The ValeNelson69 Book Collection - Story Snippets

2 - LTWBD - Hide and Seek

"Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, THIRTY!! READY OR NOT HERE I COME! I'M GONNA FIIIIND YOU...AND...MAKE YOU LOVE ME!"

He giggled at his own little ditty.

High in the clouds as a father, Prince snickered quietly, tiptoeing around, even holding his breath at times, hoping to not give away his location. 

It was fun; but he was also on a losing streak, five losses. While he didn't mind, it was making his psyche ache maybe just a little, but he would do anything to make his daughter smile.

Allie was hiding with Asher strapped to her in a sling so she was firm with Prince that she was to be given more time to hide.

Ana was beating him and he loved it. She lived in Disney princess dresses, and when she wasn't wearing one of those, she was fashioned in a gorgeous dress Prince had made for her.

"Daddy mad he's whoosing mommy?" Ana inquired softly. "Daddy don't like how the cookie cuuumbles?"

"Shhh Ana...or daddy will find us and then we'll be it." Allie giggled.

Ana was sometime too considerate for her age. "Maybe we should let him find us so he stops bevvy aching."

Allie loved how Ana had a hard time with the letter L.

"You wanna be it?" Allie questioned Ana.

"I don yike to be...but daddy doesn't either.

Prince didn't even think to look in some places, like the old telephone stations on the first floor across from his office and at the very top of the stairs. These locations permitted Ana to see Prince depart from the reception desk easily, which was homebase. But she also liked to have her mother within eyeshot.

Until she wasn't.

Once hearing her father bellow, "I'm hot on some baby tush tail!" This caused Ana to bolt one way as her mother went the other. Ana thought her daddy meant Asher when he mentioned baby tush. Ultimately, this left Ana alone and a little scared.

Separation anxiety has been an issue since Ana was adopted by the Nelsons'. But she was getting better at managing it.

Trying to keep in mind still, a saying her parents taught her, "Being scared just means you're about to do something really really brave." The more Ana thought about it, the more she realized this was an opportunity to explore the areas she had never been in before.

"Aisley Ark is in yourrrr heart." She sang with a quiver in her voice to calm her nerves and hide her uncertainty.

Surely Ana could have turned back, but she was interested in a little adventure in a controlled environment of her father's happiest place.

Tentatively, the door creaked open as a hand covered muffled yelp jumbled from her. It was spooky in the dark, zillions of peculiar obscurities all at different heights and widths.

An exhale could be heard, if there had been anyone there to hear it.

Mouth ajar, plump cheeks and the cutest baby pout, Ana's big eyes were transfixed on the shadows that bounced as her chubby no knuckle hand gently patted the wall in search of a lightswitch.

Click.

The harsh fluorescent light revealed what she considered to be a most playful room, populated with hats and her father's various personalities personified in the smallest and largest graphics. The collection of images were along the wall and propped against short and tall stacks of hat boxes.

"DADDY!" Her tiny heart raced with excitement as eyes darted from hats to pictures of her father. She never realized her dad had so many different looks, hairstyles and hats.