Days And Nights (Book of Life and Maya and the Three One Shots)

A Day Out

Celina and Cecilia get lost in San Angel.

One day, Manolo and Maria thought it'd be a good idea to spend the day out on the town with their three year old daughters. Celina and Cecilia had a lot of energy to burn that morning and Manolo and Maria could barely keep up.

“Slow down, mijas.” Maria said, catching up with Celina, “Your father and I are getting tired.” Manolo caught up with Cecilia and scooped her up in his arms, “Ay, remind us to never give you coffee.” He said.

They sat the twins down on a nearby crate to rest for a few minutes. Not a minute passed before Celina got up and ran to a flower cart. Manolo and Maria sighed and went to follow her, Cecilia right next to them.

“Flores.” Celina said, pointing at the marigolds. 

“They're beautiful, aren't they, my dear?” The old woman asked warmly.

“Do you think we should get some?” Manolo asked his daughters. Cecilia nodded, making him chuckle, “Alright.”

“I've never seen young girls so fascinated by flowers before.” The vendor said.

“They've been fascinated by everything all day.” Maria said, “Vases, clothes, you name it.”

“Slippery little things, aren't they?”

“Yep.” Manolo said, “But they haven't gotten away from us yet.” Manolo reached down to ruffle his daughter's hair, but felt nothing. He looked down and both twins were gone. “Girls? Girls?”

Manolo and Maria frantically looked around for some sign of the twins, but they were nowhere in sight, “Mijas!” Maria called out. 

“Oh, my gosh. How did this happen? We turned away for one second!”

“It's ok, it's ok. They can't have gone far. Come on.”

“Good luck!” The vendor called out as they left. She smiled, knowingly, “Just like their parents.”

...

Celina and Cecilia wandered town, looking around. They didn't know where they were or where they were going, but they kept walking. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the people were walking. It couldn't be better.

They heard faint music in the distance, “What's that sound?” Cecilia asked. 

“Over there.” Celina pointed forward. The girls ran towards the music. It was coming from three large round men playing instruments, a small crowd watching them. They recognized the men as their dad's friends, as he often played guitar and sang with them.

Celina and Cecilia laughed and jumped to the music. They loved music, especially when they're dad sang them to sleep.

The men finished playing and the crowd clapped, including the girls as they laughed. The men noticed them when they turned around. 

“Oh, hello niñas.” Pepe said, smiling down at the girls, “Did you enjoy our show?”

“Si.” The twins said.

Pancho looked around, “Where are your Mama and Papa? They don't go anywhere without you these days.”

Celina and Cecilia frowned and looked around for their parents. They didn't notice they were gone, “Mama? Papa?” They whimpered.

“Don't worry, girls.” Pepe said, “Stick with us and you'll be safe and sound.”

“We know this town like the back of our hands.” Pablo said, “Oh, that's never been there before, I should get that checked out.”