Outside the Encanto

The Crack of a Whip

Papa places down the script he was reading from, and is handed a whip by someone.. you don't know who. You begin to protest, move forward to stop the movement, when several arms pin you down. You are dragged in the middle of the crowd, yelling for them to let you go. The woman you know as Fish Lady is trying to calm you down, although it certainly doesn't help that she's covering your mouth at the same time.

The crowd is drawing a collective breath and wincing, the crack of the whip always follows. You still struggle, wondering how in the world you haven't broken out yet, before realizing you just didn't want to hurt anyone. Well, someone was getting hurt, because you had to help Mariano.

But what would you do? Publicly defying your father, newfound leader of the Encanto, will lead to your own demise, and then where would the town be? You know he'd take it out on the Madrigals, and he's always looking for an excuse to abuse Camilo.

You push through the crowd again- this time knowing your boundaries. Still, two people firmly plant their hands on your arms, just in case.

You hate being this close. The sounds have been amplified, you can see blood fly as the whip is drawn back. Mariano takes it in silence, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing the cries.

When Papa finishes with Mariano, he turns to Señora Guzman, ordering her to the stand. The twins practically drag her as she screams in protest, trying her very best to escape. Mariano is taken away by some middle aged men with their faces covered, but you can tell by the statures it's not members of your family. You feel a relief it's not them, but betrayal from whatever townsperson would stoop to such level.

The twins are each handed a whip, and you realize what's about to happen. This time you shove your captivators away, hopping up to the stand. Vanessa raises her whip.

You hold your arm in a defensive stance, bracing yourself for the impact.

The whip comes down.

You can see the shock in Vanessa's eyes, but it's too late now. She physically can't stop.

The whip smacks and wrap around your arm, leaving unpleasant lacerations upon your already scarred and burned forearm. You look her in the eye, but not for anger, only for recognition. To let her know it's okay, that it's not her fault. In full honesty, you did bring this upon yourself.

Vanessa drops the whip and rushes to hug you, profusely apologizing. She takes your arm, which now looked like a dirty candy cane, and kisses it. An odd gesture, sure, but one your family gives to mean apology.

"Vanny, it's fine. Shh, I'm alright." You try to comfort her, which would be annoying, since you're the one bloodied up, if she wasn't your family.

"What is going on here!? This is a criminal matter! You are not to interfere." Papa breaks the two of you apart, shielding both girls from your view and towering over you. You couldn't even see the sun.

"She's harmless! Leave her alone!" You argue, aware that your actions might negatively impact not only Señora Guzman, but everyone in the crowd.

"This is a matter outside your control, or concern.  Leave now. You'll only make matters worse for them." He points to Mirabel and Alma Madrigal, and they both cower back and hold each other.

You're in a dilemma. If you back down, an elderly woman will receive 35 lashes, although you know she'd drop at 10, max. On the other hand, if you don't back down, she could get more, or worse. Not to mention the whole down awaiting your decision. You stare deep into his eyes, before a frail, terrified voice speaks out.

"Y/n dear, please. I'll be alright. Make sure my son is alright. My only son. Please!" She begs, your heart immediately melts. This old woman knows the odds are against her survival, and all she cares about is her son.

You break your gaze, which you are all to relived to do. You feel Papa's eyes burning into the back of your head, but you don't care.

You look to the ground as you head over to Mariano, who's laying on his stomach on a cot. He gives you a simple nod, before looking back at his mother.

The sounds of the whip cracking stung not just your ears, but your mind. You can feel your heart pulsing everywhere, inside your thumbs, your head, your ears. But you don't tear your eyes away or cry, no, you owe it to her not to let Papa get to you.

You order someone to grab you a bucket of water and rags. They comply immediately, but not out of fear this time, out of understanding. They're just as deep into this as you are.

When Señora Guzman is done, she comes over to you as well. You softly pat the blood off of their wounds, before applying swirling water. This time it doesn't take the pain away, but instead stops the bleeding. It's not enough. You have to call Eduardo to cauterize the blood, which he does effectively.

You don't see what happens to Mirabel or Alma. Of course you don't really care what happens to Alma, but Mirabel is different. You feel concern for her, knowing something has to be done. What will they do to her? Electrocute her until she passes out? Boil her blood so hot her brain cells die off? Lacerate her skin until all you see is crimson stains?

The Guzmans are passed along to a real doctor- the only doctor in town.

"I'll take care of them, I promise. You should get home, give us word on the others." Dr. Hernandez shoos you away almost immediately, although you can see why. Although there are nurses inside his clinic, this is the first time it's been used in 45 years. The nurses are just volunteers given less than a day of training, if even. The town is lucky to have
Dr. Hernandez, who pursued his passion even when the town laughed at him. You'd always respected him for that, even though he was from the wealthy side of town, so he would happily spit on your corpse before treating your family.

You open the door to your house, slumping onto your couch, stroking the rough fabrics. You sigh in relief, glad you can finally relax.

A scream is heard from downstairs.

You scramble to get to the prison, expecting a riot or fight. You want to watch a little of it, but know you have to stop it.

What you were not expecting, however, was Abuela pulling a knife on Señora Alma.