Chapter 140: Holding Him In Place
Lydia’s eyes grew nostalgic as she remembered the past. "I remember the time when we would play hide and seek here in our childhood."
Melanie nodded in agreement. "Hmm... It’s been a long time since we’ve played it. Let’s go." she said, and the group set off towards the garden.
Elder Edward and Rosie looked up at the group , "Where are you going now?"
Emerson, bursting with excitement, jumped up and replied, "Grandma, Grandpa, we’re going to play hide and seek outside in the garden!"
"Okay... Go, but be careful," Rosie said, giving them permission to play outside in the garden.
"Okay, so listen," Lydia began, explaininging the rules of the game. "The rule of the game will be that all of you will hide, and I will search for you all. Emerson, you can hide anywhere, but don’t go near the lake."
She paused, making sure they understood the boundaries. "And the one who gets caught first will have to search for the next one, but only if all three of you are caught."
Lydia looked at the three of them, her eyes scanning their faces to ensure they grasped the rules. "Understood?" she asked, seeking confirmation.
In perfect unison, the three replied, "Yes."
As Lydia began to count, the three of them scurried off to find their hiding spots. Just before following the others, Emerson turned to Sister Thea and asked, "Sister Thea, can I hide with you?"
Thea looked at her with a hint of surprise, but then nodded kindly. "Huh? Oh, okay..." she said, smiling warmly as she led Emerson to the place they would hide together.
She guided Emerson to a small wooden gazebo in the garden, surrounded by blooming roses and a trellis of climbing clematis.
"I am coming." Lydia warned, her voice echoing through the garden as she began her search.
Emerson’s whisper was almost inaudible as she asked Sister Thea, "Where do you think Sister Melanie is?" Her hand instinctively covered her mouth, as if to prevent even the slightest sound from escaping.
Sister Thea’s head tilted slightly to the side, and she gave a subtle shake, indicating that she had no idea where Melanie might be hiding.
"Where would they be?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she homed in on a likely hiding spot.
She crept quietly towards the old oak tree, its gnarled branches twisted and tangled in a way that made it the perfect hiding place. Melanie was concealed behind the tree’s massive trunk, holding her breath in hopes of remaining undiscovered.
Lydia tiptoed softly towards the tree, her voice barely above a whisper as she called out, "Melanie..."
"Ah, why you have to find me first?" Melanie asked.
Lydia just smiled and retorted, "Hmm, because I’m your sister, I know all your favorite hiding spots." She seemed confident in her ability to find the others.
"Okay,okay.. go ahead and try to find others." Melanie said, waving her hand dismissively.
Lydia nodded, taking on the challenge. "Hmm, where could they be?" she wondered to herself, scanning the garden. She searched high and low for around five minutes, but Emerson and Thea remained elusive.
Just when Lydia was about to give up, she spotted a small hand peeking out from behind the gazebo. A triumphant smile spread across her face as she thought to herself, "Ah-ha! I’ve found you little kiddo!"
"Found you, Emerson... Oh..Sister Thea, you’re also hiding with her, I see." Lydia exclaimed as she was surprised to find them both in the same place.
Emerson emerged from behind the gazebo. "Sister Lydia, you took a long time to find us." she teased.
Lydia chuckled and replied, "Well, you two did a great job of hiding. It wasn’t easy to find you, but I’m glad I did!"
"Okay, so next, Melanie, you’ll search for us," Lydia said, grinning at her sister as they continued their game of hide-and-seek.
The game went on for a while, with each of them taking turns hiding and seeking. But then, a new idea suddenly struck Melanie.
"Can we try something new?" Melanie asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Like what?" Lydia asked, looking at Melanie with interest.
Melanie’s face lit up as she explained her idea. "We’ll put a cloth over Sister Thea’s eyes... let’s start with her... and then she has to find us. We’ll stand in a circle around her, but at a distance, and we won’t be able to move from our positions. She’ll have to use her other senses to locate us."
"That sounds like a great challenge! I love it. Let’s give it a try!"
Lydia returned with a black cloth, which she gently placed over Thea’s eyes. "Sister Thea, can you see anything?" she asked, making sure the cloth was secure.
"No," Sister Thea replied, her voice muffled slightly by the cloth.
Lydia nodded, even though Thea couldn’t see her. "Okay, so we will take our positions. After we three clap three times, you can start searching for us."
With that, Lydia went to take her position, joining Melanie and Emerson, who were already in place. The three of them exchanged a brief glance, and then, in perfect unison, they clapped their hands three times
’Clap, clap, clap.’
The sharp sound of the clapping echoed through the air, and Thea, sensing that it was her cue, nodded to herself. She took a deep breath, focusing her senses, and began to try and locate the others.
Ryder walked downstairs,after taking a good rest. As he entered the living room, he found his grandparents sitting together.
"Done taking your rest ?" Rosie asked, smiling warmly at her grandson as he approached.
Ryder nodded, responding with a smile, "Hmm, grandma." He took a seat near them, feeling comfortable in their presence.
Elder Edward glanced at Ryder, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Won’t he, after all, snatching my three scones from me? He will take a nice nap, I suppose."
"Grandpa, the scones were delicious," he said,"Their taste increased even more after all I have snatched them from you plate."
Rosie chuckled at the exchange, happy to see her grandson and husband enjoying each other’s teasing.
"Next time, I will ask Thea not to bring anything for you.And even if she brings something, I won’t let you have a single one of them."
Ryder laughed, knowing his grandfather was just joking with him.
He looked around the room, noticing that the others were nowhere to be seen. "Speaking of Thea, where are they?" he asked, "I haven’t seen them in the twins’ room."
Elder Edward leaned back in his chair, a relaxed expression on his face. "Oh, the four of them are in the garden, playing." he replied, his voice calm and soothing.
"Why did you call them?" Elder Edward asked as he remembered that Ryder had called the four of them to his room earlier.
"To give gifts to them I have brought from my trip." he replied.
"Where’s mine? Did you not bring anything for your dear grandfather?"
"For you?" Ryder asked.
Ryder grinned mischievously, and his response was quick and cheeky. "Nothing. I brought something for Grandma and the others, but for you... nothing."
"Okay, if you have already brought something for my woman, I won’t be angry with you."
"I am going out in the garden." Ryder said, getting up from his seat.
"Okay..." Rosie nodded, acknowledging his departure.
Ryder walked out into the garden, enjoying the fresh air and the sound of birds chirping. As he made his way through the lush greenery, he spotted the three of them standing in the exact spot while Thea was approaching towards planing to search for them.
He was about to approach them, but before he could take another step, Melanie caught his eye. She discreetly signaled him to stay back, crossing her hands in an "X" shape and shaking her head slightly, warning him not to come any closer. Ryder froze, wondering what was going on.
As Ryder stood there, wondering what was going on, he noticed Thea approaching the group in the distance. But to his surprise, she suddenly changed direction and began walking towards him instead.
Ryder, oblivious to Thea’s change in her route, was busy checking his messages on his phone. He was so engrossed in his screen that he didn’t even notice Thea’s approach. It wasn’t until he slipped his phone back into his pocket...
