No.257

It was the night of the Hide and Seek World Champion’s 40th birthday, and every nook and cranny of his spacious abode was filled with revellers and fun-lovers. But as the floozies and yes-men whiled away the night devouring pretzels, Pringles and profiteroles, the man of the hour was nestled behind his curtains doing what he’d always done — hide.

Ever since he was a young boy he’d dreamt of being the world’s greatest hider, and now, after an uphill struggle to the airing cupboard of success, he’d finally made it. But something felt wrong. His friends had long since passed — victims of their own crafty hiding places — and the younger generation of hiders and seekers lacked the passion and drive that had made the beautiful game so thrilling in the first place. Hiding behind sofas for hours on end just didn’t seem that fun anymore, and for the first time in his life he wanted to be seen.

And so, as the clock struck midnight, he slipped on the bright orange jacket that went against everything he’d ever stood for, ripped down the curtains and strolled boldly in the face of the crowd.

He never did lift the championship belt again, but he didn’t care — HE WAS LIVING.