Chapter Text
“Come along everyone, we don’t want to be late.” Abuela Alma motioned for her family. “Toñito, you can’t bring your animals to iglesia.” The boy looked up with a pouty face while a snake slowly wrapped around his neck. “I promise they’ll be good.” Pepa kneeled next to her child and lovingly stroked his hair. “Lo siento bebe, but Abuela is right. They need to stay home.” Antonio let out a defeated sigh but let the creatures wander back to his room.
“Alright, is everyone ready?” The matriarch asked as she did a quick head count. “¿Dónde está tío Bruno?” Mirabel questioned. “Still asleep.” Her mother answered and brushed off some stray thread from the girl’s dress. “He’s not coming with us?” Abuela shook her head, “Bruno does not go to church Mirabel.” Her voice carried a hint of disappointment. “Now let’s go, let’s go.” The Madrigals followed the woman out of Casita and down the stone road toward town.
Exactly five minutes later Bruno descended the steps that led to their door. His hair was neatly brushed, bouncing slightly as he walked. He had on a dark pair of pants and a fresh shirt that was covered by a small black poncho. The cloth had no decorations, only a bit of fringe that loosely hung at the edge. Shaking the sand out of his sandals he slid down the railing to the courtyard and walked to the door. Reaching the handle he waited another ten seconds before leaving Casita.
The town was empty by now, all the inhabitants tucked into the recently renovated church. With how much the community had been growing with new residents, places such as the church and certain shops had expanded to hold the larger crowds.
Hernando made his way to the base of the bell tower and listened as the final toll altered that mass was beginning. The walk down the stairs would take two minutes. After three had passed the clairvoyant placed a foot on one of the building’s uneven bricks. He pushed himself up and grabbed onto another stone. Quickly ascending with the memorized foot and hand-holds; the seer swung himself to the final level and caught the edge of the window. Doing a pull up he paused so his eyes barely peeked over the brick. Seeing that the coast was clear the man fully entered the tower with a soft thump.
The seer walked under the three church bells and around the rope connected to them. He sat down next to the hole in the floor that led to the spiral staircase. Leaning his back against the wall he took off the satchel he had with him and set it to the side. Bruno took out his bible and turned to the rosary that bookmarked his last page. Next, he grabbed a small notebook and pen, resting them beside the book.
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” He heard the muffled voice of Padre Flores travel up the tower and flow out through the entrance on the floor. Bruno followed the motion of the sign of the cross with everyone unseen downstairs, whispering a soft “Amen” at the end.
The padre greeted the church, the crowd returning with the proper response. He called for everyone to confess their sins in joint prayer. Following the scripted Penitential Rite were a few songs and then the first reading.
Bruno followed along with every reply and quietly sang along for Kyrie and Gloria. One of the things he missed most about attending church was the songs. Hidden away in the bell tower he was free to sing along, so high up no one would hear him. All the same, he wished he could join his fellow believers in worship. He loved to hear the music and share a moment with God, singing his praise. Sometimes Bruno would even sneak up the tower outside of mass just so he could hear the worship team at rehearsal.
“The word of the lord.” A new voice spoke, and the assembly replied with “thanks be to God.” Bruno turned to the reading in his bible and followed along with the lector as she read. The same went for the responsorial psalms and the second reading, finding the page and following. “The Lord be with you.” Padre Flores greeted as he once again stepped up to the altar. “And with your spirit.” Bruno and the congregation returned. “A reading from the holy gospel…”
When the padre finished he closed the book and addressed the crowd. It was now time for his chosen sermon. “As shown in the word, forgiveness is something vital.” “Oh, this should be good,” Diego remarked. “As Jesus said we must forgive our fellow man else our Father in heaven will not forgive us.” “And I’m sure you’ll get right on that.” Hernando sarcastically stated. “Even in the Lord’s prayer we hold in our hearts we state to forgive those who trespass against us...”
Already annoyed with the contradicting statements, Diego flipped back to his last bookmark. He re-read through certain passages and skipped over others. Occasionally he would write in their notebook questions, notes, or comments he thought of. He tuned out Padre Flores’ words as he did his independent reflection. His brothers continued to listen to the sermon, sometimes making comments but stayed silent for the most part.
The monotone droll of the church made the seers zone back in, joining in the profession of faith. Bruno fronted once more when Padre Flores took out the book of prayers. He listed the general concerns of the church and more specific needs from what the townsfolk wrote.
Downstairs the assembly kneeled as the padre brought out communion. Bruno and his alters uttered quick prayers before packing up their satchel and slinging it over their shoulder. Seeing as how he was not a part of the congregation there was no way the seer could participate. Possibly the most important part of the mass, which was another thing he missed dearly.
Even before he went into the walls Bruno was seen less in the church until he stopped going altogether. It wasn’t his choice. Well, it was but he was greatly swayed in his decision. His reputation had hit rock bottom and many believed he was a curse in the Encanto. They were uncomfortable seeing him at such a holy location. Some were even surprised he could stand on church ground, what with them thinking him to be a brujo or some other nonsense. On the other side of the coin, people would place him in a role he was uncomfortable with. They called him ‘prophet,’ as if the title ever granted the men of the bible anything other than suffering. Bruno didn’t like to be put on a pedestal as a ‘messenger from God.’ The whole idea was too much, yet another reason he ceased attending church.
Regardless, Bruno began sneaking into the bell tower after mass began so he would not be spotted. Upon his return home, the routine had continued, now with his brothers to partake. When it was time for communion they would climb out the window and descend the tower once more. Bruno would hurry home and cook lunch for his family, something he started decades ago to appease his mother. It was harder now that the family had grown. Some days Bruno had to have his rats help with the meals (not that he’d ever tell anyone that. It wouldn’t matter if they were completely clean. If word got out rodents could be chefs he’d never hear the end of it.)
Back at Casita Bruno changed out of his church clothes, another thing he did to keep up the ruse of staying home. He finished cooking and just barely set the table when the other Madrigals returned home.
“H-hola famila. How was mass?” Bruno greeted. “Bien,” his mother flatly replied. She did this every Sunday. Giving him the cold shoulder for not attending church with them. It only lasted until the end of lunch., then she was back to the kind woman she was growing into. Sure enough, the rest of the afternoon was reserved for family game night and socializing. No work on the weekends for the Madrigals, Saturdays for their independent lives, and then family Sundays.
The routine worked well for Bruno until advent threw his schedule out the window.
As Camilo put it, it was “church, church, and more church.” The Madrigals were there every time the doors were open. Mostly due to Alma’s devotion but also because it was slightly expected the leaders of Encanto would be present for each religious holiday.
Bruno kept up with the new times as much as he could but not everyone in town went to church at the same time. There were days he couldn’t sneak away, even at night. It was too crowded in town for him to upkeep his secret place of prayer. When he did sneak out, returning home was equally hard.
One day a visit to the tower would change everything.
Bruno was kneeling at the window he usually climbed into with his eyes closed and muttering a prayer. He grasped his rosary tight in his hands and spoke with such conviction. Outside the sun was setting, painting the sky in beautiful tones of orange and pink. With his back to the small room, he did not notice when Padre Flores came up the steps. He was coming to ring the bells for another evening mass, a service only held during the advent season.
The padre stopped short at the sight of the figure kneeling at the window. It took him a moment to identify the seer, not used to seeing him out of his usual ruana or even green vest nowadays. Flores said nothing, it would be rude to interrupt a man in the middle of his prayer. When Bruno finished he signed the cross and stood. Turning around he froze when his eyes locked with Padre Flores.
Bruno’s fear of being discovered quickly overtook his brain and he rushed to the window ledge. “Bruno wait!” Flores called out before he realized the sounds left his throat. The seer didn’t move, who was he to ignore an order from a priest? The padre calmly walked under the bells and stopped a few feet from Bruno. “Bruno, what are you doing here?” The seer turned and his profile addressed the padre. “Well, uh, it’s a church. So heh, I’m here to pray?” The statement was unsure as if he was worried he gave an incorrect answer. Flores furrowed his brow, “then why aren’t you downstairs?” He looked around the room and spotted the bible and journal on the floor. The man had been inside all day, he didn’t recall seeing Bruno enter. “And how did you get up here?”
“Uhhh…” The seer glanced out at the widow he was still perched on. Padre Flores’ eyes widened when he realized the clairvoyant had climbed. “Por favor brother, come down.” He motioned with his hand. Bruno slowly descended and stepped away from the window and closer to Flores. He nervously gripped his left arm and kept his gaze on the ground.
“What are you doing up here Bruno? The truth this time.” Padre Flores spoke like he was scolding a child. “I-I thought this was the last service and I w-wanted to listen.” Bruno stuttered. “I never get to s-stay until the end on Sundays, and, uh, I guess I lost track of time heh.” Bruno had been up here before? How long had he been doing this? And why did he look so scared when he was caught? There was a missing element here but Flores had no idea where to start. Thankfully, Bruno’s question brought the man out of his thoughts.
“Padre, are you going to kick me out?” Bruno finally raised his head enough to peer through the curtain of hair that fell over his face. “Why would I kick you out?” Flores questioned. Bruno just shrugged, “why wouldn’t you?” The priest was now thoroughly confused. His silence prompted the seer to continue. “I mean no one really made me feel welcome. Whenever I used to show up in church everyone was uncomfortable.” Bruno chanced a glance at Flores, “y-you still think I make bad things happen. Why wouldn’t you want me to l-leave?”
Flores gave a deep sigh, then went to lean on the wall next to Bruno. “My sincerest apologies, señor Madrigal.” He began, the weight of his words making the seer freeze up once more. “You don’t make anything bad happen. If anything, the stories I’ve heard and the scenes I have witnessed prove that you do everything you can to protect this town. I thank you for that. I’m sorry we haven’t done a good job of returning the favor.”
Bruno found himself nervously knocking along the windowsill. It wasn’t wood, but the rhythm was still comforting. “It’s alright, I, I’m used to it.” Flores shook his head, “you shouldn’t be ‘used to it’ Bruno.” The padre turned to look at the seer. “If you feel uncomfortable in the place of God, then I have failed my duties.” “Don’t say that padre!” Bruno shrunk back at his volume, “sorry, sorry, sorry. It-it’s just that I’ve heard you speak. I know how many people you take care of, and how devoted you are.” Bruno took a calming breath, “I don’t want to get in the way of that. I’ve been fine listening to service from a distance. If staying in the shadows helps bring people to the light, then so be it.”
Flores stared at the seer for a long moment before finally saying, “you are a noble man, Bruno Madrigal.” Bruno let out an empty laugh, “I’m just a man trying to live again.” “All the same, I was wrong about you, señor. For that I am sorry.” Bruno gave a soft smile to the priest. “Thank you, padre, I needed to hear that. And, I forgive you.” Flores nodded with a smile of his own.
There was a beat of silence before the priest spoke again. “You are always welcome to service Bruno. You don’t have to hide up here.” Bruno’s expression faltered. “I appreciate that, but, heh, I-I’m not ready.” “But surely it’s difficult up here?” “Meh, I make do.” Flores gave a defeated sigh before an idea crossed his mind. “Bruno, you know the church office is closed during service?” “Uh, si?” “I could leave it unlocked for you. You could be closer and actually see the service. And I’ll set aside part of the Eucharist. I doubt that’s something you’ve been able to have.” He had him there. “Y-you’d do that f-for me?” “The Lord commands we take care of our mother and brothers,” Flores replied.
The padre moved to grab the rope to toll the service bells, “You don’t have to decide now, but the offer stands.” Bruno gave a small nod and slung his satchel over his arm. “I-I’ll think about it.” With that, he hopped over the windowsill and disappeared.