My fondest memory is the first time I played a game of hide and seek.

As large, wooden doors creaked behind and with a quick glance towards the grandfather clock in the adjacent room before the doors closed and blanketed the area in a black shroud of darkness, the race began. I scanned the immediate area, only to be left with disappointment upon locating nothing suitable. Only the tick-tocking of the grandfather clock served to remind me of the task at hand. Each step was swift and precise as I searched my way through the dimly lit hallways of the mansion that seemed almost like a complex maze one could never find their way out of. Which way was I supposed to go? There were so many options. Each second spent thinking was another wasted, consumed by the constant, yet slow passage of time I could never get back as it made my heart thump increasingly harder while time ticked itself into oblivion.

Flickering candles overhead and upon candelabras on nearby tables provided little solace in the encroaching darkness as I reached for and grasp a nearby handrail of sleek, finished wood to cling onto for safety as it guided my body down a flight of stairs. Creak...the sound of aging boards echoed against the walls and rang in my ears, but was soon replaced by a deafening silence upon reaching the depths of the basement. It appeared as a foreign environment once its vast, open halls were deprived of light. Instead, the dark’s embrace crept forth and clung tightly around my body, leaving me destitute of the calming light I had begun to miss so dearly.

Rubbing my eyes, I steadily became adjusted to the darkness that blanketed the area as I guided my hand along the smooth, cold stone walls to ease my way through a corridor that seemingly stretched for miles and towards a room in the far distance that resided in the very depths of the basement. Step after step, foot after foot until I crept up to and peered just past an overarching doorway. Scanning the room, a table nearby draped in a regal tablecloth proved suitable for my needs - to which only time would tell if I had made the right decision. My diminutive stature allowed me to merely lift the cloth to allow myself underneath and into the void within.

GONG!

The clock beckoned. I curled myself up into a ball underneath my safe haven to await my fate and listened for footsteps that quickly proved futile over the hammering in my chest. It was not until my eyes darted towards a stream of light pouring underneath the long cloth overhanging the table that made me freeze in fear.Time seemed to stop as footsteps grew louder and ever closer. Soon enough, slender fingers snaked underneath to grab hold and remove the cloth from the table. Light burst forth, temporarily blinding me before my sight readjusted to the visage of my dear friend. “Found you, Popu! Now it’s your turn.”

After that, we took turns finding each other until we were both ready to fall asleep!

I would like a Gaelicap please!