26 - Robert and Jerry
Story index at the bottom
By Tom Ford
Monday, August 5th 2002 - 01:38:54 AM
Summer - 1966
Robert and Jerry
Last time, on our first day on our vacation in Vermont, David and Andrew launched an attack against us. They first captured Angela, and then me, then using Harvey, was able to get Donald. Frank nearly foiled their plans, but the quick thinking David saved the day for them. Thus they were able to win another victory, their fourteenth, even though they are only two and we are four.
It was Tuesday, the first full day of our vacation. Since our vacation in my great-grandfather's farm would last a month, there would be plenty of time to do our planned activities. I myself am eager to go for a swim in the lake in the afternoon. But other activities beckon before I could put on my swimming trunks and swim the beautiful lake.
It was morning, and I awoke at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. Andrew and David are already awake - they are always morning people, and they always wake up at the first light of day, even at summertime, even earlier - eating breakfast. The adults have already eaten breakfast, and they had gone out to visit some neighbor. They plan to return at 10:30 a.m., according to my brother. The rest of the kids are still asleep. They greeted us, and I joined them. We talked about the last game, where we discussed how things turned out. Then we moved on to other topics, namely what we planned to do.
We were eating breakfast talking about things in general when I heard a knock on the door. Andrew opened the door, and who should enter but our old friends Robert and Gerald (Jerry) Taylor. (the family name is fake) We were playmates every time we visited my great-grandfather's farm, and it was more like a reunion when we met. We greeted each other, talked about old times, and we talked about what happened when we were not in the farm. We spent an hour or so talking and discussing things in general. Robert is 10 years old, has blond hair and gray eyes, while his brother Jerry is 9 years old, has brown hair and green eyes.
For some reason, the subject of tie-up games was never brought up. I never even bothered to bring it up, for I had far more important things to talk about. We talked about school, about TV shows, about our last vacation. We talked about everything but our games. Andrew and David never raised it, so I didn't either. There was no intention of hiding, why should we hide it. We saw nothing wrong in it, and to our opinion, there was no reason why others should see any wrong to it. It's only another kind of play. The only reason is perhaps it never came to mind. As I remember, the topic never entered my mind.
We talked until about 8:30, when we decided to do something. Andrew wanted to go outside, while David wanted to explore the house. So we decided upon a compromise, Robert and Jerry would accompany Andrew outside, while I would explore the house with David and whoever will wake up first.
Andrew, Robert and Jerry soon went out to play, while David and I went to the second floor to explore the various rooms of great-grandpa's house. We met on the stairs Frank, who had just wakened up and still very sleepy. He is wearing shorts and a white T-shirt his hair is disheveled.
"Where are you (yawn) two going?" Frank asked.
"We're going to explore this house!" I replied.
"For what?" Frank responded.
"Don't you know that there is a secret treasure hidden in this house, and we're looking for it?" David said.
"Yea. A treasure chest filled with gold, silver and diamonds. Whoever finds it will be rich, rich, rich!" I added, backing David with his treasure story.
"You still have room (yawn) for one more treasure seeker?" Frank asked.
"Yep! Just hop on board!" David replied.
"Sure. But could you guys wait while I wash (yawn) myself?" Frank requested.
"Why not?" David responded.
Frank then went to the bathroom. We waited on the top of the stairs, waiting on our third treasure seeker. I am beginning to see this as a quite an enjoyable game, even if it was impromptu, brought for by David at the spur of the moment.
Frank returned after about 15 minutes. He no longer yawns, and his hair is neatly combed. We then resumed our exploring. We decided, at David's insistence, to go to the basement first before looking on the upper floors. So we went down the basement to look for the supposed "treasure". I had no idea what David had in mind when he said that, I just went along. Perhaps he has a surprise for all of us.
The basement is already bright, for the sun's rays can be seen entering through a tiny window at the top. The basement is like your typical basement. There are a washer and a dryer, a pile of old clothes, a mile's length of clothesline, a round table and 4 chairs around it. There's a foldout bed in a corner, and a large closet beside it. We then "explored", tinkering with the old stuff, looking in every nook and cranny for anything that might interest us.
"This is fun. Let's call the others so we can really have fun! The more the merrier!" Frank exclaimed.
"Who?" David asked.
"Who else, but Donald?" Frank replied.
"Whatever you say. Just be quick about it." David replied.
Frank then dashed to the stairs. But before he left the door, he turned to me, and seeing that David has his attention on other things, winked at me. I was puzzled at first, and then it came to me. Frank, Donald and I could easily subdue David. So that was his plan. We can easily get David by sheer force of numbers.
After a long time, the basement door opened. I thought it was Frank and Donald. It was, instead, my brother Andrew.
"I thought you were outside with Robert and Jerry!" I said.
"Well, it turns out they have some unfinished errands to do, so they left. They'll come back later. So, with nothing better to do, I decided to join you. What's up?" Andrew explained.
"We're looking for the hidden treasure stowed away in this building." I replied.
"Ah! The treasure hidden away by the pirates! Be careful, there might be hidden traps in the place and you might get caught." My brother, quickly following the tread, said.
"Quit yapping and start searching!" David shouted.
So Andrew joined us in exploring. He quickly made up tales about pirate treasure, which David backed up. I also gobbled it up, and in turn, added to the tale. We then ended telling pirate stories instead of exploring the place.
That is until Frank with my cousin Donald came back. Frank seemed disappointed to have Andrew on board; it seems to me that he would like to take them on three on one, instead of three on two. Anyway, we told them about our pirate tales, and they went along. So we researched the basement, this time with an added twist. Andrew suddenly asked for Frank's flashlight. There is a piece of corner in the basement where no light could penetrate, so we decided to use his flashlight to investigate. So Frank went to our room to get his flashlight.
"Remember the hidden traps, so be careful!" Andrew shouted as Frank dashed up the stairs to his room to get
We waited for Frank to return with the flashlight. In the meantime, we try to outdo each other in telling pirate tells. Anyway, we noticed that after some time, Frank hasn't return yet.
"What's taking him so long?" Donald said. "It's been twenty minutes!"
"Maybe he's been trapped by pirates!" David joked. We all laughed.
"Seriously, nobody takes a flashlight that long. Tom, could you find out what's keeping him?" Andrew asked.
"Why not? Sure, I'll go and look what's keeping him." I replied. I had no reason to refuse, since Andrew and David are down in the basement, there is no chance of a trap.
"Just be quick about it!" Donald shouted.
"I will!" I replied.
So I dashed on to the first floor, to the second, and to the third. It is already 9:30 a.m., and most of the other kids are awake. Most of them are playing outside, so nobody noticed me. When I arrived on the third, I went to our room, because as I already told you, Frank, Barney and I share a room. So I went to my room. And what I saw both shocked me and answered the question, "what's keeping him?" Frank is bound and gagged. His arms are tied behind the bedposts, and miles of rope further secured him to it. His mouth is covered with duct tape, and based from the mmmmpppphhhhsss I hear, his mouth is not stuffed at all. His feet are free, but are useless, since his body is snugly secured to the post. He looked at me, and mmmppphhh loudly. I was baffled. Who could have tied him up? Andrew and David, our rivals, are downstairs in the basement with Donald. Who could it be? Could it be Angela? Nah. She is on our team, and if she even tried, she could not hope to overpower Frank. So I came over so I can untie him, but I never got the chance.
Two boys immediately tackled me. I was surprised. Who could it be? Then I found out. It is our old friends Robert and Jerry.
"Guys, what the mmmppphhh!" Jerry sealed my mouth with duct tape in mid-sentence.
"Sorry Tom, we want to work in quiet." Robert said while chuckling.
They pinned me to the floor on my stomach, pulled my arms behind me, and several knots, cinches, loops and hitches later, my crossed wrists were firmly tied behind my back by a white cotton rope. Robert, who did my wrists, then made me stand-up. I was by this time, quiet - it would do no good to struggle - and wrapped rope around my body, starting from my chest, then worked their way downward, until they reached the waist. He then cinched it and knotted it off. Robert then tied the free ends to my wrists, a move they probably learned from my brother.
They then laid me to the bare wooden floor again, where Jerry crossed my ankles and tied it with rope. He then took a short piece of rope, tied one end of it to my wrists, and tied the other end of it to my ankles, putting me in a hog-tie. After that, they stepped back to admire their handiwork.
"Nice work, Robert!" Jerry commented
"You're not too bad yourself, Jerry!" Robert returned the complement.
"You think he'll get out of that?" Jerry asked.
"If he's as tightly tied as Frank is, then he's stuck!" Robert replied.
"Well, time to wait for the next kill!" Jerry said.
So we waited. I, for my part, tried to figure out what the hell had happened! My mind raced off to find some rational (and irrational) explanation. I already know the who part, I want to know the hows, the whats and the other whos. I know that my friends Robert and Jerry are the one who tied me up, and the one who caught Frank, but that is the only thing I know. Andrew and David couldn't have been possibly involved; they were with us the whole time. Donald and Angela, well, they were my teammates, and there is no reason for them to turn on us. So the only possible explanation is that our old friends played a trick on us by excusing themselves as soon as possible, then sneaking in our room and tying-up whoever enters. That must be it. There can be no other explanation. At least at that moment there is no other.
We waited. They occasionally tickled Frank and me from time to time, but generally ignored us and talked among themselves. They voices were soft, so although I could hear them, I could not understand what they are saying to each other. My mind drifted to other matters. Robert and Jerry were just added to my revenge list, along with Andrew, David, Chester and Jay. Still, everything is not clear yet, so I decided not to think of plans for revenge. Besides, 95% of all my plans fail anyway, so what's the point? I then decided to test the ropes to see how strong they are and how good knot tiers are our new members to our group. I struggled. Well, they are as good as Andrew and David and the rest of us, in some parts even better. The knots are unreachable, the ropes are snug yet they are not too tight, and they are not uncomfortable. And when I tried to gain some slack, I gained none. I guess when you're a farm boy, you learn lots about knots. And the gag, even though I can make louder noises than with a sock or a handkerchief stuffed in my mouth, prevents me from making intelligible conversation. So I simply was not going anywhere. I just made myself as comfortable as possible.
My mind begun to wonder. What happened to the others? I thought. Had they completely forgotten Frank and me? I wonder what they were thinking. Why are they not looking for us? I asked myself. Maybe they did forget us. Or maybe somebody decided to tie them all up. Nah. It's impossible. My overactive imagination got the better of me. And since I stuck, I decided to make the most of it. I remembered our conversation about pirates and treasure and exploring. I remembered Andrew's mock warning about hidden traps and pirates. Well, it has come true. I imagined that I was indeed a nosy explorer in search for hidden treasure, and I had come close to it. And I imagined that Robert and Jerry are two vicious pirates who guarded their treasure and decided Frank and I had gotten too close for comfort. So they captured us and tied us up in order to prevent us from finding their treasure.
It was 10:15 a.m. when something finally happened. The door opened, and I can see Donald, Angela, enter, behind them are Andrew and David. All of them are free when they entered, but I suspect, they won't be for long. Angela gasped when she saw two "strangers" (She hadn't met Robert and Jerry - it was her first visit to our great-grandparents home. She was very impressed with the place when she arrived. Frank and David already have gone here a year ago, when they were eight, and they knew Robert and Jerry very well.) standing over her bound two friends. She started to run outside when she bumped into Andrew, who grabbed her then clamped his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Donald then realized what was happening and tried to escape, but David and Jerry was able to tackle him. David then took from his pocket two rolled socks. He gave one to Andrew, who with Robert's help was able to insert it in Angela's mouth. Robert then duct taped her mouth. Angela, I can tell from her eyes, was a bit frightened with somebody she didn't know gag her, but quieted down a bit, apparently deciding to trust Andrew and the others.
Andrew and Robert then dragged Angela to a chair, where they sat her, and pulled her arms behind the backrest. My brother then took a rope from his pocket, and wrapped it tightly around Angela's wrists. It was quite long, so he must have wrapped it vertically, horizontally, in between probably a dozen or so times, before cinching it and placing the knots well out of reach of her questing fingers. When Angela tested the ropes, it held. I can see from the look of her face that it was the usual thorough job, snug, tight, but not uncomfortable. I can also observe from her face that she was curious on who is tying her.
"Angela, my friend Robert. Robert, my friend Angela. Hope you get along!" Andrew introduced them to each other. Angela just mmmppphhhed and nodded, while Robert just said "Hi, don't worry, I won't bite!" then laughed.
Meanwhile, David took the other rolled socked, and with Jerry's help, although with much more difficulty, was able to shove it into Donald's mouth. Jerry then tied a scarf tightly between his teeth, and then knotted it behind his head. They then dragged him to the second bedpost, where they pulled his arms around the post and tied his crossed wrists behind it using a long piece of torn cloth. David took a long rope, and wrapped it around Donald's body and the bedpost starting from the waist up towards the chest, where he knotted it off at front. Like Frank, he kept Donald's legs free, which was useless.
Andrew meanwhile took Jerry by the arm towards Angela.
"Angela, Robert's brother Jerry. Jerry, my friend Angela. Hope you get along fine!" Andrew introduced Jerry to Angela. Angela just gave him a nod and mmmmppppsss and Jerry just said "Hi" then went back to help David.
"Listen, Robert and Jerry would be our new members to our group. He'll join David and me to even out the odds. Consider this their first game, and another victory for us!!" Andrew proclaimed. It was met with nods from all of us who were gagged. We (except Angela) knew both of them quite well, and they are well liked by all of us.
Then they began the tickling. They removed my shoes and socks, and assailed every ticklish part of my body. I just went absolutely berserk. I laughed and laughed and screamed and screamed, which just came out as mmmpppphhhhhsss through the gag. I struggled, I jerked, did my best to avoid the fingers but all of it absolutely did no good. Of course, they gave us the required 2-3 minute breaks, which kept us from laughing to death. They continued it for twenty minutes. After that, they blindfolded the others, and then blindfolded me. The bandana used to blindfold me was tight, so I decided not to try to remove it.
"Now, us pirates will now leave you trespassers on our territory to await your fate." My brother said with a pirate accent. I then heard footsteps leave, then return, then some movement, then I heard them leave, then I heard the door close.
I decided it is futile to struggle, and the only thing left for me to do is wait out the thirty minutes and hope some of the tikes would come in and help us. I decided to think over what happened. It was obvious that Andrew and David had planned this all along. All were planned, except probably the pirate, treasure, explorer thing. That probably was just something thought of at the spur of the moment. It was so obvious now that I know the outcome. So Andrew and David used those two to win another game. But how could the four plan, we only met this morning and I was with them? Then I remembered, Andrew went outside with Robert and Jerry then came back in to join us. So that was the time when he planned it all. And it was obvious that David wasn't in the loop even when I was captured.
They returned after about a half-hour. It is very difficult to track time when you're blindfolded. I just know because I was able to look at the clock before I was blindfolded and I immediately looked at the clock after it was removed. They removed our blindfolds and saw the four of them - Andrew, David, Robert and Jerry, looking down at us. Andrew then took a tiny key inserted in a book, then took a small wooden chest - a small toy chest - from under the double bed. He opened it using the key and showed us what the supposed treasure is - Andrew's marble collection. Andrew then made a wicked laugh.
"You thought you could get Captain Andrew's Treasure, aye. Well you failed, and you're going to pay for it!!" Andrew gloated then laughed. The others also joined in.
They untied us 10 minutes later. It was now 11:20 a.m. We congratulated each other for a good game, although Donald, Frank, I and especially Angela were a bit irritated for Andrew and other's use of Robert and Jerry, but since it is fait accompli, we let the matter drop. Andrew and David's coup in recruiting Robert and Jerry before any of us were informed was brilliant, even we conceded. It wiped out our numerical advantage, and therefore, it would be harder for us to win in the future.
We swore revenge. It is our fifteenth total loss, our 5th defeat in a row. Angela herself was fed up with another loss. I can she that she is determined to win the next time, numerical advantage or not. Frank, Donald and I were just as determined, but more cautious.
Even with its cracks, the last game was very enjoyable indeed. The pirate thing added an extra element to our games. From this moment on, playacting would slowly be part of our games, making it more fun. And there was Robert and Jerry to replace Chester and Jay while we were here. And as usual, my brother showed us his tactical skills in our games, assisted of course by luck, to our detriment.
We ate lunch with our parents after the game. After lunch, Robert and Jerry invited us boys to go to explore the mountains. We of course have gone there, but it was a year since we last went there. So it was a treat to go there. We had another tie-up game in the mountain, but not the kind we have recently played.
What kind of game did we play? 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