Children’s Play

They were playing hide and seek on a rainy day. Typically this meant hiding behind a door, or under the bed.

She was tired of getting found, and her downstairs neighbor Kristina had a year on her, giving her an unfair edge. This time, she was determined to win.

Kristina was counting down, and her time was running out. Blood pumping, palms sweating, she glanced around rapidly, knowing that she had to move quietly, otherwise her neighbor would hear where she went.

She hated this part. Kristina had reached single digits when she finally saw the perfect hiding spot. The closet, door ajar, had a pile of unfolded clean clothes on the floor. She tiptoed to the door, eyes never leaving her neighbor. Quickly, breathing rapidly, she buried herself under the full weight of the laundry, and waited.

Kristina stopped counting and called out the dreaded “Ready or not, here I come!” She held her breath, clutching her body in the fetal position, eyes staring out but unable to see where her neighbor was searching, only darkness.

Her neighbor began checking all the usual spots, starting out confidently. She began to grow increasingly frustrated with each failure, however. Kristina was used to winning this game.

As the seconds dragged by while she laid there, holding perfectly still, she suddenly realized she couldn’t breath. She was overwhelmed with the sensation of feeling trapped, suffocating slowly, with no way out.

Right when Kristina was about to give up her search, she burst out of the closet, clawing her way out of the pile of clothing and screaming. She lost the game, once again. This is when she learned that she had claustrophobia.