ENCANTO AU-
The past comes to the present: Part 1
*This will be my own twist of Dad!Bruno Au. Original AU is on toaverse tumblr.
Italics = Spanish
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Mirabel had been walking up the path to the newly built Casita when she had been stopped by a man she had never seen before.
This would not be unusual in usual circumstances, but when you have lived in an secret Encanto that was closed off from the rest of the world, it’s not hard to memorize the faces of the only other people who live there. But she didn’t recognize this man.
He was an thin older man, around her parents age but with more grey in his frizzy dark brown hair. He had a beard and little hair on his head, his skin just a shade lighter ther her Tío Felix and he was wearing an old looking shortsleeved white button-down shirt with an odd looking pair of blue pantalones that were shredded a bit on the left knee. A beat-up messenger bag hung off of his left shoulder.
His face was pulled in an uncomfortable wincey frown, uncertainty in his dark eyes as he spoke.
“Are you ... señorita Mirabel Madrigal?”
Mirabel was startled a bit at his voice, the sound of it seeming older than the man’s physical appearance. But she was also a little cautious. Who was this man?
“Yes?”, she stressed out. “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to remember your name. You are...?”
The man looked releaved and waved a hand dismisifly at her apology, “Thought so. You look a lot like her. No need to apologize señorita. We have never met. I am sorry, if I startled you. You see, mi llamo es Jesús García.” The man bowed his head a bit in greeting.
“Uh ... Mirabel.” Said Mirabel awkwardly. “But you already knew that. Can ... I help you?”
The man, Jesús, gained another uncomfortable look on his face and wrung his hands. “Si, señorita. Is there somewhere we can speak in private? I’m ... afraid I have come with some bad news.”
Now Mirabel was confused on top of skeptical. Bad news? Usually when something happened in the Encanto the town folk usually went to her Abuela to ask for help. What did this man want with her specifically? And private? Everyone knew that their was very little chance of having a ‘private’ anything with Dolores’ powerful hearing.
Stammering a bit Mirabel pointed to the door to Casita, “W-we can talk inside?”
Jesús nodded and followed Mirabel to the door, then inside. Mirabel watched as he looked around Casita’s entrance way and the main courtyard. He reminded quite as he looked around before turning his eyes to her.
“You know...” He says. “It doesn’t look quite like I expected.” He walks further into Casita.
“Oh! Well, we’re still doing some renovations and decorating in places.” Mirabel tells him, following a safe distance behind. He was expecting? What does that mean?
“Renovations? Did something happen?”
Mirabel freezes. Flashes of the house cracking, the family falling apart and finally, Casita crumbling to pieces zoom through her mind. “Uh... something like that.”
Mirabel led the Jesús to the dining area, ignoring the negative feeling in her gut at the though of what happened in the past in favor of showing proper hospitality, “We can sit in here, we should have the house to ourselves for a few minutes. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”
The thin middle-aged man shook his head, “No, gracias. If we only have a few minutes, it is best if I tell you why I am here now.”
Mirabel gave a nervous smile at that, “Right.”
Jesús turned to face her fully. He had a frown on his face, but it didn’t appear to be of agitation or displeasure but more ... sadness. The same seem to be reflected in his eyes, they were looking at Mirabel in a way that seemed more appropriate of someone who is about to announce a calamity. He gave a heavy sigh. He suddenly reached forward and gently took Mirabel’s hand in his own.
“Por favor, señorita Mirabel. You may want to sit for what I have to say.” He gestured to one the table’s chairs.
Mirabel felt the negative feeling in her gut doubling, near tripling as she sat down, Jesús sitting down as well.
Still holding her hand, now clasped in both of his, he gave hers a few soft pats. “Now, as I said before, my name is Jesús García. I do not live here in your Encanto as you may have guessed. I am an owner of a small Inn in Salento. Do you know where that is?”
Mirabel shakes her head.
“It is a small town in Quindío and it is many miles from here. I am the only one who knows about this Encanto and how to get in, so don’t worry. I promised I would take this Encanto’s secret’s to my grave.”
Mirabel was startled at this statement. “Promised? Promised who? Why are you here? What is going on?” Mirabel choose to ignore the hysterical pitch her voice was beginning to take.
“Lo siento, I apologise. I promised a good friend of mine who has lived at my Inn for years. She asked me to come here.”
‘She’?
“Why?”, Mirabel asks instead.
Jesús seems to deflate in front of her, he avoids looking at her and his shoulders sink like boulders are tied to his wrists, his eyes filled with sadness. They close as he takes a deep breath and meets her eyes again.
“Lo siento, Mirabel. But I came here to tell you that your mother, Melissa Cardozo, passed away. A few weeks ago.”
Mirabel freezes.
“Uh... I am really sure that you have the wrong Mirabel.” Mirabel gets out. “My Mom is just fine, she’s in the village right now. I don’t even know a Cardozo.”
Jesús gains an inquiring look on his face as he lets go of her hands to reach into his bag. “You are speaking of Julieta, are you not?
“Yes, of course Julieta!” Mirabel exclaims. “She is my Mom.”
Jesús had pulled a letter out of his bag, but hesitated a bit at her words.
“I ... see.” He starts slowly. He gave another sigh. “She was worried that this would be the case.”
He extends in her direction the hand that held the letter, “You will want to read this then. Melissa wrote this for you before she ... passed. It will explain.”
Mirabel slowly reaches out her hand and takes the envelope, turning it over in her hands. The envelope appeared to be just plain white paper, but on the front side of the envelope was a hand drawn picture of an hourglass with, for some reason, a bee drawn at the top of it. And right below the drawing, plain as day, was her name.
Mirabel
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Part one of this is done! Let me know what you think in the comments!
