Now that I am older with my own children, I often think back to childhood when my siblings and I were so closely connected.  We fought like cats and dogs, but we also stood up for one another when times got tough.  It wasn't easy growing up with three brothers and a sister, and I would imagine we sometimes drove my mother crazy with all of our growing pains, but we came through life okay along with the mud balls, acorn fights, and somersaults on the living room furniture.  As kids, we loved playing Hide and Go Seek outside in the dark.  Here is one of my own recollections of a game that didn't end quite the way I thought it should have.

Deep shadows hid scary, fanged creatures among the trees.  I knew they waited for someone to be alone in the dark.  I heard the rustling of their furry bodies while I lay hidden amongst the corn stalks in the vegetable garden.  I knew if I didn't move a muscle, I would be safe.  My brothers were looking for me and I had found the perfect hiding spot for Hide and Go Seek.

We lived in an old farmhouse surrounded by hundreds of oak trees.  It wasn't our house really, but belonged to an old, grumpy farmer who seemed to always yell at us whenever he stopped by to check on his cattle.  I suppose he didn't appreciate the fact that hay is really fun to play on when you use a sled.

We rented the house, but out of all the places I had lived in over the years, this place could really be called 'home'.  The oak trees gave plenty of shade in the summer, with huge amounts of ammunition for acorn fights and loads of leaves to jump in during the fall months.  These same trees made excellent shadows for hiding in at night during Hide and Seek.  We discovered quite quickly that it was important to wear only dark clothing when playing that game.  Whenever I was "IT", it took forever to find my brothers, as they always managed to find really good hiding places and reach base before I could tag them.  But tonight, I had them beat!  I decided to hide on my belly between the corn rows in the garden.  It was so dark that no one would think to look here.  I had to cover my mouth to stifle the giggles as I watched my brothers run back and forth across the yard looking and getting more frustrated.  I guess they are behind the house because it is so quiet.  Suddenly, I heard a low, strange growl while the corn leaves rustled in the slight summer breeze.  There it was again!  Certain that a monster was about to attack, I jumped from my hiding place.  Surely my brothers had heard the noise too!  I ran screaming for the door of the house and dashed inside.  There, I found my three brothers calming sitting in front of the television, watching a comedy show.  All three had been inside for the last half hour.  Having given up looking, they forgot about me while watching television.  Relieved, but still a little scared about the noise in the corn rows, I sat down to join them.  But I never found out what that noise was.