Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
VALENTINA COULDN'T SLEEP that night for a number of reasons. She couldn't stop staring at the vision she had, wondering why it showed her that specific painting. Then when she tried to sleep she was woken up by the sounds of rats scurrying through her room, followed by Arepa chasing after them.
She sat up with a groan, casita tossing her slippers on the tiles underneath her feet. She tossed her covers back, slowly making her way downstairs to grab a cup of water. She stared out the window, looking as the moon cast its light down on the sleeping village.
She took a sip of her water before resting her head on the table. She could have fallen asleep right there but was interrupted again, this time by casita bumping her head with the tiles. Valentina lifted her head with a groan, watching as Arepa hopped up the stairs, going after another rat.
"Arepa!" She whispered, shooting up from her seat at the table. She chased the chicken up the stairs, trying her best be quiet, catching her as the rat she was chasing disappeared behind the painting on the wall.
Valentina tucked Arepa under her arm, staring at the painting, confused as how the rat just disappeared behind the painting. She pushed on the painting gently, surprised when she felt it move back, almost like it was a door. She looked down at Arepa who simply clucked.
"Well," she sighed. "Here goes nothing." She pulled back the painting, surprised when she saw an opening like a tunnel. "Should we go in?" She asked Arepa, who just looked back at her. "I'm talking to a chicken. I'm losing my mind."
She kept a firm grip on the chicken as she cautiously climbed into the opening, closing the painting behind her. "Maybe I should've brought a candle," she scoffed, Arepa clucking in response.
She kept one hand on the wall and the other keeping a grip on Arepa so she didn't end run off. She followed the twists and turns inside casita, almost tripping over a piece of wood every other step. She was close to giving up. She wasn't finding anything and it felt like she was going in circles.
It wasn't until there was a flash of light that she saw someone in the shadows. She couldn't see all of him, mainly just a glimpse of a hooded green ruana and black sandals. She took off in a run, pulling Arepa close, hoping to get close to see who it was.
She stumbled through twists and turns, not bothering to check her surrounds until she quickly came upon a decent sized hole. She stumbled back in surprise, and began looking for a way to cross. There was no rope for her to swing on, only planks of wood jutting out of the wall. She looked down at Arepa who flapped her wings in seemingly disapproval.
"I'm gonna go for it," She breathed, taking multiple steps back. She let out a shaky breath before taking a run for it, hoping from plank to plank before finally landing on the other side. She didn't land on her feet, but didn't fall to her death.
"This is hopeless," Valentina groaned.
Arepa suddenly began flapping her wings frantically, trying to leap out of her arms. "Hey, hey," Valentina tried to calm the chicken down, but soon saw what she was freaking out about. It was the silhouette of the man, and he was coming closer.
When he got close she theist the chicken forward out of instinct. "Mi vida! Mi vida, it's me!" The man spoke above the sound of the frantic chicken. It was a voice that she would recognize anywhere.
She opened her eyes, and was greeted by the presence of her father. He had aged, but it was him and he was real. Valentina dropped the chicken and ran forward, pulling her father into a hug. He wasted no time in hugging her back, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Papí," she whispered, not wanting to let go. She didn't want to let go in fear that she was dreaming and she would wake up and he would be gone.
"I'm here," he spoke gently, overjoyed to see his daughter again. He couldn't believe how much she had grown.
"Have you been here?" She asked, finally pulling away. "All this time? Just in the walls?"
"Yeah," he answered nervously as she followed behind him. "Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock on wood." She watched as he held his breath as he passed through doorways and carefully dodged the cracks as he walked on the floor.
"Why did you leave?" The question he wished she didn't ask. "I woke up and you were gone. I tried to look for you almost everyday. Everyone said I was crazy."
He picked up a rat from an old red chair, casting it aside before sitting down. "My gift wasn't helping the family, and then after Mirabel's ceremony Abuela asked me for a vision and I didn't want to hurt her or you, so I left." He explained, slumping down in the chair farther. "My gift never helped the family. They only saw me as the one who makes bad things happen."
"Ever since you left," Valentina began, sitting down next to him. "I never stopped looking. I would sit in my room for hours, looking at the same vision over and over, because I never wanted to give up. My gift never helped the family, so Abuela always told me to sit out and leave it for someone else. I've tried to mention you or bring up your name, but each time they look at me like I'm just a freak."
Valentina didn't know when she had started crying, but one point her dad reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. She sniffled, letting him pull her into another hug. "Mi vida, I'm so sorry," He breathed. He didn't know where to begin. She felt like a little kid when she would be scared of the dark, huddled into her fathers arms as he told it would be okay, and that he would be there all night long.
"I'm just glad you're okay," she whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and still wet with tears. It wasn't long before she started yawning again as she realized how tired she was.
"Corazón, you need to go to bed," he chuckled as she laid back down against him. She muttered some unintelligible response, and it wasn't too long after that she fell asleep, curled into her dads side.
He knew she couldn't stay down there, as much as he wished she could. So, he had to resort to carrying her through the walls of the house, maneuvering as to not bash her head on any stray pipes or pieces of wood throughout the house. He pushed the painting open as gently as possible, slowly climbing out as not to disturb anyone.
He found her room, opening the door the best he could with one hand. There he slowly shut the door, and walked through her room to her bed that hung from the ceiling. He laid her down gently, giving her one last kiss goodnight like he used to before eventually retreating back to his place within the walls, leaving almost without a trace.
