When I was five years old, I was really into hide and seek. It wasn’t enough for me to play it with my friends, and at home, I used to forcefully invite my little brother to play it with me. Thanks to the clutter in the house, there was room for hiding even in our family’s tiny apartment.
Usually it was my brother who hid first, and I was the one to search him. I would close my eyes for ten seconds while my two-year old brother found a place to hide. I always knew where he was going to hide without seeing because it was always the same spot. But it didn’t matter. I still wanted to play the game with him.
After counting to ten, I would ask in a loud voice, “Are-you-ready?” Then there would be a ripple on the curtain and my brother would come out with a beaming smile saying “I-am-ready!” I told him many times not to come out until I found him, but at that age, he didn’t yet understand the rules of the game. In any case, this was always the first round of our hide and seek.
Then it was my turn to hide. While my brother closed his eyes and counted to ten, I searched for a most unexpected place to hide. Once, I climbed on a shelf behind a curtain that separated our kitchen from the main room. I was so happy that I had found such a perfect place to hide.
My brother finished counting and started to look for me, but he went to all wrong places in the house. “Where is she?” I heard him asking my parents after a while. “Oh, where is your sister hiding?” I giggled behind the curtain as I saw the silhouette of my brother and father passing in front of me. My brother was completely clueless about my whereabout, and I was so excited what was going to happen next.
A few minutes passed. Nobody came to find me. As I listened carefully behind the curtain, I heard my brother playing with my father. I jumped off the shelf and stormed out of the curtain. “Why are you not searching me?” I asked my brother. “You’re supposed to be searching me!” to which my father gently commented, “I’m afraid it was a bit too difficult for him, sweetheart.” I didn’t say anything. I was disappointed that the game had an incomplete ending. But I didn’t see the point in getting mad at the situation either. So, I reluctantly accepted the end of our hide and seek, and moved on to play something else with my brother.