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Isabela and Luisa had a really good time at Bruno's place, as they were watching rat telenovelas with him. He showed the three around town, and what they do there. They had a glimpse of what Bruno's life here was after he left Casita after Mirabel's death.

He lived a very good life in the town, because to him, he isn't bad luck Bruno in that place. But clearly, he still mourns for Mirabel and Julieta. Even if he looked happy, his face doesn't exactly match his eyes.

The eyes of sadness, regret, and guilt.

...

"Agustin...what do you want to show me?"

Agustin then showed the bags full of Julieta and Mirabel's stuff. Bruno can't help but break down into tears.

"Bruno...I saw Mirabel had a worn out gift box inside her closet. It was addressed to you."

Bruno then opened a box, and saw a stuffed rat with his clothes.

"Bruno...Mirabel also gave me a stuffed bee when she was about 9. I think she also wanted to give that to you on your birthday that same year..."

"When she gave me the stuffed bee, she also told me that Julieta helped her a little."

The two men sobbed, and the nights were getting longer.

...

The house kept on shaking, the magic getting unstable again. Cracks were in the walls of the ground level, and the family was spiralling downward, no one ate meals together, no one bonded with Abuela, everyone had some sort of hate for each other.

"I'm so sorry Pedro, I'm so blind to understand...I broke this family apart."

...

"Alma! Pack all of our things! We are leaving this place," Pedro panickedly said.

The bandits were at their town, wreaking havoc as panicked villagers got up and left their homes. They had no choice.

As they were about to cross the river, the bandits followed them and tried to attack them.

"Alma, this is goodbye..."

"Pedro, no, don't! Think of our children, they'll grow up without you!"

"I'm so sorry Alma, I need to. For you, the children, and for the townspeople."

He gave her one last kiss, as a way of saying goodbye, as they are now going to part forever.

"PEDRO, NO!"

It was too late, the bandits had now hacked him to death. His white clothes had now turned to red, and his blood had spilled on the river, turning the water to red. His body is full of blood, and stab wounds.

Alma then cried hard, as her husband, her greatest love, is now dead. He made his greatest sacrifice of all.

The candle that she held began to emit yellow particles, and it turned into a candle with engravings of butterflies. The candle then manifested the mountains, and it fended off the bandits. Then the candle manifested the Casita.

The first thing that Casita did was wave to her. Like how Pedro first waved to her when they first met.

She waved back.

...

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Every moment felt like eternal torture to her, as this was her punishment for going too hard on her family, and valuing their gifts more than them.

The gift was originally a blessing from the one above, and she turned it into a showpiece of the town. The gift and the person itself has lost its true value, and she had forgotten the true intention on why this gift was given to them.

She then approached the river, and approached the headstones of Julieta and Mirabel, and on the other side, it is the spot where Pedro died.

Alma can't help but imagine Pedro's lifeless, bloody body on the other side of the river, as she was painfully brought back to that night.

dominoes | an encanto angst auWhere stories live. Discover now