The St Monica’s Ladies Circle Selfie
Contest
“A Selfie
calendar,” Mary’s husband said as they sat at the breakfast table, “whose
wonderful idea was that for this year’s calendar?”
“Not
important,” Mary said as she sipped her tea, “but I and four of the Ladies
Circle have agreed to take part, and we’re all going to take the photos this
morning and submit them for consideration.”
“Well, I
imagine as the Vicar of St Monica’s, I will have to judge appropriately,” he
said as he finished his tea and stood up.
“I have the diocese meeting this morning – see you tonight.”
“Have a good
day,” Mary said as she watched him put his jacket on and head out, smiling
before she stood and started to gather the plates. She thought it was a wonderful idea – and as
she took the dirty dishes to the kitchen, she knew exactly how she was going to
do it.
Filling the
machine and then turning it on, Mary went up the stairs and looked at herself
in the mirror on the wardrobe door. She
was wearing a grey coat dress, zipped up the front and with a wide belt around
her waist, and a cream cardigan over that, the sleeves pulled up to the elbows. Looking down at her long brown boots, the
tops over her knees, she smiled and said “A typical vicar’s wife” as she went
to the toilet. She didn’t hear the front
door open and close…
When she
returned, she had her mobile phone in her hand, looking again in the mirror as
she adjusted her long brown hair. “Well,
here goes nothing,” she finally said to herself as she smiled, held up the
phone, and took a picture of herself in the long mirror.
It was only as
she looked at the screen that she realised she was not alone, as she was
grabbed round her waist, and before she could make a sound a length of brown
sticking plaster was pressed firmly over her mouth. “Don’t struggle, remain calm,” she heard a
young man say behind her, “if you don’t, you will hurt yourself, and I don’t
want that to happen.”
“Hhhrrruu?”
“I believe the
press refer to me as the Selfie Snatcher – I presume you have read the
reports?”
Mary’s eyes
opened wide, and she slowly nodded as she looked at the man, the hood over his
head.
“Good – now, I
want you to put your hands behind your back, and stand perfectly still.”
Mary slowly
nodded as he removed his arm from her waist, and then took the phone from her
hand, guiding her wrists behind her back as she heard a rasping sound, and they
were forced together. She could feel the
thin plastic strip with her fingers, as she watched him kneel down and put her
feet together, then use a second zip tie to secure her ankles together, so that
she could not move.
As he stood up
and walked in front of her, he smiled and said “now, I hope you’re ready for a
little trip and a surprise.”
“WhttdhumhhnnNNNNNNNN,” Mary gasped as he lifted her over
his shoulder, unable to do more than wriggle as he carried her down the stairs,
out of the back door, and towards a van parked by the rear of the Vicarage. The side door was open, and as she put her
into the back, he smiled and said “I need to make a second stop, and then I’ll
take you both to a very special venue…”
Lady Constance
smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror.
“For a parish calendar, I do not feel I need to be dressed to the
nines,” she said to herself, her large sunglasses perched on her light brown
hair as she slipped on the grey cardigan.
That was on over a plain brown tunic dress, the belt loosely fastened
around her waist, and black suede boots with a stack heel.
“But a picture
on a phone, no – I need to take a proper picture for this,” she said to herself
as she went to the library, and took out from a drawer a camera. Returning to her bedroom, she looked at
herself in the mirror, and said “wonderful” as she pointed the camera, and took
a picture.
“A true
masterpiece, your ladyship.”
She turned to
look at the young man standing there, and said quietly “you are?”
“Ah – I am
known as the Selfie Snatcher, and I have been commissioned to take you to a
special meeting today. I am afraid I
need to ensure you cannot raise the alarm however.” He took from his pocket a roll of white tape,
and said with a smile “if you would be so kind as to turn round, and put your
hands behind your back.”
“How did you
get past my housekeeper,” Lady Constance asked as she turned, intrigued as to
what he would do, and then felt him cross her wrists before the tape forced
them together, pulling slightly on the skin of her arms.
“She had to
step out for a few minutes, so time is precious,” he said with a smile as he
then wrapped the tape around her waist, trapping her wrists against her back as
she looked on. “I will just make sure
you stay quiet, and then invite you to take a walk with me.”
“Well, I cannot
deny your manners,” Lady Constance said as she looked at the white addition to
her attire, “and how do you propose to keep me quiet?”
“If you would
kindly purse your lips?”
Mary looked at
the side of the van as it opened up, and the Snatcher came in, helping his
latest addition inside.
“Lhddeechnsthnnssh?”
“Ghddmhrnnhmhree,” Lady Constance said, her lips moving
under the white tape as she was helped to sit next to Mary, and then her ankles
secured with a zip tie. “Now, ladies,”
the young man said, “I take you to where the meeting is, and then I bring the
others to you.”
Both women
looked at him, wondering what he meant as he closed the door, and then the van
moved off…
“Thank you, Mrs
Slocombe,” Zoe said as she showed the elderly lady
out of the village store, and then closed the door, locking it and putting the
sign to closed before she sighed. It had
been a busy morning, but now she just had time to get her entry ready for the
contest.
The shopkeeper
had long blonde hair, and was wearing a blue and white spotted short sleeved
blouse, a knee length blue skirt, and straight black leather boots. Smiling, she made her way up the stairs,
unaware of the man who had slipped in the back…
“Right,” she
said to herself as she stood in the bedroom, “let’s get this done.” Holding her white phone in front of herself,
she looked down, took a deep breath, took the picture – and then smiled as she
looked at herself.
“Perfect,” she
said as she turned round – and was pushed face down onto the bed, taken
completely by surprise as someone pulled her wrists behind her back, and tied
them together quickly with thin cords.
“Oh god,” she
whispered, “please, I’ll tell you how to open the safe, just…”
“This isn’t a
robbery.”
“It’s not – oh
no, please…”
“Lady,” the
male voice said, “I’m just taking you for a little trip, nothing more nothing
less, but I like to make it an adventure.
Now, open your mouth.”
“But why whllddiihhhhmmmmm”
Zoe said as a knotted blue bandana was pushed into her mouth, the cloth
mass pushing her tongue down as it was tied tightly round her head, and she
felt her ankles been pushed together, then heard third the squeak as her ankles
were bound tightly with ropes.
“Bthhhwwhrruuu,” she mumbled as she felt her captor pull the
cords together, and then secure her legs together below her knees. She was too scared to do anything except
breathe through her nostrils, hoping she would not be harmed or hurt.
“Stand up
please.” Zoe was helped to stand on her
bound feet, before a black scarf was tied over her eyes, cutting off her sight
before she felt someone lifting her, carrying her in his arms as he walked
off. She kay still, only wriggling
slightly as she was walked away, but she could feel the cool breeze on her face
that told her she was been taken somewhere, and the sound of her captor’s feet
on concrete, then wood as she felt she was been taken down some stairs.
“Hmmnhtuhsswhl!”
“Hssthtrrrr,” Zoe said as she was sat in a wooden seat, and
she felt more ropes being tied round her upper body, pulling her back against
the support as she looked round, desperate to see who was there. When the blindfold was removed, she looked at
the other two women, both also tied tightly to the chairs with ropes, and said
“Whhhtthtttt….”
“Right – supper
is in the oven, time for a photo,” Agnes said to herself as she looked
round. The wife of the local constable,
she felt she was safe doing this in her own home – after all, the unfortunate
incidents the Ladies Circle had been involved in were in the past, what could
possibly happen now?
She adjusted
the loose black and white cardigan she was wearing over her white top, and
picked up the camera which was on the work surface. The long grey skirt covered her legs to just
below her knees, and the long black boots covered what was left.
“I hope Mary
appreciates what I am doing,” she said quietly to herself as she held the
camera up, and then took a photograph – before she heard the applause and
looked round.
“Who are you,”
she said quietly as she looked at the young man in the hooded top, “I have to
warn you, my husband is…”
“The village
constable, yes I know – he has been called out to one of the farms, which gives
me enough time to invite you to come with me,” the man said with a smile.
“Come with you
– where?”
“The Ladies
Circle are gathering – and I have been sent to bring you, but we need to go in
a certain way. Please, put the camera
down, and then put your hands behind your back.”
“Why should I –
oh,” Agnes said quietly as she saw the rope in his hands, and turned round,
unsure why she was obeying him as he crossed and secured her wrists tightly
together. He was skilled, but he was not
hurting her, for which she was thankful.
“My husband
will…”
“When we get
where we are going, I do not think you will let your husband know,” he said
with a smile as he turned her round, and she saw a folded cloth in his
hand. “Open wide now.”
“I will be
quiet…”
“Yes, yes you
will – open wide now.”
Agnes looked at
him, and then allowed him to push the cloth into her mouth, closing her lips
over it before he tore a wide strip of clear tape from a roll, and carefully
smoothed it over her mouth and chin. As
she looked in the mirror, she was surprised at how normal it looked.
“Now – why
don’t we pop next door, and collect your sister…”
“Agnes – is
that you? I’ll be down in a second!”
Flora looked at
herself, brushing some lint from her long tiered light purple skirt, and then
adjusting the dark purple cardigan she was wearing over her black top. She was also wearing long black leather
boots, like her sister, but she held a white mobile phone in her hand, as she
smiled and took the picture.
“Fjhllhrrr?”
Flora turned
and looked at her sister, her hands behind her back, and her lips together, as
she laughed and said “are we playing the mumble game again?”
“Not that game,
no.”
She then saw
the man behind her, and walked over to Agnes, looking at her mouth as she said
“oh my god…”
“I am known as
the Selfie Snatcher – and you are both coming with me, so turn round, and put
your hands behind your back.”
Flora looked at
Agnes, who slowly nodded as her sister turned and moved her hands behind her,
feeling the thin cord as the young man secured her wrists tightly
together. He then turned her round as
well, and as she opened her mouth he pushed a fresh cloth inside, and then
pressed the clear tape carefully over her lips so there were no creases or air
bubbles.
He then went to
the wardrobe, the sisters watching as he found two woollen ponchos. “I was told these would be here,” he said as
he placed over each of their heads, covering their bound wrists.
“Hhhthlduhhh?”
“Shall we find
out,” he said with a smile as all three left the house, walking down the street
as Agnes and Flora looked at each other, wondering why nobody was noticing they
were a hostage, before he opened the door to the new coffee shop. The ladies looked at each other as he walked
them in, and down to the cellar.
“HHNNHHHH!”
“Have a seat,”
he said to each of them as they looked at Mary, Constance and Zoe, all three
already tied tightly to their chairs as the Snatcher used longer ropes to bind
the two sisters to their seats, and then secured their ankles as well as their
legs below their knees.
“WHHSFDHNNTHSSSSS!”
“Ah – good,
you’re all here.”
“SHEHHLLEEE!”
“Hello ladies,”
Sheila said as she came down, wearing her Guide Leader’s outfit with her own
black leather boots. “I’ve already done
my selfie, but I wanted to discuss a second fund raising event with all of
you. A sponsored kidnapping – and I want
to thank my nephew for getting you here.”
“Uhhrrrr…”
“Sorry ladies –
I’m not the real Selfie Snatcher, just helping my favourite auntie out,” he
said with a smile.
“And now you
can help me John – tie me to a chair, gag me, and then we can discuss my idea
as real hostages…”
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