Continue the game

It was past noon, but the game wasn’t over. Sam lay on the grass, still naked, sweaty, and panting. Laura and Anna sat beside him, both with triumphant smiles. The sun was hot, but the cool breeze from the garden was a little soothing. Laura’s camera was on the ground, but Sam knew that new photos had been added.

Anna suddenly stood up and said, “Another round? New rules this time.”

Sam looked at him in horror. “Anna, stop it! It’s over!”

Laura laughed. “No, Dad, we’ve just started. This time… Anna and I are the hunted, you the hunter.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Me?”

Anna nodded. “Yeah. If you find us, the photos will be erased and we’ll be your maids for a week. If you don’t…” her smile turned mischievous, “You have to stay home naked for a whole night. Anywhere, anytime.”

Laura added, “And we can hurt you whenever we want. No running away.”

Sam took a deep breath. This was his chance for ****. “Okay.”

Laura and Anna took ten minutes to hide. Sam put on his clothes (Anna gave him her pants) and started looking around. The garden was big, but he knew where to look now: behind the trees, the barn, by the pool, under the bushes.

The first clue: a faint laugh from the pool. Sam walked slowly. Laura was there, behind the low wall, in her white pajamas. “Laura!” Sam shouted and ran towards her.

Laura screamed and ran, but Sam was faster. He caught her and laughed, “First catch!”

Laura laughed and said, “Okay, you got it. Now it’s Anna’s turn.”

Sam walked towards the barn. The door was half open. He went inside and saw Anna, behind the boxes, in a T-shirt and shorts. “Anna!”

Anna turned and laughed. “Wow, you were fast!” Sam ran after her, but Anna was faster. She escaped his grasp and ran towards the house.

The chase began. Sam ran after Anna, Laura joined her from behind. “Anna, wait!”

Anna reached the backyard, but Sam caught her. They all fell to the grass, laughing and panting.

Sam shouted, “I got you both! Now the photos will be erased!”

Laura and Anna looked at each other and said at the same time, “Not that easy!”

Suddenly, Laura attacked Sam from behind and took off his T-shirt. Anna pulled down her pants. Sam was naked again!

“What?! You cheated!”

Anna laughed. “New rules: The hunter loses if he loses his clothes!”

Sam tried to grab his clothes, but Laura and Anna threw them away. Now Sam had to chase naked. He ran towards them, but every time he got close, they ran away and laughed.

The game continued. Sam ran naked through the garden, Laura and Anna, dressed, gave him a hug. Sometimes they caught him, sometimes he caught them. The clothes changed constantly: sometimes Sam was naked, sometimes one of the girls lost her T-shirt.

Finally, after an hour of chasing, all three of them fell exhausted on the grass. Sam naked, Laura half-naked, Anna only in shorts.

“Equal?” Laura said.

Anna nodded. “Equal. The pictures are still there, but…” Sam added.

“But is the game over yet?” Laura and Anna said at the same time:

“No, it’s just beginning!”

That night, Sam was naked in the house, as was the rule. Laura and Anna teased him whenever they wanted: they poured a glass of water, they pulled a towel, or they just laughed. But Sam didn’t fight anymore. He smiled.

The game continued, not just that day, but every weekend Laura came. Sam, the eternal hunted, had now fallen in love with the game. And Laura and Anna? The eternal hunters, with their cameras and their laughter.