Dolls Tea Party

“Welcome, Hannah – won’t you come in?”

“Thank you Gillian,” Hannah Clarke said as she entered the vicarage. The invitation to come for afternoon tea had been one of the things waiting for her when she and her husband had arrived in the Cotswolds village, and given her husband was the new verger of the parish church, it was not one she could easily refuse.

She was in her early thirties, and today was wearing a black sweater paired with a silver silk skirt that came over her knees, as well as white knee length boots. Looking at Gillian Keane, the vicar’s wife, she knew she had dressed appropriately. Her host was earing a black jersey dress with a low round neckline, a wide black lather belt around her waist, dark hose and knee length black leather boots.

Gillian smiled, her long light brown hair falling over the shoulders of her dress as she said “I’m glad you could come round so soon Hannah. Given out husbands are working together, I think it’s important we get to know each other.” She glanced onto the street, seeing a grey transit van pass, before she closed the door and said “why don’t we go into the front room and have a cup of tea.”

“Sounds good,” Hannah said as they walked into the well it room, “so have you and your husband been here long.”

“Three years now,” Gillian said as she sat at one side of the coffee table, pouring from the pot into a cup. “Milk or lemon?”

“Lemon please. So what is it like living here?”

“Oh very quiet – nothing exciting really happens as a rule, but it’s a good place to live and bring up children. Do you have any?”

“Not yet – you have a son, don’t you?”

“Yes, but he’s away on a school trip this week – you’ll meet him on Sunday, I’m sure. Please, help yourself.” Gillian indicated the tray of biscuits as she sat back and sipped from her own cup.

As she looked round, Hannah said “you have certainly made the vicarage welcoming. What do you do for a living?”

“Oh I do some writing for magazines and things. Yourself?”

“Teach – or I will do when I get a position at the local school. My interview is next week.”

“well, George is on the Board of Governors, but he has recused himself from that interview,” Gillian said as she sipped her tea, and then heard the doorbell ring. “Will you excuse me a moment?”

“Of course,” Hannah said as she watched Gillian stand up, and walk out of the room. Setting her own cup down, she walked over to a display cabinet and looked at the photographs and medals on display inside.

“Commonwealth Games… European Championships… Gillian was an athlete?”

“Hannah?”

As she turned round, Hannah saw Gillian walk back in – but there was a look of pure fear in her eyes, and as Hannah looked over her shoulder she could see why. There was someone behind her, but her face was hidden by a white mask – a mask with only thin slits where the eyes should be, but no other features.

“Hannah, this woman,” Gillian said quietly, “has a gun against my back.”

Hannah gasped as the masked figure – a woman? – pointed at Hannah with a grey gloved hand, and then pointed to the windows.

“what do you want me to do,” Hannah said quietly, but the masked figure said nothing – they merely pointed at Hannah, then at the windows, before motioning with the gloved hand.

“You… You want me to close the drapes over the windows?” As the figure nodded, She walked over and pulled the curtains over the window panes, then turned round to see four figures with Gillian. What surprised her was that they were identically dressed – all four were wearing grey bodysuits, which covered them from head to foot, as well as grey boots and gloves. The only thing that was not grey were the faces – the white, featureless faces, which showed nothing as the one behind Gillian looked at one of the others.

The masked woman walked over and pointed at Hannah, then where she had been sitting.

“You want me to sit down?”

As the figure nodded, Gillian looked at her and said “why won’t you talk?”

“Gillian – I don’t think they are going to talk. I think this is the China Doll Gang.”

Gillian suddenly looked at all four of the intruders – she had heard of them, read the stories of those that had been visited as them, but now they were in her house – one of the masked woman holding a gun behind her, and another placing a large canvas bag on he floor as the fourth made their way out of the room, the soft footfall on the status barely audible to her.

“Oh my god,” she whispered as the Doll removed from the bag a long length for brown rope, doubled over and with a small loop tied in the centre. The Doll watching Hannah motioned to her to put her hands palm down on her had, as Gillian watched the masked woman walk behind her, the other two watching both women.

“Gillian, what do you think they want?” As Heather watched, the Doll draped the two lengths of rope over Gillian’s shoulders, letting them drop to the floor below as she stood with her arms by her side. The gloved hands then came round and started to wind the rope down Gillian’s arms, pulling them behind her back as she did so.

“I don’t know – we have some money, my jewels, and – oh lord, not my medals?”

The Doll looked at Gillian, and put a gloved finger where she imagined her lips were, as she felt her own arms being folded behind her, and the rope forcing her forearms together before she felt them forced further up her back. Hannah could see the Doll was feeding the rope, she imagined through the loop, behind Gillian’s back, and then pulling it down. Whoever these silent women were, they knew what they were doing – and she feared what was going to happen to her.

“Please, say something,” Gillian whispered as she saw the rope start to come around her body, forcing her upper arms against her body as the bands framed her chest. She was a vicar’s wife, this was something that was not meant to happen to her – and yet it was happening, as the ropes tightened and stretched the material of her dress over her chest.

She glanced down, seeing the way the neckline was moving, and tried not think about it as the ropes were tightened still further behind her back, immobilising her upper body. Gillian tried to move as she would – but Hannah could see the look I her eyes as the ropes held firm, and even rubbed on her where they crossed around her chest.

“Gillian - don’t,” she said quietly, “I don’t thin they are going to budge,” The Doll looking at Gillian nodded, and then took her by the arm, walking her out of the room as another of the masked women indicated to Hannah she should stand up, the third removing from the canvas bag another long length of rope which had been doubled over.

“Is it my turn now?”

The Doll nodded as she twirled a finger round, Hannah slowly turning and looking at the wall before she felt the rope over her shoulders, and saw the grey clad arms reach round and take the rope round her arms. It was a feeling of complete helplessness, knowing whatever she said would not be replied to – all she could do was control her breathing as he arms were pulled behind her and secured, and then she saw the ropes as they were taken round her chest, stretching her own black jumper over her chest as the bead necklace he was wearing was pressed against her body as well.

She could see the way the ropes were framing her chest as well, but she tried not to think of how that made her feel as she felt the Doll secure the ropes behind her. As the last knot was tied, the other Doll in the room pointed to the long seat se had been sitting on, Hannah nodding slowly as she walked over and slowly sat herself down.

She could only watch as more rope was removed from the bag, and then wound round her legs above her knees, her sliver skirt gathered under the tight bands as they were forced together, and then the rope taken down and used to secure her ankles together side by side. As it was taken between her ankles, Hannah watched the second Doll as she took a large white cloth from the bag, and folded it into a pad before she held it in front of her mouth.

“No…”

The white faced intruder slowly nodded as Hannah opened her mouth up, feeling the cotton no her tongue as the pad was pushed into her mouth, before white tape was pressed down over her lips to keep the stuffing in place. She could only grunt as the two Dolls laid her gently on her side, the ropes holding her there as one of them started to open the display cabinets and place items into a sack.

“Nhhhphlhhssnhtthm.”

She glanced to the door as Gillian came back in, white tape now covering her mouths as Hannah noticed the way her cheeks were puffed out. The two Dolls with her walked her over to the seat opposite Hannah and sat her down, ne of them going to the canvas bag and placing a small sack inside before she removed a length of rope.

Gillian was too scared to move as her legs were bound in the same way as Hannah – but in her case, her legs were secured together below her legs first, and then her ankles, She twisted round, the squeak of leather on leather the only sound, as the Dolls placed their gains into the large bag and then stood, looking at Hannah and Gillian before they slowly backed out of the room.

The two captive woman could only watch as they made their way out, as silently as they had arrived…

“So how do you feel now you have settled, Steve,” George said as the two men walked from the church, both wearing the clerical collar and shirt under dark suits.

“I like it, George – quiet, peaceful, and after the city a change in scene I feel we both needed.”

The vicar nodded as they approached the front door of the Vicarage. “Well, I think you and Hannah are really fitting in here – and you’re right,” he said as they walked in, “nothing ever happens. Gillian, my dear – is there any tea available?

“Gillian?”

The two men walked into the front room, staring at their wives as Steve said “oh my – you said it was quiet around here?”

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