25 - Vacation in Vermont
Story index at the bottom
By Tom Ford
Friday, August 2nd 2002 - 01:26:30 AM
Summer - 1966
Vacation in Vermont
Our first game on summer occurred in Sunday before we would leave for our vacation. Andrew, David, Chester and Jay captured Frank and me while watching a TV show, and with Betty, was able to lure Angela into their trap. They then used John to lure the unsuspecting Donald, and soon, he too was captured. They blindfolded all of us, which scared me to death, and like before, we lost the game. We suffered our thirteenth defeat, and Angela her third loss in a row.
Alexander Ford (1900-1992), our great-grandfather, was born in his farm in Vermont. He grew up there, and except for college and service in World War I, spent all his life in his farm. He married our great-grandmother, Emma Lee (1900-1993), early in 1918, before he left for France, and my Grandfather John was born later that year. (All names are fake to protect the identity of the concerned). John was an only child. My grandfather was a successful and prosperous farmer, he was also a businessman. He soon prospered, and enlarged the family farm. My grandfather soon moved out, but returned every summer for vacation. (For more info regarding our family history, just look at Spring - 1966, Afternoon Attack.)
My great-grandfather's farm, as I said, is located between a lake and the base of a mountain. And that made it an ideal place for summer vacations. One could always go for a swim in the lake one day and hike the mountain the next day. Both are within walking distance from my great-grandfather's home. And his house is huge - more like a mansion. It has three stories; the first story contains the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the rec room and the master's bedroom and another room. On the second floor are three bedrooms, another rec room and several storage rooms. On the third floor there are six bedrooms, and two storage rooms. Grandfather and Grandmother slept in the first floor, Mom, Dad, Uncle Richard and Aunt Rachel all slept on the second floor, leaving the third floor to us kids. Frank, Barney and me shared a room, David, John and Andrew shared another one, Donald, Ben and Henry shared one, Angela, Margaret and Betty shared another, Lucy, Nancy and Cathy occupied the fifth room, while Lawrence and Harvey (age six) slept on the last room. Then there is also an attic and a basement. The second and third floors are designed solely for this purpose, and it is empty when there are no visitors.
And scattered on the farm are numerous barns, sheds, and outhouses that could be used as playground for our games. And scattered on the mountains is numerous sheds and outhouses, which makes it an ideal playground. And the farm is walking distance to other people farms and within driving distance to the town. So it is an ideal spot to have vacations there.
We arrived at our great-grandfather's farm at six, as expected. Our great-grandparents immediately greeted us. We spent one hour unpacking. But before we fully unpacked, before dinner, we played a game.
It was six-thirty in the afternoon, and I was at one of the rooms on the third floor on what could be my room with Frank. Most of the adults are downstairs talking. Some of the kids were downstairs, and some of us, like me, were exploring the second and third floors. I was looking it over and doing anything but unpack. I heard David's voice call me, and I went into the corridor and into the room where I heard David's voice come from. I entered the room, and I saw Angela bound hand and foot and gagged. Her arms were tied behind her back, her ankles crossed and her mouth was covered with a scarf. She was hog-tied on the bed, with my uncle Harvey watching beside her.
"Uh oh!" I said when I saw her, and immediately realized what happened. I hadn't counted on a game, for the simple reason that since Chester and Jay is not here, then we would outnumber them 4 to 2 or 2 to 1. Yet I had not counted on the Andrew's guile and shrewdness, which in the past, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat so many times.
I reacted too late. David and Andrew grabbed me. I tried to shout to warn my companions, but when I opened my mouth to shout, David inserted a clean white handkerchief into my mouth, and Andrew quickly tied bandana over it, cleave-gagging my mouth. He then tied another layer of cloth over my mouth, which he tied tightly at the back of my head, covering my head from nose to chin. It was quite effective in shutting me up, and I tried pushing it with my tongue. I failed.
"Gotcha! Thought we wouldn't be able to attack if we were only two? Guess again!" Andrew boasted.
"Yea. It was so easy capturing Angela and you, and it would be a cinch to get Frank and Donald." David added.
They then sat me on a chair and pulled my arms behind the backrest. David then tied my wrists with what seems to be long strips of cloth. As I said before, it is more comfortable than rope but no less effective. I tested the cloth, and it was firm. Andrew then took a long piece of rope, wrapped it around my chest, through slots on the backrest and around it, over my tummy and waist, and around the backrest, slipping it through the open slots the chair offered. Finally, Andrew pulled it tight, cinched it and knotted it at front, at my chest. David crossed my ankles and tied it using a simple square knot. It is simple, but effective nonetheless. I tested the cloth and ropes, and it was clear that I would need help to get out.
"So this is what you guys have been doing this past weeks!" Harvey exclaimed after seeing my bound to the chair.
"Yep. Didn't John or Barney tell you?" Andrew asked.
"They did. Although I didn't believe them at first. I thought they were joking!" Harvey replied. My uncle Harvey is six years old, has brown hair and gray eyes.
"Well, believe what you see!" David replied.
"Can I join?" my six-year-old uncle eagerly asked.
"No. You're too young. But you can still help." Andrew responded.
"Really? How?" Harvey eagerly asked.
"Just call Frank or Donald and tell them you want to show them something here." Andrew told Harvey
"Why?" Harvey asked.
"Because we need to capture Thomas, Angela, Frank and Donald to win. Since we already caught Tom and Angela, all we need to do is catch Frank and Donald." My older brother explained.
"So all I need to do is call Frank or Donald, so that he'll come up here you can catch him?" Harvey replied.
"That's it!" David exclaimed.
"But why can't you guys make the call?" Harvey wondered.
"Are you kidding? They wouldn't come here if we made the call. They immediately would call our bluff. And worst, they would formulate a plan to catch us, and that would reduce our chances of winning to zero. At least if it was you, they wouldn't be suspicious, especially since you weren't involved in any way in our previous games." David replied.
"Okay! I'll do it." Harvey shouted. With that, he dashed out of the room.
"You think we could trust him?" David asked Andrew after he left.
"We can. Let's just hope he's up to it!" Andrew replied.
With that, we settled into a dreary wait. David and Andrew sat on chairs behind the door, waiting for their prey while talking, more like whispering, silently among themselves. I just sat on the chair, resigned to another loss to my older brother. Angela fruitlessly struggled, mmmpphhhing under her gag. She soon gave up, and settled for the wait.
About seven o'clock, Harvey opened the door and entered.
"What is it?" Donald asked.
"Wait. You'll see." Harvey replied.
Then Donald entered. He saw me bound and gagged and looked me in the eye. He was about to turn around and back away when David and Andrew grabbed him. He at first fought the two but soon had to give up against superior force.
"I should have known this was a trap!" Donald said. "It was all too obvious to see! Damn! I should have mmmmppppphhhhhh!"
"You should have but you didn't!" David replied as he shoved a clean handkerchief into his mouth. He then cleaved-gagged Donald to hold the handkerchief in his mouth. Like my gag, David added another layer of cloth and tightly knotted it behind his neck, covering his head from nose to chin. After gagging him, they dragged him to a post where they forced him to sit and lean on the post. Then, they pulled his arms around the post and tied it with long strips of cloth behind the post, pinning him to the post. Andrew then removed his shoes and socks, then crossed it then tied it using another long piece of cloth. David then tied his knees together. Andrew wound rope, lots of rope around his upper body, on his chest, and on his waist, further pinning his body to the post.
"Getting him was a cinch. It's too easy!" Andrew remarked.
"So what. How about Frank?" David asked.
"He said he'd follow. He just has to take care of a few things." Harvey answered.
"What happened when you told them to come here?" Andrew asked.
"Well, when I told them that I need to show them something here, they whispered among themselves, then told me that Donald would come first then Frank would follow!" Harvey said.
David and Andrew looked at each other. Clearly, to them, something went wrong.
"I knew this was too easy! Frank probably sent Donald to determine if there is a trap." Andrew said.
"And Frank is probably outside, planning on how to outwit us." David added.
"I knew it would be difficult to play two against four. We should have waited until we added Robert and Jerry to our team. Then it would be easier." Andrew said.
"Nah. What's so hard about this? We could easily take Frank two to one." David remarked.
"But who will guard these three. While we were out there looking for Frank, who would probably hide from us, he or any of the little brats would sneak in and free them. Then we would be at their mercy, for we are outnumbered. Besides, I don't have the key to this room, so I can't lock it and anybody could enter. Somebody has to guard our prisoners, or we would lose. One of us could presumably guard these three, but one can't bring Frank over. We need two or he could slip away! If Chet and Jay were here, we wouldn't have these problems! " Andrew replied.
"But could we count on anybody else except Harvey?" David asked.
"Well, I think we could. But don't leave them alone with Tom, Angela and Donald. They certainly would free them behind our backs!" Andrew replied.
The argument continued. I could see Angela smiling under her gag at our captors' dilemma. We might win this game yet! Harvey just listened to their conversation, which was so loud it filled the room.
"I have an idea on how we could win!" David suddenly said.
"What on your mind?" Andrew asked.
"Well, we could call on Barney, John, Ben and Henry. You could take Henry and Barney, and hunt Frank with them. You could easily win against Frank that way. Ben, John and Harvey would stay with me and guard Tom, Donald and Angela. That way, if Frank attempted to free them, we would be ready. Just remember, don't split-up. They can switch loyalties once they're out of your eyes." David explained.
"Sounds good. But you forget something. Remember my father's rule. If - " Andrew objected.
"Your father said that they can't be tied up before they're nine and they must not tie other people up. But we don't need them to tie-up Frank. We just need them to pounce and pin him, and once you did, you can tie him up." David answered.
"David, you're a genius. Okay, then let's do it. Harvey, call Barney, John, Ben and Henry." Andrew said.
With that Harvey called the little brats. As soon as they came, they readily agreed to participate in the plan, and soon, Andrew, Barney, and Henry left to hunt down Frank. Harvey, Ben and John remained with David to guard us. I have to give credit to David. His plan was smart, and flawless. The little tikes are loyal, until they are out of sight the older ones, and at that point, they might or might not switch sides.
We waited until seven-fifteen for anything to happen. Finally, Andrew returned with the bound and gagged Frank. Frank has his hands tied behind his back, and he was gagged with duct-tape.
David cheered when he saw his friend had captured the elusive Frank. Andrew and the rest of them cheered, high-fived each other, and they celebrated another triumph. Then, David took a long rope and wrapped it around Frank's waist, cinching it and knotting it off and tying the free ends to his wrists.
They then positioned him to the post where Donald was tied-up. He was positioned opposite Donald, but unlike Donald, who was in a sitting position, Frank was tied to the pole standing. They tied him to the pole at the knees, the waist, the stomach and the chest. Each of the knots was tied competently, and when Frank tested the ropes, it held.
Then they began the tickling. They tickled us in the foot, the stomach, the sides, the ribs and the armpits. We just laughed and laughed and shouted and screamed, which came out through the gag as faint mmmmppppphhhhhsssss. We struggled, jerked, desperately trying to avoid the fingers. But it was futile. And to make it worst, Ben, Barney, John, Henry and Harvey joined in the tickling. Fortunately, David and Andrew were able to restrain the tikes and we were given the customary 2-3 minute breaks. They tickled us for 15 minutes.
They left us for another 30 minutes after the tickle torture. I struggled against my bonds in a vain effort to gain some slack, but the knots were too expertly tied for my struggles to have any effect. I tried looking for knots using my fingers - I found none. All the knots were beyond the reach of my fingers. I tried to move the chair - my bound feet still can touch the floor, but the chair was too heavy and the carpet made it impossible. Besides, if I can move the chair with my feet, what good can it do? So I was stuck. I gave up struggling ten minutes into the half hour. The others were more persistent. Donald tried to stand up to try to reach Frank's knots, but the ropes were too firm and too snug for Donald to be able to do anything.
Frank, for his part, was trying to sit and reach Donald's knots, but the ropes were too expertly tied for him to make any progress. Both of them gave up after 20 minutes, covered with sweat. Angela, for her part, struggled so much and mmmppphhh so much that she fell to her side. She was hog-tied, remember, and all that struggling did her no good. The ropes hog-tying her, like the others, were too expertly tied to for her struggling to have any effect. Yet she continued in her futile exercise. I just watched her, for she was very entertaining. She looked so cute hog-tied and her struggling made it more enjoyable to watch. She struggled until the very last minute, where she gave up, her entire body covered with sweat.
They returned after 30 minutes and untied us all. We gave the usual congratulations and promises for revenge. We had lost for the fourteenth time and Angela her fourth defeat in a row. She had not yet won a single game since her initiation, and although she enjoys our games, she hated to lose and to lose four consecutive games is more than she could bear. She would try to win, and when she does, revenge would be sweet. I could tell from her eyes - I know her too well.
It was eight o'clock when the game ended and dinner was ready. We immediately went down to eat - we were hungry after such an adventure. We then were assigned our rooms in the third floor according to the arrangement I mentioned above. When in bed, before I slept, I asked Frank what happened.
"When Harvey came down and told Donald and me that he wanted to show me something, I became suspicious." Frank recounted.
" "I think there is a trap. Maybe we shouldn't go." I said."
" "Nah. There's no trap. Andrew and David wouldn't try anything. They're outnumbered now that Chet and Jay are gone. They wouldn't be that dumb. They can't win!" Donald replied."
" "Still, I have a gut feeling inside me that says it's a trap!" I responded."
" " Look, if it were to make you happy, I'd go alone and you follow. If I don't return after 10 minutes that means there's a trap. But I think it's all nonsense. Anyway, Harvey has not been involved before, so there's nothing to worry about!" Donald assured me."
"Of course, he turned out to be wrong. When after 10 minutes, he has not returned, I decided to hide just in case they tried to find me and try to sneak in and free him and you. Well, soon, I heard footsteps leave the room, and I proceeded to the room where you were tied up. I peeked at the keyhole, and saw David, John, Ben and Harvey with him. That ruined my plans and I decided to go down and ask for help from Betty and the other girls. Yet I literally ran into Andrew's arms in the second floor, and with Barney and Henry, was able to pin me to the floor. Andrew then tied my hands and marched me to the room, where you saw me. You know the rest." Frank explained.
All of us, especially Angela, want revenge. We want vengeance. They struck twice since the start of the summer vacation, and we wanted to get them back. And without Chester and Jay, we have a numerical advantage. We then could literally just walk in, overpower them and tie them up. We were as good in knots as those two were, and thus, we can easily win. So I looked forward for tomorrow. The only thing we have to worry about is our meddling tikes, who could switch alliances and untie them during the required 30 minutes allotted to them for them to try to escape.
Did we get our revenge? Read the next part and find out!
Tom Ford
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Tom Ford's stories
- 01 - First Games (mm/m)
- 02 - Revenge (mmm/mm, mm/mmm)
- 03 - Surprises (m/mm, mmm/mm)
- 04 - Afternoon Attack (mm/mmm)
- 05 - Sunday Morning Offensive (mm/m, m/mmm)
- 06 - Victory! (mm/mmm, mmm/mm)
- 07 - Chester and Jay (mm/mm, m+/mm)
- 08 - Cops & Robbers (mm/mm, m/m+)
- 09 - The Unexpected Game (mm/F, F/mm)
- 10 - Another Victory! (m+/mmm, mmm/m+)
- 11 - The Perfect Plan (mm/mmm, m+/mmm)
- 12 - The Counterattack (m+/mmm)
- 13 - Angela (f/m)
- 14 - The Next Round of Tom vs. Angela (m/f)
- 15 - Curiosity Kills the Cat! (ff/mm, mm/ff)
- 16 - Déjà Vu (m+/mmm)
- 17 - The Next Morning! (m+/mmm, mmm/m+)
- 18 - Tom & Company's Attack (mmm/mmm)
- 19 - Angela's Revenge-and Request?! (ff/m)
- 20 - Negotiations (mmm/m+)
- 21 - The Initiation (m+/f)
- 22 - Angela's First Game (m+/fmmm)
- 23 - Last Game of Spring (m+/fmm)
- 24 - The First Game of Summer (mm+/fmmm)
- 25 - Vacation in Vermont (mm/fmm+)
- 26 - Robert and Jerry (mm+/fmm+)
- 27 - The Treasure Hunt (m+/m+)
- 28 - Revenge - Sweet Revenge (mf+/mf+)
- 29 - Angela's Fury (ffm/m+)
- 30 - The Hunter and the Hunted (m+/m+)
- 31 - The Night Attack (mf+/m+)
- 32 - The Second Cops & Robbers Game (m+/fm+)
- 33 - Capture the Flag (m+/m+)
- 34 - A Couple of Answers to Questions Asked
- 35 - A Father's Day Adventure (m/m+)
- 36 - A Father's Day Adventure - Part II - Dad's Boyhood Experience (MM/m+, mm/ff, ff/mm)
- 37 - Cowboys and Indians (m+/f, fff/m+)
- 38 - Flag Wars (m+/m+)
- 39 - By the Dawn's Early Light (mm/fm+ )
- 40 - Turnabout is Fair Play! (mm+/fm+)
- 41 - Tying-Up Mom and Aunt Rachel - and the Aftermath (fm+/FF, FF/fm+)
- 42 - The Island Adventure (mm/f, mm+/fm+)
- 43 - The Long Afternoon (f/mm)
- 44 - Defeat - Again? (mm/fm+)
Index of all stories in the "Archive for Everyone" section