Behind the Shed

@ Alejandro Aguirre

Written by Emma Mathes

Photo by Alejandro Aguirre

Mother was counting to 30 and I didn’t have much time to think. I needed a new place to hide soon or she would get bored and I would have to play by myself again. The stakes were high only subconsciously, but I felt them at age seven.

With overgrown weeds and a forest beckoning me to explore, it might seem like the options were endless. But, at least five years of hide and seek later, and the choices become predictable.

So maybe we try predictable, and outsmart Mother? Ten seconds left and the choice was clear.