The early morning Saturday sunlight made it through the glass windows as our family gathered to say their prayers. Sammy wasn't too excited when it came to family gatherings. He felt it was a time when members pretended the most as no found delight in being a party pooper. For me it was bliss, everyone around me was a familiar face so it felt comfortable. I couldn't wait for it to be over, it was a weekend so we did what kids our age do…scavenging. We ransacked old property and belongings hoping to find useful objects or toys to convert. Sammy and I alongside the rest of the crew cracked their knuckles in anticipation, Little did I know today's adventure would last a lifetime.
As soon as the formalities were over, we ran off to the basement in excitement. "Let's gather all the papers we find too, we could make paper mache", said Sammy as we headed down the dark stairs. Sammy was always the leader of the squad as he was the eldest. We followed his ideas since he believed he knew better. The adventure had continued for almost an hour and the crew was exhausted and almost dry on ideas. "We should play hide and seek", sammy said in a shaky voice. He too was mentally exhausted. I hated that game but decided to participate anyway. "I'll do the first counting", dragged Daniel. He was the fourth of five boys, definitely an old soul with so much charisma at a young age. He had light features for facial outlines, and enjoyed clinging to the elders. He was my favorite sibling, we got along well for reasons unknown to me at the time. I didn't give much to it being a youngster, it was more about living each day as it came and being happy, no responsibilities. It was easy to live a happy life when you had none anyway.
The crew fled in different directions at the sound of Daniel's voice. "1…2…3", he shouted determined to land his first kill. I was in a limbo. Where do I hide? I was dealing with a little gangster, a smart one in baby skin. I feared him cos he seemed to be able to read minds. I stared hard at the walls of the basement. I wanted to hide differently, a place where the little genius will not predict. Right behind him was an old shelf with few books, Dusty and spacious. It lay on it's back so I could easily fit into the empty horizontal shelves. It was risky, I had chosen a spot behind the grim reaper. Any sound and It would be over. I snuck quietly, his voice was of great help as he carelessly raised it. This gave me an edge as I climbed into the space. The shelf of my choosing had about eight dusty books on them. Termites or rats had gotten the best of it some crumbled to dust as it came in contact with my feet. I slowly fit myself in before the counting came to an end. "19…20!".
I could hear his small feet drumming off in the distance. I heaved a sigh of relief and took a deep breath, "I will be happy man if I can win the first round", I thought to myself. A few moments later, he had found most of the crew. Sammy was still missing and so was i. I wished in my thoughts that sammy would make a mistake and get caught, he seemed better at hide and seek than everyone else, maybe his age had given him the edge, I was smart too and resilient. I wasn't willing to loose this round. The search went on and my feet grew weary and uncomfortable. An old book got in the way of my feet and comfort. Quietly, I directed my fingers carefully to avoid making a sound. The shelf was a dark one so I had to careful with movement. My hands had wrapped itself around the book with a slow as it shedded it's paper leaves and dust.The book had no cover on it, so I looked at the edges of the book hoping for a clue but I got none. It was peeled beyond guessing…I gave up. Going through the contents was the only way out of my curiosity. Looking at the first page, it was obvious that the book had lost about eight to ten page. I began reading. Reading would maintain my position and keep myself longer in the unsuspected shelf that no one had bothered to check.
Few pages in and I could see triangular diagrams, some found within circles. "Interesting..". I thought to myself. I wasn't a fan of maths but this seemed different as I went through the contents. It spoke about Western Astrology and Numerology and how they applied to each being. It was fascinating, what I had found sent tingles all over me. Acquiring knowledge was my favorite and I had found a greater adventure in a book or so I thought to myself. All I knew was the excitement my curiosity brought. Minutes later, the search continued and no sign of Sammy. I wasn't ready to give up so I maintained my position with my new companion. The crew members who had been caught decided to join the search as they grew worried. "Wait!", said Daniel as he broke the silence, he walked slowly around the shelf as he mentioned…" we haven't searched here!". They all nodded in agreement as they ransacked the cupboards. There I lay squeezed in like a prawn on a plate, ready to be served. I gave a dry chuckle as I stepped out of the shelf. When sammy heard I had been caught, he came out of nowhere grinning from ear to ear. He was the legend, he had won it as he did with everything. He was an overachiever and an extremist only when it came to his siblings. "Hey boys!", came madre's voice from the kitchen…"Food is ready!". It was my favorite phrase, and that of my siblings. We shuttled up the basement headed for the living room when I realized I'd left my treasure behind. I made it back to the basement at the same pace with excitement. I had lost the hide and seek game but won a greater adventure…The truth.