Dvone counted to ten against the tree, then shouted, “ready or not, here I come!”

He spun around and surveyed the scene. Children played busily on the playground, mothers sat silently on benches, staring at their phones, but there was no sign of Jayden.

He scanned the bushes and walked towards the bike path.

A man stood against the fence, minding his own business, looking out at the playground.

“Excuse me,” Dvone said to the man, “Have you seen a boy around here? Hiding maybe?”

The stranger looked down at Dvone and smiled, “well, now that you ask, I sure have! He told me not to say anything though. I don’t think I should tell you where he is.”

“Please tell me! I won’t tell him you told,” said Dvone.

The man looked around, then bent down and whispered in Dvone’s ear, “ok, follow me.”

Dvone followed the man to the parking lot looking for his friend.

***

Two hours later, Jayden sat on the park bench with his mother, still talking to the police.

“I just don’t know where he went,” said Jayden, head bowed and cheeks streaked with dry tears, “We were playing hide and seek. I was hiding behind a tree in the woods. When he didn’t come for me, I just came back to the playground and he was gone.”