"Uno...dos...tres...cuatro..."

An innocent game,

que es una tontería.

I vanished under the coffee table;

an army of dust bunnies

demanded that my nostrils surrender.

"Cinco...seis...siete...ocho..."

My lips turned into a smile.

Anticipation sparkling the soul,

exhilaration rushing through my narrow veins.

I was solid and inert,

waiting for the moment to be found.

"Nueve...deiz...!listo o no, ya me busca!"

Giggles eagerly trying to escape my throat.

The hunter comes close to claim the prize.

"!Me encontraste!"

My mother's shadow loomed before me;

words of praise and smells of aquacate and guava

marked this moment.

A/N: Spanish to English translations:

"Uno...dos...tres...cuatro..." -- "One...two...three...four..."

una tontería -- a joke

"Cinco...seis...siete...ocho..." -- "Five...six...seven...eight..."

"Nueve...deiz.....!listo o no, ya me busca!" -- "Nine...ten...ready or not, here I come!"

"!Me encontraste!" -- "You found me!"

aquacate -- avacado

guava -- a fruit in Puerto Rico