Encanto: The Next Generation

3: Journey

3 days later and the family was ready to go. "Mama how long will it take to get to Casita?" Laura innocently asked Mirabel.

"About 6 days firecracker. Don't worry we will get there with plenty of time for your birthday." Mirabel probably should've sent a letter to Isa telling them they would be arriving, but she would get there before it did, so there was really no point.

"Okay ladies!" Andrew said as he popped his head out of the car and closed the trunk. "Off to Columbia!"

They drove to the dock where the cruise ship would take them to Columbia. It would be a 3-day ride, but even after that it would still be at least a 2-day drive plus an 8-hour walk to get all the way to Casita.

The days on the ship were full of playing and all you could eat food. "Woooahhhhhhh." Laura said as she looked out the window. Outside there was beautiful blue water that led to land and on top sat a large, beautiful city.

They stayed in a hotel for the night and woke up at 5 for the long drive to the edge of the forest. From there they rented a car and Laura and Mirabel fell asleep for the majority of the ride. At night they set up a fire and cooked hot dogs together and slept before getting back in the car for another day of the same thing.

Finally, they reached the edge of the forest. It was too thick to drive through, so they had to go the rest of the way on foot. As they got out of the car Andrew carried most of the luggage since Mirabel could only really handle a backpack, and Laura carried the bag of snacks and a backpack of her clothes.

It was a long walk and even though the sun was high the forest was dark and foggy. They had to stop many times to rest and eat for a boost of energy. They arrived at the river about 7 hours in.

"You see this river was where my Abuelo sacrificed himself and gave Abuela the miracle that saved our family. When the magical candle came to life Abuela was given her gift of immortality." Mirabel said with a dark tone full of grief. She never met Abuelo Pedro but from what Abuela said about him, he was an incredible man.

But there was something else she was thinking. She was trying to hide it from her family, but by the way Andrew kept sneaking worried glances her way she wasn't very good at it. She was absolutely terrified. The last time she saw Abuela it didn't end well so what will she say to them just showing up unannounced.

"Mama," Laura said as she grabbed onto her mother's arm. "What is Abuela like?" Both parents froze. Though Andrew did not know Abuela personally, he knew what kind of person she was from Mirabel's stories.

He decided to go with a safe answer "Who knows. It's been 12 years since your Mama last saw her. She could be a completely different person." Mirabel looked to him with a thankful smile, but something else shown in her eyes. Hope. Hope that what he was saying was true and that Abuela has changed.

Mirabel showed them a hidden pathway that she had discovered into the mountain when she left and that saved them another 4 hours of walking. But they did have to rest a lot more since Mirabel was getting tired and needed to get off her feet. So, they arrived at the village at about 7pm when everybody was getting ready for dinner.

While walking through the village several of the townsfolk gave her odd looks of familiarity. The few who recognized her green glasses smiled and waved and said "Hi" to Andrew and Laura. She was even able to catch up with an old childhood friend.

When they arrived at Casita, she was kind of shocked to see that Casita was half this original size with two other properties next to it all connected with a large courtyard and garden with a beautiful outdoor table big enough for the whole family in the back yard.