Grandma stayed quiet for a moment.
She looked at Alvaro with that disappointed-but-I-still-love-you kind of face—eyebrows slightly furrowed, lips pressed together, like she was asking herself if this was really her grandson sitting in front of her.
She held his gaze for a few seconds, then finally turned back to the school counselor.
"Alright. Thank you for the information," she said politely, though her voice carried a certain weight.
"Of course, Ma'am," the counselor replied.
Grandma stood up, moving slowly but firmly. Naturally, Alvaro did too.
He followed her out of the room, trying to read her expression from the side, but her face was like stone—calm, yet unreadable.
The walk out of school felt like walking behind a ticking time bomb.
And honestly, her silence was way scarier than if she had just yelled at him.
---
A few minutes later, they arrived home.
Grandma closed the door and walked straight to the living room. She didn't even take off her scarf yet. Instead, she turned around, arms crossed, and looked straight into Alvaro's eyes.
"Be honest with me, Alvaro," she began, her voice low but sharp. "Why did you do that? I never taught you to hurt a woman."
Alvaro shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry, Grandma… She kept sticking to me, following me everywhere. I felt so uncomfortable, and I—uh—accidentally dropped a glass on her hand."
"Accidentally?" Grandma raised one eyebrow slowly.
"That's not what I heard."
They both sat down—Grandma in her favorite chair, Alvaro on the sofa across from her.
The room was heavy with tension. Outside, two stray cats were in the middle of a dramatic street fight, their angry hisses echoing through the window.
Then, out of nowhere, Grandma broke the silence.
"I'm giving you a punishment."
Alvaro sat up a little straighter. "Okay… I'm ready. What is it?"
Her tone was calm—too calm.
"I'm cursing you. You'll live as a girl for one year. And I'll be transferring you to a new school."
Alvaro blinked several times.
"...H-ha? W—WAIT, WHAT?!"
"Tomorrow morning," Grandma continued casually, "you'll wake up as a girl. So you can feel what it's like to be a girl… and so you'll never repeat this mistake again."
Alvaro's jaw dropped. "You're joking… right? Ha... ha...?"
His laugh came out more like a squeak.
"Does my face look like I'm joking?"
Alvaro stared for a long second. "...No… but… wait—ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
"Very serious."
He threw his hands in the air. "Come on, Grandma! You can't just say something like that and expect me to believe—"
"Believe it or not," she interrupted, standing up, "it's happening. And I'll make sure you understand exactly what girls go through every single day."
Alvaro slumped back into the sofa, muttering under his breath.
"This has to be the weirdest punishment in history…"
---
But then…
Grandma suddenly pulled out a notebook and started scribbling.
"What are you doing?" Alvaro asked.
"Making a list of things you'll need when you're a girl," she replied without looking up. "Skirts, hair ties, some cute handbags—oh, maybe a pink one—"
"WAIT! Pink?! No way!" Alvaro jumped from the sofa. "At least make it black, like… cool black!"
Grandma smirked. "Black? No. I'm thinking glitter pink. With ribbons."
Alvaro froze, hand on his forehead. "…This is worse than prison."
Grandma didn't even blink. "Don't worry, dear. I'll also teach you how to walk in heels."
"HEELS?!"
"Of course. You have a whole year to master them."
Outside, the cats stopped fighting—probably because even they couldn't believe what they were hearing.
The room had gone completely still after her shocking declaration.
Alvaro sat frozen, his mind replaying her words over and over like a scratched record. His grandmother had spoken so casually, as if turning her grandson into a girl for a year was no different than telling him to take out the trash.
He opened his mouth to argue again, but no words came out. The silence between them thickened, heavy enough to feel like it was pressing against his skin. Somewhere outside, a stray cat let out a long, annoyed yowl before going quiet again.
The old clock on the wall ticked steadily, each second hammering into his ears.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Then—
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The sound jolted both of them.
It was sharp, almost impatient, as if whoever stood outside couldn't wait another second.
Alvaro's head snapped toward the door. "You expecting anyone?" he whispered.
His grandmother didn't answer. She rose from the sofa, her slippers scraping against the wooden floor with a slow, deliberate rhythm. Alvaro watched as she approached the door, hand hovering for a moment before turning the knob.
The door creaked open just enough to reveal the dimly lit porch.
Empty.
A cool night breeze swept in, carrying the faint scent of wet grass and the distant sound of someone's TV.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to pause—
Then the sound of quick, tiny footsteps pattered away, followed by a high-pitched giggle fading into the darkness.
His grandmother's shoulders slumped slightly, though her face remained unreadable. She shut the door with a quiet click and turned back toward him.
"Neighbor's brat," she muttered. "Likes to knock and run. Thinks it's funny."
Alvaro blinked, incredulous. "Wait… so some random kid just banged on our door in the middle of the night, laughed like a cartoon villain, and ran?"
Her lips twitched, but she didn't laugh. "Pretty much."
Alvaro threw his arms up. "Great! I'm about to be magically cursed for an entire year, and now neighborhood kids are auditioning for the role of 'Annoying Sound Effect' in my life."
He slumped back into the sofa, letting his head fall against the cushion. The quiet returned, but now it felt different—thicker, heavier, with a weird mix of tension and absurdity. It was the kind of silence that made you unsure whether to laugh or scream.
His grandmother sat down again, folding her hands neatly in her lap. She studied him for a long moment, her gaze as steady as the ticking clock.
Then she leaned forward ever so slightly.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Alvaro sat up. "…What?"
"If you tell anyone you've turned into a girl," she said slowly, "the curse will become permanent. No exceptions."
His jaw dropped. "Permanent?! As in, forever?!"
Her expression didn't change. "Exactly. So choose your words wisely, Alvaro."
The clock ticked again. The cat outside yowled once more. And Alvaro's heart sank to his stomach.