The Games Player: Flower Power

I have to admit, the first thing that struck me as I drove along the country road to my destination was the sunflowers – whole fields of them standing over five foot tall, on each side of the road. Nice to look at, and it provided cover for the family I had planned to visit that day.

The owner of the fields of flowers was a television gardener by the name of Barrett Coulson, and he lived in the farmhouse with his wife Morgan and their three children – two daughters, eleven year old Holly and ten year old Ivy, and a five year old son called Trevor. Morgan was a book illustrator, so she worked from home while he was away filming, which he was at that moment – allowing me to do a surprise game with his family.

Steve was watching our baby, to let me have some fun, and I was wearing a light brown sleeveless padded jerkin over a roll neck sweater, and blue jeans with brown ankle boots. I also had the rucksack with my supplies beside me, and – yeah, I was actually looking forward to this one.

I parked the car in a public picnic spot a short distance past the house, and walked back, pulling on the brown leather gloves as I walked to keep the chill from my hands. It was a couple of miles walk to the house, but it was a nice day, and I enjoyed the exercise as I made my way up to the rear of the house.

Stopping for a moment, I took the new stocking from my pocket and pulled it down over my head, taking a deep breath as I do so before I tried the rear door – and was happy to find it was unlocked as I let myself in. I found myself in a rural style kitchen – complete with Aga stove at the side – and I had to admit it did look good. I could also hear laughter along the corridor, so I made my way along and peeked through the door.

Holly and Ivy were sitting at a table, drawing on paper as they talked to each other, and they were certainly coordinated, both in their style of dress and with the countryside outside.

Take Holly, for example – she was wearing a white long sleeved top under a dress with pleated shoulder cap sleeves. The dress itself had a yellow round necked top with a ruffled bit at the front, and a blur skirt that came down past her knees. The skirt had yellow sunflowers printed at the hem, and a green and white checked waist band. Her feet were in a pair of pink woven jelly sandals, and the black hairband holding back her dark brown hair had a large yellow bow attached to it.

Ivy was dressed in the same style, if slightly differently. For example, the bow on her hairband was green, to match the long sleeved top she was wearing which also had a sunflower printed on the front. Her dress was all blue, except for the green checked fringe on the sleeves and the hem of the skirt, and her feet were in grey trainers with white ankle socks.

They didn’t see me – but when I said “hello” while I closed the door to the room, they both looked at me, eyes wide open.

“Who are you,” Holly said quietly as I smiled.

“Me? I’ve come to play a game of Hostages with all of you – a surprise from your daddy. It won’t hurt, but it is a fun game.”

“How do you play,” Ivy asked quietly.

“Well,” I said with a smile as I put my rucksack on the table, and opened it up, “it means I get to make sure you, your brother and your mother are together, and you can’t move or talk for a while, but you can try and talk to each other, and when I give the word see who can get free first.”

“So you’re going to tie us up?”

“With this,” I said as I gave them each a piece of soft white rope to hold. “It is a fun game to play – so will you?”

Holly and Ivy looked at each other, and then nodded as I said “Good – before I go and get your mother and brother, you two need to start to play first.” I looked at the chair they were sitting on, with three spars in the back and wide gaps, and said “let’s make you comfortable in the chairs. Can you both put your arms through the gaps in the chair back?”

“I think so,” Holly said as she leaned forward and put her hands behind her back, Ivy doing the same as I took the lengths of rope, and then tied their wrists tightly together behind the chair backs. I made sure the rope went around and between their wrists, and then tied them to the chair back as they both giggled.

“IT’s tight – but nice,” Holly said, Ivy nodding in agreement as I took the ropes they had left on the table, and used them to tie their ankles together while their legs hung over the edge of the chair. They looked at each other and giggled as I looked at the laptop they had been playing some music on.

“Do you have Disney+ set up on this?”

“We do,” Holly said, “why?”

“Well, I need to go and find your mother and brother, and take care of them, then come back and take you to them. While I do that, you can watch something on here – but I also need to make sure you both stay quiet.”

“How will you do that,” Ivy asked as I looked in the bag, and took out the roll of white tape. As I did so, however, the room door opened, and I saw Morgan come in with a tray, drinks and snacks on it, and Trevor following her. Morgan was wearing a blue and yellow floral print blouse open over a blue t-shirt, a matching scarf tied over her hair, and a knee length denim skirt with brown sandals, while Trevor was wearing a blue checked shirt over a mustard coloured long sleeved top, jeans and black shoes with grey socks. He stopped and looked at the girls as I said “well, I see Mummy has brought you a drink. Perhaps she might like to go and get some straws to let you have a sip.”

“Why are they like that, Mummy,” Trevor asked.

“Well, this is a very special game that your dad has asked me to play with you all,” I said with a smile, “called Hostages. The girls started playing, and I think it’s time for you and Mummy to play as well. Do you want to stay here with the girls?”

“No – I want to be with Mummy,” Trevor said as Morgan looked at me.

“Okay then – but I need to make sure your hands stay behind your back, like Holly and Ivy. That’s fair, isn’t it Mummy?”

“Yes, yes it’s fair, let her tie your wrists Trevor,” she finally said, the young boy nodding as I knelt behind him and guided his hands behind his back, making sure they were tightly secured together before I said “We’ll be back in a minute.” I then walked out with Morgan, Trevor following as he wriggled his fingers.

“I must remember to thank my husband for this,” Morgan said quietly as we went to the kitchen, and she found three straws. “It was a different surprise.”

“I’m sure it was,” I said as we went back in and she put the straws into the glasses, pushing the chairs with the girls tied to them in so that they could take a sip, then lifting Trevor up to sit on a chair as he drank from the third glass. As they did, Morgan turned with her back to them and whispered “Who are you?”

“I think you know, don’t you?”

She slowly nodded and said “so we treat this as a game?”

“Indeed – so please, help by getting the Disney streaming service set up on the laptop, for them to watch while we take a walk round.”

“I want to go with Mummy when you take her out.”

I looked at Trevor, and then at the girls, as I said “all right – but you will be just like Mummy, and I’m going to stop you from talking like the girls. Still want to come?”

“That would be nice,” Holly said, Ivy giggling as he looked at them. I smiled and said “I need to start getting Mummy ready for the game now – put your hands behind your back please.” All three kids watched as I tied her wrists securely together, and then passed a long length of rope round her body, pulling it tight under her chest and then taking it round in two bands.

“Are you going to do that to us as well,” Holly said quietly.

“Later – but not yet,” I said with a smile as I pulled the rope tighter, Morgan’s blouse pulled to the sides as I did so, and then tied the ropes off behind her back. “But Trevor, I’m going to do it to you now all right?”

The young boy nodded as I tied his arms to his sides as well, forming two bands as his own shirt was pulled to the side, and then making sure it was secure behind him as he sat in the chair. He wriggled round and smiled, as I picked up the roll of white tape and said “now, all finished your drinks?” They all nodded, and then sat still while I tore a strip of the tape free and pressed it down over their mouths, before I put the roll back into my rucksack and picked it up.

“Now, the bad robber is going to take Mummy and Trevor for a walk,” I said, “and while I do, you can both watch a film. Which one would you like to watch?”

“Let me pick,” Morgan said as she started The Princess and The Frog, the two girls nodding as I helped Trevor to stand up, and then I escorted them from the room.

“We’re going to visit each room, and Mummy will tell me where the valuable things are in there,” I said to Trevor, “and I’ll put them in my sack. Then, in Mummy’s room, I’ll make sure you both have to stay there and bring the girls to you.”

He nodded as Morgan smiled, and we started in the home office…

When we arrived in her bedroom, I said “I want you both to sit on the bed.” Morgan sat down, watching as Trover managed to push himself up next to her, and then they both watched as I knelt in front of them, and took more ropes from my bag.

I started to bind Morgan’s ankles together as she said “are you all right Trevor?”

“Yhsmmhmmee” he said as the tape crinkled over his mouth, “bhthhnhdhdththlhtt.”

“You need to go to the toilet?”

Trevor nodded as I said “let me make your mummy comfortable first, Trevor, and then I will take you.” Tying the rope off around her ankles, I took a second length and bound her legs together below her knees, before I helped her to lie on her side, her long brown plaited hair under her.

“Open your mouth,” I said quietly, Trevor watching as I pushed a red sponge ball into the space, and then let her close her lips before I covered them with the tape.

“Mhmmeee?”

“Shrhhtt,” Morgan mumbled as I walked behind her and gently pulled her ankles back, securing them to her chest ropes as well.

“Hwhntthtt.”

Morgan shook her head, but I smiled and said “of course – and your sisters as well. But you need the toilet, don’t you?”

He nodded as I helped him to stand up and I walked him to the bathroom, kneeling behind him as I made sure he did what he needed to do. When he was finished, I peeled the tape away and he said “thank you – this is a fun game, but I’m ready now.”

I took him back into the room so that his mother could watch as I compressed a second small sponge and put it in his mouth, then taped over his lips again before I sat him on the bed and secured his legs. Once I had him lying on his side and facing Morgan, his ankles also bent back and tied to the chest ropes, I said “I’m going to bring the girls in here – lie still until we come back.” They both nodded as I went back to the other room – in time to see the end of the film.

I peeled the tape away from their mouths and untied their wrists, letting them have a snack as I said “having fun so far?”

“Yes – but are we going to be with Mummy and Trevor now” Holly asked?

“You are - but I need to make sure you really cannot move or talk before we go there. Finish your snacks, and then I’ll do what needs to be done.”

And so it was that I opened the door, and Holly and Ivy jumped into the room. Their legs were now secured below their knees as well, the band visible as their skirts rose when they jumped, and they had their arms tied to their sides in the same way as the other two. Their lips were taped over again, this time with a sponge ball in their mouths as well, but they nodded and smiled as I helped them both to lie on the floor where their mother could see them, their heads on pillows. I soon had them hogtied as well, their ankles tied to their chest ropes, before I turned the radio on.

“Lie still for half an hour,” I said, “and then see who can get free first.”

Trevor nodded as Morgan kissed his forehead, and I left them in the room, making my way down and out of the house.

Mind you, I still got home early, unlike Steve the next weekend…

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