My Mama Coco

I was happy. My Mama Coco had just told us about her parents, my great-great grandparents, Mama Imelda, and Papa Hector. The song worked just like I hoped it would. She remembered her papa!

Although my last moments in the Land of the Dead weren't too happy, I knew it had a happy ending now. Since Mama Coco remembered Hector, he was no longer forgotten. I looked at my parents and my grandmother. They all were so touched by this. Papa looked at me.

"How did you know, Miguel?" He wanted to know. "And where were you?" I hesitated. Should I tell them of my adventures with Mama Coco's papa in the Land of the Dead? They'll think I've gone loco, that's for sure. I didn't know what exactly to tell them, so I told them everything.

They all gasped when I told them Hector was murdered as well as having his songs stolen. I was going to skip the part where Ernesto threw me off of the building, but in the end, I added it in to tell them that Ernesto was and still is evil. I expected their jaws to drop off, but then I remembered, they weren't skeletons.

"My poor grandson!" My abuelita said, hugging me close. "My dear, sweet, innocent grandson! What kind of evil and sick person would ever want to hurt a child?! Why when I die and meet this Ernesto, I will give him a piece of my mind! No one hurts my grandson, and gets away with it, nobody!"

"Mama!" Papa said to her, "Let my son breathe!" Abuelita let go of me. She looked at me. "Continue, Miguel." And so, that is what I did.

"You expect us to just believe this story of yours?" A mad abuelita asked. I was ashamed. No, no I didn't. I should never have told them.

"I believe him." Mama Coco spoke. We all looked at her. "I knew Papa was a good person. I knew something was wrong. I always knew." I saw that Abuelita was thinking about this. She then sighed.

"If Mama believes him, I do too." I was puzzled. So were my parents.

"You do?" I wanted to know.

"But, it all sounds so loco." Mama said.

"Si." Abuelita agreed. "It does. But how else did Miguel learn the truth of his great-great grandfather? Papa Hector may have made a grave, unforgivable mistake of leaving his family at the beginning, but he was trying to get home and redeem himself. That to me proves that he really cares for his family, and was a really great guy." She looked at me. "And you really looked up to Ernesto da La Cruz. You must have felt an ernormous amount of betrayal when you found out the truth."

"I did feel something." I admitted. "I can't believe I looked up to that jerk without really knowing his backstory." She again felt sorry for me.

"Aw, poor Miguel. You didn't know."

"I know, but it still hurts that I trusted him."

"Aw, I know, Miguel." He hugged me tight again."I know."

"Mama!" Papa cried. "Please, again, not so tight. Let Miguel breathe. She let go of me, agin grinning innocently.

"Oooh!" Mama just said. We all looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Papa asked her.

"Nothing." She replied. "I just felt the baby kick is all." I was happy again, When my baby sister is born, I can not wait to tell her about Papa Hector, and the rest of our family.

Pretty soon word got around, and all of Santa Cecilia leaned about Papa Hector. I even told my teachers and classmates at school about it, and typed an essay on Papa Hector. There were plans of a small museum dedicated to him. The stature of Ernesto was destroyed, and they started remembering Hector more as the true musician just as it should be.

In speaking of musicians, my family said that I could be whoever I wanted to be, so I gave up shoemaking, and started playing my guitar, and my family gave me a backup one for Christmas. I also got a new hoodie to replace the one I left in the Land of the Dead.

Then one day, a few days before my sister was due to be born, Mama Coco died. We all felt sad, but hey, she lived to be 100! Plus, she's with her papa now after almost a century. Knowing that made me and my family feel a whole lot better.

Oh, and as for Dante, I decided to not worry about him. He's a spirit animal so he can go to and from the Land of the Dead to the Land of the Living any time he pleases. He'll be like a gift to Hector from me to thank him for having an adventure with him that I'll never forget, and to forgive him for leaving his family, and trying to come back. And like Mama Coco, I know I'll see him again.

Socorro, named after Mama Coco, was born the first month of the new year, and everyone was muy happy about that. Mama Coco remembered her father before she passed on, they were reunited in the Land of the Dead, Hector was reinstated in the family, he was being honored and loved in my world, and Ernesto was hated for his crimes. I say I might be the happiest boy in all of Santa Celia, maybe all of Mexico, maybe the world.

Adults say that people that passed on lives inside of you, and will always be with you for the rest of your life. And after my adventures with Hector in the afterlife, I can proudly confirm it 100%. Even though I can't see them, I know that they're all around me, and couldn't be happier. Boy, I can't wait for the next Dia de Muertos!