Hide and Seek

"Hide and seek, that's the game. I've thought up some rules. See if

you agree.

"I've got four lengths of rope. One of them is short. We'lldraw, and

whoever gets the short one will be it."

It. I've rarely heard a word sound so silly. Even Casey had to

"That's right, laugh. In this house that might not be as foolish as it

sounds. Am I right?"

We stopped laughing. One for Casey.

"Okay, then. Whoever's it will count to one hundred, then come after

us. The starting point might just as well be here. The idea is to

find us in the dark. No flashlights to be used at any time. All right

so far?

"Now. When we used to play this as kids, the first one to be found was

it again, and the whole thing started over. But that way it could go

on forever. I'm assuming we don't want to bother with that. Nobody

intends to spend the whole night here, right? On the other hand, with

a little good luck, one of us could get found in two minutes, which

doesn't make for much of a game. So I thought of a compromise.

"Whoever's it will take the ropes along. As soon as he or she finds

someone, he'll tie that person up as securely as possible and then come

looking for the others. When he or she finds the second person, same

thing. Bind 'em and then go looking for the third.