A Bonding
Experience
“Love is…”
A question that
had preyed on Carol’s mind for many months, ever since she had moved to the
coast from the city. It had been a
difficult decision for her to make, and she knew many people had not understood
her decision – why should they? After
all, they were not the ones who had to spend thirty years living with her
husband, dealing with everything that he did.
Thirty years –
it had been good at the start, there was no doubt of that, but he had been insidious
– and by the time Carol had realised what was happening, she had her daughter,
and he was making noises about what would happen to both of them if she did
anything.
Anything at
all.
Shona had never
seen everything – but when she turned eighteen, she had left home for college
and never really came back. Oh she came
for Christmas and the occasional day, but there was a tension there that made
them more like ordeals than the joyous occasions they should have been.
And then, he
had just – died. She remembered the day
they called from the office to say he had suffered a massive heart attack, and
died instantly. She was free – but there
were formalities to observe, and she did that.
Then she did what she needed to do – got rid of anything that reminded
her of him, sold the house, and moved to this cottage. She had just arrived when – well, everyone
knew what the world had been through for the last year and a half.
She had,
however, made other friends, both real and virtual – an old friend had told her
of an online community of women who were like her, and she had joined
that. Now, as she sat in her armchair, a
mug of coffee in her hands, she was at least at peace.
She was sixty
one, with grey hair cut in a fringe, and was wearing a brown pinafore dress
over a sheer brown blouse, the thin sleeves coming down to just below her
elbows, and a brown scarf wrapped loosely round her neck. The skirt of her dress came down to her
knees, the lower half of her legs encased in a pair of cream leather boots with
a block heel.
Sighing, she
put her mug down and then stood up. She
had an online meeting in a short while – and then there was the text she had
received that morning from Shona.
The sound from
the kitchen made her turn and look round – and then her eyes widened as the man
and woman walked into her front room.
They were dressed in black, with dark glasses over their eyes – and the
man was pointing a gun at her in his gloved hand.
“Don’t move,”
he said quietly as the woman put a bag down on the couch. “Is there anyone else at home?”
“No…”
“Good – make
sure she can’t raise the alarm, while I make sure the phone is disconnected.”
“Hands behind
your back.”
Carol was still
trying to process what was happening as she felt the woman pull her arm behind
her, and then she felt the thin white rope as she pulled it tightly round her
wrists, securing them together as she looked over her shoulder.
“Look, I don’t
have much,” she said as she felt the rope going between her arms, “and you
don’t have to…”
“If he says I
do it, I do it.”
Carol felt the
tug as she tied the ends off, as she said “I can tell you you can do whatever
you want, he does not control you.”
“Are you sure?”
As Carol saw
the rope being passed round her body, below her chest, she said quietly “I know
that feeling - I was in an abusive, controlling relationship for thirty
years. But I got free, and you can as
well if…”
“Be quiet,” the
woman said as she pulled the rope tight, driving the wind from her lungs as she
felt her arms against her sides. Carol bit
her lower lip as the rope pressed down on her arms and chest, feeling the
growing restraint as the woman made sure she was fully secured.
“What is it you
want,” Carol finally said as the ropes were tied off. She tried to move her arms with no success - and
the ropes were so tight, she had to control her breathing…
“Right now,”
the woman said as she turned Carol round and pushed her down onto the couch,
“to shut up and don’t move.”
“I told you,
you don’t have to do whthhshsss…”
Carol’s words were cut off as the woman looked at her, and then pushed a
folded white cloth into her mouth, the edges sticking out from between her
lips. The cloth muffled her voice as she
watched the woman pull another length of rope from the bag, knelt down and
lifted her ankles up onto her knee, and then passed the rope round them before
she pulled it tighter.
Carol looked on
as she wound the rope round in neat bands, seeing the soft leather compress
under the tension of the bands before she took the rope between her legs as
well and tied the ends off. Lowering her
legs, she walked back to the bag as Carol twisted her legs round, hearing the
squeak of leather on leather as she failed to get any real movement.
“Just stay
still,” she said as knelt by Carol, and then looked up. “I can see you understand – forgive me.”
Carol could
only nod as she watched the way her legs were secured together below her knees,
the band sitting on top of her boots as the rope went round and between her
legs. She knew this woman had no choice
in the matter – if only she could get through to her…
“Good – she’s
going nowhere.”
Carol looked
round as the man came back in and walked over to her, feeling him as he removed
her rings, bracelets and necklace and dropped them into a velvet mask the woman
was holding. Carol did not like this,
but they were trinkets, replaceable – anything really valuable was safely elsewhere…
The ring on the
doorbell took all three of them by surprise as they looked to the doorway – and
then they heard the front door open and close as young female voice said “Mum –
where are you?”
“Hmgghdd-shnnhh…”
The man walked
over and stood by the door as a red haired woman walked in, stopping and
staring at the situation. She was
wearing a brown flecked jacket over a striped brown jumper, a matching scarf
wrapped round er neck, a knee length brown velvet skirt and high patent leather
boots in a dark shade of burgundy.
“Mum – oh shit,
I need to…”
“Do nothing,”
the man said as he pressed the gun into her side, “what’s your name?”
“Shona…”
“And this is
your mother?”
Carol could
only watch as her daughter nodded, the man smiling as he said “Well, you get to
have some time with her as well. Nice
scarf – take it off and gag yourself with it.”
“What did you…”
“Do it.” Carol watched as Shona slowly unwrapped the
wool scarf from round her neck, then opened her mouth and pulled it between her
lips.
“Take it round
again - I want you really quiet.”
“Mhmmuhhlrht”
Shona mumbled as she took the scarf round again, the man putting the gun down
and then pulling the scarf further into her mouth as he secured the ends at the
base of her neck. He then made her walk
over and stand in front of Carol as he took ropes form the bag.
“Make sure
she’s quiet as well,” he said as he looked at his partner, the woman nodding as
she removed Carol’s scarf and rolled it into a band. She then pressed it against her lips, Carol feeling
she had no choice as she opened her mouth, and the brown cotton was pulled
between her lips. The damp white cloth
was forced further into her mouth as she did this, feeling the pressure on the
corners of her mouth as the ends were secured.
As this was
happening, the man had retrieved a longer length of rope, Carol forced to watch
as Shona had her arms pulled against her sides, her jumper stretched over her
chest. Shona in turn looked at her, and
mumbled “Mhmmm…”
“Yhsshhsnh?”
“Dhddhdhffhr…”
Carol stared at
her, her eyes wide open. Her husband had
done many bad things to her, but this…
She shook her head before she said “Whnndhdhh?”
“Whnwhphlhdd. Hdddhtshhndhtn….” Shona closed her eyes as the rope was pulled still
tighter, before the ends were secured off, and then she said “hnddthnhdhtsshmh.”
Carol’s eyes were
even wider as Shona was forced to lie down on the floor, the man rolling her
onto her stomach and then crossing and binding her ankles tightly
together. He then bound her legs below her
knees, before he pulled her ankles back and secured them to her chest
ropes. Shona rolled onto her side,
looking at her mother and saying “Whuuhchrhn?”
Carol could
feel the tear running down her cheek, as she said “Hhffhrknnhh…”
“Mhmmm?”
“Hmmshshhrrhhm,
hdhdthtt?”
“ehssdhdhhtuhhfhthlduh.”
Carol looked
down as the two intruders searched the room, throwing magazines and books down,
before they left the two bound and gagged women looking at each other. Shona was starting to cry, her muffled noises
heard by Carol as she saw her try to move, heard the squeak of her leather
boots.
Slowly, she slid
herself off the seat and landed on the floor, Shona watching as she slowly
moved herself across to where she was lying.
“Hhrrtmhth –
hndhethrhtnhndhdmh.”
Shona stopped
crying, her eyes red as she said “hstthwhunmhvd?” As Carol nodded, she felt the brown scarf
getting wetter and wetter in her mouth, as she said “hhrrthsbhf.”
“Yhsss.. Mhmhnhhdththluh…”
“Chmhrhrh.”
Shona nodded as
she tried to slide herself over, grateful her mother had wooden floors as Carol
turned herself round, looking over her shoulder as her daughter’s mouth came
within reach of her fingers.
“Thtsghd,
sththr,” she said as she hooked her fingers into Shona’s scarf, her daughter nodding
as she slowly eased the first layer out form between her lips. She felt the dampness, Shona nodding as it
fell down onto her chest, then opening her mouth as she hooked her finger under
the damper second layer and slowly started to ease it out of her mouth.
IT seemed to
take an age, before the second, much damper length of brown wool came out of
Shona’s mouth, her daughter gasping as she said “Mum, what happened?”
“Whehrrhbbhdd?”
Shona stared at
her, and then laughed as she said “Sorry – I mean, what did he do to you?”
“Whtddhdhdhthuh?”
“Tie me up –
play with me. I guess I should be
grateful he never – well… But he
threatened t hurt you if I said anything.”
“hfhrththnduhhswhl…”
“I… I think we have a lot to talk about,” Shona
said quietly, “but first we need to get out of here.”
“gthhnhhhdhees?”
“One – can you
get your hand into my jacket pocket?”
Carol nodded as
she shuffled forward and then gently reached into Shona’s pocket, nodding as she
pulled her mobile phone out.
“Do you think
you can press the emergency button? The
code is 59”3.”
Carol nodded as
she looked over her shoulder, placing the phone on the ground and somehow
managing to unlock the phone before she pressed the emergency call button.
“Hello – which
service?”
“Police,” Shona
said quietly. “We’re tied up and unable
to do anything…”
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