Finding Mirabel

Searching

The whole town was looking for Mirabel as soon as they heard she was missing. They all started grouping up and spreading out to look in every crevice in town under every rock in the surrounding area and behind every tree in the forests. They all remembered the things Mirabel had done for them in the past.

Señora García remembered how Mirabel feeds her cats every day because sometimes she just forgets. She is old and her sons all have families of their own. They don't have the time to come over every day anymore. But today she hurries to their houses, and she asks them to look for the little Mira because she is so little, and she got lost, all alone.

Little Laura, who is barely 8. She had trouble in school reading the letters and was falling behind in her classes. She just couldn't figure out what they meant strung together. Mirabel had taught her how to read when her parents didn't have time because of their work. Laura started to cry when she found out that Mirabel got lost and she begs her parents and her Tió and his husband to look for her because she needs to see her friend again.

Familia Hernández remembers when Mirabel made the most beautiful dress for their oldest when she got married because they couldn't afford to go to the tailor. And Mirabel worked on it for days, making sure she got everything just right so that their daughter would have the most amazing day of her life.

Everybody remembered the wonderful things that Mirabel had done for them over the years and joined in.

Looking for her sister was the hardest thing Luisa ever did in her life because for once she couldn't solve it with her strength. She couldn't just lift a house to the other side of the village and save it from the flood. She couldn't just lift the wagon out of the ditch it fell into.

She held onto her sister's hand tighter, unafraid of hurting her for the first time in 14 years because she doesn't have enough strength anymore. Isabela looked at her holding on tighter too before cupping her other hand in front of her mouth and shouting again. Screaming Mira's name as loud as possible just hoping that their sister would hear them and answer.

It was starting to get really dark now, the sun long set. Isabela needed to find her sister because she knew Mira was scared of the dark.

"We need to get back, Isa." Luisa stopped walking abruptly and looked at her older sister.

Isabela felt the tug on her hand from Luisa not walking anymore and turned to her little sister.

"We can't! We need to keep looking. Mira is somewhere out there! She's alone! Luisa, do you have any idea how many animals out there could try to hurt her? How many poisonous plants there are? Some of them are even venomous! We can't go back without her!"

"I know! But it doesn't help her at all if we also get lost up here now! Maybe she's even back already. Maybe someone else already found her and she's back in the village." Luisa was telling herself that just as much as Isabela.

"You're right! She must be back already! We need to get back, Luisa! She must be back! Come on!" Isabela pulled her sister into the other direction now and started hurrying back to the ruins of Casita Madrigal.

Luisa's and Isabela's hearts started beating faster, not just from running but because they already imagined embracing their sister. They already, pictured themselves hugging her and holding her close through the whole night and building their house again together. Never letting her out of their sight. Relishing in their newfound closeness. Countless nights spend having sleepovers and sharing everything with each other like they once did.

They just had this feeling. She is back already. Call it sisterly intuition or maybe some of Bruno's gift had rubbed off on them over the years because they just knew their sister would be back already.

Isabela was the first one to spot her. "I can see her! Mirabel! Mirabel" She sobbed her littlest sister's name one more time. The feeling in her stomach, the horrible dread she felt since their house fell, finally start to lift, because her sister was standing there with her family. She ran as fast as she could tugging Luisa behind her and coming closer and closer to her sister.

When she was barely 30 feet away, she realized that that wasn't her sister.

That wasn't Mirabel.

That was her mother and she really looked like her sister in the dark because she had her back turned and she hadn't seen the grey in her hair, and she hadn't seen the way her mother's shoulders were hunched and she hadn't noticed that that wasn't Mirabel.

Her sister wasn't there. Mirabel wasn't there and it was night now. She is scared for her sister because she is alone and she is so small and she doesn't know how much she is loved by her, by Luisa by her family and Isabela breaks.

She falls onto her knees, and she doesn't breathe anymore. She can't. She tries but no breath comes through her lips, and she lets go of the hand she was holding. She's clawing at her throat because she's pretty sure she's dying right now. And this must be how Mirabel is feeling and that thought doesn't make it better, it makes it worse.

Her eyes are unfocused, and she sees shapes moving in front of her and she feels herself wheezing. She was attempting so hard to just breathe in. Just a little tiny breath. Just enough to make sure she doesn't die right here on the ground. But she just can't, and she feels herself becoming lightheaded. She couldn't think anymore but then suddenly she felt two hands cupping her face and Isabela blinked just once and her eyes cleared enough to reveal her mother.

Her mother was looking at her with red-rimmed eyes and panic and she is saying something. Isabela can see her mouth moving but the rushing sound in her head is just too much.

If she wasn't panicking, she would have heard her mother pleading for her to just breathe. To just calm down.

And suddenly she is being lifted and hugged and it's too tight. Isabela feels like she can breathe even less. She's going to die. But then she feels the shirt of the person hugging her and it's her sister, it's not Mirabel but it's Luisa.

She holds on tight to her and she finally breathes in. She claws on her sisters' shoulders and back and it probably hurts her, but Luisa doesn't say anything because she understands.

"I've got you. We'll be okay." She says and there's definitely panic in her voice and Isabela can feel her heart beating in her neck racing as fast as her own.

"We'll find her tomorrow. We're fine." Luisa's voice cracks on the last word.