Growing up in the middle of nowhere, half of my friends had parents that were freakily religious and half of my friends had parents who were hippies. Hide-and-seek was the go to game because there was nothing about it that was an affront to God and it didn’t bite into anybody’s screen time, didn’t involve gambling, didn’t have many rules, could be played by any number of children. As I said, I was from the middle of nowhere and this game was often played in the middle of nowhere at night. Instead of sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching Beetlejuice like normal children, we were climbing into the far stall of abandoned barns and the top floor of structurally unsound houses no one had lived in since the 70s. We also loved flashlight tag, where you’re out if the seeker hits you with the beam of their flashlight. We’d all be standing in the pitch dark nothingness hiding behind trees barely breathing.
Also, I’m not a very competitive person. I was bad at hiding during both these games. I liked to be the seeker more than the hider so I’d let myself be found immediately so I could help search for the others. Picture this, it is a humid August evening in 2013 on a farm miles from anywhere, no light pollution, just the stars. You are 11 years old and you are totally alone looking for your friends who could be practically anywhere. You’re listening hard for giggling or the crackling of leaves. You hear something and turn your flashlight on, standing alone in the beam is me, the kid with the gay ass haircut and neon lime green knee high socks who won’t stop fucking cursing even around the adults.
