Locked In

John grabbed my extra lamp shade from my room while I was on my computer and ran out of the room taunting me with it as he went. He ran all the way to the other side of the house and jumped up onto mom and dad's bed. After retrieving it, I sprinted back across the house to my room and shoved it under my bed. Because Marie was reading on our bed she had seen the whole thing; John run off with it, me chase after him and come back to stuff it under the bed. Her face was lighted up with a huge smile and a little chuckle. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter - John was rushing back. I quickly sat down in my chair an attempted to look innocent.

I turned around to see John looking at me with an expression that said with some authority, "Where did you hide it, Katie?" All three of us laughed.

"Oh Yeah??" John said in site of us with as menacing a smile he could muster, "I am going to lock you guys in 'ere!"

"OH! NO! JOHN! Don't do that!!! AHHH!" Marie and I both joked, knowing the lock was on our side of the door.

Laughing so hard he had a hard time reaching the door, John locked it, stepped outside the door and closed it still laughing. Though it was a little muffled laugh now that it was through the door when Marie and I again expressed our joking dissatisfaction, his little giggle was renewed with all the gusto that he previously had.

But it didn't take him long to realize that by 'locking us in' he had locked himself out and he soon asked to be allowed back into the room. Right when I opened the door (after letting him plead a little bit) Dad popped in just as John did. While Dad, Marie and I randomly talked about the wedding just past, John again threatened to 'lock us all in.' And, or course, our objections did not go unheard. His cute little rascally chuckle was again heard through the door. Marie, Dad and I continued our conversation but it wasn't long before John was back again.

Shoving his cow boy holster belt under the door just enough for us to see and recognize what it was, he asked if one of us could put it on for him. The door was still locked. Then Dad asked John to put it under the door farther so we could see it better. "More....more....More," he said until it was completely under the door and John could no longer reach it.

"HEY!! I Wanted it!" He said with another adorable laugh. I unlocked the door and started to put it on him. But just then Dad got up and started for the door to leave the room.

"John!" I said, "Dad's gonna get out!"

"Oh, no he 'iden't'!" And he quickly closed the door just before Dad got out. Eventually, after John was satisfied with 'locking us in' we were all free to go.