Work Text:
Dear sister,
You’re the only one in the Encanto who deserves an explanation because you’re the only one who will believe me. Nobody else would bother to read any letter I left them. I’m Bad Luck Bruno, I’m the worst. Nothing I do is ever justified. I’m a curse on this family, on the precious miracle. You and Agustin are the only ones to ever defend me and I’m sorry I have to hurt you this way, Juli, I really am.
Where to start? At the beginning I guess. Remember when I had a vision of my daughter? My visions show you with two daughters, Pepa with 3 children, and I have a daughter? I’m sure you remember how I tried to date until Mama told me to stop.
It probably seemed like I gave up after that but I kept having visions. I’d be a Papa one day and that was the only thing that kept me going some days. You know what I mean by that.
I figured it out last week the girl I’ve seen as my daughter is an older Mirabel. When I realized this I tried looking into the future, all possible futures. And it’s bad, Julietta. Really bad. Mirabel doesn’t get a gift. I don’t know why but if she stays for her 5th birthday, her door will disappear. You don’t need my gift to know how badly Mama will react. Mirabel will be miserable living here. I can’t allow that, I can’t let Mama and this awful town turn her into another me. I’m getting older, about time Mama and the Encanto have a new scapegoat. I’m sure you and Agustin would try to protect her but you never succeeded in protecting me.
Without Mirabel and I around to take the blame, things are going to get worse for the family. The Encanto will be fine, better than fine. But Mama is going to start crushing you all under her ridiculous expectations. Isabella will almost be trapped in a loveless marriage. But don’t worry when things get really bad, Mama’s precious miracle, which let’s be honest, is a curse, will break. It will fail without the whole family there to support it.
We’re leaving now but please understand this is for the best. It’s the only way I could see to break the magic. Pepa and Dolores will be free, the Encanto will be free. Isabella and Luisa won’t be defined by their gifts. Little Camilo can be himself. Really, the only one who will miss their gift is you, Juli. And as much as you love being a healer, you know Pepa and I hate how it makes you work too hard.
Don’t let Mama blame Dolores or Casita for my leaving. I made sure neither of them were aware of my plans. I gave Dolores some calming tea and made sure she was sleeping in her sound proof bedroom before I left. She didn’t hear a thing.
Please tell Casita I love her and I’m sorry it had/has to end this way. You can tell the rest of the family I love them as well but they won’t believe you.
I’ll do everything I can for Mirabel. I have enough of your food to get us over the mountain and enough supplies to give us a fresh start wherever we end up. I love Mirabel like my daughter, I won’t let anything happen to her. I’ll try to support us with honest work but I’ll use my gift to keep us safe. For money too if I have to.
Mama will hate it. Using my gift selfishly, to take care of my family. I have enough bad experience telling fortunes that I think I can do it well now. People don’t want the truth, they want comforting lies with clever bits thrown in. If nothing else I can resort to selling my prophecies as ‘etched glass’ art. Or maybe I’ll be an actor, that’s always been my real gift.
If you don’t believe me, you can find my prophecies stashed in the secret tunnel in my room. I don’t recommend looking, Juli, I warned you they are bad.
Sister, we won’t see each other again in this life.
I love you always,
Bruno
Bruno left the envelope addressed to Julietta on his bed. No going back now.
A good man would talk to Julietta rather than disappear. A good man would wait for Maribel to turn five to confirm her door really does disappear. However, it would be easier for Maribel if she didn’t have any memories of living in the Encanto. It would be safer to travel when Maribel was this size, small enough to carry and big enough to walk by herself. It would be easier for Julietta to let him be the villain, rather than make her face an impossible choice.
The family might never forgive him for this. But he’d left them ample evidence behind. His room held the proof of why he was leaving. Visions of Mirabel’s door disintegrating at her gift ceremony. Mirabel sitting alone and neglected in the nursery. Mirabel standing in front of Casita full of cracks. Casita collapsing around Mirabel, burying her in rubble.
The last one Bruno was proud of. He’d seen what happened after that, Casita protecting Mirabel and her escaping uninjured but he managed to end the vision at the right moment to catch an image on the glass tablet that looked like Mirabel died in the collapse. But nobody would ever know that.
In truth he didn’t know for sure what would happen, Mirabel’s entire future was subject to change. He only knew that she wouldn’t get a gift, that she would be blamed, that the town would hate her. That had been more than enough to make his life miserable, he couldn’t wish that on Mirabel.
“Mirabel, you ready to go?” Bruno left his room with a final glance back at the door. Mirabel was waiting for him. They spent a lot of time together. As good of parents as Agustin and Julietta tried to be, they had two other daughters and busy careers. Pepa and Felix had their own energetic toddler to mind. Bruno babysat Mirabel almost every day.
“Yay!” The two-year-old had a backpack with her favorite toys and art supplies. Bruno had already told the family he was taking her on a walk. The women were out working in the town, the brother-in-laws were busy entertaining the other children. Dolores was still asleep from the tea he gave her early that morning. “Picnic?”
“Yep we’re going for a walk.” Bruno took her hand and led her outside. “Say adios to Casita, Mirabel.”
“Adios Casita!”
“I love you, Casita.” Bruno said goodbye to the house who had raised him more than his mother. He would miss her terribly.
“Love you!” Marabel waved goodbye without realizing the weight of the exchange.
Casita clicked her tiles at them as if she might understand there was something going on. She didn’t try to stop them. Bruno wished he could say goodbye to Casita properly but she would tell Mama, she always answered to Mama.
Bruno had identified the best way to cross the mountains weeks ago and hid a bag of supplies along the path yesterday. His gift showed him that they would successfully make the trip but it best not to be overconfident.
“Mirabel, want to play a game of pretend? Call me ‘Papa’ from now on.”