Squidward Is a F*ucking Mindreader

17. Hide and Wait

"Rebecca!" I dashed into my parents' room. Papa close behind me. He ushered me in, locked the door and turned around. He pulled me down next to the bed, an knelt next to me. His face looked calm, but he was fidgety and his eyes were filled with sadness, terror and angst.

"Becca, baby, how about we play a little game, yeah? Just you, me and mama. Ok?" I nodded. I liked games. But why did this game not feel so fun?

"Ok, Becca, we're gonna play hide and seek, ok? Mama is seeking, ok, and papa is also hiding, alright? Ok, papa's gonna go hide somewhere else, ok?" Papa said. He was saying OK a lot, which was something he did often when we played hide and seek. I suspect he's just so excited that he can't contain himself.

Papa got up off his knees and I slid under the bed. It was dark but papa always told me to hide here when we played hide and seek. It was a bad idea, really, hiding under the bed every time because once mama figured out that's where I was she'd know to look there again and I'd lose the game. Papa and Mama loved this game. We played hide and seek all the time. But papa told me never to come out until he came to get me, just in case he hadn't been caught and the game was still in motion.

I fiddled with my fingers. I had a bracelet on my wrist, that papa had given me when I was born. It was a red and blue woven band with one gold strand in the middle. It was about half a centimetre thick and I wore it everywhere. Papa said to never take it off. So I never did.

I had been sitting under the bed for around half an hour. Usually papa would come find me somewhere between half an hour and an hour and we'd go get ice-cream. But he always made us leave the house quickly and quietly in case we woke up mama.

I waited for papa. but he never came. The room was really quiet. This room was sound proof so it never made any noise. It used to but papa made it sound proof, then he played his drums and electric guitar really loud to test how well it worked. Not a single sound came through the walls. Papa was so smart.

I heard a faint scream. It was quite quiet but I could sort of hear it. It sounded like a cry for help- mercy.

I frowned. That must be a very loud scream. Whoever it was clearly needed some help. But Papa hadn't come yet, which meant the game was still going on and mama hates when we finish the game before we're ready. So much so that she locks me in my room. Once I even saw her hit papa. But that was one time and papa was ok afterwards so it was all good.

I waited another hour, which turned into two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten hours later there was still no papa.

I sat there for the rest of the day. I heard scream after scream until, after around 1 day the screaming and crying stopped. Papa must've helped whoever was crying. My papa is very smart and he can help everyone. He helps me put on my dresses in the morning. And he holds my hand on the way to Kindergarten school. He's my best friend. And when all the kids at Kindergarten call me weird, papa gives me a big hug and a kiss and promises me that he'll love me forever and ever.

And I'll always love papa.

It was nighttime now and I was tired, but there was still no sign of papa. I was getting tired but papa was going to come soon and I didn't want to be asleep when he came to get me.

So I sat there, wide awake for the whole night. I laid down on my side and watched the edge of the bed where I knew papa would appear. But he never did.

Two days had passed and papa still hadn't shown up. I was hungry and thirsty, but papa's instructions were clear: Do not move from my hiding place, for any reason, until papa comes to get me. And I intended to keep the pinky promise I made to papa to follow that rule because pinky promises are forever. I was not about to break papa's one rule.