{"id":1906,"date":"2026-04-05T13:46:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/?p=1906"},"modified":"2026-04-05T13:46:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T09:46:24","slug":"hide-and-seek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/hide-and-seek\/","title":{"rendered":"Hide and Seek"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a short story I wrote as the last assignment of the course Craft of Plot<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Write a story (up to 1,000 words) following the ABDCE structure that includes at least one full scene.<\/div><\/div><\/em><\/p>\n

Zian is walking back and forth in his living room like a lion in a cage. His wife should be there. She is a famous writer and she is finishing a novel. Usually, she stays in front of her computer for hours even forgetting to eat. Why did she leave the cottage?<\/p>\n

He suddenly hears the noise of a key turning in the lock.
\n\u2014It\u2019s open, he shouts.
\n\u2014Hey, honey, what are you doing here? You were not supposed to come back for lunch today\u2026
\n\u2014Well, I changed my mind. Jogging?
\n\u2014Yeah, I needed to de-stress. In one hour, I\u2019m being interviewed by an old classmate.
\n\u2014Since we moved to New Hampshire in the village you spent your childhood, it\u2019s the first time I hear you talking about stress.
\n\u2014You\u2019re right, she answers smiling.
\n\u2014Kate, I\u2019m here because I have great news. I want to show you something. Where did you put the box I gave you last week?
\n\u2014I hid it like you asked me, \u201cwhere no one could find it.\u201d
\n\u2014Could you give it back to me, please?
\n\u2014Well Zian, I have to take a shower, get dressed, and it will be time to go to the interview. I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019ve no time to get you this box.
\n\u2014You mean it\u2019s not here?
\n\u2014It\u2019s in the woods behind the house.
\n\u2014What?
\n\u2014Well, you were so mysterious. I wondered if there were some er… illegal things inside.
\n\u2014What?
\n\u2014\u201cDon\u2019t tell anybody,\u201d you said and you added, \u201cI prefer you don\u2019t have a look.\u201d
\n\u2014I was talking about our two kids, Kate. With their habit of playing to hide their teddies everywhere, I couldn\u2019t think of a safe place. I knew you would. But as I wanted to make you a surprise, I didn\u2019t wish you had a look inside, that\u2019s all.
\n\u2014Why don\u2019t you just keep this box by yourself?
\n\u2014I was afraid to lose it. You know, that\u2019s my specialty, losing things. Ok, I\u2019m going to bring it back.
\nAnd Zian rushes outside.\u00a0 He walks straight to the other side of the woods, looking for the old tree trunk into which Kate used to stash things away as a child. Thirty minutes later, he finds it, kneels and puts his hand into the hole: empty!
\nHe takes out his cell phone and sees that his wife tried to reach him many times, but the silent mode was on.
\n\u2014The box\u2019s not here.
\n\u2014Honey, you didn\u2019t let me time to tell you: I put it in a hiding place closer to the house. I found another hole.
\n\u2014Why didn\u2019t you tell me?
\n\u2014You vanished like a thief and I didn\u2019t want to run after you. I was completely cold and I needed a warm shower.
\n\u2014Ok, I\u2019m sorry, I should have waited a little. So tell me, where\u2019s the box?
\n\u2014Do you remember where the pond is?
\n\u2014Yeah.
\n\u2014Go there; find the biggest oak of the area and stand in front of it with your back to the pond. Look on your left. The hole is exactly like the other one, at the basis of a trunk. Easy!
\n\u2014Thanks. I go.
\nZian crosses the woods to the pond. There, he sees nothing like a big oak. He takes out his cell phone again.
\n\u2014Honey, I can\u2019t find your oak.
\n\u2014You\u2019re in front of the pond?
\n\u2014Yes.
\n\u2014You can\u2019t miss it; it\u2019s much bigger than the other trees.
\n\u2014Nothing\u2019s big here.
\n\u2014Don\u2019t tell me they cut down Byron!
\n\u2014Oh, sorry, but I think Byron\u2019s dead. The kids talked about an oak called Byron, when I took them back from school two days ago. They said, the authorities made it fall because a wood illness rendered it unstable.
\n\u2014Well, find the stump. It should be huge and very visible. My interview is in five minutes now. Goodbye.
\nAs soon as Zian finds the stump, he turns his back to the pond and goes to the left. He immediately noticed a hole down a trunk nearby and finds the box inside. He has no time to open it, that his cell phone is ringing again.
\n\u2014Honey, the interview is canceled. My old classmate is stuck in a tunnel at the edge of town. I\u2019m coming home.
\n\u2014See you there then.
\nBefore starting to walk, Zian opens the box: empty!
\n\u201cNo!\u201d, he says aloud, and he runs to his home.
\n\u2014The box\u2019s empty. Someone stole the paper inside, he says to his wife as she enters the living room.
\n\u2014Come on darling, if you find a box somewhere and take what is inside, would you put the empty box back to its previous place?
\n\u2014No, I would through it away, or keep it with me.
\n\u2014You see.
\n\u2014But what happened then?
\n\u2014When you gave me this box, it was first opened in front of you and you shut it quickly behind your back. You just said it was a paper?
\n\u2014Yes.
\n\u2014Maybe it fell out of the box?
\n\u2014Nothing landed on the floor.
\n\u2014So let\u2019s say it landed somewhere else. You stood exactly here.
\nAnd she goes to where her husband was standing, just in front of a heater.
\n\u2014Look at what\u2019s hiding there, she says, showing a sheet of paper trapped behind the heater.
\nHer husband heaves a sigh of relief, taking the paper quickly.
\n\u2014Can you tell me what\u2019s so important on this paper?
\n\u2014It\u2019s our next holidays. I won a photo contest. It was a trip for two. This week, I negotiated our two children\u2019s stay for an extra fee. Next August, we all go to California.
\n\u2014Oh, you should have talked to me. I booked the trip in China we all have been dreaming about for so long. It was supposed to be your birthday surprise. The children are very excited to trace their father\u2019s roots, you know. And it\u2019s in August\u2026 Honey, are you ok?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a short story I wrote as the last assignment of the course Craft of Plot. Zian is walking back and forth in his living room like a lion in a cage. His wife should be there. She is… Continuer la lecture →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shortstories"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/hollowtree.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4u88f-uK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1811,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-5-the-training\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":0},"title":"Chapter 5 – The Training","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"- Did you plan to tell me? - Listen, Colin, I just wanted to have you back from your trip so we could discuss this face to face. I\u2019ve already had an unpleasant conversation with Mum about it. I don\u2019t need to have another one with you. - Well, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"Dans "I - When you think about it"","block_context":{"text":"I - When you think about it","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/category\/fiction-en\/think\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/building.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1925,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-14-the-day-of-the-great-council\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":1},"title":"Chapter 14 – The Day of the Great Council","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"When Star Shining in the Vastness of the Universe\u00a0 tried to convince him, he literally lost his temper. There was no question of telling me the truth nor of asking for my memory to be kept. This was impossible. The law was the law. \u201cBelieve me, her departure will be\u2026","rel":"","context":"Dans "I - When you think about it"","block_context":{"text":"I - When you think about it","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/category\/fiction-en\/think\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/cadenas_coeur.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1868,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-10-the-wait\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":2},"title":"Chapter 10 – The Wait","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"- A week!? \u2013 This is me, and I am not glad. - Seven days. \u2013 My host. - A week\u2026 - But what do you mean by \u201ca week\u201d? - Seven days. - A week then, that\u2019s it. - I won\u2019t be able to go back for a week?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Dans "I - When you think about it"","block_context":{"text":"I - When you think about it","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/category\/fiction-en\/think\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/calendrier.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1916,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-12-on-dalygaran-part-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":3},"title":"Chapter 12 – On Dalygaran \u2013 Part One","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Since my arrival on Dalygaran, my time has been very full. The mornings have been dedicated to physical activities, supervised by the Major. My body, I was told, is a brand-new model whose capacities have yet to be tested. I feel like it is more me they are testing. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Dans "I - When you think about it"","block_context":{"text":"I - When you think about it","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/category\/fiction-en\/think\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pendule.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1864,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-9-the-passage\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":4},"title":"Chapter 9 – The passage","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I had my third travel. The two Smiths welcomed me as usual. I got into the travel chamber and then waited for the gas. I arrived in a world under a blue light. As if the sun, or something, hadn\u2019t succeeded in rising... I think it was the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Dans "I - When you think about it"","block_context":{"text":"I - When you think about it","link":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/category\/fiction-en\/think\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annierun.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/vitesse_lumiere.jpg?fit=340%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1846,"url":"https:\/\/annierun.net\/blog\/en\/2026\/04\/chapter-6-first-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1906,"position":5},"title":"Chapter 6 – First Journey","author":"Annie","date":"5 avril 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"- The two Lords? Why do they call us the two Lords? - Just ask them, eh! - Very funny. - Oh? 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