We all face the sun, most of our faces silent, our minds drifting off as we near the count “One, two, three…” Some people stand there in the chilly fall air and say, “Can’t we just stop at 50?” Others quietly talk among themselves, their voices flat, and eyes unfocused. Finally the “100” is shouted and we are free. We are no longer kept by invisible strings of authority and respect. A group of people run to the north, their inner child taking flight, while most of us talk to our companions and slowly drag our feet – almost aimlessly, away from the cluster we were in. A cold breeze would make us shiver from time to time, or a stay in the shadows, unseen from the sun in an attempt to find the hidden girl. The soft, gentle sounds of the river and the rustling of our feet saves us from the silence. Every now and then we hear others in conversation or a yell in the distance. The two of us talk, but the ideas and spoken words fall away quickly and we are soon separated by a wall of inner thoughts. With the silence come day-dreaming eyes, lost in a different world. We pass a couple of people. “Any luck?” We shake our heads and again stare at the natural beauty around us with distant eyes. I see a lone girl crossing the river with her dog. Many others mill about the green landscape, and our eyes meet with some, but no words are uttered. Soon we all gather in our cluster again. We could not find her. When we call out, she comes, and unified in wonderment, we ask, “Where were you hiding?” and wondering, “How could we have not noticed her?” And with that, the game came to an end.