When Santa
Came
“Look Mummy –
Santa’s here!”
“Yes he is – a
little early Katy,” I said as I hugged my five year old daughter. We had just come back from the afternoon
matinee of a pantomime, and she was wearing a black smock with a white floral
pattern printed on it, as well as a white fur headband – on which was the
biggest pair of white bunny ears you had ever seen, complete with a black
lining. She was also wearing white
trainers and grey pants, as she looked at the man in the red suit and white
beard standing in our front room.
I was looking at
him as well, not quite sure what was going on.
I was wearing a short black dress, with sleeves that came down just over
my elbows and a white collar, a pair of knee length black patent leather boots
on my feet. The thing is, it was
Christmas Eve, so why was he there…
“Ho ho,” he
said as he looked at us, “it looks like you found me delivering presents
early.” I looked at the pile of presents
under the tree, and then again at him.
He was certainly dressed for the part – red jacket and pants, black wellington
boots, wide black belt, white beard and red hat. “What’s your name, little one?”
“Katy…”
“Well, Katy,”
Santa said as he looked at her, “the thing is, I can’t let you or your mother
open these presents under it is time, so I need to do something to make sure
neither of you can do so. But I will
make sure you can watch anything you want on the television while you wait.”
“How are you
going to do that,” Katy asked as she looked at me – and then I saw him open his
sack, and saw the lengths of red rope inside – and I knew what was really going
on.
And I had the
strangest feeling.
“Katy,” I said
as I looked at my daughter, “I think Santa is going to make sure we can’t get
off the couch or talk to ask for help for a while. Now, it may feel a bit scary, but I promise
you it will be all right?”
“Santa would not
hurt us Mummy – would he?”
“Of course
not,” Santa said with a smile, “here, tell me how this feels.” He took a length of rope from the bag and
handed it to Katy, who held it and said “it feels soft – so what will you do
with it?”
“Well, give me
it back, and then I want you to put your hands together in front of you.” I looked at Katy and nodded as she handed the
rope back, then watched as Santa doubled it over and used it to tie her wrists
together in front of her.
“There now,” he
said as he passed the rope between her arms and then tied it off, “does that
feel bad?”
“No, does it
look nice Mummy,” Katy said as she showed me her bound wrists.
“It’s very
pretty,” I said with a smile as Santa produced another length of rope. “Mummy’s turn – but for her, I’m going to put
her hands behind her back.” Katy watched
as he guided my hands behind my back, and I felt the rope around my wrists,
holding them together as he wound the cords around and between my arms. As he tied the ends off, I turned and
wriggled my fingers at Katy, smiling as she giggled.
“Now, I need to
make sure you really can’t move your arms,” he said as he produced a longer
length of rope, and my mind went back to when I met a similar Santa as a little
girl…
I held
Mummy’s hand as one of the two men took Daddy out of the room. They were both dressed as if they were Santa
Claus, but I knew they could not be the real Santa – the real Santa did not
have a gun in his gloved hand.
“Time we
kept you both quiet,” he said as he looked at me and Mummy.
“what does
he mean,” I said as I looked at her.
Mummy was wearing a black, red and brown houndstooth jacket over a black
top, a matching short skirt and long black boots. She also had a thin band in her long brown
hair, with a fake bow at the top.
I was
wearing a pinafore dress in the same material as Mummy’s jacket, over a long
sleeved white top. I also had on black
tights and black shoes with a little buckle on the front.
“Look, we’ll
do whatever you say,” Mummy said as she put her hand on my shoulder.
“I know you
will,” he said as he took out of the sack a roll of red tape, and tore the end
free. “And you can start by turning
round and putting your hands behind your back.”
“It’ll be
all right,” she said as he looked at me, and then put her hands behind her
back. I watched as the man wrapped the
tape round her wrists, and then patted it down, before he wound the tape round
her arms and body. IT made tow bands
that kept her jacket open, and as she twisted round it crinkled.
“Your turn
kid – put your hands behind your back, and I’ll make sure you look like Mummy.”
I nodded as
Mummy said “it’s just like being hugged.”
The man took my hands behind my back, and I felt the tape sticking to my
wrists as they were held together. It
also felt funny as the bands of tape went round my body, but Mummy was right.
“It feels as if
I’m being hugged, Mummy.”
I nodded as I
watched Santa wrap the rope round Katy’s upper arms, forming the second band to
match the one round her stomach, keeping her arms against her sides as her
hands stayed in front of her. He had
already secured my arms, the bands framing my chest as I watched him finish
binding my daughter.
“there we are,”
Santa said as he tied the rope off, and Katy twirled round. “Now, why don’t you and Mummy have a seat,
and I’ll do the same thing to your legs.
That way, you both stay where you are, and you can’t get to the
presents!”
Katy nodded as
she jumped back onto the seat, and I sat beside her, watching as Santa took
more red rope from his bag and wrapped it round her ankles. She watched as well as they were brought
together, the rope forming neat bands., and then he took the ends between her
legs to make it even tighter.
A second length
went round her legs,. The red band contrasting with her pants as he made sure
that was bound in the same way, and then he looked at me.
“Feet on the
coffee table for a minute please Mummy.”
I nodded and
complied as he bound my ankles the rope and my botts rubbing and making a
squeaking noise that made Katy giggle.
“It’s nice of Santa to make sure we can’t spoil the surprise, Mummy,”
she said, and I nodded in agreement as he started to bind my legs together below
my knees as well. This was just so
surreal…
I watched as
the red tape was wound tightly round Mummy’s ankles, the red on black, holding
them together before he tore the tape free and patted it down, then did the
same to Mummy’s legs, first around the tops of her boots, and then her legs
above her knees.
He had already
taken care of me – I lifted my legs up to look at the red bands around my
ankles, as well as above and below my knees, and heard the crinkle as I twisted
my legs around.
“Where’s my
husband,” she said as the man stood up.
“Helping my
friend,” he said as he brushed my hair away from my face. “Now, I need to keep you both quiet, so I
want you to sit nice and quietly with your Mummy, and she will sit quietly with
you.”
I wasn’t
going anywhere, that much was for certain, as I looked at Mummy. She nodded, and said “We’ll stay quiet” while
the man tore a long strip from the roll of tape, and looked at her.
“I know you
will – now, purse your lips…”
“Now, I want
you to open your mouth, and I’ll put this between your lips, then I’ll do the
same with Mummy, before I turn the television on. All right?”
“All right,”
Katy said quietly as he rolled up a red headscarf, and then she opened her mouth
wide as he pulled the band into her mouth, taking it round her head and then
securing the ends at the base of her neck.
She closed her lips over it and smiled as I opened my mouth, tasting the
silk on my tongue as he pulled a second scarf between my lips and then secured
the ends at the base of my neck.
“Hthssfhnhmhhmhe,”
Katy said as she leaned her head on my side, and I nodded as I looked at Santa.
“Heeuhthkhnmhfhnsnh?”
“Well, I may
take a little refreshment first,” he said as he patted our heads, “but I’ll
look in before I go. For now…”
He turned the television
on as we started to watch Arthur Christmas, and I wondered if Katy was so calm
because I was there, just as I had been all those years ago…
I felt the
tape pulling on the skin round my mouth as the man pressed it down over my
face, but I could see Mummy was nodding and smiling, so I knew it was going to
be all right. I nodded and rubbed my
head on her side as we sat there, the ropes holding us tightly as the man
looked to the door.
“We’re going
now – have a nice Christmas,” he said as he walked off, the radio on and
playing Christmas songs as Mummy looked at me.
“Huhhrlrhyylhf?”
“Yhssmhmmh,”
I mumbled as I rested my head against her.
I did feel all right, despite what had happened – because I knew Mummy
had kept me safe…
I looked at Katy
as her eyes slowly closed – she felt perfectly safe, and had nothing to fear,
despite the fact she had been tied up and gagged by a robber dressed as Santa
Claus. I knew I would have to explain
it, as he cam back in and looked at us.
“She needs the
rest,” he said quietly as he moved Katy so that she was lying with her head on my
lap, gently breathing in and out. I
looked at him, and said “Fhnkuh” through the wet gag.
He looked at
me, and just nodded as he said “Merry Christmas”, then left with my
valuables. I should have been petrified,
but I was proud of Katy, and proud of how I had handled it as well.
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