Lock-In
Tales – Family Time
Army Games
“Do you accept
the challenge?”
Toni and Jodi
both nodded as they looked at their fathers.
Toni was eight, with short strawberry blonde hair, and like her father
liked to dress in camouflage clothing – today, a long sleeved jumper with blue
jeans. Her six year old sister was
wearing a red and brown striped sweater and red pants.
“Okay then –
we’re going to use this rope, and then your task is to try and get free. Why don’t you both sit down on the couch?”
The two sisters
sat down as they looked at their fathers.
One, who was also wearing a camouflage t-shirt and pants, took a length of
thin white rope and used it to secure Toni’s wrists together in front of her,
and then put her wrists down on her lap before he took it down and tied her
ankles together, the rope sitting over the cuffs of her jeans as she wriggled
her toes.
At the same
time, Jodi watched as her father used a thicker white rope to secure her wrists
together, and then put her wrists on her lap as well before he wound the rope
around her legs and ankles as well.
They then took
another length of rope each, and tied it round their arms and upper bodies,
before they were both lifted up, and carried int eh arms of their fathers to
the other side of the room, both Toni and Jodi giggling as they twisted round
and were sat on the couch next to each other.
Before the
tickling started…
In the Room
“Hhhrruhdhnhnnths?”
“It’s just a
game,” the man said as he tied the folded towel tightly round Tina’s face,.
Muffling her voice as she tried to speak – very effectively as well. It trapped her dark hair against the back of
her neck as she sat in the brown wooden chair, wondering what the point of this
game was.
She was wearing
a pink t-shirt and white shorts with
blue stripes on the sides, but her wrists were tied together in front of her
with a white belt – this had been done before she and Chloe had been carried up
into the room. Chloe was sitting int eh
chair opposite her – but not saying a lot.
In the
meantime, the man knelt in front of Tina and used a black belt to tie her
crossed ankles together, and then secure them to the front leg of the chair,
before he took a long red and pink dressing gown belt and tied it tightly round
her arms and body, forcing her against the chair back as it went round that as
well. Finally, a length of rope was tied
round her lap and the chair seat.
IT was just a
game – that was what both the men had said when they had been carried up the
stairs, and Chloe wasn’t saying much – because of the rolled up white scarf
which was pulled between her lips and tied round her head. Her wrists had also been tied together in
front of her, but the second man had then used a lot more rope to tie her to
the chair, around her body and the chair back as well as around her lap, and
her ankles. She also had a folded blue
bandana tied over her eyes.
As she twisted
round and tried to call out, Tina did the same as well. Their mother was down the stairs – but they had
tied her and used a cloth to keep her quiet as well. Perhaps, when the men said this was just a
game, they meant to treat to as if it was just a game – that might be a way to
stop the trembling and the fear…
Quiet Time
“The thing is,
given the current situation, we anticipate this kind of thing happening – so we
need to make sure all of you understand that if you do as we say, then nobody
needs to get hurt. Do you understand?”
As she looked
at her children, their mother nodded and said “I know it’s not what we want to
do, but at least they are masked and gloved, so do what they say, all right?”
The three boys
and the girl nodded as they looked at the two men, wearing grey track suits and
blue latex gloves, blue medical masks over their mouths and noses. One of the threw a roll of silver tape at the
oldest boy and said “tape your brother’s wrists and ankles together.”
He turned and
looked at his younger brother, who was wearing a black t-shirt and dark grey combat
pants, and said “I’m sorry” as he tore the end of the roll free and wrapped it
round his wrists in front of him, then knelt down and taped his ankles
together.
“now tear three
strips off, and press them down over his mouth to keep him quiet.”
The older boy nodded
as he made sure his brother stayed quiet.
He was topless, and wearing faded blue jeans as he gagged the younger
boy, knowing he would be next…
The youngest
boy was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, and he was crying as he took
the roll of tape, saying “I don’t want to do this.”
“I know, but we
have to, so try not to cry and take care of me.”
He smiled as he
taped his brother’s wrists and ankles together, and then tape dover his mouth
before he handed the roll of tape to his sister. She was a year older, and wearing a blue capped
top and faded jeans. She stroked her
youngest brother’s hair from his eyes, and said “don’t worry – just keep calm,
and we’ll all get through this together.”
He nodded as he
held his hands out, his sister as gently as possible securing them together,
and then his ankles, before he gently pressed the strips of tape down over his
mouth and smiled.
“All right
mummy,” the masked man said as he looked at her, “the girl’s turn, and then we
take a walk.”
“It’s going to be
all right,” the older woman whispered as she took the roll of silver tape and
secured her daughter, then silenced her with strips of tape over her mouth
before she stood up. The four watched as
their mother’s wrists were secured together behind her back, and a ban of tap
wrapped round her arms and body, before one of the men took her out.
The other one
sat down, smiled and said “how about a game of I Spy. I spy with my little eye something beginning
with – H…”
Time Out
“AWWWW MOMMMM!”
“no Aw mom –
you both need a time out before this afternoon, so get in there and lie on the
beds.”
Billy and Janna
looked at each other and then lay on the beds, Janna on the one with the American
Eagle bedspread, and Billy on one with a tiger print. Their mother smiled as she said “now, you
know the rules. Half an hour, so that I
can prepare lunch. Okay?”
“Yes mom,”
Janna said, rolling her eyes as she put her wrists together in front of
her. the ten year old girl was wearing a
pink vest top and floral pants, pink and blue sandals on her feet. She watched as her mother took a long blue
belt and tied her wrists together in front of her, then took the other end down
and secured her ankles as well.
Billy was
wearing a red polo shirt, dark pants and white socks with dark trainers,
giggling as he rolled over onto his stomach and put his hands behind his
back. Janna turned her head and watched
as their mother used a white bathrobe to tie his wrists together, and then bent
his ankles back before she secured them with the other end of the belt.
“See you in an
hour,” she said as she left, closing the door as Janna and Billy looked at each
other. They both knew they could get
free easily, but they didn’t want to- it was part of the day now that it had
been two months without school.
And they loved
it…
Put a Sock in It
Donna and Simon
ran up the stairs, wondering why their mother had not come back down after
taking the laundry upstairs. Simon was
seven, Donna five, and both were casually dressed – Donna in a cream coloured sundress with multi-coloured
flowers, and Simon in a white t-shirt with a Cars print on the front, and grey striped
shorts.
They had
completed their latest assignment for school, and wanted to have a drink – but
to do that, they needed Mum to come down, so they had to find her.
The last thing
they expected was to see her lying on her bed, her arms and legs stretched out
and what looked like washing line around her wrists and ankles, or a piece of
cloth sticking out from her mouth as she looked at them both, and shook her
head. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and
cotton shorts, and she was trying to move – but she couldn’t.
“Mum?”
“Well, well –
what have we here?”
They both
turned round to see a big man standing behind them, wearing a black leather
jacket and grey jeans – but also with a mask over his head, so they could only
see his eyes, and leather gloves on his hands.
“Who are you,” Simon
said quietly, “and what is Mummy doing on the bed?”
“Playing a
game,” he said with a smile, “and she wants you to play along as well. Is that all right?”
Donna looked at
her mother, who nodded as the man said “okay then – I want you both to sit on
the floor. I’ve got some more of the
rope that is around your mother’s wrists and ankles, and I’m going to use it to
tie your wrists together. Will you do
that for me?”
“Okay,” Simon
said, “we’ll play the game, won’t we Donna?”
His sister nodded as he sat down, watching the man as he used some white
rope to tie her wrists firmly together, before he used a second length to tie
her brother’s wrists together in the same way.
“There – does
it hurt?”
They both shook
their heads as he took two more lengths, and used them to tie their ankles in
the same way, before he said “can you both lie on your back, and I’ll do
something to make sure you both stay together?”
The two
children nodded as their mother watched, while he took a longer length of the
white rope, and tied it between Simon’s ankles.
He then took it up and wrapped it between his wrists before he tied the loose
end between Donna’s ankles so that they had to stay together.
“Now,” the man
said as he open don of their mother’s drawers, and took out a pair of white
sport socks, “an important part of the game is having something stop you
talking. There’s some cloth in your
mother’s mouth – so I’m going to put one of these socks into yours, and then
you and your mother can try to talk to each other while I wait downstairs.”
“Htsshnhtshbhd,”
their mother said as they both opened their mouths and he put a rolled up sock
in each, before he picked up a bag, Simon hearing it jangle as he left them
there…
The Bed Share
“I feel awful,”
Shona said as she looked at me, “and you need to have this meeting. How can you watch Tim and Zoe while you do
that?”
“Got a plan –
if you don’t mind them sharing the bed with you like this?”
Shona wriggled
round as she said “no – but are they going to be quiet as well?”
“Oh yes - but
let’s get them ready first. Zoe, Tim –
come int Mummy and Daddy’s room please?”
Shona watched,
the covers over her as our son and daughter came in. Zoe is six, Tim three – cute kids. Zoe was wearing a white sweatshirt and floral
print pants with blue socks, while Tim had on a white top with coloured
stripes, blue joggers and white trainers.
“What is it
Daddy,” Zoe asked.
“I need to do a
business meeting downstairs, but Mum can’t come and keep an eye on you – so she
wants you to play a game of waiting on the bed with her. I’ve already got her ready.”
“How,” Tim
asked as he looked at her.
“It’s a
surprise,” Shona said as I said “so, stand still Zoe, and I’m going to put some
tape round your arms and body.”
“Okay,” she
said as I used some blue tape round her to hold her arms to her sides, and then
she lay next to her mother while I did the same for Tim – and then I taped his
wrists together in front of him before he lay down as well.
Zoe soon had
her wrists taped together, as they wriggled round, watching as I taped their
ankles together and their legs below their knees – Shona laughing as she said
“well now – ready for the special part?”
Tim nodded as I
tore a long strip of the blue tape from the roll, and pressed it gently down over
his mouth. A second length went over
Zoe’s mouth before they watched me take the covers off – and reveal their mother’s
blue bound body.
Right before I
put the tape over her mouth as well, and went to take my meeting…
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