Carry On Granny

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan and Alex

 

I love having my granddaughter over for visits – we get to go into town, share fashion tips, and so on.  So that particular weekend, my daughter dropped her off in town where I had been at the hairdresser, and we went off to have lunch.

 

Now I dress nicely – and that day I had on a short blue dress with a black belt round my waist, dark hose and knee length brown leather boots.  With my long blonde hair, I look a lot younger than I am – but the glasses, those I need.

 

Alex smiled and waved as she came into the café.  She’s fourteen, and has her own style – that day, she had on a white cardigan over a black and white floral dress, a thin brown belt round her waist, and dusty brown cowboy style boots.

 

Anyway – we sat, we ordered food, and she brought me up to speed on the gossip with the rest of the family, and then we went shopping for make-up.  I also bought her a new necklace and a set of earrings – after which, we got into a cab and headed for my house.  I genuinely had no idea we were been followed – or by whom.

 

So what happened next?  We got home, and we both hung our jackets up on my coat stand before Alex went to the toilet, and I went to put the kettle on.  It was then I heard the front door open and close, and walked into the hallway to see what had happened.

 

Well, I didn’t see – but I was lifted off my feet as a gloved hand was clamped over my mouth, and I was carried back into the front room to see Alex with a second man, also with his hand over her mouth.  He looked at me, and very politely said they were here to rob us, and we should do as they say.

 

I nodded as I mumbled something, before the hands were taken away from our mouths, and Alex ran over to hug me.  I put my arms round her as well, as I saw a leather holdall on the floor – I was the owner of a nice collection of pewter items, and I figured that was what they were after.

 

The man opened the bag, and I saw neatly coiled ropes inside as Alex shook her head.  Brushing her light brown hair, I told her not to be scared, and whatever happened we would be together.

 

As I watched, the second man went over and pulled the curtains across the windows, before we were both told to sit on the couch, lean forward and put our hands behind our backs.  I walked over with Alex and sat down, talking to her the whole time as I felt my wrists been tied tightly together with some of the rope.  Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing, and the rope was soft and strong at the same time.

 

When the ends were tied off, I turned and let Alex see them, telling her she had nothing to be afraid of as the man then took her hands behind her back and started to tie them together.

 

I was really impressed with how brave she was, especially when one of the men took two long lengths of rope from the bag, handing one to his partner before we watched each other while they lashed our arms to our sides, the rope framing our chests as it was pulled tighter and tighter.  Now, I freely admit my dress had a rather daring round neckline, but as the material was stretched out I could see just how much of my chest was visible now.

 

And as for Alex, her cardigan was being pulled to the sides by the ropes, as she squirmed round.  I could only imagine how she must have been feeling – well, actually, I asked her, and she said she wasn’t sure.

 

Good answer – neither was I really as the ropes were tied off, and then two shorter lengths tied between my arms and body to make them even tighter.

 

Alex gasped as the same thing was done to her, and she wriggled round – only to stop when we saw them take more rope out, kneel in front of us, and cross our ankles.  I had to fight the temptation to kick the one next to me – Alex might have got into trouble if I did – so I had to watch as he tied my ankles together in the same way as my wrists – the rope wrapped round several times, then the ends passed between my legs to make it tighter.  As he did that, I was trying to find the knot for the rope round my wrists – but it was well out of reach…

 

They then tied our legs together, below our knees, as we watched, and then they stood up and walked behind us.  We both tried to move our legs, but it was impossible – and besides, our legs rubbing together was making a very unusual noise.

 

So there we were – helpless, and no idea what was coming next.  Well, we found out what was coming next, as the man held a rolled up white cloth in front of my face, and told me to open my mouth.

 

I heard Alex’s muffled grunts, and turned my head to see the second man pulling a white cloth between her teeth, wrapping it round her head and pulling it between her lips again before he secured the ends together at the base of her neck.  She turned and looked at me, her lips over the band, as I slowly opened my mouth and felt the cloth on my tongue, pulling the corners of my mouth back as it kept me quiet as well.

 

They checked the ropes, and then left us in the room as we looked at each other, unsure of what if anything we could or should do next.  I saw one head up the stairs, and the others to where my Wedgewood collection was, as I said “hurhhlrthhthtelekhsss?”

 

She nodded as she tried to twist round again, and then turned to put her back to me as she looked over her shoulders and nodded down.  It took me a few minutes to realise what she was doing, as I turned my back to her, and we touched each other’s fingers.

 

I looked over my shoulder as she tried to start to fret away at the knot holding the rope firm over my wrists, looking from time to time to the door as she teased and tried to loosen it…

 

She might have succeeded as well – if one of the men hadn’t come back in and seen what she was doing.  He walked over and literally threw her over his shoulder, smacking her bottom as she struggled and telling her to stop, before he left the room and carried her up the stairs.  I was really frightened now, about what he might do, as I called out to her, and saw her kicking her legs up and down as they walked up.

 

A minute or two later, the second man came down, shaking his head at me as he lifted me over his own shoulder, and we walked to the doorway.  I was struggling like mad now, as my chest rubbed on his back as well as the ropes rubbing on me, and making me feel quite giddy as we walked up the stairs, and into my bedroom.

 

Alex was lying on her side on the bed, a damp grey patch appearing between her lips as the second intruder tied her ankles to her chest ropes.  I was made to lie next to her, and my ankles pulled back before they were tied to the ropes around my chest as well.  I could see they had searched through my drawers, as we were told not to move, and then the radio was switched on.

 

And that was where we lay for a good couple of hours, trying to talk to each other and occasionally trying to escape, before my daughter came into the room – she’d tried to call Alex, and got worried when there was no answer.  But at least we didn’t get carried away.

 

Too much…

 

 

Ella and Eileen

 

My grandma is a singer in pubs, and although she is old, she doesn’t look it with her short black hair.  Sometimes, I stay overnight at her house, and a friend comes round to babysit until she gets back – and when I do that, she loves to hear me sing before she goes out.

 

Last Saturday, I was wearing a special outfit – a long purple dress with a frilly hem at the knees, a pink cardigan, and short black boots – and Mummy had bought me a special treat in a pair of black tights, which I wore for the first time. 

 

Grandma gave me the biggest hug when I came in, with a white hat on my head, and looked at me.  She was already dressed to go singing – a tight black top with a fringe on the sleeves, a short grey skirt, dark tights and knee length black leather boots with a big cork heel.

 

We went into the front room, and I was so happy to see the Karaoke machine out, as she gave me the microphone and sat down to listen to me sing.  She listened to me singing Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and others, clapping and cheering before she looked at her watch.  She said my babysitter would be here soon, and needed to go and finish getting ready, so I turned the television on to watch a show.

 

There’s nothing unusual in that – Grandma often lets me watch television on my own, and I know I can hear her and she can hear me.  So I watched the program, sitting in my favourite armchair, swinging my legs to and fro – and then she came in.

 

She was dressed from head to toe in brown – tight roll neck sweater, leggings, short boots, gloves – and eye mask, her brown hair in a pigtail that hung down her back.  I stared at her as she put her head to the side, and said “huh – she was telling the truth.  You going to shout or scream kid?”

 

I just stared at her, and whispered “who are you?  Where’s my Grandma?”

 

“Oh I’ll take her to you,” she said, grinning as she walked over to me, “but I need to get you ready first.”

 

“Ready?  How?”

 

“Sit forward,” she said quietly as I saw her take a rucksack off her back, and open it up, “and put your hands together as if you are praying.”  I did that, and then watched as she quickly took some white rope from the rucksack, and tied my wrists tightly together in front of me, so that I could not move them apart.

 

“You’re tying me up?  Have you tied up Grandma?”

 

“I have,” she said as she produced a longer length of rope, and tied it round my arms and tummy so that the only thing I could do was lift my wrists up and down, the band of rope over my cardigan sleeves.  She then tied my ankles together, and my legs, so that when I tried to move them there was a little squeak from my boots.  I twisted round a bit, and looked at her, wondering what she was going to do next.

 

“Right then,” she said as she looked at me, taking my hat off and putting it to the side, “can you put your lips together and smile for me?”

 

It was strange, but she did ask nicely, so I did that – and then she put some brown sticking plaster over my mouth, and I realised I could only mumble!  She then picked me up and carried me in her arms, out of the room, up the stairs, and into Grandma’s room!

 

Hnnhhh!”

 

She laid me on the bed next to Grandma, and I saw she had been tied in the same way as me – except there was a length of rope from her wrists to her legs.  A few minutes later, however, I had one as well, so all we could do was watch as the masked lady stole her rings and things, and then walked off.

 

I was scared – and then I heard Grandma mumbling.  No – singing, even if the words were mumbled, and I joined in, which made me feel a lot better…

 

Tonya and Tammy

 

When Tammy comes to sleep over, we both like to dress up – and when Tammy dresses up, Cindy Lu also has to be dressed in the same way.  Cindy Lu is her doll, and she loves it almost as much as she loves her mum and dad – and me.

 

Almost.

 

Anyway, this night I had been out to a function, and had just got back in when the doorbell rang, and Tammy came in.  She was dressed in a white sweatshirt with a purple star on it, a purple gypsy style skirt that had a black hem with white spots, black leggings and purple cowboy boots.  And, as I said, Cindy Lu had a similar outfit, minus the leggings and her skirt was all purple, but she also had a purple cowboy hat on.

 

And me?  As I said, I had been at an event, so I was dressed to the nines – a silvery gold dress with elbow length sleeves split at the front, and a skirt that just about qualified as one, and blue leather knee length boots.  IT was a very special event…

 

I was going to ask Tammy what she would like to do first when the doorbell rang again.  I thought it was her mum dropping something off she had forgotten, so I just opened the door – and then stepped back as a smartly dressed man walked in, carrying a briefcase in one hand, and a very real gun in the other which he was pointing at us!

 

Tammy squealed, and he smiled as he said we all needed to be quiet, then told me as he put her hand on his shoulder to go into the front room, and draw the curtains over the windows.  I had no choice – and when I had done that, he brought Tammy in, and told us to sit next to each other on the couch.

 

I asked him what he wanted, as I hugged her, and she hugged Cindy Lu.  Well, he smiled and said he was robbing us, and if we did what he said, nobody would get hurt.  So I asked him what he was going to do with us, and at that he smiled, sat down and opened his briefcase, taking out ropes as Tammy hugged me even more tightly.

 

He said he had to tie us all up – and that included the baby.  Tammy looked at Cindy Lu, and asked what he was going to do – to which he replied he thought the baby would be happier if her mummy did it, and then her granny could do the same to her.

 

Making it a game?  Well, if it kept the fear away, so I told Tammy to do what he said, as he shook loose a length of rope and handed it to her.  He told her to double it over, and then tie it round Cindy Lu’s waist so that her arms were fixed to her side.  I watched as she did that, as tightly as she could, the man nodding and saying she had done a good job – now do the same to her ankles.

 

I told Tammy to carry on – Cindy Lu would be safe – and so she tied her doll’s ankles together, following his instructions to take the rope around and between her legs.  She then used another length to tie her legs together below her knees, and gave Cindy Lu a big hug as he handed me a length of rope – and told me to tie Tammy’s ankles together in the same way.

 

Tammy smiled and said she knew I had to do this, as I knelt down and tied them to each other, again taking the rope around and between her ankles, and tying it off behind.  I was then given a second length of rope, and told to tie her legs together below her knees – and as I did this, he took a roll of white tape from the briefcase, tore a strip off and handed it to Tammy, telling her she had to put that over her baby’s mouth to keep her quiet.

 

As she did this, he smiled and said we were both doing very well, as Tammy kissed Cindy Lu and hugged her.  He then handed me yet another length of rope, and told her to cross her wrists in front of her waist.  As she did this, her doll on her lap, I was instructed to bind them tightly together, and then to tie the rope round her waist so that she could not move them very far.

 

He asked Tammy if she was scared, and she shook her head as he tore another, longer strip of roll from the tape, and told me to cover her mouth with it.  I put it on, pressing it over so that I could see the shape of her lips underneath, and then he told me to pick her up, and bring her up the stairs.

 

As I lifted her in my arms, he put Cindy Lu on her lap, and she mumbled “Fhnnkuu” as I carried her up to her bedroom, and laid her on her bed.  The man told her to stay there, and I would join her soon, and as she nodded I smiled – at the same time as he took my hands behind my back, and tied my wrists together.

 

We then spent some time in my room, as he put my jewellery into his bag – but not before he had tied my arms to my sides, two bands above and below my chest, and made me sit on the bed while he tied my ankles and my legs below my knees.  When he was satisfied, he covered my mouth with the tape as well, and then lifted me up – he was strong, that I could tell – and carried me back to where Tammy was kissing Cindy Lu with her taped lips.

 

Lhkkgrhnneeheerrr,” she said as he laid me on the floor next to her bed, a pillow under my head, and left us both to try and get free…

 

 

 

Soo and Margaret

 

My dad’s Chinese and my mum English – but they love each other very much, and I love them and my grandma on mum’s side very much.  My other grandparents are all dead, so I spend a lot of time with Grandma Margaret, and I love helping her at her shop.

 

It was one half term when this happened – Grandma had closed the shop, and we had gone home with the money people had spent so that she could count it up.  She has wavy blonde hair, and that day was wearing a grey cardigan over a purple top, a denim skirt, and knee length really old leather boots.  I was dressed in a grey short sleeved dress with a long sleeved black top underneath, white tights and knee length black fabric boots with a leather band at the top.

 

So we got to Grandma’s home, and she put a bag with all the money on the kitchen table, before she said we should go up and sort my bed out, and then we could order some pizza.  I love pizza – so we went up to my room and started to put a cover over my duvet.

 

Well, we did that – and that was when someone grabbed me and put their hand over my mouth, Grandma turning and screaming at someone before they told her to be quiet.  I wondered what was going on, as whoever it was told her to kneel down, and put her hands on her head – and she did that without asking, telling me it was going to be all right…

 

I was too scared to do anything but nod, as the hand was taken away and I was told to put my hands behind my back.  When I did this, whoever was behind me crossed them, and I felt some sort of rope as it was pulled tightly round them.  IT seemed to last for an eternity, but it was really only a couple of minutes as he tied the rope around and between my wrists – and then wrapped more rope around my tummy and my shoulders, forcing my arms into my sides as he did so, so that I could only wriggle round.

 

Grandma was watching me the whole time, as he then held something in front of me.  When I looked closely at it, I saw it was a compressed sponge ball, and then he told me to open my mouth.  Grandma shook her head, saying I was just a baby, don’t do it – but he insisted, so I let him push the sponge ball into my mouth, feeling it press my tongue down as it filled out, and then I heard a strange sound, like something being peeled off a wall.

 

Which was close – he stuck something to my cheek, and then wound this funny tape round my head, covering my mouth and face and pressing my cheeks in.  He then told me to go and sit on my bed – and when I did so, I got a look at him.  He was tall – very tall, and very wide in his body – and he was wearing a black set of overalls, gloves, and something pulled down over his head to cover his own face.  I could also now see a knife on the floor, and I knew why Grandma had been so scared.

 

I watched as he used more rope to tie my ankles together – the material of my boots getting lighter under the band as he pulled it tight – and then he tied my legs together below my knees, so that I could not move my legs apart either.  After that, he made me lie on my side, and told Grandma to get up and put her hands behind her back.

 

I could also see now a large black bag, out of which he took another length of rope and tied Grandma’s wrists together behind her back, before he told me to stay put and he walked her out, picking up the knife and the bag as he did so.  Well, I wasn’t going anywhere – I was just praying he didn’t hurt Grandma.

 

When it got really different was half an hour later – I know it was half an hour, because he had left the radio in the room on – and he walked past, carrying grandma over his shoulder.  She had the rope around her arms and body as well, and her ankles and legs were tied together – because she was kicking them up and down as she struggled.  She turned and looked at me, as I saw the white band around her head, before he smacked her bottom and told her to stop struggling, and they went down the stairs.

 

A little while later, he came back up, and picked me up, putting me over his shoulder as he told me not to kick him.  I nodded, feeling very strange as the ropes rubbed on me and he took me downstairs.  When we went into the front room, Grandma was sitting in her armchair, struggling – and then looking at me as she said “Fhnnksfhrbrhnnghrrr.”

 

The man nodded as he put me on her lap, sitting across her lap as I laid my head on her chest, and then we both had to watch as he took the money bag and put it in his own, then left us to try and get free…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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