Saturday, July 15, 9:00 PM. Garrett.

The girl woke up tonight when we were having supper.

Beth was fussing at the dinner table, crying and making noise, and we heard a sound from the couch. The girl was stirring, frowning her forehead and groaning a little. Mom ran over right away and started talking to her softly. Daniel ran over, shouting “Hermana!” and “Sofia!” The rest of us got up and moved closer, but kept our distance.

The girl tried to open her eyes but it was like she was looking into a bright light. She said, “¿Quién…?” Her voice was dry. She could barely speak. Daniel kept touching her and talking to her, and she smiled a little. He was crying but excited and we had to try to calm him down so he didn’t disturb her too much. She fell back asleep after a minute and is still sleeping. Coolidge has been cuddling with her, and we’re letting him. He has a way of comforting people when they hurt.

Mom says her waking up is a good sign. She think she might be okay. It’ll just take time.

Mom’s going to sleep on the floor beside the sofa again tonight.

It’s been so long since we’ve seen anyone else, it’s like we can’t believe it. How can there be other people, not members of my family, here inside our house? It’s awesome beyond our wildest dreams and yet also kind of scary somehow.

I’m glad we found them. It’s a miracle we found them when we did. I hope they’ll be okay.