I needed a new place to hide and I needed it fast. Barry was only going to count to twenty and he was already up to seven. Barry Miller's house was bigger than most and had plenty of good hiding places. But the gang had been playing this for a few weeks and the best hiding places were all common knowledge. I could hear Barry in the living room, "One thousand eleven, one thousand twelve." All the other kids had disappeared. It was time for me to think outside the box.
I glanced in the hall bathroom. Nobody had ever hidden in there before, and for good reason. The tub was the only possible place. But the shower curtains were always open. If I closed them it would draw immediate attention. It occurred to me that I could get in the tub and ducked way down, Barry would not have the angle to see me from the hall. He kept counting, "One thousand seventeen, one thousand eighteen." I made my move.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Barry yelled. I could hear him muttering as he passed the bathroom door and headed for the bedrooms. So far, so good.' I thought. I could hear him finding the other kids. They had obviously hid in all the same old places. They weren't smart like me.
A few seconds later, I heard someone enter the bathroom. I tried to scrunch even lower and then I heard the door close. I assumed it was Barry and kept my head down. I heard the clank of the toilet seat. And it sounded as if it was clanking down! I decided to raise my head, just a little, to see what was going on. What I saw was Barry's mother preparing to use the toilet. I was horrified. I quickly put my head back down and wondered what to do. Should I yell out and explain myself, or should I just wait until she was done and hope she didn't see me. While I was thinking, enough time passed so that I really had no choice. I was going to have to ride this out. But I did not know how long this was going to be. Was Mrs. Miller making a quick stop or was this something more.
All of a sudden I heard the doorknob turning. Then, a knock. I heard Barry say,"Who's in there?" "It's your mother," she answered.
"Oh!" said Barry, "Well, we're playing hide and seek and I can't find Dennis." "Well he's not in here!" Replied Mrs. Miller, sounding about as sure as she had ever been about anything.
I quickly considered my options. There was a small window of opportunity here and I had learned my lesson earlier. "Oh, yes I am!" I announced. Mrs. Miller screamed, and then jumped up saying, "Wait a minute!" Don't worry,' I thought. I wasn't moving a muscle until I had been given the all-clear. Mrs. Miller flushed the toilet, made herself presentable, and said, "Okay, Dennis, you can get up now." I got up slowly, opening my eyes just enough to see shadows, and headed for the door. On the other side of the door I received a hero's welcome. Barry was there with the rest of the kids. Barry's big brother and father were also there. They were all laughing, and patting me on the back. Mrs. Miller was laughing too. Everyone was having a great time. Except me. What I needed was a new place to hide and I needed