It was sad to see the House I grew up in so empty and lonely. I never liked the of moving, but Mom got a job offering in the city and it was too far from our house. So that's why we moved.
Now I'm dragging box after box from the moving truck to the house. My parents tell my sister, Maria, and I to go do something while they unpack. "Oliver! Can we play hide and seek? Please!!" Maria always wants to play this game. We played it at the old house at least ten times a week. I sigh,"Fine go hide, I'll count here."
Maria squeals and runs off. I sit on the floor and start counting. 1, 2, 3, 4... How am I supposed to find her when I've only seen the house twice in pictures? 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15...
I continue to count until I get to fifty then I call out," Ready or not, here I come!" I walk around the first floor. I look behind doors, in cupboards, in the shower and even on top of the cupboards. I decide that she went up stairs. I walk up there and check again behind doors, around corners, in the bath tub, in the bathroom cupboard but I don't see her.
"Okay, I can't find you... you win. Come out now." I wait for her to come out from right in front of me as she usually dose when I can't find her. She doesn't do this though. I wait a bit longer. I go back and check places over again.
No Maria looking things catch my eye. If I were a nine-year-old girl hide? I think. I walk over to where my mom was placing stuff in the kitchen. "Hey mom?" I ask. "Yeah hun..." she says looking up from the box she's digging in. " Have you seen Maria? We were play hide and seek and I can't find her..."
My mom frowns and shakes her head," Nope, haven't seen her. Ask your dad. I think he's getting the couch out of the truck." I nod and walk outside. I ask my dad if he's seen her. He said no as well. I look more and call her name a few more times.
I didn't know that that was the last time I would play hide and seek with Maria. That is because she never showed up that night. She didn't the next day, either. Or even the next week.
I guess sometimes people hide too well.