouettes that were almost camouflaged in the darkness of the night.
It looked like they were never going to stop, but suddenly the man with glasses stopped in front of a dead end. He turned in on himself to watch the rest of his family expectantly, squeezing the candle slightly. He looked at Pepa and nodded his head.
“Hey, papito, wake up. We’re here.” Said the redhead softly while kissing Antonio’s forehead gently, who was sleeping on his mother’s arms.
Antonio woke up in the arms of his mother, who looked at him with that maternal tenderness that was so her, and she left him standing on the floor while she took her candle from Felix's hands and Camilo happily approached his brother to give him his.
Then Agustín asked them all to leave the candles in front of the wall.
What appeared to be a dead-end street was in reality a vast wall which on closer inspection revealed a beautiful mural. The image before them was full of colors, each brushstroke carefully made to show a face that, though it may have been forgotten over time, was more than familiar to them.
Pedro.
This discovery took their breath away. They could not take their eyes off his face, or in other cases, off the phrase that adorned one of the corners of the mural, which read: “To love at all is to love entirely”. But there was someone who was looking at something far different from the rest.
Alma had approached the mural without realising it, as if a higher force was pulling her towards it. Yet she couldn't take her eyes off the scene that covered the vast majority of that stone wall. It was as if she was present in that moment again, the echo of that memory still tearing at her heart. Pedro, in the middle of the river, with his hands up in surrender.
The matriarch's eyes glittered, showing the pain that even after so many years had passed, continued to linger in her heart. She brought a trembling hand to the wall, fearing that all this was nothing more than a dream, and laid it gently on the cold stone. To her relief, it did not disappear. Her other hand rested on her chest, just above her heart, trying to keep it from escaping somehow.
“Ay, mi Pedro.”
Silence. No one was able to say a word, but she could hear the gasp of someone in the small crowd.
Suddenly and without a warning, a drizzle was heard. Alma recognised the sound and turned around, thinking she knew where the crying was coming from, but to her surprise the picture she saw was not what she was expecting at all.
In front of her stood her three children in an embrace, and although Pepa and her siblings were greeted by a grey cloud that had begun to rain lightly, she was not the source of the crying, but her sister Julieta.
Julieta’s gift was very special. She healed with her food, which was already amazing, but it didn't stop there. The source of her gift came from the love she felt for others, and in that same way she could feel the love that others were capable of showing. And from a very young age she always felt this emotion deep in her heart, sometimes so strongly that she could not help but weep. And every time that happened her siblings were there for her.
She wasn't crying for no apparent reason, she was crying because she could feel the love that filled that place. The love from those who took the time to paint the mural. Of those who, every night, placed candles in honour of Pedro. Of her siblings and family who, despite not knowing him, loved Pedro just as much. And most importantly, the love her mother felt for the man who was once her husband, and the father of her children.
Pepa and Bruno, who were on either side of their sister when Alma approached the mural, couldn't help but console her as soon as the black-haired woman began to sob, just as she couldn't help but take her siblings in a tight embrace, never wanting to let go.
At that moment Alma was looking at them with an expression that was very hard to describe. In her heart the melancholy of Pedro’s memory was clearly present, but a warm feeling was gradually taking hold of her. In one way or another, Pedro was still present in her children. Bruno had his creativity and dramatic reactions, and like his father, he enjoyed writing stories. Julieta had his heart and his warmth, also his eyes and smile. Pepa had his courage and passion, although from the triplets she was the one who was the most like her mother. Her children, though they were their own persons, also had part of their father.
The matriarch slowly approached the three siblings, taking Pepa and Bruno's faces in her hands and caressing their cheeks gently, then taking Julieta’s face, smiling tenderly at the three of them, her eyes full of tears. When they least expected it, they found themselves in an embrace that their mother started.
“Mis milagros.”
And saying these words softly, she felt how the great weight she had not realised her heart harboured disappeared and a warm feeling replaced it instead. She also felt their embrace tighten as the faint sobs of the four of them continued. Agustín wanted to approach them to make sure they were all right, but Felix stopped him. He could see in his eyes that he was asking him to wait, so Agustin had no choice but to do so.
They stayed like that for a while, and although it was really only a couple of minutes, it felt like hours. As soon as they parted, Julieta let out a surprised gasp as she was lifted gently. Luisa, the one now holding her, looked at her concerned, her eyes glittering.
“Mami, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…”
Julieta shook her head, looking at her with such tenderness it made her daughter tear up. The same overwhelming feeling took over Julieta, making her sob once again.
“No, I’m… Ay, te amo, princesa.” She said as she tightened their embrace. Luisa couldn’t help but cry along with her mother. Julieta’s middle child, although the physically strongest of the family, she was also the most sensitive one, and just by watching someone tear up made her the next one to cry.
Just before they could let go, they felt their embrace tighten, not by them, but by Isabela, who had taken Mirabel's hand and pulled her, who in turn took her father’s hand, guiding him towards his wife and daughter. The family in blue were engulfed in a deep embrace, and it would not be long before the rest of the family joined in.
“We love you tía! Wohoo!”
Julieta couldn't help but laugh after hearing Camilo's shout of encouragement, nor when Antonio let out a "¡Eso, eso!" right after while Pepa and Félix also laughed.
If only I could live in this moment forever , thought not only Julieta, but also her mother. It was true that the family was closer than ever, but for that very reason she treasured these moments so strongly. It made her so happy to see her family so united... Surely Pedro would be delighted.
Pedro…
When they finally separated from the familiar embrace, they decided to return to the hostel where they had decided to stay. Alma instead took a nearby wooden box and sat on it, looking at the mural carefully from a distance. She couldn't explain it, but it was as if he was somehow present, and it filled her heart with a certain nostalgia, but above all with affection. She wanted to be able to memorise it as it appeared before her, although she knew that it was impossible. She was so concentrated that she did not notice the presence of a tall figure sitting beside her.
“You know, my parents told me about this place when I was a child.”
“And why didn’t you tell me before?”
Agustin looked down at his hands, feeling his cheeks heat up. In a way he was ashamed to admit it.
“I guess… I was scared of your reaction, after all.”
“Ah.”
His answer did not surprise the matriarch, but confirmed what she had been thinking all along. She looked down at the floor for a second, wondering exactly what to say, and then looked up at the mural.
“I doubt you remember, but I have known you since you were a little kid.”
Agustín looked at her with a frown, a little confused at such a statement. Alma turned to look at him, nodding to confirm that he had indeed heard correctly.
“Yes, since you were really small and sickly.” She smiled playfully and continued. “Your parents came to me with you in their arms, you looked very sick. It was the very first time I saw them, and they told me that they traveled from the city to the Encanto because they heard about someone that could help you get better. I asked them how they managed to get to the Encanto, considering there was a mountain separating both places. They told me that they walked through the rainforest and climbed up the mountain to get there.”
Agustin's eyes were wide. He obviously didn't remember the event because he was three years old, but the fact that Alma remembered it so vividly was astonishing. The matriarch continued with her story.
“Julieta had been listening to the conversation, and even though she didn’t understand what was going on exactly, she came to me with an arepa on her hand so I could give it to you. I obviously did, and you got healed, and since then your parents stayed on the Encanto.” She took a moment to breathe deeply and continued. “Not only did I watch my children grow, but I also watched you grow… I still remember that day when you got stung by bees again , and you went to see my daughter so she could heal you, but I noticed something different.”
She pointed at Agustín playfully, smiling widely as she remembered that moment.
“Your eyes… they shined like I had never seen before, and they still do!“ she laughed at Agustín’s reaction, who blurted and “¡Ay!” as he covered his face with his hands. “It was at that moment that I realised that nothing was ever going to be the same anymore. You were all growing up so fast, and I was falling behind. I was… I was scared of losing my daughter, mi Julietita… and I ended up taking it with you.”
He took Agustín's hand in hers, squeezing it tightly and looking into his eyes. He looked at her without knowing what to say, feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest.
“And I am so sorry, truly. I never thought that you weren’t enough for my daughter, Agustín. You’re such a nice, gentle and caring man. You’re just exactly what I wanted for her. It’s true your accident proneness was kind of annoying at first, but I ended up liking that part of you as well, I find it cute now. Agustín, I love you as much as I love the rest of this family, and I always had.”
Agustín’s eyes were filled with tears, and before she could ask him if he was all right, he hugged her tightly, taking her by surprise. She hugged him back just as tightly, laughing softly.
Hearing those words from Alma was overwhelming. Not only were they a relief to him, but the fact that for the first time in his life he had heard her say them filled him with happiness. And even though deep down he always knew, he had nothing to prove to her, just being himself was enough.
They broke away from the embrace and Alma, taking Agustín by the hand, moved her head to tell him to lead the way back to the hostel.