Silent Night 2018 – Part 2

15^th December

Seven sisters – what on earth did those who decide these things think when it was decreed I would be the only boy in a family of eight? And what’s worse, I’m slap in the middle – three older sisters, three younger sisters, and one twin sister.

But I had a challenge I felt all of them would do – starting with my twin sister Amy. When I made my way into the room, she was sitting with our younger sister Claire – both of them with Christmas headbands on. Clare’s had ears, Amy’s reindeer horns. Little sis was wearing a red top with striped sleeves, and a Christmas picture with “Oh What Fun” printed on the front, as well as her jeans, while Amy wore a red top with her jeans.

“Oh great,” Amy said as I walked in, “what do you want?”

“Mom and Dad want a picture of all seven of you, and me – but I want it done in silence, and I bet you I can do without any of you saying a word.”

“Oh,” Claire said as she sat on the bed, “how?”

I held up what I had in my hand, and said “with this – ready?”

May, April and June are my three older sisters and when I went into the rec room all three were watching the latest Bieber video. May and June were wearing Santa hats with a leopard print trim, May in a striped boho top and June in a black long sleeved top with a laced up neckline. Both had on jeans with rips at the knees. As for April, her black sweater had lines of baubles on it, and her green headband had antlers on it.

“Oh look – Justin’s here,” April said as she looked at me, “What do you want?”

“Want to have a bet? I bet I can surprise all three of you and make sure you can’t say anything at the same time.”

“Oh – how,” May said with a smile.

“All three of you, close your eyes, and put your hands out, palms together.”

They looked at each other, then did as I asked – it was so simple really, as I tore the end of the roll of duct tape free, and quickly wound it round the wrists of all three of them.

“Hey,” April said as she opened her eyes, “what do yufhhnkuuhdddnnn!”

“What was theeehehprhll?”

“April, May – what are you Hey whtshhphhnndd!”

As all three opened their eyes, they saw I had taped their wrists tightly together, and covered their mouths with silver tape – and then they glared at me.

“You’re not the first – come with me,” I said as they stood up, and walked to the front room with me.

“Hghhddushhwhl?”

They saw Claire and Amy sitting on the floor, their wrists and ankles taped, and their mouths covered, as I got all three of my older sisters to sit in a row behind them, crossing their legs as I taped them together over their thighs.

“Now stay there,” I said quietly, “I need to get Flo and Mo here as well.”

“Ghddlhkftht…”

“Hi Flo, Hi Mo – want to play a game?”

“What sort of game,” Flo said as I walked into their room. She had a light red jumper and jeans on, Mo in a darker red jumper.

“Ever heard of the trapped mouth game?”

“NO – what’s that?”

“You tape each other’s mouth, and then try to guess what the other one is saying,” I said as I held up the roll of duct tape. The two girls looked at each other, then burst out laughing before Flo said “all right – give me the tape.” She took it from me, tore a strip off and stuck it over Mo’s mouth, as she said “well, can you say anything?”

“Hnnefhnk,” Mo mumbled, then she giggled as she taped over Flo’s mouth as well. “Bhtwchnnthkthsfff.”

“Well,” I said as Flo felt the tape on her mouth, “I can make it more difficult. Put your hand together.” I took the roll and taped their wrists together in front of them, as they tried talking to each other.

“Hey - want to see something funny? You can come like that?”

They both nodded as they stood up and followed me to the front room, then laughed as they saw the other five taped up as well.

“Come and sit back here,” I said as I led them to the back, sitting them back to back before I taped their ankles as well. I then went to the front, set the camera up, and carried a chalkboard with a message on it.

“Okay,” I said as I put a Santa hat on, “all of you look at the camera and say please!”

Well, they all did that, and then they glared at me as I showed them the picture with message.

Finally! Peace on Earth…

16^th December

I saw three girls sat by the tree
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
And all three had their mouths taped tight
For Silent Night in the morning

And one was wearing pink PJs
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
Her wrists and ankles taped so nice
For Silent Night in the morning

The other two wore red t-shirts
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
The tree lights all shining so bright
For Silent Night in the morning

They all looked cute in their tape binds
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
And the mmphing sounds were clear and bright
For Silent Night in the morning

And as they watch me with their mum
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
I leave her taped up to hum along
For Silent Night in the morning

For although I came to rob them tonight
For Silent Night, For Silent Night
I’ll leave them in the tree’s soft light
For Silent Night in the morning

17^th December

I have to admit, at the time it was just a surreal experience, but now I am kind of glad it happened the way it did, given both Rowena and Victoria dealt so well with it.

I had just brought Rowena back from her school Christmas party – she’s six years old, and loves Disney Princesses, so she was wearing a blue Princess dress with a white band keeping her straw blonde hair back, and silver ballet slippers. I’d been helping out at the drinks, so I had a silly Christmas headband on with red antlers, and my own hair in a ponytail. The hall is cold, so I had on a thick pink woollen jumper and blue jeans, with short black boots.

I had left Victoria, my fourteen year old daughter, at home to get ready for her own party, and as we came in she was coming down the stairs. She had a headband as well, but hers had white fur on the top, and she was wearing a sleeveless taupe dress with large pink dots, and pink heels. She also had a thin silver belt round her waist.

The two of us went into the kitchen to have a hot drink, and when the doorbell rang Rowena said she would answer it. So when she came into the kitchen, and said “thank you Mummy for the game” I had to look up – and then stare. There was a woman with her, wearing a brown leather jacket over a roll neck sweater, leggings and over the knee boots – and a tan stocking pulled down over her head, as she said she was here to play the game of robbers with all of us!

I knew who she was – and I guessed Victoria did as well from the way she was looking – but she had her hand on Rowena’s shoulder, and said quietly that she hoped we enjoyed the surprise. I slowly nodded as I looked at them, knowing what was going to happen, and said I had forgotten, but if both of the girls were willing to play, we could do it now. She showed me the top of something in her jacket pocket, but I was already convinced, as I said something about please don’t hurt us, we’ll do what you say.

She asked us both to stand up and we walked into the front room, Rowena watching as she said she was here to kidnap the young princess, but she first had to make sure her sister and mother could not stop her – but it was Christmas, so it would be different. Rowena watched as she made me and Victoria sit back to back, and then produced two lengths of white cord from a bag she had.

She started with me, crossing my wrists and tying them tightly together, and then did the same to Victoria as Rowena giggled. I played along, saying I didn’t want them to be hurt as she tied Victoria’s ankles together, and then did the same to mine. It was simple, but tight – and then she asked where we kept the tree lights.

We don’t put our tree up until Christmas Eve, but I told her where they were, as he took Rowena’s hand and left the room. Victoria asked if this was a real robbery, and I said it was – but we needed to pretend so that Rowena was not scared. She promised she would, as the masked woman came back with a string of lights, using the green flex to tie me and Victoria together around our upper bodies.

Rowena then said she wanted a picture where the princess had to pose with the others. I had something to say about that, but the masked woman told me to open my mouth – and when I did so, she pushed a cloth into it, telling me to close my lips as Victoria started to mumble something – I guess she had the same thing happen to her. I then heard two ripping sounds, and Victoria try to say something else – but it was softer, more mumbled.

As the masked woman came back round, I saw what she had done – in her gloved hand was a roll of thin white tape, with “Christmas Wishes” printed on it in red. She tore a strip off, and stuck it diagonally across my mouth, covering most of my lips – and the second diagonal strip in the opposite direction took care of the rest. I could try to speak, but I needed to play along, as Rowena stood behind both of us, put her arms round our necks, and posed while she took a photo with my mobile phone.

And Victoria’s.

And Rowena’s. Putting them down, she knelt and tied my legs together below my knees, taking the rope around and between my legs as the band compressed my pants, and then she did the same to Victoria, before she said she was taking the Princess now, and they walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, she carried Rowena back in – my younger daughter now had her wrists tied together in front of her, and rope around her waist to stop her moving them, as well as her ankles tied together. As she lay Rowena down on the couch, I caught a glimpse of the rope around her legs as well – and the tape over her lips was the same as ours, with something else obviously in her mouth.

The masked woman said she was leaving us all to be rescued now, as she left my mobile phone in reach of my hands, and then walked off. It took me a while to get the tape and cloth from my mouth, as Veronica struggled as well, and Rowena just giggled…

18^th December

It was meant to have been a quick in and out, nothing difficult, nobody would ever know we had been there – fat chance of that, and just before Christmas as well!

Bert and me, we’re night robbers – get in while the family are asleep, get out just as quietly, and this house in the suburbs was perfect for us. Well off family, no alarms, secure in their own safety. You’d be surprised how many people think a fake box is enough – and how easy they are to spot.

So anyway – dark clothes, woolly hats on, and we climb onto the garage roof as we open the window to what is obviously the master bedroom. That went well, and we made our way in – and then Bert stepped on a bed, and a young voice said “who’s there?”

I turned round as a bedside lamp went on, and saw an eleven year old girl, with long brown hair, wearing a natty set of light blue pyjamas with snowmen on them. She looked at me, and would have screamed if Bert hadn’t put his hand over her mouth.

I looked at her, and told her very quietly not to scream, at the same time looking for something I could use to keep her quiet. On the side was a clean white cotton pillow case – and this was one of those situations where you improvise, so I grabbed it, rolled it into a band, and as Bert held her I cleave gagged her with the cloth, her lips closing over it as I secured the ends at the back of her neck.

Now, any other time I would have tied her up in the bed, but then I realised she was not the only one in the room, as a second light went on and another voice said “oh my god…”

I turned round to see another girl, a couple of years older, looking at us as she sat up in the bed. She had longer and lighter hair, and was wearing red Christmas pyjamas – but like what I presumed was her sister, she needed to be kept quiet, so I told her not to say a word, grabbed a second pillow case, and cleave gagged her with that while Bert watched.

So there we were – tow respectable burglars, and two gagged young ladies, the cloth between their lips already turning grey as they looked at each other. I took some cord from my bag and handed one lengths to Bert, and a few minutes later both of them had their wrists tied together in front of themselves.

That was when I? had my brainwave – we needed to get them where their parents would not hear them, so I put the older girl over my shoulder, telling her not to struggle, while Bert did the same for her little sister. We turned the bedside lights off, and very quietly, very carefully, walked down the staircase with them. At least they didn’t struggle – I think they were too scared to do so – as we walked into the front room and sat them on the floor, back to back.

Giving some more cords to Bert, I watched as he made them sit cross legged, and then tied their ankles together, before he tied a cord from their wrists to their ankles. We then split up – I went to see if I could find something to tie them together with, while Bert went back up the stairs to start his search.

So how the hell we missed what happened next, I will never know. But when I came in, the two girls were looking at me, the damp patch growing larger between their lips – and there was a younger boy, looking at me in shock as he was tying them together with a set of fairy lights on a white flex, in front of the Christmas tree?

He dropped the flex and ran to the door – forgetting the fact I was in the way as I grabbed him, lifted him up and covered his mouth with my gloved hand. He also had festive pyjamas on – green ones in his case – as he struggled in my arms, and then stopped as Bert came in.

He looked at the kid, and put his finger to his lips, before I carried him to the couch and told him to lie on his stomach. Bert had obviously found his room, because he gave me another pillow case as he pulled his hands behind his back and started to tie them together.

The girls found this funny by the way – they were giggling as we tied up their kid brother, and left him struggling on the couch as we looked at them. He’d actually done a good job, so we added a little sparkle – we plugged the lights in, and left them shining as a present for their parents when they woke up…

19^th December

With apologies to Mike Chapman and Nicky Quinn

Try to imagine sitting by the tree.
Try to imagine my sister behind me.
That's where they left me
Since they gagged me.
And there’s nowhere I can go.
I feel a hand squeeze
from behind me
And we both know, yes we both know

I’d be so scared this Christmas
without you to hold
I’d be so scared this Christmas
But I’m not alone.
We can’t call for help
but the lights are still on
This Christmas

The red tape on my mouth pulls on my skin.
But her mouth has green tape, and we wish we could scream.
Our wrists are tied, side by side,
and my ankles are tied too,
and the tree lights, wrapped round so tight
Keep us together on the floor...

I’d be so scared this Christmas
without you to hold
I’d be so scared this Christmas
But I’m not alone.
We can’t call for help
but the lights are still on
This Christmas

We were ready for bed, when the masked man came in
He made us sit down, and then we were tied
And I watched as he put the hats on
And as we were tape gagged I wondered how we would cope
but we squeezed hands, and I knew, I knew we would be all right
As he took from us so much.

I’d be so scared this Christmas
without you to hold
I’d be so scared this Christmas
But I’m not alone.
We can’t call for help
but the lights are still on
This Christmas

Now he’s walked out, we’ll have a Silent Night…

20^th December

We live on a farm in the hills, and it has its good things and its bad things. The good side is we have lots of animals around us, and I love the hills. The bad thing is that it can get boring.

But last Christmas, we had one exciting night. It started when we had eaten our evening meal – we had been into the town, so we all still had those clothes on. Mum has short brown hair, and was wearing a red checked blouse over a black top, jeans and long brown boots with a white fur trim. Dad also had a red checked shirt on and jeans, with brown shoes, and then there was my little sister Poppy. She had a red jumper on with black stripes, jeans and brown fur booties. She even had a fake red rose on her headband holding her hair back.

And me? I was in grey – a sweatshirt and leggings, but with brown lace up short boots and red socks underneath. I don’t like red that much – something that I had to not say anyting about later.

So Mum cleared the plates away – and then Dad went to put the rubbish bag out, while Poppy and me went into the main room. I turned the television on – and that was when we heard Mum calling out.

You see, there is one really big building in the area – an old prison, and when Mum and Dad came back in there were two men with them, wearing old clothes and with big beards. One of them had one of the big kitchen knives in his hand, as he looked at us and told us to stay quiet.

We had already started to put up the Christmas decorations, and on the couch were a string of large lights on a green flex. The man with the knife looked at me, and told me to come and stand with him, and then ordered Mum, Poppy and Dad to sit on the floor, with their hands on their knees. Mum said quietly not to hurt me, as she sat down, then Dad turned so his back was to her side, and finally Poppy in front of both of them. He put his hand on my shoudler as the other man picked up the lights, and wrapped it round all three of them so that they were held together, round their waists.

Poppy looked at the man holding me, and said he was a bad bad man – but he laughed, and said yes he was, especially as he was going to get me to keep them quiet! The second man tied the flex tightly behind Mum and Dad, and then went into the kitchen, returning with a roll of red tape that Dad had used to seal some parcels up. He passed it to me, and told me I was to tear some strips off, and press them – over their mouths?

I looked at Dad, who nodded as he said I should do it, so I peeled a strip from the roll, tore it off, and then pressed it down over his lips. I was told to do that two more times, which I did – and then I did the same to Mum, after she told me it was going to be all right.

After I had covered Poppy’s mouth, the man took my arm and took me back into the kitchen, sitting at the table as he told me to get him something to eat and drink. Well, we had some cold meat and bread, and some milk, so I made a sandwich for him and put it on the table, then sat down when he told me to as he ate.

I could hear Mum and Poppy trying to say something, but I had no idea what was going on in the main room, only that I wanted them to go away. The second man then came back in, and I saw he had a ball of Mum’s wool in his hands – which he used to tie my wrists together behind my back, the first man saying they were going to go in a while, and they needed some time to get away,

I asked if they had run away from the prison, and he nodded as the second man helped himself to food and drink. I then watched as he took the wool, knelt down and tied my ankles together, and my legs below my knee, before he picked up the roll of red tape.

It felt funny on my face as he covered my mouth, and crinkled when I tried to talk, before I was lifted up and carried back into the front room. I could now see that Mum, Dad and Poppy had their wrists tied together in front of themsleves, and that the wool had also been taken down and used to tie their legs and ankles together like mine were. I was put on the couch, and rolled over onto my side to look at them as the two men went away and left us alone.

We spent the time struggling – Mum and my boots squeaked when they rubbed together, and the tape crinkled for all of us as we tried to talk. The policemen came in an hour later – they had been looking for the men, and saw our door was open. I was happy to see them – and that I could talk again…

December 21^st

As she entered her apartment, Jo-Jo knew something was not quite right, but she could not put her finger on what it was. She took off her long leather coat and hung it up, calling over her shoulder “come on you three – shake a leg.”

Delight was the first in – the ten year old girl wearing a black puffa jacket, her red lace skirt over the black and white striped one visible below the hem, and black Ugg boots. Her twin brothers Louis and Denis followed – both also wearing the padded jackets, jeans and sneakers. The boys had Santa hats on, one with “Bah Humbug” and the other with “Naughty” on it, and Delight wearing the red reindeer antlers headband.

As she closed the door, however, Jo-Jo heard her daughter say “who are you” and she turned to see a man wearing a balaclava mask looking at her. She put her head to the side, and said “oh god no – look, if you want money…”

“Save it,” he growled as he held up a roll of red PVC tape, “you’re gonna make sure these three stay put. He indicated the door to the main room of the apartment, and said “in there.”

As they went in, they saw a small table had been set a little way off the wall. “You two,” he said as he pointed at Delight and Louis “sit on there – you on the side girl, you beside her facing front.”

“Just do as he says kids,” Jo-Jo whispered as they two children went and sat down, and he threw the roll of tape at her. “The third kid – tape his wrists together behind his back.”

“Be brave,” she whispered as Denis put his hands behind his own back, and she tore the end of the roll free, wrapping it tightly around his wrists so that they were held together.

“Now his ankles.”

She knelt down and wrapped the tape tightly round his ankles as well, before the man picked the young boy up and carried him to stand him behind the other two.

“You two – hands together in front of yourself.”

“We’ll be brave, Mom,” Louis said as Jo-Jo taped his wrists together, and then taped his ankles so that the cuffs of the legs of his jeans was underneath. She then taped Delight’s wrists together, before taking her boots off and taping her ankles to the legs of the table.

“Now – gag them.”

Nodding slowly, Jo-Jo tore strips of the red tape off and covered their mouths, the three of them looking at the masked man as she did this, before he took the roll of tape and secured Jo-Jo’s wrists together behind her back.

“Don’t move,” he growled as he picked up a set of tree lights, and wrapped then round all three of the bound and gagged children to hold them together, plugging them in so that the lights blinked on them, before he took Jo-Jo by the arm and walked her to the bedroom.

“You ba…”

“Hey – not in front of the kids,” he said with a grin as he pulled the stocking off his head, and kissed his wife.

“How long are we going to leave them like that?”

“How long do you think…”

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