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else’s attention all the time. My sisters aren’t into playing with a dog, so Berti should be mine. But the fact is that Berti is nice to everybody . Every kid in our house thinks that Berti likes him or her best. Whoever gives Berti a bite of a burrito or tortilla is definitely her favorite human at that moment.
    Yet I’m the guy who has to take all the responsibility for her. I always have to feed her. I also have to clean up her messes in the yard, which is gross. This was the deal when my parents agreed to let us keep her.
    I’m tired of thinking about this. Berti is gone now, but like Mom said, she’ll be home when she gets hungry. The heck with her. I don’t even care if she comes back or not.
    Well, that’s not really true.
    I finally fall asleep again.
    I dream that I’m flying over Honduras, only it doesn’t look like Honduras. There are bright lights, like fireflies, only brighter. I soon recognize that the lights are coming from the little houses of La Rupa below me. Two wild parrots are flying next to me. One of them is so close that I can see his eye. It is bright and shiny and looks right back at me. It feels good to be so free.
    Suddenly there is a tremendous explosion, like the world is cracking in two. All the lights below me go out, and I can’t tell if I am flying or falling in the darkness. The wild parrots disappear. I hear a strange, distant sound of crying and moaning. In the darkness, just waking up from my dream, I am confused. The earth quivers under my bed.
    Juan cries out, “José!”
    I jump out of bed and grab Juan into my arms.
    The house seems to shake all around me.
    Is it really shaking, or is it just my legs?
    Is any of this real?
    Before I can get my bearings, there is a huge THUMP! and now I know that it’s not just me. It’s like a bomb went off.
    I stumble into the living room, still carrying Juan. Mom and the girls are here too. We have all managed to find one another in the dark.
    Mom asks with panic in her voice, “What is it? Is anyone hurt?”
    I answer, “Juan and I are okay.”
    â€œI’m all right,” Ángela says, “but it’s like the world is breaking apart!”
    â€œI’m okay,” María says.
    Mom says, her voice firm, “Nothing is breaking apart … we have to stay calm.”
    I make my way to the window and look out. There is a river of mud surrounding the house and covering the street as far as I can see in the darkness.
    I yell, “It’s a mudslide!”
    â€œOh God,” Mom says.
    I stare out the window again, looking as hard as I can. “The mud isn’t moving anymore. It’s stopped!”
    Mom says, “Everyone stay calm.” She shines a small flashlight on each of us. Juan, dressed in X Files underpants and a white T-shirt, reaches out to Mom, and she grabs him from me.
    Now voices outside are calling out for help. They grow louder and louder.
    â€œIs that Dad and Ruby?” Juan asks in a tiny voice.
    â€œNo,” I tell him. “It’s our friends—our neighbors.”
    I hurry back to my room and pull on my pants and a T-shirt. I grab my jacket and slip into my Nike high-tops.
    By the time I come out of my bedroom, Mom is standing at the front door with a larger flashlight. She hands it to me and says, “Be careful!”
    I look into her eyes, and I can tell how scared she is. I’m sure that she wants to tell me not to go out, but we both know that I have to. It’s what Dad would do and what Víctor would do too. My hands shake and my stomach flip-flops. For a second I just stand there, hoping Mom will tell me I can’t go.
    But she squeezes my hand and says, “Be careful, José!”
    â€œI will, Mom. I promise!”
    I open the door and step outside.

THREE

    It’s just drizzling now, but it’s still dark as I get ready to move off our front porch. My flashlight is useless, a