Hidden Among The Toys

     It was shortly after the 2000 year.  I was visiting with my sister being very much pregnant with my third child while our little children played together.  Her oldest daughter is 18 months older than my oldest son, who was 3 and a half at the time and who is a year older than my daughter.  Having them all close in age made it fun for visiting and watching the children play and interact with one another.  My sister also had twin boys around 6 or 7 months old at the time.  Although the children loved looking and holding the babies they weren't quite mobile enough to keep the older children's attention much of the time.  The older children were much happier playing with the toys in the bedroom.

     At the time my sister lived in a small apartment getting ready to buy a house.   We were in the kitchen starting to get a late lunch ready.  We decided to feed the twins first then the older children since they were happily playing in the bedroom.  My sister and I talked and laughed as she fed one twin and I fed the other jarred baby food mixed in with a little baby cereal.  Moments passed when her daughter entered the kitchen area looking around. 

     "Where's Bam-Bam?"  she asked.  Bam-Bam was the nickname we had given to my oldest son, Christian.  He had beautiful white hair and was a solid little guy like the cartoon character from the Flintstones. 

     Lisa and I looked at each other bewildered.  "What do you mean 'Where's Bam-Bam'"?  I asked her.

     "Oh, he's just gone."  she says in a matter-of-factly childish voice.  She turns around and prances off, her blonde pigtails bouncing off her sholders.

     "GONE?"  my sister and I shout out.

     We both stand up from the table and dash into the bedroom.  My daughter Beth and Abbie resumed playing with Barbie dolls on the floor.  Other than that the room was quiet.  My sister opens her bedroom door and looks around.  No little boy to be found.  I look into the bathroom which is directly next to my nieces bedroom and across from my sister's bedroom.  Even though he wasn't fully potty trained yet I was hoping to see him on the toilet.  Nothing.  I met up with my sister in the livingroom.  From there we can see every room in the apartment.  We stood there in awe looking around trying to make sense out of the whole situtation.  From the kitchen table we can see the only door in the apartment and we didn't see it open.  Besides, it was locked with a sliding chain lock. 

     "Do you think he could of tried to open the door and was able to squeeze through the opening?"  my sister asked me as we both stared at the door. 

     My brain went numb.  He never tried to leave the house before.  But there is always a first time.  I shrugged my sholders and shook my head, "I don't know.  I am not sure." 

     "I am going outside to look.  Stay here with the kids."  she directed to me. 

     I go back into the kitchen.  Could he have climbed into the cupboards and we didn't notice?  I thought.  The twins were happily slapping their hands into their plates of mushy goo and sucking on their fingers.  I bend over and open up all the cupboards.  Nothing.  My chair was up against a sliding glass door which let to a small porch.  I know he wasn't out there.  I could hear my sister calling Christian's name from outside.  The windows are open?  Could he have pushed on a screen and fall out?  My sister's apartment was 2 stories up.  I run into my sister's bedroom.  The screen was intact.  I jolt into my niece's room.  The screen was intact there too.  Where could he have gone?!  It seemed as if time was standing still.  Seconds were dragging on, so it seemed.  I looked at my niece's bed and quickly bent down to look under it.  Nothing.  I look around her room.  In her closet was her toy box with chalkboard sliding doors.  The doors were closed.  I had to look.  I slide one door open and there was my son!  He was fast asleep in the toy box.

     I went over to the window and called out to my sister to let her know I found him.   She runs upstairs and flys into the apartment.  "Where is he?"  she calls out relieved but wanting visual confirmation. 

    I smile and point her over to the toy box.  She looks in and sees him sleeping.  My daughter and niece laugh at the site of Christian in there.  "There's Bam-Bam!"  my niece calls out.





Christian asleep in my niece's toy box.



His feet on the other side of the toy box.

     

 

    

I slide him carefully out of the toy box and lay him down on the couch.  He never once opened his eyes as I transferred him to a more comfortable, and noticable, location.  I don't know what made him think to fall asleep in the toy box and not in another area more comfortable like the bed or the couch.  I know I will never know.  I don't think I took my eyes off of him for the rest of the day.