Chapter Text
Mirabel awoke as she fell to the floor. It was a week before Antonio's ceremony and she had just gotten to sleep. Immediately voices arose around her, and she felt around the floor for her glasses.
“Here,” Antonio said, handing her her glasses.
She put them on, thanking Antonio as she turned to glance around them. The rest of her family were spread around the room, a new room she noted with interest (she should know, after all with nothing for her to be able to do, she had explored the whole casita many times). But, as she counted them all she noticed that there was one more than usual. A short man wearing green who seemed vaguely familiar.
“Bruno?” a voice asked, sounding confused and hopeful and within seconds a blur of yellow rushed past Mirabel to hug the man.
Mirabel gaped at him so thoroughly shocked at seeing a man whom she knew was dead. José had told them so. Her mother passed her to hug Bruno, and even Abuela went to hug him.
“Um, Mira,” Antonio tugged at her dress, “Who’s Bruno?”
“I think he’s our Tio,” she said, softly, mind still reeling.
“Oh, I didn’t know we had another Tio,” Antonio said thoughtfully.
She was about to respond when her Tia Pepa, the one who had first identified Bruno asked him what had happened. She paid fast attention but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
He tried again, seemingly frustrated, then said, “Something is stopping me from telling you.”
“It might be a spoiler,” Camilo offered.
Everyone gaped at him then, even Abuela.
“No," he said exasperated, "I’m not crazy, it says on this piece of paper that this book,” he held up a book, “shows our future and that if it happens or is explained in the book, then we can’t say it.”
“Well then we should read it,” Tia said, “I want to know what happened.”
“Can I read it first?” Abuela asked, holding out her hand.
Camilo handed over the book and she began to read.