Family Prayer

There are occasions when one of the families we visit has a very young child – like when I visited a family on the outskirts of Birmingham.

In fact, this was very much a three generation tale – but let me start at the beginning. The family in question were called Rochester, and they lived a quiet life in the Chilterns. Ron Rochester ran a set of estate agents, and his wife Carol lived at home with her three daughters – Sonia was nine, Rhona seven and Abby three – as well as her mother in law Daphne. This took place during the Whit holiday week – a cold and damp week actually, so when Steve asked if I was going to be able to cope on my own I said I should be able to.

I pulled up outside their detached house in the little village, and got out to survey the scene. I was wearing a grey fleece over a grey roll neck sweater, leggings and short grey boots – but as I walked up to the house, I also slipped on soft grey gloves, and then pulled the grey stocking down over my head to complete my disguise before I made my way round the side of the house, and looked out over the large lawn.

There was nobody there, so I managed to open the back door and let myself into the large kitchen – replete with Aga stove. I put a gloved hand over the plate and felt it was still hot, so I left the kitchen and slowly made my way down the oak lined corridor to see who I would find first.

And who I found turned out to be Daphne Rochester, as she came into the corridor and would have said something if I had not turned her an put a gloved hand over her mouth. She was in her early sixties, with short grey hair, and was wearing a brown fur vest open over a chocolate brown long sleeved top, light brown slacks and black ankle boots.

“Hush,” I whispered as she stood in front of me, “are the children within earshot?” She slowly nodded as I said “okay then – we need to talk. Were you going to fetch them anything?”

“Hdhrhhnhndhsnhk.”

I nodded as I said “good – walk slowly to the kitchen, and not a word until we get there, all right?” She nodded again as I took my hand away, and walked behind her, closing the kitchen door after we had walked in. Daphne turned and looked at me, before she said “who are you?”

“Me? Well,” I said as I pulled a chair from the table, “for today, I’m the woman your son hired to play the part of a woman who has come to rob his house – but it’s all a game for the children.”

“To play a…” Daphne then looked at me and said “even Abby? Please, she is so young…”

“Which is why you and your daughter in law need to convince the three girls this is just a game, “I said with a smile. “On which note, where are Carol and the girls?”

“Carol…. Carol has taken Abby on a play date, she will be back in an hour or so. The other two are in the front room… Please, why us?”

“Because I thought you would be a good family to visit,” I said with a smile, “and I trust you are going to play your part. So, I want you to fix the drinks and snacks for Sonia and Rhona, and then you can take them for them to enjoy while you explain all about the game…”

“Here you go girls – and then I have a special surprise to tell you all about.”

“Thanks Granny,” Sonia said as she turned, and then saw me come in with her grandmother.

“Granny, who is the lady,” Rhona said as she turned and looked as well. Both girls were identically dressed – dark grey pinafore dresses, with a red rose printed on the left breast and the right side at the bottom, under which was a long sleeved light grey top. They were also wearing light grey tights, and black leather boots which came to just below their knees. Finally, each girl had a hairband holding back their long brown hair – a light tan one.

“Well,” Daphne said with a smile, “why don’t you sit down and have your drink and snack, and I’ll tell you all about it.” Both girls sat on the couch as I set the tray down, and Daphne sat in a chair looking at them. “All right – this lady is an actress who your father has hired – to my surprise as well – to play a game with all of us before he comes home later tonight.”

“What sort of game,” Sonia asked as she looked at me.

“Well,” I said as I sat in the other armchair, putting my rucksack on the floor in front of me, “what do I look like to you?”

“Like someone who is stealing something?”

“that’s right,” I said to Rhona with a smile on my face, “and that’s the part I am playing. Your father hired me to pretend to be a robber, and to make sure all of you take part in the game.”

“The lady,” Daphne said quietly, “is going to do something to all of us, to make sure that we can’t move or spoil the surprise for your mother and Abby. Now, I know that sounds a bit scary, but she is not really going to hurt us. In fact, why don’t we make it a very special time, and use it to pray.”

“Can we Granny?”

“Why not – and it will be quiet prayer, although perhaps the nice lady will out on the radio and we can listen to CBR as well?”

I had to admit, this was a ne wone for me, but I nodded and said “of course – so the first thing I have to do is make sure you all stay here. So watch what I do to your grandmother.” Opening my rucksack, I took out a length of rope as Daphne put her hands together, palm to palm, the girls then watching as I bound her wrists tightly together.

“See – it’s snug,” Daphne said as the girls stood up and walked over to look at her. “now you can both let the lady do the same to you.”

“Okay Granny,” Sonia said as they turned and stood in front of me, hands together palm to palm in front, watching as I snugly bound their wrists as well. I then took longer lengths of rope, and tied them round their bodies, making sure their upper arms were held against their sides.

“Look Granny,” Rhona said as she raised her hands and put them under her chin, Daphne nodding as I made sure her own arms were held tightly against her sides.

“Now then,” I said as I looked at the girls, “I want you both to sit on the floor, back to back, and I’ll use some of the rope round your waists to keep you together. Then I’m going to tie rope around your ankles and your legs to make sure you can’t run off.”

“Okay – can you help us to sit down?”

“Of course,” I said, Daphne nodding as I helped Sonia and Rhona to sit back to back, and then tied rope round their waists to hold them together, before I made them both bend their legs and bound their ankles together, as well as their legs below their knees. They both watched as I did it, and then turned their heads to watch as I secured their grandmother’s legs together in the same way.

“It makes a funny sound, doesn’t it,” Daphne said as she twisted her legs from side to side, the girls giggling as they did the sae and heard the squeak of leather on leather.

“Now, it’s time to make sure you stay quiet,” I said as I took a roll of white tape from my rucksack and peeled the end away, before I tore a strip off. Looking at daphne, she nodded and pursed her lips before I pressed the tape down over her mouth with my gloved hands.

“Granny?”

“Htsshlrht,” she said as the shape of her lips moved under the tape, and I peeled a second length away. Five minutes later, both girls were also tape gagged, as I turned the radio on and heard the sound of the hymns playing. Both girls closed their eyes and put their hands under their arms, as Daphne looked at me and then did the same.

I left them to have a look round, but the sound of a car pulling up outside made me pause and come downstairs, a finger to my covered lips as I walked in. Daphne opened her eyes and nodded, before she mumbled “Mhmmhshm.”

Both girls lowered their hands down to their knees and looked to the door as I hard the front door open and close. “We’re back,” a woman called out, “where is…” I watched as Carol Rochester walked into the front room, Abby held in one arm with the young girl’s arms round her mother’s neck.

Abby Rochester was wearing a peach coloured dress, the same shade of white tights as her sisters, and tan suede ankle boots. Her mother was wearing a short sleeved grey jersey dress with a cowl neck, and white tights with knee length black leather boots – and a look of total surprise on her face as she stared at her family.

“Hmmhhm – uhrphlhnhswhl,” Sonia said as Carol slowly turned and looked at me.

“Good afternoon, Carol,” I said with a smile, “and welcome to the game of Robbers that your husband has arranged for all of you to play until he comes home tonight.”

“Game? What…” She then stared at me as Abby put her finger to her lips, and said “she looks funny Mummy.”

“I know,” I said with a smile, “what do you think of how your gran and sisters look?”

“Why are they like that?”

I looked at Carol, before she said “it seems your father – who I will have words with – want us all to be like a family of hostages. If the lady was to do this to us, would it scare you?”

Abby shook her head as she said “not if you are with me Mummy.”

“Good – why don’t you both sit down on the couch,” I said with a smile, “and you can start to play by me doing to your legs what I did to the rest of the family.”

Carol looked at Daphne, who nodded before she said “okay – we’ll play along,” and carried Abby to the couch, sitting her down and then sitting next to her as I collected some ropes from the bag and walked over. I started with her, binding her ankles tightly together and then her legs below her knees so that she could not move them apart.

Looking at Abby, I said “Ready,” and when she nodded I started by tying her legs together below her knees. When I tied the ropes off, I let her get used to that, and then secured her ankles together as well.

“I see you are all praying,” Carol said quietly, “so we will do the same when we are ready.”

“Okay Mummy,” Abby whispered as she put her hands together, and watched as I secured them together. She then twisted her hands round and nodded as I lifted her up and sat her on her mother’s lap. Taking a longer length of rope, I tied it round their waists so that they were held together, and then watched as Carol put her arms round her daughter and her hands together.

“See, we can pray together,” she said as I tied the rope tightly round her wrists, Abby nodding as I walked behind the couch and tied rope round her mother’s upper arms as well. Carol reached down and kissed Abby’s head, before saying “I guess we can all enjoy the game and the time together – and we can talk about how we feel later, all right?”

“Thsmmhhmm,” Sonia and Rhona said as I pressed a length of tape down over Abby’s mouth, saying “just keep calm and rest against your mother, all right?” As she nodded, I tape gagged her mother and then watched as they all closed their eyes and listened to the music.

I went and resumed my search of the house, but when I looked in I saw Abby was asleep, as Carol and Daphne looked at me. I smiled, and then slipped out of the house – I had to be well away before Ron returned home…

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