76. Chapter 76

So Antonio had found himself a new hero. And it was adorable.

"How did you do it?" Antonio asked wide-eyed while Bruno was carrying more rubble. Now with the Ruana hood constantly pulled up to offer him sun protection. It didn't stop Antonio from asking all his questions though. "How are you doing it?" he asked. "You're talking to the animals! But there's no magic…. Is there?" he asked confused.

Bruno blinked as he turned to Antonio looked down at him. "That's not… I mean." he tried.

"But you were talking to Mr. Fluffy!" Antonio gaped. "And you can make your rats do all kinds of things. They come to you when you ask them to. How?" he asked.

Bruno looked in front of himself. "I'm not…. Sure," he admitted as he finally reached the rubble pile and put down his stone. Then he frowned as he held his chin. "I never really thought much about it."

Antonio was gaping as he looked up at Bruno.

"It's not that I…" Bruno hesitated. "I don't talk to them. I mean I do… I do talk to them. But I am not expecting them to understand me." he said. "They do though understand the tone of your voice… I think."

Antonio nodded thoughtfully.

"It's pretty easy to understand animals though. A lot easier than humans… Animals are always honest."

"So you do understand them." Antonio gasped.

"Well… Kind of." Bruno hesitated. "It's not that I can understand what they are saying. But animals communicate perfectly well with their body language. And you just need to listen to that body language." he said as he reached out an arm and a rat came running all the way over it and landed in his hand. "See Edwardo here. He's clearly relaxed," he said. "You don't need to hear him speak to see that."

Antonio nodded deeply enthralled.

"Mr. Fluffy was obviously really scared. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." Bruno said. "He was tense. And he was hissing at me because he was afraid so… I just had to wait for him to find out that I wasn't going to hurt him. That's kind of it."

Again Antonio nodded listening intensely.

"All animals are different though. My rats are all different too. You kind of just have to observe and listen but… Listen with your other senses. Your eyes and touch. They do tell you what they want. You just have to look for it." Bruno said. "And as long as you just give them what they need." he smiled as the rat crawled back up and ended on Bruno's shoulder. "They are happy." he smiled at his little friend. "Such grateful little things aren't they?" he asked fondly.

Antonio was gaping. "Can you teach me?" he asked in barely a whisper.

"Sure. You're already a natural though. I guess all it takes is a little more practice." Bruno said. "Hey Marcia." he padded his pocket. "Your friend wants to say hi."

And then a brown female rat poked her head out and Antonio grinned.

"Marcia likes you," Bruno informed as he pulled out the rat and handed her over. "She's been asking when you were going to pet her again."

Now Antonio looked confused. "But you just said that you can't actually talk to them."

"I'm pretty sure I just told you that I can." Bruno huffed. "It's just in a different way than you could."

Antonio laughed. "My animals all liked you." he grinned as he held Marcia up in his hands.

"I did end up with two lemurs on my back somehow." Bruno snorted by the memory.

Antonio glanced up. "You think they'll ever come back?" he asked.

Bruno shrugged. "I don't see why not. I mean it's possible. The animals still got to know you and I would be surprised if they aren't missing you."

"Really?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah." Bruno smiled. "So maybe just practice how to listen to animals with Marcia for now." he smiled putting a hand on Antonio's head. "I'm sure you'll have it figured out in no time."

And Antonio laughed. Just as Camilo's voice could be heard through the rubble.

"Woah check out this old thing! I thought we had thrown that out ages ago!"

Bruno's eyes widened and then he screeched as he realized. HIS ROOM! At once Bruno just turned around and made several people gape astonished as they saw him jump over tall rubble in his fast way through until he was at the former dining room area and yes. They had started to dig out… HIS ROOM!

Camilo was there. As well as Isabela and Luisa. And they were looking at what remained of the old gramophone. But lots of other things were sticking out from behind the rubble and there was…

The stupid table with the painted plate on it! It was half buried in the rubble. They hadn't seen it yet! Okay, that was good. But how did he?

Isabela blinked as she pulled out the old patched up hammock. "Didn't we throw this out too?"

"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Bruno just shouted as he stumbled across the rocks and then halted as all three young people were looking at him. "Erhm… Don't mind all of this stuff! Don't mind it at all!"

He started to try and push Isabela away. "I'll handle this section! Go-Go help your parents!"

"Wait." Isabela halted. "This is where you lived isn't it?" she gaped. "Dolores did say it was behind the dining room!"

Bruno squinted his eyes.

"It's okay Tio." Luisa swallowed as she tried not to cry. "We'll help you find your stuff." she bowed down to pick up the table half buried in the rubble.

"NOOO!" Bruno just threw himself at the table and stopped her. "That's…. So nice of you! Bu-But I can handle it."

Stunned they all looked at him.

Now Mirabel stepped forward with Dolores next to her. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We found Tio Bruno's stuff." Camilo pointed out.

"Tio Bruno it's okay," Isabela assured. "We were already told you lived here and…" she swallowed as she looked at the hammock. "It's nice this stuff still had a use."

"Let me just take this." Luisa grabbed for the table again, managing to flip it on its side only for Bruno to get in front of it. Covering the surface with his body.

"That's fine! I can take the table. You can look for other stuff." Bruno exclaimed.

Suddenly realization dawned on Mirabel and she gasped. "I'LL HELP TIO BRUNO WITH THE TABLE!" she shouted as she run forward. "That's so nice of you Luisa! Why don't you try to see if you can find some of Tio's stuff he wants to safe?" she asked.

Luisa blinked astounded.

"Wait… Are these old shoes?" Camilo asked. "What are those for?"

"Rat bets," Bruno said. "They are perfect for rats to hide and sleep in."

"Oh. That actually makes sense." Camilo had to admit.

"Come on Tio," Mirabel whispered. "Let's get rid of this table while they are distracted."

Bruno nodded. "Thank you," he whispered, just hoping that his stupid cardboard television had been crushed. It had to be crushed right? It was cardboard.

Together Bruno and Mirabel flipped the table around so the surface was facing down and carried it to the 'throw out' pile.

It did little for Bruno's nerves though, terrified of what else these children would find in his former room. And Bruno just wished he had had the foresight to get there first and get rid of any evidence of how pathetic his existence had been.

Barely had Bruno made it back with Mirabel before they heard a great 'scream' that sounded like Luisa.

Startled they both picked up speed and run only to find Luisa standing there with a bundle of papers in her hand, tied up with string. Shaking as she sniffed.

Bruno blinked and then looked at the paper bundle and he gasped. "Erh…" he halted. "I can explain."

"The twelve tasks of Luisa." Luisa swallowed. "So it was real!" she gasped. "And it was you!" she exclaimed looking up with tears in her eyes.

Stunned Mirabel looked at Bruno.

"Well…. Yeah." Bruno admitted. "I heard you in the dining room that… You were sad you were forgetting so… I tried to write them down for you."

"These are… For me?" Luisa asked stunned.

Bruno quieted. Then nodded. "Yeah," he said. "They aren't very good… I'm sorry. But… I kind of owe you ten birthday presents so… That's the best I could do. Happy belated birthday."

And Luisa gasped, and then she cried again.

"Wait a second." Camilo gaped looking over other similar paper bundles. "Scary stories of vengeful Abuelas." he read out loud. "Is that mine?" he asked.

Slowly Bruno nodded.

"What's the other ones?!" Dolores shouted and suddenly they were all over the bundles of papers figuring out which one went where.

Luisa was already sitting on the ground reading the first page and she cried. "That's the one! THAT'S THE ONE!" she shouted. "I've been looking for it forever. But I couldn't find any story like it." she swallowed. "I mean I assumed the name had been changed but… I still couldn't find it."

Dolores gasped as she laid down on her stomach. "The greatest romance ever told. The three suitors!" she screeched happily. Laughing.

"MY WILD JUNGLE ADVENTURES!" Isabela laughed happily. "I remember those! They were amazing!"

Mirabel grinned as she held her own one. "World adventures… In the arctic and in the jungle." she chuckled amusedly and she beamed at Bruno. "Wow… I can't believe you made these for us."

"Well…. Erhm." Bruno swallowed. "Confession time. I didn't… I didn't make up all the stories by myself. A lot of them are more like… Re-writes from other works I read. But… I changed them. And some of them are mine."

"LORES!" Isabela screamed. "I found the adventures of Hernando!"

"OH MY GOD!" Dolores ran straight to her. "Those were so funny! Tio!" she shouted looking at him. "Do Hernando!"

Bruno blinked. Then he realized the hood was already up, so he was basically already halfway there and he puffed up his chest, took a breath, and made the voice. "I'm Hernando and I fear nothing!" he held up a finger. "Listen to me as I tell my tale! Once a big shark asked if he could be my friend. I said of course! What do I have to fear? How was I to know that when he was inviting me for dinner I was supposed to be the main course!"

And Dolores snorted as she laughed. Isabela as well.

Now Antonio had joined too gaping at the spectacle. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Tio is telling us stories." Dolores beamed.

"What? Really?" Antonio asked. "And you didn't invite me?" he asked in a big angry pout.

"It was kind of an improvised deal." Mirabel chuckled.

"Hey wait a minute." Camilo flipped through pages. "The story of the ugly princess is all wrong."

"No it isn't," Bruno stated. "You're the one who tells it wrong!"

"No," Camilo replied. "I'm telling it right."

"Pretty sure you're telling it wrong," Bruno said. "Because that is one of the stories I did make up by myself. So take that! Camilo!"

Isabela snorted. "He's got you there Milo," she stated.

"The ugly Princess?" Antonio asked. "What's that about?" he asked.

"Well, I guess I'll have to tell it right," Bruno stated as he sat down on some rubble. "So!" he stated. "There was a king. Who had a daughter. He thought his daughter was the most beautiful girl in the entire world! Unfortunately for him, the king was wrong. She was ugly! And I mean really ugly okay." he said. "Long witch nose. Double chin but also a chicken neck. A big fat wart right here." he pointed at the side of his face.

"That isn't even what you wrote," Camilo informed looking at the pages.

"It's called creative freedom Milo!" Bruno exclaimed. "You should know. You took a lot of it changing my story!"

"Well like you said creative freedom!" Camilo informed. Then he halted. And he smirked.

Bruno couldn't help it. He smirked as well.

"DUDE!" Camilo shouted. "It all makes sense now! You were my inspiration!" he shouted grabbing his head. "Oh my god! It was my Tio all along! That's awesome!"

Bruno halted. Then blushed deeply as he looked down. "I'm… Glad that. Heh." he had to look away. "Oh wow I don't know what to." he swallowed.

"Can we keep these? Can we really?" Dolores asked.

Bruno nodded. "They were for you," he said. "Like I said it… It's the only thing I could even think of giving and… I wanted to give you all something. But I didn't know how and I... I had a lot of spare time with no places to go so… Yeah."

And all of their eyes were wet.

"THE STORY TIO!" Antonio shouted. "Tell the story!"

"Ah. Right. Of course." Bruno shook his head. "So this princess. Super ugly!" he continued and all the children just settled for a storytime.

Soon there was laughter and some adults halted as they stopped and saw. Bruno…. Entertaining all of the kids. Pepa was crying.

"He's back." Pepa gasped. "He's really back!" she grabbed Julieta's apron. "He's back. He's back. He's back!"

"He always did love playing a character." Julieta smiled amused. Then the two sisters glanced at each other and smirked as they sat down too at a place where they could listen in.

Just enjoying the best afternoon in recent memory.