The Song of Bones and Glass (coco fanfic)

Chapter 3

         When we got to the bridge Miguel seemed very weary of it, like it would swallow him or something. "Come on Miguel, it's okay" Papa Julio said. Miguel listened and followed me, Tía Victoria and Tía Rosita while walking besides papa Julio.
            Miguel then decided to run ahead of us a bit. It was then that I realized he had seen the Alebrije's. I smiled a bit at his reaction, mostly because of what he said next. "This isn't a dream then, you're all really out there" he said. "Thought we weren't?" Tía Victoria said to him from beside me. "well I don't know, I thought it was just one of those made up things adults tell kids, like vitamins" Miguel said as he walked further down the bridge. I rolled my eyes slightly at that. "Miguel, vitamins are a real thing." Tía Victoria deadpanned. "Well now I'm thinking they could be" Miguel said.
               We got in line to be able to get into the city. Me and Miguel noticed a man dressed as Frita Kalo, though Miguel thought it was really her.
"It is I, Frita Kalo" the man said in a high pitches voice. When the officer lady scanned him it buzzed red, which I have come to learn meant you can't cross the bridge.
            The man then took off the costume and ran through the gate and tried to cross the bridge but he couldn't. He was dragged away by some security guards and was rambling on about something I couldn't hear.
            " I don't know what I'd do if someone didn't put up my photo" Tía Rosita said from behind us. I smiled sadly at her and walked forward when the man yelled "next". He looked at us but couldn't see me or Miguel because we were behind everyone. "Anything to present?" The man asked. "Actually.... yes" papa Julio said hesitantly.
                We were then pushed in front of all our family and the mans jaw dropped to the table. Literally. He just told us to go on inside and we did. Miguel was looking curiously at everything and so was I. It was then I heard that voice. A voice I'd recognize anywhere. I smiled instantly when I heard Mamá Imelda, even if she was beating up a computer with her shoe, I was still very excited to see her. She's always been my favorite and that was no secret.
                 Once again me and Miguel were put behind everyone as we walked to Mamá Imelda. "M-Mamá Imelda?" Papa Julio asked, Ive learned he only stutters when he talks to Mamá Imelda, he's afraid of her. She turned sharply and pointed her shoe at him, then she realized who it was that said her name. "Ah mí familia! They wouldn't let me cross the bridge!! Tell this women and her devil box that my photo is on the ofrenda!" Mamá Imelda said desperately.
               "Well we never made it to the ofrenda" Papa Julio told her, letting out a small nervous laugh. "What?" She asked, a bit taken aback.  "We ran into uh" and then gestures to me and Miguel and they all parted so we could be seen. I nudged Miguel because he wasn't paying attention and then he looked at Mamá Imelda. "Mamá.... Imelda?" Miguel asked, seeming a bit uncertain at first. "Miguel?" She asked looking at him strangely. Then she noticed me. She turned to me and smiled, I walked up to her and threw my arms around her, burying face in her shoulder. "Oh it's so good that you can see us again!" Mamá Imelda said happily, still not breaking from the hug.
               When we finally broke apart, she looked at me and said "not that I am not happy to see you, but what is going on?" She said the last part in a tone that demanded in answer. Then a small man came out from behind a door. "Are you the uh Rivera family?" We all turned to him.
              When he finally said something after we all got into the room, it wasn't what I expected at all. "Well you're cursed" the man said causally, like it was completely normal. "What?" We all said at the same time. "Día de los Muertos is a day to give to the dead, you stole from the dead!" The man said. "But we didn't steal the guitar!" Miguel said instantly. "Guitar?" Mamá Imelda said sounded shocked. "It was my great great grandfathers he would've wanted me and Alexandria to have it!!" Miguel said, I rolled my eyes thinking 'great, you had to drag me into this'. "Uh uh uh we do not speak of the musician, he is dead to this family" Mamá Imelda said.  "Uh you're all dead?" Miguel said.
               Dante was trying to get to the food on the mans table. The man sneezed, "I am sorry, whose alebrije is that?" The man asked. "That's just Dante, he's not an alebrije, he's just a dog" Miguel said. I heard the Tío's make some snide remark but I chose to ignore it. "Well I am allergic" the man said. "But Dante doesn't have any hair" Miguel said. "And the man does not have a nose, and yet here we are" I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, Mamá Imelda hit me in the arm lightly for saying that in that tone I turned to her and gave her 'the look'. The look being, 'you love me to much to be mad'.
                 Then she just rolled her eyes at me. "But none of this explains why I couldn't cross over" Mamá Imelda said. Miguel looked guilty and I instantly knew he did something stupid. "Yeah about that" he said while taking the photo out of his pocket. Everyone gasped in shock but I just yelled "MIGUEL WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?" And he coward away from me when he heard the sharpness in my voice and from the look on his face I probably looked pretty mad. The rest of the family (besides Imelda) also looked a bit scared. Mamá Imelda shoves Miguel out of the way and threw herself in the mans face "how do we send him back?" She asked. "Well since it's a family matter, the only way to break the curse is to get your family's blessing but you've gotta do it by sunrise" the man said as he looked nervously at Mamá Imelda. "Why what happens at sunrise" I ask. "Your hands!" Papa Julio says. I look at my hand and see the top half of my pointer finger is turning to bone, same with Miguel's but he almost faints while I try to remain calm.
             He started looking for a peddle, then found one and handed it to Mamá Imelda. She then stood opposite of me and Miguel. "Now all you have to do is say the names of the ones you want to send back." The man said. "Miguel and Alexandria" Mamá Imelda said. The peddle glowed. I seemed to be the only one who didn't react to it. "I give you my blessing to go home, put my photo back on the ofrenda, and to NEVER PLAY MUSIC AGAIN". Mamá Imelda said, I had a feeling she would say that. Outside I didn't show that it bothered me at all but in the inside my heart was slowly breaking at the realization I wouldn't be able to play music. "What!?! She can't do that!" Miguel yelled. "Technically she can add any condition she wants." The man said. "Fine" Miguel said. "Then you hand the peddle to them" the man to Imelda. She handed it to us and we were back in the mausoleum.
              I started slowing walking to the door, trying to to cry when I heard that damned guitar. I was just turning around to yell at Miguel when I realized we were back in the Land of the Dead. Again. "You are gone for two seconds and you already break your promise!" Mamá Imelda yelled at Miguel and then Miguel moves closer to me so I smack him on the back of the head and give him a look that says 'really?' "This isn't fair it's my life! You already had yours!" Miguel's yell's at Imelda. He then goes around to the Tío's and the Tía's asking for their blessing as well but they wouldn't budge.
              I was still standing beside Mamá Imelda and I knew that she could tell that there was something wrong. I always hated how she could do that, no one else could so why could she!!
           "Don't make this hard mijo, you go home my way or no way." Mamá Imelda said. "You really hate music that much?" Miguel asked. "I will not let you go down the same path he did!" Mamá Imelda said. Miguel then turned around and started talking but it was to quiet for anyone to hear. Then everyone (besides me and a Mamá Imelda) walked over to him trying to convince him to let Mamá Imelda give him her blessing.
         "Ay, I need to use the restroom" Miguel said suddenly and before anyone could protest he was gone. "Should someone tell him there are no restrooms in the land of the dead?" The man said but we all ignored him and went after him. We couldn't see him anywhere so we asked a security guard about him and he said that he'd let everyone know and then we started walking down the stairs so go fine him. Then I saw him. "Miguel!" I yelled and started running down the stairs, he was with the strange man from before. Miguel grabbed his hand and started running.
              We all were running as fast as we could to try to catch him and then we got to the doors. For some reason papa Julio, Tío Oscar and Felipe and Tía Rosita and Tía Victoria all fell to the ground and I just rolled my eyes at them.
               Just them Mamá Imelda called her alebrije. I saw I giant animal with wings flying over to us. I thought the alebrije was absolutely beautiful but it was clear everyone but Imelda was afraid of it. "Who has the pedal Miguel touched." Mamá Imelda asked. Papa Julio had but but handed it to me quickly and backed away from the alebrije very quickly. I just rolled my eyes at him and walked up to Pepita and held my hand with the peddle out for her to smell.
              I really didn't understand why everyone was to afraid of her because she seemed like a sweetheart to me. She got Miguel's scent and then was off. Me and the rest of the family followed her for a while.