The Perfect Hiding Spot…Maybe…
Gail held her breath hoping she would not be found.
Gail laid as still as she could, careful to be as quiet as possible. This was no easy task in the big red barn as it was full of all her favorite animals and they always greeted her!
But she knew, she had to be invisible if she was to have a chance at this year’s fly-fishing trip. Grandpa Oscar wanted to catch fish and that was “no place for noisy nonsense” as he always said.
They had set the game area from the pond to the house and as wide as the horse pastures to the goat fields. She was determined to last until the dinner bell this year.
Further away from the house was much more open and while it did have some great areas for hiding, the faster kids always got there first. She knew she did not have a chance to hide among the hay.
The geese started honking. Someone was coming.
The farm animals gave away where anyone was at any time. Olivia, Gail’s mom, would just look out into the fields and see where the birds were flying or if the cows all started in a new direction to find one of her children.
Olivia knew her farm and cherished the summer days when the kids were done with chores and were able to play in the fields. She thought that was one of the best ways to learn. She sometimes would join them in their games. Not today though. Today she was preparing a big feast for the full moon. It was a tradition that her family has done for generations. The long summer days were hot, but on full moon nights the cool sky was still lit enough to see and have a party. It was also prime fly-fishing weather.
Gail heard the voices of her older cousin Sam and his best buddy Erik. They were getting close. The two of them lead the hunt for the others. They had balloons filled with diluted paint. At the end of the day they would count how many people were tagged in yellow, which Sam’s color, blue, which was Erik’s color, or in red which was everyone else’s color.
Once tagged you were allowed to help find everyone else. This also made it harder to hide as you did not want to have others see where you were hiding.
Gail was confident in her hiding spot. She knew that even if then came into the barn, they would not find her. It was her gift of being able to calm the animals that she relied on to not give her up.
“How many do we have left?” Erik asked.
“I am not sure how many are hiding today,” Sam replied. All of the kids in the family and neighboring farms played these summer games. “I know we haven’t caught my cousin yet. She likes to stay closer to the house. Lets check the barn.”
Gail’s heart was pounding!
“I poked my head in there earlier,” Erik bellowed.
He was starting to turn away. Gail was smiling so much it was hard to contain herself.
“Gail is sneaky, she is really good at hiding.” Sam whispered back.
In that moment, the barn door creaked open. Light poured in the barn. Most of the dark corners were visible.
Sam walked past the stalls and heard the faintest shuffle in the hay. He turned and did not see anything. Though, the lambs that were in the stall were more active than normal. It was usually their afternoon nap time. Then he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw something blue. That was enough of a target for him. He threw his balloon. Even if slightly off, when the balloons hit they pop and send his victory yellow color on anything nearby.
Sure enough the balloon burst open and out stumbled Bobby.
“Gotcha!” Sam laughed with glee.
“Awe man,” Bobby pouted. “The babies gave me away!”
“Don’t be a baby!” Erik teased.
“Anyone else in here ya think?” Sam asked.
“I didn’t see or hear anyone” Bobby reported.
It was true. He didn’t.
Gail had snuck in before Bobby. She climbed up—no one ever thinks to look up. And she hid in the rafters.
After the three of them left, Gail let out a large sigh of relief. Now she knew she could wait out the last hour before the dinner bell. She peeked through the bird hole at the top of the barn and saw the boys walk away.
She had made it. This year she was going to go on her first moonlight fishing trip!
About the Creator
SheRockScience
I'm a freelance science communicator.
I write, illustrate, do graphic design, & produce videos.
I make science more accessible to everyone, after years of conducting my own PhD research.
Come explore life with me!
https://SheRockScience.com
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.