That was
Then, This is Now – Don’t Be Afraid
“Granny, I’m
scared.”
Well, I was
scared as well as I held my granddaughter Amy in my arms, sitting on the couch
as she stood in front of me. What was
scaring us was the two men who had walked in on us after we had returned from a
matinee show – Amy was staying with me for the weekend while her parents had a
few days away. She’s eleven years old,
with long brown hair, while my greying hair was cut short.
As I said, we
had been at a theatre matinee, and I was casually dressed – a white fur gilet
over a long sleeved top, dark pants and knee length black leather boots. Amy was dressed up a little more – a pink
dress with elbow length sleeves and a large black bow on the front, as well as
a black lace underskirt, and her own knee length black leather boots.
But there were
the two men in the room. Both were
casually dressed – denim jackets and jeans with white t-shirts, and trainers –
but they were also both wearing latex gloves, and had black glasses over their
eyes.
“I told you
lady,” one of them said as the other watched, a gun in his hand, “do what we
tell you, everyone is happy. Now, keep
your little one quiet.”
“It’s all
right, Amy,” I said as I turned her round and stroked her hair, “I need you to
be brave, and to do what they say, because we will do this together, all
right?”
Amy slowly
nodded as I saw the man who had spoken open a bag, and take out a length of
rope, so I said “Amy – he is going to tie your hands behind your back, and then
he will do the same to me. I want you to
remain still, and not get hurt, all right?”
Amy slowly
nodded as I stroked her head, while the man took her hands behind her back and
started to lash her wrists together.
“Why are they doing this Granny,” she asked as he did this.
“Because they
do not want us to stop them, or to raise the alarm,” I said with a sad little
smile. “But I promise you, it’s not
something to be scared of.”
Amy looked at
me as the man walked behind me, taking my hands behind my back as she said “has
someone done this to you before Granny?”
“Oh yes – I was
a couple of years older than you,” I say as I felt the rope rub on my wrists,
“and it was me and my mother, but it has happened to me as well – nearly fifty
years ago…”
Amy looked at
me as I watched him use a longer length of rope, winding it round her arms and
body, before I said “well, I remember it was after my mother and I had been to
the theatre as well….
1975
“That was an amazing show Mum – thanks
for letting me come with you.”
I was so happy to be spending the day
with my mother, and at the age of fourteen I felt really grown up. I had even dressed in a special way – a tight
cream coloured jersey dress, with long sleeves and a short skirt, and knee
length caramel coloured leather boots with a small heel. I also had a lovely scarf folded into a band
and tied round my neck, made of silk, with a band pattern.
Like Mum, I had really long dark brown
hair, and I could feel the slight breeze in it as we walked out of the
Underground station. Mum was wearing a
white satin jacket and mini skirt, with her own knee length leather boots, in
her case a dark burgundy red.
We walked along the street, talking to
each other before we walked into the main hallway of the house our flat was in,
mum opening her handbag and taking the flat keys out as we walked up the
stairs. It had been a perfect afternoon,
and I was looking forward to relaxing as she opened the door, and we walked in.
So when someone grabbed me from behind,
and put a leather gloved hand over my mouth, I wondered what was going on – and
so did Mum, as she said “who the hell are you?”
“The man holding your daughter, and
telling you to do whatever he says,” a voice said form behind me, and glancing
to the side I saw a black clad arm, a black leather gloved hand – and a very
real gun in the hand.
Mum saw it as well, as she looked at me,
and then said “all right – just don’t hurt my baby girl.”
“Wise move – put your hands on your
head, and walk slowly into the bedroom.”
“Okay, okay,” Mum said as she opened the
door to her and Dad’s bedroom, and walked in, the man making me walk in front
of him as he kept his hand clamped firmly over my mouth. I could smell the leather as he did that, but
I kept my mouth shut – I did not want to taste it.
Mum turned round as he said “Okay – I
want all your jewellery boxes out where I can see them, and then I want you to
lie on the bed, hands on top of your head.
“NOW!”
Mum nodded as she opened drawers and
doors, putting them on the top of the furniture, before she said “I want you to
do what he says” to me as she lay on the bed, with her hands palm down on her
head.
“Don’t say a word,” the man whispered
into my ear, “take that scarf off from round your neck, and roll it into a
band.” I did what he had asked, before
he said “I’m going to take my hand away – and I want you to pull that scar
between your lips, and tie the band round your head. And do it properly – if I find you’ve tied it
too loosely, I will do it again after I stuff something else into your mouth,
and it will hurt. Nod if you
understand.”
I nodded, too scared to do anything else
before he took the hand away. Taking a
deep breath, I opened my mouth and pulled the band between my lips, tasting the
silk on my tongue as I closed my mouth, and then tied the ends at the back of
my neck as tightly as I could, under my hair.
“Be brave,” Mum said as she looked at
me, and I nodded as I felt the man pull my hands behind my back, and then rope
rubbing on my wrists as they were bound tightly together. It felt very strange, and then it felt even
stranger as the man put some rope round my arms and stomach and pulled it
tight, so that my arms were held against my sides.
“All right,” the man said behind me as
he tied the ropes off, “go and lie on the bed.
You – stand up and turn to face the bed.”
I walked over, trying not to cry as Mum
slowly stood up and turned to watch me lie down. As I did so, I saw the black duffle bag the
man had picked up – and the man. He was
tall, with a stocking pulled down over his head – but I could see the short
grey hair, as he put the bag down, pulled more rope out, and started to tie
Mum’s wrists together behind her back.
She smiled, and said “it’ll only be for
a little while” as I nodded my head. I could felt the scarf getting wetter in my
mouth, but I was still too scared to try and say anything. Mum stood there as the man tied the ropes
off, and then took a much longer length, doubling it over and then passing it
round Mum before he pulled it tight under her chest. I had to watch as he made the rope into two
bands, her jacket rising up slightly as he did so, before she lay on the bed
next to me.
“I know it’s scary,” Mum said as the man
crossed her ankles and bound them tightly together with more rope, “but – it’s
also a little bit exciting, isn’t it?”
I laughed at that, although what came
out was some muffled sound, as I heard her boots squeak as her legs rubbed
together, the man using another length to secure her legs together below her
knees before he took two more lengths from his bag, and walked back to my
side. I watched him cross my ankles, and
then felt the rope tighten round them, the leather making the same strange
sound as the rope went around and between my legs. He then tied my legs together below my knees
as well, Mum watching as his gloved hands stroked the back of my legs while he
passed the rope between them.
When he had finished, I tried to move my
legs apart – but it was impossible, and what was more as I tried to move my
legs, I heard the same squeaking sound as I had heard from Mum.
“It’s leather on leather,” she said as
she looked at me, “don’t worry, we’re both going to be all right.”
“Okay lady – raise your head.”
I saw the man had found a black scarf of
Mum’s and rolled it into a band, and I knew what was coming next. So did she, as she allowed him to pull the
black band between her lips and closed them over it, before he tied it tightly
round her head, again keeping the ends under her hair.
She turned her head and said
“whllwherhrnhh,” and then she kissed my forehead with her lips, before I pushed
myself over and put my head on her shoulder, both of us watching the man as he
emptied Mum’s valuables into the duffel bag.
He turned and looked at us, and then walked out as we both started to
try and free ourselves…
“Wow,” Amy said
quietly, “how long was it before your father came home?”
“It was
starting to get dark outside,” I said as the man behind me pulled the ropes
tight again, forcing my arms even more against my sides. My gilet had been forced open as the bands
framed my chest – but Amy had the same sort of ropes, so I was determined not
to say anything.
“Sit next to
your grandma, kid.”
“Okay,” Amy
said quietly as she walked over and pushed herself back in the seat next to me,
watching as the second man doubled over a length of rope, and wound it round
her ankles, the leather compressing under it as he pulled it tighter.
“I can be brave
if you can be brave, Granny,” Amy said as she looked at me.
“Good – we can
be brave together,” I said as the man took the rope between Amy’s ankles and
tied it off, then passed a second length around her legs below her knees and
pulled it tight. At the same time, his
partner knelt in front of me and lifted my ankles up, crossing them and resign
them on his leg as I felt the rope tighten round them as well.
“Well, at least
we can spend some time together,” I said with a smile as I kissed Amy’s head,
both of us watching as the rope was tied off, and then my legs secured together
below my knees before he lowered them to the floor.
“Okay,” he said
as he looked at me, “don’t move.”
“Funny,” I said
as his friend walked out, and he sat down looking at us as we sat there, saying
nothing.
Half an hour
later, the other man came back in, and I saw he had one of my pillow cases
which jingled as he put it down – and then held up a roll of white tape.
“Amy,” I said
quietly, “he’s going to put that tape over our mouths. Don’t panic, we will both be the same, all
right?”
“I’m not
afraid, Granny, you’re here with me,” she said as the man tore long strip off,
and then smoothed it down over her mouth, making sure it was smoothed to the
shape of her chin and face. He then
smoothed a strip over my mouth as well, so that we both found it difficult to
talk, before he helped Amy to lie on her side, with her head on my lap.
She rolled over
and looked at me, the smile on her lips visible as the two men left us
there. I nodded and said
“whllrhhlrhtthmeee.”
“Hknhnghrhnnee,
hknh” she said as she smiled back, trusting me completely as I had trusted my mother…
Return to the Relative Perils index