-Good morning, bud.
-H… how?
His arms surrounded my body and gently lifted me up a few inches from the bed. The stitches on my wounds hurt like hell, but I was so touched by his gesture, that I decided to reciprocate the hug instead of complaining about the pain.
-You've grown a lot, J-he whispered to my ear, taking a good look at my face before pulling himself away.
-Thanks, uncle… You're… also… You're also…
I tried to finish my sentence, but every time I tried, my tears and sobs interrupted me. After watching me, my uncle began to laugh, and in the blink of an eye, it all felt like 10 years ago. Still, not even my crying or his laughter could shake off one specific thought out of my head: How was he here?
The uncle William I knew was really strong, I'd even say that he was as strong as my dad, but the reason for my doubts didn't come from this fact, what really made me think that I was dreaming was the fact that both my father and I thought he was dead.
–Are you-he spoke before being interrupted by a loud barking.
WOOF WOOF
The heavy noise of its footsteps approached the room quickly, and its claws made a sound that accompanied it. Before I was even able to react, a big (and I mean BIG) dog made its way into the room and jumped onto my uncle's body.
-Since when do you have a dog?-I inquired as I took a look at the animal.
At the sound of my voice, the pet turned around and began to lick me, paying special attention to my leg and my face. Though it hurt, the tickles on my skin were enough to make me shiver, and because of my movement, it thought that we were playing.
Uncle William's dog rapidly got on the bed and licked my face non-stop, and due to his size and weight, I couldn't take him off. The scene was a bit like this: A teenager on a bed, the kid he's taking care of curled up, sleeping on top of him, and above them, a gigantic dog licking the teenager's face.
-Dani! Enough!-my uncle yelled before holding up his pet and carrying it with his two big arms.
I scrubbed my face with my healthy arm, grunting a soft "thank you" as I took the remnants of its saliva off.
-You're welcome-he laughed in response, placing his pet on the floor and scolding him.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this at first, but I didn't have any complaints about it, to be honest. Whilst it's true that the uncle William I knew was an animal hater, I couldn't deny the fact that he looked really close to this one. And, in addition to that, it's been so much since the last time I saw him that I don't even know how much he's changed.
-Jacob, tell me what's on your mind right now.-he interrupted my thoughts in a serious voice at the same time as he cupped the dog's face and "scolded" him-You do know I can see clearly through you, don't you?
At that moment, an instinctive fear invaded my body as he made a gesture that reminded me of the old days: El pica costillas. It wasn't even an official name or anything, that was just the name that my mother gave it. Its meaning? It literally translates to "the ribs toucher" (or something like that).
-Something's been on your mind since you woke up, and I recall telling you to not hide anything from me, remember?-he said as he moved his finger closer to the left side of my body.
I attempted to run away by moving to the right side of the bed, but due to the kid's body and my own weakened state, I wasn't able to do much. I trembled in fear when I saw him getting closer and closer, begging him to stop something that he didn't even do yet. All I could do was watch his finger slowly approaching, and the only option left was to accept my fate.
BZZZT
The imitation of an electric sound came out of my uncle's body as his big finger poked my ribs. A tingling quickly ran through my body, and because of that, I squirmed like a bug, contorting into a weird pose.
-Ready to speak or do I have to do it again?-he threatened with his index finger up.
It hasn't even been an hour since I woke up, so why is he so eager to know? Was it because Layla or the kid told him something? I mean, both of them were unconscious the last time I saw them, but if Kat was able to wake up, then that must mean that Layla may be awake too, right?
-So?
-I'm ready! I'm ready!-I yelled in fear, his finger only a few milimeters away from my body.
-Good.-my uncle laughed before withdrawing his hand and crossing his arms-Now go, I'm listening.
I moved to accommodate my position into a more comfortable one, and once there, I took a deep breath and began speaking.
-How… How are you here?
-What do you mean? It's obviously because I'm the strongest person in The Land.
-No, no. I mean like, how in hell are you here? I'm pretty sure I attended your funeral.
-Oooohhhh… that…-he laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head-Haha… that was just… that was a big lie, haha…
My jaw dropped at that statement. A big lie? Just a big lie?
-So you're telling me that me and my dad cried over your death and to you it's just a "big lie"?! It sounds almost as if you were saying "chill buddy, it was all a prank."
-Ok, ok… Let's just calm down…
-Calm down?!-I claimed, breaking in tears-I literally thought you were underground, so how the fuck are you standing in front of me right now?!
Uncle William got taken aback by my words and reaction and immediately tried to calm me down. His words however, didn't have the effect he expected, so he just made me even more mad.
-What am I supposed to do right now? Hello dead uncle! Oh! How's life been?! Are you doing well? We haven't spoken in ages because you were FUCKING DEAD!
-I did not have any other option!
-Yes, you did! You could've done anything you wanted, but at least tell us, godammit! How do you think it feels to lose your mother and a couple of years later, you lose your dear uncle?!
-Enough!-he yelled, alarming both Dani and the kid, who woke up because of our argument-All of this has an explanation, but I refuse to do it without your father present!
A sudden silence overcame the room as he finished uttering those last words. For a moment, I forgot that my uncle was the only one there who didn't know about my father's death, and he was obviously confused after seeing both the kid's and my reaction.
BUMP BUMP BUMP
Out of nowhere, a set of clumsy steps emerged from the same hallway where the big dog came. One, two. One, two. One, two… and the steps went on as they got closer and closer. We all stared at the door, expecting to see who was making that noise, and when we saw a hand holding the door frame, everyone let out a gasp.
-Can you guys shut it?-Layla said weakly while supporting herself on the wall.
Everyone in the room got surprised when we saw her, standing fiercely as her eyes dared us to go against her word. With a big effort, she took a step into the room and, with her ragged breath, she spoke again.
-He's dead, Willy… I don't know how, but he died… Now, please, just let me sleep in pea-
Right there, at that moment, she fell spent on the floor, causing a loud bang to come from it. An awkward silence quickly filled up the air in the room, and due to it, everyone's loud heartbeats could be heard clearly.
Nobody dared to make a move, nobody knew how to react either. The only one who was brave enough to make a move was Dani, who walked slowly towards Layla and licked her hand gently.