The ink well prompt #65 : THE HIDE-AND-SEEK GAME

How did I not die?, I still can't believe that I survived, what still baffles me the most was how I reacted after surviving such a life-threatening ordeal.

"Hide!!!!!!!!!!....10,..9,..8,........3,..2..1!"
This was/is how this game starts. My ex-favorite game - hide and seek. But I guess you noticed the 'ex' there right?. I loathe the game now cause each time I remember the last time I partook in playing it, I feel like am stuffed in a tiny hole struggling to breathe. Yet, I feel super fortunate to be alive. What if I wasn't found early enough? What if??

It was many years ago, I was a kid then, I was really playful, careless and fearless.
Like every other kid, I loved to play games. I had so many friends and we all played together.

One day, we were playing this game as usual, I badly wanted to win so I would be called the champion, since I had used all of my favorite hiding positions, an idea struck me - why not hide in the refrigerator(a chest freezer)- I knew it would be difficult for anyone to find me there. No one would even think that I could be in there. So, when it was time to hide again, I jumped into the fridge and closed it behind me. I hadn't thought of how cold or airless it might be(I was just another playful kid).

While I was still inside, an uncle of mine that stayed with us at the time just came back from the market, he placed the 50kg bag of rice he had bought on the refrigerator, unknown to him that I was inside.

The Seekers had caught everyone but they couldn't find me, they had searched and searched but I was no where to be found, they finally gave up and started the shout "we give up, come out". I became the champion but a crying champion.

I tried to come out but couldn't, I was still young so I couldn't push open the refrigerator door with the rice placed on top, I began to cry inside.

Outside, everyone had began searching for me, they said they taught it was a joke at first but they realized it was no joke after about 20 minutes of their futile shouting and searching.

They informed my uncle who was around and he joined in the search.
Meanwhile, inside the refrigerator, I was shouting and crying too, I was still trying to push open the refrigerator but I couldn't. I began hitting the refrigerator with my hands and legs so I could draw peoples attention.

One of my friends who was searching for me around the store heard the noise and told my uncle that he could hear noise from the store. Theye rushed to the store but saw no one. By that time I had already gotten weak and could noloner slam the refrigerator anymore, I had given up. Just as they were about leaving the store, I gathered the last strength I had and I hit the refrigerator one last time. My uncle heard the sound for himself and was now convinced that I was in there somewhere.

He started tracing where the sounds come from. When he got close to the refrigerator, he immediately knew I was inside and he started laughing. He put down the bag of rice, opened the the refrigerator and brought me out.

Other children now joined my uncle in the laughter - I guess they didn't know the magnitude of what had just happened or what would have happened if I was in there a little longer.

I was drenched in my own tears and sweat. I still find it really funny how although I was still weak and also in tears, I still had the guts to say " I am the champion , I am the champion ".
I even find it more amusing how few minutes after I had gotten out from the refrigerator, I forgot about the trauma and how I would have died inside the refrigerator, and guess what ??, the game didn't end , we just continued like nothing had happen.

It was until I was grown up that I realized how fortune had smiled on me that day.