Fixing the Past

Chapter 15

"Pedro?" Alma said.

"Hola familia," he said, a much more cheerful tone to his voice. "I see you've made amends."

The family saw the man standing there, smiling brightly. He walked towards them, eyes wrinkling with joy.

"You've fixed your mistakes," he said, looking down at the sleeping 3, where Julieta and Pepa were still huddled over them. "You've helped them move on. Fixed the damage you caused. Maybe not all of it, but enough."

Alma sighed breathlessly. She had repaired the damage she caused. And she would keep doing that. No matter what.

"Wait...so...are they going to turn back to their normal ages?" Camilo asked, pointing to the aforementioned 3.

Pedro nodded, looking down at his son and nietos. "Yes, any minute now. Since you've all restored your relationship with them, there's no need to keep them this way anymore."

"So...will they remember everything?" Agustín asked, scratching his head. "I mean, we've done all of this to help them-and it'd be a bit hard to explain all of this to them."

Pedro nodded again. "They will remember. Some of their memories might be changed, like how they were suddenly shrunk down to their past ages-but they will remember their time with you all and each other. They just won't remember how they first got here and how they left."

The family let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. While they were happy to spend more time with them, it would be very frustrating for all of their previous efforts to fall in vain.

As if on cue, another bright light enveloped the 3 sleeping on the floor. They seemed to glow for a moment, and when the light died down, they were finally back to normal.

Bruno was still wearing the new ruana that Fèlix and Agustín bought him, although it fit much better, since before it was a bit big and didn't quite fit his frame (not that that stopped him from wearing it.) Mirabel wasn't cradling Antonio anymore but instead was holding his hand; one thing the family noticed was her skirt-some of the designs had changed, like how the candle that represented Abuela was sided with more butterflies, and that there was a new pattern as well: A large, detailed golden butterfly that sat directly next to the candle. Antonio was tightly holding Mirabel's hand, a smile on his face, contrary to the frown he wore before he turned back into a baby.

"There we go," Pedro walked over and bent down, gently placing a hand on Bruno's shoulder and shaking him. "Bruno, mi hijo, wake up," he said. Bruno stirred and slowly sat up, scratching his head as he looked around.

"Wha-?" He looked around to see his family and then saw his father sitting right next to him. He stared in shock, mouth agape as he stared at his dad. Who was sitting there. In the flesh. Alive. He moved his hand to shake Mirabel, who sat up quickly, glasses falling off and hitting Antonio in the face accidentally, effectively waking the boy.

"Wha? Huh? What happened?" She looked at what she assumed was her tio, squinting. She looked at the figure next to him and cocked her head in confusion. Antonio grabbed the glasses, wiping the lenses before placing them on Mirabel's face. "Ah, gracias Ton-ton," she smiled at him. Looking at the figure next to Bruno, she reeled back as she took him in.

Antonio looked at him and smiled. "Is that Abuelo?" he asked, smiling brightly.

Pedro chuckled, standing up. He helped Bruno up, who was still floored that his father was ALIVE. Mirabel and Antonio stood up, and continued to look at him. "Yes, I am your Abuelo." Antonio clapped his hands and laughed out loud, running to hug Pedro. The man, startled, hugged him back, smiling.

Alma finally took in Pedro's physical appearance. He was still wearing the same clothes from...that day, but his shirt was switched out to match Alma's dress-a deep maroon color. He looked older; at least in his 70's like Alma, give or take a few years. His hair was white and dark brown, and his goatee had traces of gray in it. But overall, he still looked very much like he did before.

Julieta walked over to Mirabel and caught her attention, grabbing her hands. "Mirabel...do you...remember...?" Julieta asked, trailing off. Mirabel smiled and nodded.

"Of course!" She hugged her mother tightly. "I remember everything! A-And thank you! All of you, really. I'm so glad that you guys really cared, I thought that..."

Dolores grabbed her shoulders and shocked her lightly. "No! Never. We will always love you! It's our fault that we didn't care enough, and it's our fault that you felt the way you did. You and Antonio."

Pepa stopped forward and grabbed her brother's hand, snapping him out of his chance, "And it's our fault we didn't stand up for you and spend more time with you. Can you guys forgive us?"

Bruno, Mirabel and Antonio all looked between each other, the family waiting with baited breath for their answer. One of the babies of the family all smiled, the family was relieved.

"Of course we forgive you," Antonio said matter-of-factly. "We're family!"

"And even though there were a lot of bad decisions made over the years," Mirabel said. "We know you guys still love and care about us."

"And the fact you guys genuinely tried to fix those decisions," Bruno sighed happily. "Is more than enough,"

The family all hugged each other again, a giant group hug. Alma turned to Pedro, holding her hands in her own. They felt just the same as they did 50 years ago. "Pedro...are you...going to stay?" She asked nervously.

Pedro smiled gently, nodding. "Yes, I am staying here. Because of your guys' actions and bonds, I was blessed with another chance at life. I'll finally be able to live out the rest of my days here with you all, thanks to your love."

Alma's eyes widened and she held Pedro close. After a minute of hugging, the family decided it was time to turn in for the night. One by one, they all went to their rooms, bidding each other goodnight. Bruno, Mirabel and Antonio were the only ones left beside Alma and Pedro, who were standing next to their now shared bedroom.

"You all get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning at breakfast," Alma said. Both her and Pedro gave them all a kiss on the forehead, and sent them to their rooms.

Pedro and Alma walked into their room, sitting on their bed and holding each other. Alma was crying quietly, happy to be in her husband's arms again. Pedro only held her close, humming a lullaby as he did. This whole 'coming back to life' situation was new to him. It was overwhelming even. But right now, he has his wife, and that's enough for him. He would deal with the other things in the morning. For now, he would just hold his Alma.

Bruno walked into his room, taking in the new changes once again. He walked down the sand-stone path, once again internally thanking his familia for this. It meant a lot to him. Slipping off his sandals. He flopped onto his (now non-sand covered) bed, seeping into the pillow. A couple rats that were nestled in his new ruana slipped under his hand. As he petted them, he slipped into a deep sleep, smiling at his rebuilding of his relationship with his family. When he woke up, he'd find a lot less stairs to his tower...

After changing into his night clothes, Antonio used Parce to bind up to his hammock, snuggling under his blanket while the jaguar snuggled down below. Anotonio clutched his sewn plush, making sure his familial bracelet his momma and prima made with him. He loved his mama Pepa and he loved his prima-mom as well. Quickly falling asleep, Antonio was content with the new memories he made with his family.

Mirabel closed the door to her room and changed into her nightgown. As she settled into bed, she noticed that the golden butterflies that flew around her room and provided light settled down, resting on various perches around the room and dimming their lights. Mirabel removed her glass, and her eyes fluttered as she was about to sleep. Her eyes landed on the blurry light that was next to her door. The candle. Mirabel smiled, and she finally fell asleep, excited for what tomorrow would bring now that she finally found her role in the family and her Abuelo was back.

As La Familia Madrigal went to sleep, Casita's times and floorboards rested themselves. The house was content with the current situation. Cracks that had appeared days before were mended and no longer there. The house felt stronger, and that was enough. The family was healing, relationships were mending, and everyone was becoming happy again.

La Familia Madrigal was finally acting like a real family again, all because they finally fixed the past.