Summertime, Four Leaf Clovers, and Bloody Murder

One summer evening when I was about 10, Missy and I were doing gymnastics in her front yard. She was teaching me how to do handstands, but she kept getting distracted by the clover under her. I kept working at my handstands until the sun went down and it started getting dark.

Pretty soon, Rob and Matt called us to Chris and Beth's back porch, and we set up our game of Bloody Murder. I liked it way better than hide and seek.

Matt yelled:

"1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock! Ghosts come out tonight!!!"

And we all scattered.

I was fast, and knew every good hiding place on both sides of the street after years of playing. I made for my favorite spot, Mrs. Guthrie's front porch. She kept to herself and went to bed early, but the rest of the kids were afraid of her. I loved hiding on her porch because there was a big hedge around it on three sides, and it was near enough for me to see into my living room. I was afraid of the dark, and it made me feel a little safer to be closer to home.

On this particular night, we had so many kids playing that it got well past twilight and the streetlights had come on. I was determined to wait everyone else out and win, so I stayed where I was.

It got darker out, and I started to get really nervous. One by one, the other players were getting found, random shouts of "Bloody Murder!!!" peppered the night. But Matt hadn't come anywhere near Mrs. Guthrie's. Suddenly, Rob walked up between Mrs. Guthrie's and the Failor's house. He was a few years older than me, and was the fastest runner in the neighborhood.

He sat down on Mrs. Guthrie's steps and said ,"I've been pacing back and forth, watching around the side of Mrs. Guthrie's house for Matt, but he's been on the other side of the street looking for Chris and Sarah for a while now."

"I wonder if he's gonna come over here. He never comes across Mrs. Fischer's yard, but maybe he'll cross the street and find us this time, " I replied.

Rob spat off the porch and bent down to tie his sneaker. Eww.

Then he said, "Nah, he knows he doesn't have a chance at catching me, and he knows I'm always over here between the two garages, he just never looks. You've got a pretty good chance at winning this time, you got a good spot. But you have to outrun me. Which you'll never do."

He smirked at me, and snuck off around the side of Mrs. Gurthrie's house.

I heard Matt yell, "Olly Olly Oxen Free!" and I took off like a shot, determined to beat Rob to home base.

Author's note: I spent almost every afternoon and evening as a kid playing with this family up the street. I was between the first and second boy in age, but played more one on one with the oldest girl. Missy had a front page article in the local paper written about her four-leaf-clover-finding abilities the particular summer that this memory happened. I think about her and that article every time I see a four leaf clover. (There are clovers in the prompt picture beneath the hose.) Also, the boy that talked to me on Mrs. Guthrie's porch is the same boy I brought flowers to in first grade.