One-Man Hide and Seek

One-Man Hide and Seek

       Last summer when Katelyn was 13, her friends were wondering what they could do for fun. One of her friends suggested the one-man hide and seek challenge. Katelyn was a bit hesitant. She’d heard of the game before and knew that it could potentially be dangerous. But everyone else was onboard, so she agreed to do it. One night, they met up at a park at 8 P.M. Together, the five friends walked to a nearby abandoned house that had been empty for years. There was dirty wallpaper hanging low from the walls and bits of glasses and wood covering the floor. The house had a very heavy atmosphere. Katelyn was sure her friends could sense it too, but they’re putting on a brave face. They stopped in what appeared to be the living room, and her friend pulled out her backpack with all the supplies; nail clippers, a piece of red thread, a sewing needle, a bag of uncooked rice, scissors, a bucket, bottles of water, salt, and of course, the doll. Katelyn couldn’t even look at the doll without getting shivers. It was one of those old ones that looked like a real baby, except it only had one eye. Then they began to prepare the game. First, they cut open the doll and filled it with the rice. Then they each clipped a fingernail and placed it inside the doll. This step binds you to it. Next, they sew the doll back up with a red thread, which represents blood vessels. They filled the bucket with water and submerged the doll. They each turned around and counted to 10. Then they took turns stabbing the doll with the scissors, repeating, “I found you Charlotte, you’re it.” Three times. By giving the doll a name, it makes the spirit stronger. And now, the game had begun. Everyone ran and split into two groups. Katelyn and her one other friend ran up the stairs and found a closet to hide in, where they sat in silence for what felt like hours. It was starting to look like their suspicions were correct and this game was just a bunch of… That’s when they heard very light footsteps coming up the stairs. The footsteps grew louder and louder. Closer and closer. With each step accompanied by a metal scrape. The sounds stopped right outside the closet. They covered their mouths to muffle their breathing. Katelyn felt a sharp pain in her foot. She screamed and pulled her foot back and saw the scissors sliding from side to side underneath the closet door. They screamed and pleaded it to stop. Silence. “Did that really just happen?” Katelyn asked. “Was that really Charlotte? Or was it one of our friends playing a prank on us?” her friend replied. When they finally composed themselves, they opened the door. No one was there and they didn’t wanna stick around long enough to see if they were wrong. They ran out of the house and back to their meeting spot at the park, where their other friends were already waiting. If they were playing a trick on them, could they have possibly run back here before them? “When did you get here?” Katelyn asked. “A while ago. We thought we heard footsteps coming down the hallway, so we jumped out a window and ran here as fast as we could,” Laurence said. “So, you’ve been here the whole time? You weren’t playing a prank on us?” Katelyn stuttered. “No, why what happened?” Laurence concluded. As Katelyn and her friend explained what they had just gone through, everyone was in shock. But now that they were out of the house, they figured they were safe and the doll couldn’t hurt them. Unfortunately, they were wrong. You see, there were a few rules that they had forgotten to follow. The only proper way to end the game is to pour salt water on the doll when it finds you. But Katelyn and her friends ran out of the house before they could do that. So Charlotte still thinks that they’re playing. And one day, she’s gonna find them.