
Two boys are playing their favorite game of Hide N Seek. Will the boy find his friend in a timely fashion?
Lucas and Mateo are friends. They like to play. Today they played hide-and-seek inside the house. The house is old and big. It has many rooms. Sunlight comes in through two windows. It’s a cloudy day. It’s windy. The house creaks.
Matthew said, “I’ll count.” Luke smiled. He closed his eyes and put his hand over his mouth. Matthew closed his eyes and began to count very slowly. One, two, three… Matthew counted to twenty. Then he shouted, “Ready or not, here I come!”
Lucas ran. He looked for a good spot. He scanned the living room, the kitchen, and the hallway. Lucas’s heart was racing. He heard footsteps. He thought about hiding behind the sofa. But the sofa was big and easy to spot. No. He wanted a better spot. He wanted a spot where Mateo wouldn’t see him.
He went up the stairs. The stairs creaked. Mateo heard the creaking and looked up, but he didn’t see Lucas. Lucas opened a small door. It was a door to the attic. The attic was dark and smelled of dust. Inside, there was old furniture, boxes, and a broken lamp. There were cloths and a stepladder. Lucas took a deep breath. He went inside.
The attic was cold. A small light entered through a high window. The shadows were long. Lucas saw a large wooden wardrobe. The wardrobe was closed. There was a trunk beside it with a padlock. Lucas stepped inside the wardrobe. He closed the door carefully.
Inside, it smelled of old clothes. There were coats, hats, and a blanket. Lucas hid behind the coats and pressed himself against the wall. His chest rose and fell. He felt both fear and excitement.
Mateo looked downstairs. He looked in the living room. He opened the kitchen door. He didn’t see Lucas. He called out, “Lucas!” There was no answer. Mateo went into the hallway. He opened the bathroom door. He quickly closed it. He opened the closet.
He wasn’t there. Mateo frowned. He started up the stairs. The house seemed different. The walls seemed to breathe. The clock in the living room chimed. Tick, tock. Mateo felt as if time were moving slowly.
He entered the attic. Dust swirled with every step. Mateo turned on the light. The bulb flickered. A shadow flitted across the window in the wind. Mateo looked around. He looked at the boxes. He opened a box. An old toy fell out and made a noise. Mateo was startled. He said, “Lucas?” Only the echo answered. Everything was silent again.
Mateo approached the wardrobe. The door was closed. He placed his hand on the knob. It felt cold. He opened it slowly. Inside were coats, hats, and a blanket. He saw nothing. He was just about to close it when he noticed a thread of fabric sticking out.
There was a small child’s hand, barely visible among the coats. Mateo smiled. He thought, “I’ve got you now.” But he said nothing. He wanted to see if Lucas was holding still.
Lucas heard a faint noise. It was a soft footstep. His breathing slowed. He was afraid to move. The floorboards creaked again. Lucas thought about running away. He thought about screaming. But he also thought about the prank. He wanted the moment to be perfect. He wanted to give Mateo a playful scare.
Mateo looked inside again. He saw a small shoe sticking out. He was sure. He opened the door all the way. The light from the attic fell upon Lucas’s face. Lucas didn’t move. Mateo smiled and said loudly, “I found you!”
Lucas cried out in surprise and laughed at the same time.
He jumped out of the closet. The blanket fell. Dust flew. The two boys looked at each other. Mateo was relieved and happy. Lucas’s cheeks turned red. They laughed together. The scare turned into laughter.
They came down from the attic carefully. The sun was already lower. The shadows were shorter. The house became a normal house again. The two friends walked down the hallway. Lucas’s heart was still beating fast. Mateo gave him a pat on the back. They said, “Again?”
Lucas said, “Yes, again. But next time, I’ll hide better.”
And so they kept playing. The house guarded the secret of the attic. Every time the lights dim and the wind blows, the attic remembers the laughter of two friends and the sound of footsteps creaking in the night.




