Hide and Seek

“Hey, WillWill.”

Will looks up from the Bakugan he’s been struggling to shape into a perfect sphere. “What?”

“You wanna play hide and seek?” Sam asks, certain there’s never been a better idea in the entire history of the world.

“Yeah!” Will shouts as he scrambles up from the kitchen floor. They both race into the kitchen powder room, the clatter of cowboy boots on the tile a deafening roar.

I keep one eye on the egg I’m frying and the other on their progress. It’s a tiny room, hardly 5′ x 5′, and I wonder just how well a game of hide and seek can be accomplished in such confines.

“I’ll be the counting guy!” Will shouts triumphantly. Or perhaps he isn’t shouting. It’s hard to tell as Will seems to try and make up for his tiny stature by always speaking as loudly as possible. Sam acquiesces happily, and takes up his place between the toilet and the wall.

“Ready?” Will asks.

“Yup,” Sam nods.

Will steps outside the door and places his face in a nearby corner. “One…two…three…” He makes it to eight before shouting, “Ready or not, here I come!” Two steps later he stands in front of Sam. “Ha! Ha! I found you!” They both break into happy giggles.

“My turn!” Sam says, overjoyed by how well his plan is working.

He  and Will exchange places by the toilet. “You ready?” he asks.

“Uh-huh. You be the counting guy now.”

Sam takes two steps, places his face in the corner, and proceeds to count all the way to 10 before “finding” Will. They repeat the process no less than six times. The uproarious giggling is undiminished by familiarity.

And then the moment passes. Will thinks of a new game to play in another room, and they gallop off to find Tom. I remember my egg, and turn my focus to breakfast.

But my thoughts keep circling back to two little boys and the tremendous amount of fun that was hiding in plain sight. I think I could learn something here.