Bailey

I don't know when it started, but sometime when he was a puppy and I was a child, we would play hide and seek in the house. I'd hide inside closets, behind sofas, pianos and more and whistle once or twice and wait. The scuttle of nails against hardwood and swinging chain of a collar would softly ring through the air as Bailey searched. My mom would say "Find (my name)!" And he would get further excited in his hunt. When a big, wet nose would find me sniffing like his life depended on it, Bailey's puppy like excitement would peak in tail wagging furiously, sniffs somehow even stronger, and eyes so happy they might pop from his head. We played until his last few months, and now I'm still waiting behind the piano for Bailey to find me again.