“You found me. You haven’t caught me.” ~SweetShepherdSorey
What was the fun of hide and seek if you couldn’t get a little lost while playing?
Mikleo had been searching this old ruin for Sorey for at least half an hour now. It was only their third, maybe fourth time in the area, but already it felt like a part of home, no matter how many times Gramps told them to ‘stay away’ or at least to be ‘wary’ because ‘kids as young as they were could get hurt if they weren’t careful’. Careful. Of course. That was why Sorey was choosing a tight and obscure place to hide right now. Perhaps if they loved to read so much, they could’ve considered picking up a dictionary.
Not that Mikleo cared in that moment - he was far too excited by the aging architecture, he was focused on finding his friend and wherever he’d hidden himself away. The undergrowth, perhaps, or between thin stone walls? He’d already made a few intentional wrong turns in an effort to see new corners of this place, he’d already found an ancient looking stone with a symbol on it that he hoped to decipher with Sorey when the two of them got home.
He knew when he was close, though. Sometimes, Sorey left behind careless clues like footprints, but more often than not, Mikleo just saw a place and knew. ‘This looks like an area Sorey would choose to go.’ He stopped by the back entrance pillar and crouched slowly by a thicket that was larger than they were. Catching a glimpse of blue clothes hidden among the leaves, he gave a triumphant grin and a soft laugh as he said, “Looks like I win again.”
His laugh was echoed back to him before the leaves began to rustle. “You found me. You haven’t caught me!” And with that, Sorey burst from his hiding place and started sprinting back down the hill.
“Hey, who said you could change the rules?!” But Mikleo was giggling, and he felt a swell of confidence as he noted the pace he had to keep. Did Sorey really expect to outrun him? Get real. He pushed off the ruin wall and gave chase, as fast as he could go. Neither of them slowed down until they made it home, and neither of them stopped laughing.