The Big Surprise
What happened
last Friday? Well, it was certainly a
normal start to the day – I got up, showered, and changed for my job as a legal
secretary. I put on a black tip with a
red and black patterned skirt, and old but comfortable knee length black leather
boots. Once I had brushed my hair, I put
on my padded jacket and set off for work.
It was actually
a Training Day at my granddaughter’s school, so I had arranged to meet them for
lunch before they went to the cinema with their mother – my daughter, Zoe. She’s in her early thirties, and her
daughters are little charmers. That’s
Chloe, who’s 7, and six year old Maisie.
We all met up
at a café near my office at about 12.30.
Zoe was wearing a brown leather jacket over a black jumper and pants,
her long brown hair falling over it.
Chloe and Maisie both have blonde hair, like their father, and Chloe was
wearing a light brown cardigan over a boho top which was tiered levels of red
floral, white and blue floral material.
She also had on a pair of brown corduroy shorts with grey tights, and
light brown worker style boots.
As for Masie,
she had on a blue cardigan fastened over a white top, brown jodhpurs and wine
coloured boots which came up to her knees, with a patterned cuff on them. They were both excited to be going to see the
film, and could hardly talk about anything else while Zoe and I talked.
Eventually, it
was time for them to head off, but Zoe asked if I would come round and have
dinner with them that night. Well, I’ve
been a widower for a few years now, so I had to admit I could use the company –
so I said I’d be around after I finished work, probably about six.
And with that,
I had to leave, so I left the café with them, walking back to the office while
they headed for the shopping centre and the cinema.
As I stepped
off the bus, and glanced at my watch. It was actually half past five – I had
managed to get out of the office a little earlier than expected, so as I walked
towards their house I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening.
Quiet – heh.
Anyway – I
walked up to the front door and let myself in, smiling as I heard the sound of
a Disney movie playing. I took my coat
off and hung it on the coat stand and called out “are you all in the front
room?”
There wasn’t a
reply. But I just figured they were all engrossed in the film, so I walked into
the room – and stopped dead as I saw how Chloe and Masie were. They were sat on the floor, back-to-back,
their legs bent and their wrists resting on their legs above their knees – but
they could not move them.
I stared at
them as I saw the coils of white rope that held their ankles together, Maisie’s
boots squeaking as they rubbed when she moved her legs, held their legs
together below their knees, and their wrists both to each other and to the rope
at their knees.
What was more,
there was a band of rope tied round their upper arms, holding them against
their sides, and a coil tied round their waists. As to why they had not said very much – the
white tape that was pressed down over their mouths might have been responsible
for that, as I saw the shape of their lips under it when they looked at me.
“Hgghhrrhnn –
whhrrhashtshhs.”
“What… What’s going on? Who did this to you? Are you all right?”
“Tmhhhndhdhht –
thsaghm,” Maisie said as Chloe nodded. I
was totally confused, and then I heard Zoe say “oh god” and I turned round.
My daughter was
standing in front of a tall man, who was wearing a roll neck sweater, dark
trousers and shoes – but he also had a stocking pulled down over his head, pressing
his hair down, and he was wearing leather gloves on his hands.
I also saw that
Zoe had her hands behind her back, and there were bands of rope framing her
chest, holding her arms firmly against her sides.
“Zoe- what the
heck is going on here?”
I saw her
swallow, before she said “hey kids – looks like your grandmother is going to
play the game of hostages with us as well.”
“Zoe, what do
you …” I then looked closely at Zoe, and
saw her nod slowly as the man with her said “Of course your grandmother is
going to join in. Zoe, you should tell
her what is going on?”
“Mum… Mum Steve hired this actor as a surprise for
the three of us. You’ve heard of that
robber in the papers – the one they call the Games Player?”
And that told
me all I needed to know. Of course I had heard of the Games Player – someone
who worked by holding families hostage while they robbed them, but made it a
game so the kids did not realise…
I looked at
Maisie and Chloe, and nodded as I said “well, it looks like I am going to be a
hostage as well. How does getting
something delivered from McDonald’s after the game sound?”
Both of them nodded
as the masked man said “good – why don’t you sit down, Mummy, while I make sure
that Grandmother is playing in the same way as you?”
“Why not – you
girls still having fun,” Zoe said as she sat down, while the man took from a
bag on the floor some white rope, and said “well, I need you to put your hands
behind your back, and I will use this to bind your wrists together.”
“Well, at least
we will be together,” I said as I felt him cross my wrists, and then the rope
as he bound them tightly together. “How
long have they been playing?”
“He surprised
us when we came back in,” Zoe said, “and told the girls they would be the first
to play fully, while he took me for a walk.
He was going to make sure I could not move as well – and now, you’re
going to be playing too.”
“Well, I like
playing with the girls,” I said as I smiled at them while the masked man wound
more rope round my arms, forcing them against my side as he made two bands that
framed my chest. It was tight as well –
but strangely, it made me less afraid, especially when he took the rope under
one arm, round the back of my neck and under my other arm.
“Please,” he
said after he had tied the rope off, “have a seat in the armchair there, while
I make sure Zoe stays with the girls.”
Zoe was sitting on one end of the couch the girls were sitting in front
of, as he knelt down and bound my daughter’s ankles together, then her legs
below her knees.
I then watched
as he peeled a length of white tape from a roll and pressed it firmly down over
her mouth, He then helped her to lie on her side, the girls turning their heads
as I heard their attempts to talk to each other.
He then walked
over, collecting more ropes from the bag and kneeling at my feet. As he crossed my ankles, and I felt the rope
as he began to bind them together, I whispered “does this make you feel good?”
“The fact the
girls think this is fun should make you feel good,” he said quietly as he
pulled the rope between my legs, the bands tightening round my ankles. “It means they are not scared, will not panic
– so they stay safe, and their mother stays calm and happy. Will their grandmother spoil that?”
I looked at
him, and then shook my head as I felt the rope going round my legs below my
knees. “thank you,” he said quietly as I
felt them being forced against each other.
He was being gentle, polite, but it was tight, and I knew I was going
nowhere.
“Now then,” he
said after he had secured the ends behind my legs, and stood up. He squatted next to Chloe and Maisie,
brushing their hair from their head as he said “I promised you could watch some
Barbie movies – once the second one finishes, that’s the cue for you to try and
get free. First person who manages gets
the special prize.”
“Fhnnkuhh,”
Chloe said, Maisie nodding as he stood up and checked the rope holding
Zoe. He then picked up the roll of white
tape and walked back towards me, peeling a length off as he said “one more
thing – time for your grandmother to be quiet as well.”
“Remember –
MacDonalds,” I said before pursing my
lips, feeling the tape on my chin as he firmly pressed it into place. IT was soft, but as I tried to speak I could
only hear a mumble as well – so I watched as he turned the television on and
found one of those movies the girls like.
“I will be
waiting in the kitchen,” he said as he walked out, the girls nodding before
they watched the television. Zoe and I
looked at each other – we knew what was really going on, but there was nothing
we could do about it. The ropes were too
tight…
As it was, we
only watched one and a half of the films – because Steve, my son in law, came
in and found us. He peeled the tape away
from the girls mouths, and they told their father all about the game. He was – surprised, but he went to the
kitchen, coming back to say he had spoken to the actor, and told him he could
go, he would make sure we were all freed.
He started by removing the ropes from the girls, and telling them to go
to the toilet before he looked at us.
“A game? Did he take much?”
Zoe nodded as
she tried to talk, Steve shaking his head as he peeled the tape away.
“My jewellery,
some money – and your cufflinks. Steve,
we had to play along…”
“I know,” he
said as he looked at me and I nodded, “let me get you both free, and then I’ll
call the police. Do the girls need to
eat?”
“Lhthtmmh –
hphrmhhshdmhcdhnhlds.”
He looked at me
and nodded before he started to untie my daughter…
So yes – it was
a different day, but the girls were unharmed – even excited at what happened…
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