“10.” The ghost of this round's voice rang out. I began running I wasn’t sure where to go but I knew I wasn’t going to stay in the front yard, too open, too obvious.

“9.” I was nearly to the back yard, one of my brothers ran past me, he was older, bigger, faster.

“8.” Pushing myself to go harder, I had made it behind the house. I heard my neighbor's door shut with the familiar hinges shrieking.

“7.” I looked around the yard, I counted 3 other than me. My brothers, Parker and Nathan, and my neighbor Emma. 

“6.” I saw 2 of them, blonde and a brunette duck behind our shed.  My brother's friend was the ghost in the graveyard this round, and while they may be able to outrun him, I couldn’t.

“5.” I was running out of time, I must make it to the safe spot as quickly as possible, I couldn’t go head to head with the ghost and make it on the platform, I had to go when he started pursuing his first victim.

“4.” My breath quickened, I figured it out, a spot out in the open, yet it was perfect for me.

“3.” I lunged to the edge of my house, to the edge of a corner facing the farthest from the front, I would be safe to run when needed.

“2.” It had nearly begun.

“1.” I shallowed my breathe pushing against the house in a way trying to blend in more seamlessly.

I could hear a scraping on the concrete of the driveway, trying to pull someone out of their hiding, beckoning for them to make a leap of faith and run to the platform of safety. The light next to the back patio door switched off. The light of the open door was all the light making sight possible. Darkness curled around me as the curtains closed. The warm summer night embraced me with the reaching arms of night. I breathed quicker, harder, trying to remind myself it was only the dark, the only people in it were my brothers and their friends.

“Come out come out where ever you are,” the voice begging for his win, all he had to do was catch one of us. “I know you're out there.” The last word was drawn out. Footsteps got louder as he drew closer, laughing maniacally as the ghost did so. I had to go, I had to run, if I remained any longer I would lose, I would become the next ghost.

I had to go quickly and quietly or my fate would be sealed. I looked around once more, the moon had arrived, no longer hidden by the clouds that tended to shadowed it. The night urged me forward as I took off sprinting towards the other side of the yard, the side he was opposite from as well. The laughing got louder, not in the nearness of it however, it's like he knew I ran and knew I wouldn’t escape, even with my efforts.

I turned the corner, slipping in the process, the slickness of the grass that came with the night mocking me as I scrambled back onto my feet. I was alone, no one was able to help me, I had to make it to the platform at the perfect time or all was lost. From this side of the house I could go behind the bushes, they had an open area behind them, but it was hard to get to and I would have to go on all fours not to be seen. That was plan B. I peeked my head around the corner into the front of the house. Behind the mailboxes on the edge of the street, one of my brother's 3 friends remained crouched, watching. The other’s head peeked out of the garage, the ghost wasn’t here, he made a run for it. He made it. It was my turn. I started to move, quiet as possible. Leaves had begun falling early this year. The one who had made it to safety turned to me and gave me a grin, one that couldn’t mean anything good. I froze. He let out a blood-curdling scream. He wanted this. To the point he was going to sabotage the youngest, the smallest, he was playing dirty. The ghost ran around the corner, smirking when he saw me standing there, out in the open. Eye contact was made.

“GHOST IN THE GRAVEYARD,” I yelled out, we saw each other first, I had to be the one to call it. Fear soaked through my skin, why me. Out of the corner of my eye, the one behind the mailbox moved. The ghost saw it too. I ran back. Back behind the corner. Only to be met by my oldest brother. My neighbor and other brother were on the other side of the house. We were all here. But what would happen now? Who would go for it next? Who would risk the attention of the wide-open area rather than wait in the shadows, waiting was the right choice here, but it might not always be. My brother knocked my head with his palm as he got ready to run, crouching low enough to go any way he needed, how fast he needed. He stayed low as he passed me. And he ran, not to safety but to the open, where he had the advantage.

This was my chance, this was my chance to sneak behind the bushes, to make it, to be safe. I walked back slowly as to not gain attention, that was one thing I learned, you don’t want to draw attention, it always seems to go wrong. The birch trees on the corner gave me a blind spot to slip back behind the bushes. My arms scraped against the brick that lined underneath the windows, pain erupted in my hands and knees as I crawled on the wood chips that lined behind the bushes to remain unseen. I could hear the others throwing insults back and forth, daring the other to run, to give them a chance to prove themselves and a chance to win. 

I was halfway there, it wasn’t a far distance, however, it was a great risk, if I was caught I couldn’t run, it was a gamble, putting myself in this situation, however, it was worth it if I could make it. It should be around 9 pm by now, it was the last week before school started back up again, before I became 3rd grader, before they became 5th and 6th graders. I needed to prove to myself and them that I could do this, even if I was younger, weaker, smaller, even with all my disadvantages I could still win. 

I was nearly there, I had nearly made it. The light of the front porch remained on, so I could see the step up as I made my way there, when I looked up from the wood chips, a few steps from the porch, everyone had made it to safety, how didn’t I see it, how didn’t I hear it. I started crawling faster, my hand touching the concrete of the porch bringing myself up sitting on the edge, I dusted my knees off with my hands, back to the other winners. I did it, I had won.

Someone pushed my back, shoving me onto the chips that imprinted my hands, it had to be one of my brothers, only one of them would do something like that. The bushes rustled beside me and I was now tagged. Guess it is survival of the fittest.