Hidden and sought

We (a childhood pal and me) started out last night for the proverbial night walk around the periphery of my surburb. Its a bug that bites us every few months but no sooner did we step out than the rain came down in torrents. After seeking shelter in a garage we some how got reminising about our childhood in the building. Its astonishing how clear our memories got once the rain washed away age old cobwebs.

Some days ago this friend (my nightwalk partner) spotted me with a school friend of mine (read single), leaving home. He asked me yesterday night, "so how is she?" Of course after a certain age, you treat these questions with caution, because the inevitable follows, but he foxed me this time, by further asking....

"So when is she coming back to complete her den??" I was flummoxed. "Her Den????" It all came rushing back to me, drenching me instantly and I was 8 again and we were playing hide-n-seek.

We were a handful of kids, the eldest being around 15-16 (very old at that time!) and we always played rowdy boy games, being the minority. So once in a way a hide-n-seek game happened. But that too on their (boys really!) terms.

Which meant THE BOYS would decide on one person to give the 'den' all evening or afternoon or all day if it came to that. And what was the breaking point? Either THE BOYS decide to call it a day or the 'denner' (see how it rymes with sinner?) breaks and sobs and cries and bawls - any would do...

Of course most of us in the building passed the acid test and came out shining but our friends and cousins who came to the building did not get away so easily. And my friend was one of them. But here I am compelled to defend her. She did give her 'den' till sunset and it was time to go home. I think the regret was that they could not make her cry.

So now he still holds her upto that 'den' and I keep wondering how it would be if we all got together to play hide-n-seek. Sigh! Its a pain to be a grownup.