Hide and Seek

by Riff Hanson

Toby squeezed into the closet, holding his breath as footsteps creaked outside—his cousin was getting close. In the dim light filtering through the slats, he noticed a shadow in the corner, a figure crouched exactly like him. His pulse pounded as the figure shifted forward, revealing his own face—older, sharper, with tired eyes that held a warning. “Don’t stay in here too long,” the future Toby whispered. The closet door burst open, his cousin laughing, but Toby barely noticed as he stumbled out, gasping for air. Years later, he would wonder if he had ever truly left.

6S

Riff Hanson, as a teen, led a street gang called the Jets.