Stories

Where’s Alan?
By Julia A. Keirns

“18,19,20. Ready or not, here I come,” hollered Amy. She knew Alan would be easy to find. He was only two years old and would usually laugh and give himself away. Amy would always find him right away, but she would pretend not to see him. “Where’s Alan?” she would ask, and he would giggle in a corner somewhere.

Alan’s usual hiding spots were easy ones. Behind Daddy’s blue recliner chair was his favorite. But he wasn’t there this time. Sometimes he would hide under the table. He wasn’t there either.

Amy looked all over the house. She looked behind the rocker, behind the couch, beside the refrigerator, and in the tub. No Alan.

“Alan?” she hollered. “I give up. Come out, come out, wherever you are.” But there was no answer. She heard no giggles. She looked on the front porch, and she looked in the hall closet. No Alan.

“Mommy?” said Amy.

“Yes, honey?”

“Have you seen Alan?”

“No, I haven’t,” said Mommy. “Aren’t you playing hide and seek?”

“Yes, we are, but I have looked everywhere and I can’t find him.”

“Well, he has to be here somewhere,” said Mommy. “Why don’t you go look again.”

Amy looked behind the tall laundry basket, and in the laundry basket. She looked under the desk. Still no Alan.

“Alan?” she hollered, “did you go upstairs? You know we don’t hide upstairs,” she said.

I bet he is under my bed, she thought, as she tip-toed up the stairs. Her room was the first one at the top. She opened the door and looked under her bed, then she looked in her closet. No Alan.

Mommy and Daddy’s room was next. They were not supposed to play in there, but Alan was too young to remember the rules. She looked under their bed and in their closet. No Alan.

Where could he be? she wondered. He had never hidden this good before.

Alan’s bedroom was last. Maybe he went in there, she thought.

“Alan, are you in here?” she said quietly, as she sneaked inside. She looked behind the door. Her heart was pounding because she thought he might jump out at her and scare her. But he wasn’t there. She snuck over to his bed, and expecting him to be under it, she picked up the covers and said, “Boo!” But he was not under the bed.

Disappointed and frustrated, she plopped down onto his bed. Just then she felt something move under the covers! “I found you,” she said as she yanked the covers back. Sure enough, there was Alan, sound asleep in his bed.

Amy covered him up, gently kissed him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, “That’s okay, we will play again when you wake up.” Then she tip-toed out the door.

“Amy?” Mommy hollered.

“Yes?”

“Where’s Alan?”

Amy giggled. She knew where he was. She wondered if Mommy would have as much trouble finding him as she did.

**********

Storybird review – “What a sweet and cute story! I love the mounting concern that you wrote into your characters search. The ending was perfect as well. Excellent work!” Reviewed By SkyBluePurple

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *