"One... two... three..."
I let out a muffled giggle from behind my clamped hand as my friend started counting. My chunky rain boots scuffed the gravel as I stumbled away to find cover during our game of hide-and-seek. It was my seventh birthday.
"Ten... eleven... twelve..."
His voice continued to echo over the property, carrying through open barns and spewing out into all directions.
I turned behind one of the barns to discover a hiding place already taken. I sighed and turned away.
My boots splashed through puddles while searching. Light rain dribbled from the sky, rolling down the parts of my face exposed outside the hood of my red raincoat. I've always loved the rain. Even in the middle of our game, I had to stop and stare at the sky. My eyes closed and a smile stretched across my face.
"Twenty... twenty-one... twenty-two..."
Run Millie, I told myself.
Another old barn was just in front of me. Surely there's a place on the other side to take cover.
My small legs crept to the back. A large and rusted silo stood tall, but rather weakly as it was starting to deteriorate. It was completely shut off except for a small latched window that had fallen off. My head cocked to the side, eyes staring intently into the black square.
Why have I never paid attention to this silo before?
I placed a foot in front of the other, then took another cautious step. They slowly replaced one another while my eyes didn't dare look away from the black abyss in the silo. It was almost like the hole was calling my name. A rope tied around my curiously that continued to reel me in, closer and closer.
By then, I was three feet from the silo. I reached a hand out in front of me, getting ready to touch the cold metal siding.
"Millie!"
I jumped at the sound of my name, a squeak escaping my lips. I spun around with slight irritation bubbling inside.
"You're a terrible hider," my friend, Mason, laughed. Even though it was raining, the curls in the dark brown hair were still present.
I forced a laugh back before turning back towards the silo. My eyes squinted, trying to focus on the inside.
Nothing. I couldn't see a single thing. The total darkness of the silo was impenetrable by my sight.
Mason was standing next to me then, also peering into the hole.
"I don't like that," he whispered, pouting. Mason pulled his raincoat tighter and turned away from the silo. "It's creepy."
I nodded. "Yeah... strange."
Mason's distaste for the darkness was no surprise; kids normally fear the dark and its unknown. Yet, I couldn't help but feel interested in the mystery of that silo.
