text: Left or right? left or right? I have played this game a hundred times. Which way do I go? where can I hide? No matter my choice he always seems to be there, waiting. He’s too fast to outrun, and even when I hide he can find me within seconds. I’ve only been able to fend him off so far by accident. The last time he caught up to me I was able to grab a handful of hair and scratch at his face. He scurried away quickly, but will have recovered soon, he heals too quickly to do any lasting damage. I must make the choice while I still have the time. Left or right? To the right is the long hallway. That direction could lead to temporary shelter in one of the openings along the way, but that is only if I can make the stretch of the hallway without him finding me. If I go left the room opens up, and there is more room if I need to defend myself. However, the floor can sometimes be slick, it’s impossible to tell if there will be water on the floor. Right. I’ll go right. I’ve gotten faster I can make the length. I hear a noise behind me. Could it be him? Has he recovered yet? I can no longer hear his labored breathing. I turn to go right but as I do, I see a shape out of the corner of my eye. A shape twice my size, moving at unbelievable speeds. In desperation I turn left I head towards the open room, rushing around the corner as fast as I can. I see an opening, a pathway out of the maze leading to open air. If I make it before he catches me then I can escape. As fast as I can I move towards the opening hoping that he doesn’t see me move, hoping that I’m quiet. I can see freedom, I can see green, I see my way out. I put on a final burst of speed and slam headfirst into a glass wall. The sound of my body crumpling against the glass is loud enough to draw attention. His body emerges from the shadows of the room before. His eyes are wide, and his crazed grin gets even bigger as he lets out a laugh of delight. This is it. There is nothing I can do. Head still aching I try to stand, using the glass wall as a support. If he is to get me then I will give him a fight. I stand on my shaking legs, trying to rise with dignity. My heart pounds as he races toward me, I barely have time to raise my hands in front of my face when I feel the full force hit me. I am pushed to the ground, his body crushing mine. The weight is impossible. I cannot move. In desperation I find my voice- letting out a cry, hoping beyond hope that someone, anyone, will hear my voice. A scream fills the air. “What’s going on over here?” A woman walks into the dining room and sees her children on the ground in front of the screen door. Her toddler jumps off his sister and looks away shame-facedly. “Benjamin, how many times have I told you, Baby Gwen is too little to wrestle with. Look, you hurt her, she’s crying because you scared her,” The mother says as she scoops up the bawling infant in her arms “Saw-ee Mama,” The boy looks apologetically at his mother “No, don’t apologize to me, apologize to baby,” “Saw-ee Baby” “Thank you buddy, now please, be more careful next time”.