*Footsteps on the dark brown wooden floors.

 

“7” a voice counted. From afar in the kitchen.

“6” doors creaking.

“5” a boy freaking out not knowing where to hide.

 

“4”

‘under the bed?’

 

“4.5”

 

“3”

‘inside the closet?’

 

“3.5”

 

“2”

‘mehehehe’ the counting kid laughs internally.

 

“1!” I turned around running up the stairs. Skipping all the 3 flights because my legs are long enough now that I am 8 years old.

 

“Eh?” I stumbled as the foyer was dark. 

“This is cheating! No turning off the lights!” stomping to the light switch and jumped a few times.

Struggling to turn it on.

 

“Kikikiki” another voice came. It sounds so close. Could it be near?

Pap! The lights .

I ran to the sofa and peeked behind it. “One! I found one!”

 

“Urghh” the girl groaned.

“Now help me find others. Do you know where they are?” 

“How can I know. We all are in hiding” 

 

“If you tell me I will buy you chocolates tomorrow” I smirked.

“In Aunt’s room” the girl, Yue whispered slowly.

 

“Two! I found you!” I grinned as I found the second kid, Freddy inside the closet. All thanks to Yue’s leaked information.

Now all left are two more kids and one sneaky adult.

 

The youngest kid, Ally bailed out because she is scared of the dark and wanted to pee.

“I will only allow you to pee if you tell me where is Mike”

The little girl cried and pointed to the drawer not far from them “Behind me! I want to pee!”

 

“Wait here!” I instructed. Walking to peek behind the drawer and see her brother hiding there. 

“Four! I found you!” I screamed as I found Mike.

The boy just groaned and put up his hand. Signing defeat.

 

Ally suddenly cried “I wanna pee!”

“Go then” Mike said. Nonchalantly.

“I’m scared!”

And the 4 kids are stuck having to wait for the youngest one.

“Ahh we have to find Uncle now. I am so hungry” Yue growled.

“I can find Uncle Joe easily. And then we’ll eat” the seeker, Kid said Proudly.

 

As the youngest finished her business they went on a team walk, finding the last hidden person.

Their Uncle Joe.

 

The 5 kids searched here and there.

Until Yue heard a loud thud. And screamed.

“There!!” they ran to the figure.

“Uncle Joe!!”

 

The kids chased the figure when the figure suddenly stopped running. He was doing his own parkour session. Making the kids scattered around panting trying hard to catch him.

 

He laughed and even pushed the eldest kid, Mike away.

“You can’t catch me!”

 

The youngest, Ally stumbled upon him and trying slap his calf. “Found you!”

I run as fast as possible to jump and slap Uncle Joe “Found you!”

That is the sweetest taste of victory against Goliath.

 

The kids were swaying their feets. Waiting for their Uncle to finish cooking them his so-called secret recipe fried rice.

 

And as they were about to dig into the meal, a hoarse voice stopped them.

“Have you all kids recite your prayer yet?” he put down the car keys. A lady smiles from behind him.

“Grandpa!!” the kids screamed.

“Grandma!!”

 

“Ayye where’s my cheer?” Uncle Joe asked.

“You will get none because you cheated during the game” Freddy grumbled.

“I didn’t cheat”

“Yes you did. You jump jump jump and run.” Yue rolled her eyes.

 

“What game are you kids playing?” Grandpa asked.

“Hide and seek” I gladly answered.

 

 

They went to the living room spending times together. Ended up fighting for remote control only to be nagged by their Grandma.

 

“Tonight is Channel 2”

Yue protested “But Channel 2 only show religious show!”

“Yes. And we’re watching that tonight” Grandma stood affirmed.

“But you just get back from mosque”

“And?”

It's Grandma's house, Grandma's rules.

 

The kids lost and soundly went to dreamland after 30 minutes of the religious show without washing their feets or even brushing their teeths.

 

I was, however, still awake. Poking their Grandpa’s arm.

“Yes kiddo what is it?”

“Can you take me to buy chocolate tomorrow?” I asked.

Grandpa smiles and ruffles the little Kid’s hair “Of course I can”

 

The next day came and as usual, the morning is always noisy of their bickering and Ally desperate crying.

Grandpa poked my shoulder, "Let's go get your candies"

We shared our sneaky smiles and walked out the house carefully.

Grandpa started his motorcycle only after we were out of the gate.

 

The wind was blowing hard in the little Kid's face. Teeth shown full. Trying to 'eat' that cold wind. It's a total bliss. Pure enjoyment. And that little me love every moment of it.

 

The trip was a success as I confiscated tonnes of candies for all 5 of them. And extra ice cream for the grandparents.

 

"Only eat one candy a day" Grandma warned them.

But of course, none of them listened to her.

 

Days later.....
 

Kid and Freddy sneaked out from the house and went to their backyard.

There was a pile of trash dumped at the wide yard before what was once a tobacco field.

“Where will you put it?” Freddy asked. Holding a small box of firecrackers. The size of a matchbox.

Kid looked around and found a perfect spot.

This one will surely blow out with a loud bang.

“There” I pointed to an old box.

Freddy shrugged and gave the firecrackers at his cousin.

“1…..2…..3…..” the two kids ran away as I put the firecracker inside the old television.

 

"Whoaaaaa” the two kids were astonished with the loud sound. Amazed by their genius discovery.

Until a very familiar footsteps rushed towards them.

 

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING??” he rolled his sleeves, fuming at the two kids. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

Thick smoke coming out the old television.

 

“What the…..”

“It’s loud isn’t it?” Kid grinned. Puffing up chest. Beind proud.

“WHAT IF THE TELEVISION BROKE AND THE GLASSES SHATTERED INTO YOUR EYES??” he pinched the two kid’s ears. Causing them to yelp in pain.

“BUT IT DIDN'T SHATTERED! AND IT'S ALREADY BROKEN!!” Kid defended themselves.

“Well it could!!”

 

The two were nagged for one whole day.

(Still, I am proud of the loud bang the old tv made. Dope!)

 

A coconut leaf fell onto the ground.

“Race on!!” 

 

The kids froze when their Grandpa stared at them. 

They gulped.

‘We’re dead’

 

And of course, Grandpa walked to the LEAST naughty of them three, Kid.

He pulled the leaf and laughed as I screamed “Grandpa it’s too fast!!!”

He dragged the kid for 3 rounds before dragging the other two.

It was the surf of our life.

They are faster than Schumacher and no Ferrari can overtake their Grandfather.

Welp, maybe their Grandmother can as she ran so fast when the youngest of them fell sick.

 **********

 

Years passed and they all grew older. Taken away from each other but still close as ever. Going back to the grandparents house, I took my time circling around the house. The green grass decorating the front yard and the trees guarding each corner of the compound are all welcoming me home.

It's the same house, the same trees, the same people and the same time. But it felt different. Vastly different. I took off my shoes and walked into the house. Carrying my bags and decided to take a little rest on the upper floor. 

The phone beeping of notifications and as I took it out my pocket, my earphones dangling out.

'Maybe I should hear some song'. Opening up the Spotify, I clicked on the shuffle and seconds later instruments started playing.

 

"An empty street
An empty house
A hole inside my heart
I'm all alone
The rooms are getting smaller"

 

The wooden floor felt so cold as I lay down. Bored, lonely and bored. I was all alone inside the house as the others went somewhere else. The sunrays glimmering from the window at the side of the hallway shine upon my body. Soon, my body temperature rises as time goes by. This room, it used to be so wide and spacious. But as I grew older, somehow it felt like the room shrinks. All the cabinets I couldn't reach, I could reach it now. All the light switches that were once up so high is just a simple reaching. Time changes, so does people.

 

"I wonder how
I wonder why
I wonder where they are
The days we had
The songs we sang together"

 

I realised it now of how much I've grown; Behind your eyes. I wonder if you still remember all the days we had together? Because I still do. Very