Are you ready?
No, not yet.
Hurry up. What's taking you so long?
Hey, don't look. Close your eyes and count to ten.
Okay, okay. I will. One, two, three, four.
I’m at the park with my dad. We are playing hide-and-seek. My dad is really good at hiding, so I always have trouble finding him.
Okay, I’m ready.
Great. I’m going to find you.
Dad was hiding under a bench before, so maybe he's behind that big tree this time.
Dad? I know you're there. Come out.
Shhhh.
Suddenly, I see an old man holding a large camera.
Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for my dad.
That’s okay. Are you playing hide-and-seek?
Yes.
I’m playing hide-and-seek too.
You are? Who are you hiding from?
Actually, I’m not hiding. I’m looking for my friend.
But you look like you're hiding. If you're looking for your friend, you have to walk around and search everywhere.
Well, you don't always have to move around to find your friend. If you wait, sometimes your friend comes to you.
I don't understand.
You see, hide-and-seek is a waiting game. The person who can wait the longest is the winner.
A waiting game?
The person who hides waits without making a sound but it's impossible to be quiet forever.
Ah, I see. So you are waiting for your friend to make a sound.
Exactly. When I hear a sound, I know where my friend is. I always win this way.
Really?
Uh-huh. Try it. Close your eyes and listen carefully to the sounds around you.
Okay.
I try not to breathe. Everything is very quiet. And then…
There you are. I found you.
What was that?
It's a sandpiper. Sandpipers usually live by the water, so it's very rare to see one in the city.
A soundpiper? What does it look like?
The man shows me the screen on his camera. I see a small bird with a long beak.
You were playing hide-and-seek with a bird?
That’s right. Birds are really good at hiding.
So playing hide-and-seek with them must be fun.
It is. Okay, I have to go now. Good luck finding your father.
Thank you. good bye.
The man waited and found the bird. If I wait a little longer, maybe I can find Dad.
Achoo.
I quickly look up.
Hey. Is that you, Dad? I found you. You're in the tree.
Oh, no. You found me. I thought I had found a great hiding spot.
I win.
Thanks to the nice man, I found my dad and won this game of hide-and-seek.