dyschronometria (n.) - a condition of cerebellar dysfunction in which an individual cannot accurately estimate the amount of time that has passed (i.e., distorted time perception).
OR
in which (name) madrigal struggles with their gift of freezing ti...
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This was the exact reason why (Name) hated working twice as hard. They had spent god knows how long in town, running back and forth between shops and homes, all to pick up late deliveries or find an extremely important item left behind or even prevent a near accident from occurring. And all the while, their pocket watch's hands kept ticking away.
They couldn't stand the sound of it right now. Granted, they couldn't stand the sound of ticking ever, especially when it came to the clocks in their room, but right now that feeling was even worse. So, where else would they go?
They couldn't go to their parents' room. Well, they could, but they didn't want to. Their issue was one that they preferred to keep to themselves.
Their siblings were also off limits. Dolores, bless her, would already know what the issue was. And same for Camilo, too. They were siblings, after all. No doubt they would be able to deduce why (Name) didn't feel like going back to their room. But, despite being relatively close in age (or at least expected age), they didn't know how to properly confide in them. There were moments where they were close and they felt like a connected part of the youngest Madrigal generation, but there were also moments where they felt isolated from them.
But they still loved them.
And since they opted to hide away from their family, they found the one place they expected no one to go to. But, with proper deduction, there's no surprise that this was (Name)'s safe haven every now and then.
"I'm back," (Name) whimpered, gritting their teeth as the stairs creaked beneath their feet. No matter how many times they came here without being caught, they were always scared that one day someone would find them and rip their safe space away from them.
They let out a quiet grunt as they sat on the top step, leaning their head against the green wall. From where they sat, they could barely see the intricate carvings of their uncle's abandoned room. A few inches in front of them were small holes, remnants of the nails that stuck planks of wood in front of the entrance.
They never did find out when Casita took them down. But they were grateful it did.
There were times when (Name) missed their uncle. Plenty of times, in fact. Despite their ever-fading memories, there were days when (Name) found themselves remembering vivid moments with their beloved uncle. Of course, most of those memories were jumbled up with the strange stories their father loved to tell about their beloved uncle.
From what they could remember, they were quite close with Bruno. It only made sense considering the intricacies of their gifts. Both had involved time, after all.
But, once their younger cousin's gift ceremony had come and gone, so too did Bruno. The magic faded from his door, the once relaxing room (Name) (probably) loved to visit now filled to the brim with sand and cobwebs. So, (Name) resorted to sitting just outside of the door, staring up at the wood carving and taking deep breaths as they tried to calm themselves down. Sometimes, the only thing (Name) could do as they hyperventilate just outside the forbidden tower, was throw the very thing that caused them so much pain.
