10 - Burglars
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By Jon (McA)
This is another episode of mine from the mid 1960's. Regulars here will know the 'dramatis personae' from previous stories (or from Gillian's stories). They are me, aged perhaps 11; my best friend Bob, a year older; his sister Jill (aka Gillian B), another year older and, finally Jill's friend Janet, about the same age as Jill.
I have related a number of our earlier tying-up escapades in previous stories. We played a number of tie-up and escape games, generally in or around Bob and Jill's house. (Bob and Jill's Mum didn't mind these activities, so there was no need for them to be clandestine.) One of these was a stalking game called 'Burglars', played (very quietly) through the upstairs rooms and attic of the house.
The objective of the game was simple to the point of being crude; the winning team was the one that successfully caught and tied up all members of the losing team. The main rules were no yelling for help if caught and no attempts to injure anyone else (ie. no kicking, punching or biting). The tactics were surprisingly complex; to be successful, it was necessary for a team to work as a pair to try to catch each member of the opposing team alone. Just to make it harder, we added the rule that while all members of a team could occupy the same room at the same time, they were only allowed out onto the landing and into the corridor joining the rooms singly, unless escorting a 'prisoner'. This rule meant that teams had to split up to move about.
With Janet present, it was possible to pair off into two teams of two. The 'home' team consisted of Bob and Jill, while Janet and I formed the 'away' team.
The two teams started at opposite ends of the house with an agreed start time. Janet and I aimed to get to Jill's bedroom, which was about central to the upper floor of the house, and which had lots of useful hiding places within it. We decided that I would move first and Jill would follow a minute later (there was some logic in that timing).
I crept quickly along the corridor and into Jill's bedroom. Also into instant trouble; Jill and Bob were both there already. The 'no fighting' rule basically limited resistance to struggling and making the tying as hard as possible. However, Bob and Jill were both bigger than me, so I didn't have much of a chance. Bob held me down in a chair while Jill tied my wrists together behind my back with an old stocking and then started to tie me to the chair with stockings and scarves. At that point, Janet came into the room, assessed the situation and then fled.
(This was the reason for the one minute delay. If the first team member had been caught, then the opposing team would be most likely still to be occupied with tying up after a minute. We judged that both shorter and longer delays would pose a greater risk to the second team member.)
Jill finished off tying me, while Bob went to the door and looked out into the corridor. He came back and there was a whispered discussion. First Bob and then Jill left the room after that.
I was left on my own. My next job was to escape if I could. I was tied fairly efficiently to the chair. My wrists were tied behind my back but not secured to the chair. My ankles were tied to the chair's front legs and I was tied to the chair with scarves over my lap and round my waist. I had also been cleave gagged with a sock. With glee, I realised that Jill's tying having been rushed, I could probably escape. I was able to reach the scarf tying my waist to the chair back and drag it round until the knot came round to the back. It didn't take much fiddling to undo the knot. I could now get my arms in front of the chair back (wrists still tied). My plan was to work the scarf over my lap towards my knees and possibly down to ankle level, which would allow me more freedom to try to find something within reach to hook my wrist bond off with.
In fact, my escape proceeded no further, as Janet entered the room at that point and untied me. We debated whether to wait where we were for Bob or Jill to come back or to go to another room. We decided to head for the spare bedroom which had a big wardrobe to use as a hide-out.
Janet went first. I waited our agreed minute, then headed out into the corridor. As I did so, I saw Jill ahead of me, but with her back to me. I ducked into the first room I came to, which was Bob's bedroom. I was surprised to find Bob there, tied up on the floor. His wrists were behind his back and his ankles tied with a scarf. He had been cleave gagged with a handkerchief. I remember a slight feeling of unease, as presumably Janet had done this but had not mentioned it to me. I was puzzled but didn't follow the thought through. I grinned at Bob and then carried on to the spare bedroom to rendezvous with Janet. I got there and looked around, but didn't see Janet.
I waited and thought, then decided to go back to Jill's bedroom to see if Janet had gone back there. Jill's bedroom was empty as we had left it. I waited a few minutes, then decided that I really had to find Janet. I returned to Bob's bedroom, still suspicious, but not really knowing why. As I entered the room, I saw that Bob was still tied up. However, as soon as I was through the door, I was grabbed from behind by Jill. Bob stood up immediately. His hands had been behind his back, but not tied and the scarf apparently tying his ankles was merely wrapped round them. He pulled his gag down and came to Jill's assistance. I was pushed to the floor and held face down by Bob, while Jill tied my wrists very firmly with a stocking. She next tied a long scarf tightly round my arms and body, stuffed a handkerchief into my mouth and cleave gagged me with a sock.
Bob and Jill hauled me to my feet and marched me out of the room, along the corridor and into the spare bedroom. As I stood there, with Bob holding me, Jill opened up the big wardrobe; Janet was sitting in the bottom of it, tied up. (She had presumably already been tied up there when I checked that room previously.) As Janet turned her head to face us, I experienced a shock that has stayed with me ever since. Janet's whole face from chin to hairline was covered by a grey woollen scarf and I could see the bulge of something stuffed into her mouth under it. Her hair was long enough to hang down over the scarf and cover it at the sides of her head. I had seen Janet gagged and sometimes blindfolded often enough, so I'm really not sure what shocked me so. Possibly it was the 'faceless' appearance it gave her, but the scene has stayed crystal clear in my memory.
Janet was very comprehensively tied up. Her wrists had been tied behind her back. Her legs were tied at ankle and knee and at least two long scarves had been tied round her arms and body. Jill hauled Janet out onto the floor and sat her up. Bob pushed me down onto the floor, also sitting and tied my ankles and knees with old stockings. Bob and Jill then manoeuvred Janet and me back-to-back and tied long scarves tightly round both of us at waist and chest level.
The losing side in these games were generally left alone to contemplate their fate for a few minutes. The winning side, on the other hand, were expected to go straight to the kitchen and make a pot of tea for all of us, before returning to free the losers. (Don't laugh; we can't help it - we're British!)
Janet and I waited patiently for ages. (Probably only fifteen minutes or so, but it /felt/ like ages.) Janet was clearly getting uncomfortable, so I started working on trying to free us. Janet was too well tied up to help much, but I could get my hands to her wrist bond. However, my wrists had been crossed and then tied in both directions, so I couldn't get both hands onto the critical knot at once. Also, there was almost no space to work between our backs. By mutual (unspoken) consent we fell over onto our side to see if I could do any better. I had managed to undo the knot on one of the scarves tied round Janet's arms and body, but not made any impression on anything else, when Bob and Jill's Mum passed the door to the room. She hesitated then came in. 'Are you two all right?' she asked. I shook my head and mumbled.
Bob and Jill's Mum knelt down and started untying us. The way we were lying, she had to undo the scarves binding Janet and me together before she could properly get at the knots on anything else. Janet's gag-cum-blindfold came off next. Janet's face looked flushed and strained as well as relieved as it came off. Bob and Jill's Mum looked very concerned at the state Janet was in. It took her another three or four minutes to finish untying us completely.
The three of us went downstairs to the kitchen (very much the hub of that house). Bob and Jill had indeed made some tea, and were sitting at the kitchen table drinking it and chatting together. As we came into the kitchen, Bob and Jill took one look at their Mum and were instantly silent. Their Mum demanded to know why Bob and Jill had left Janet and me tied like that for so long. After a pause for thought, Jill said they were giving us time to get free, but even she didn't sound very convinced. Her Mum pointed out that what they had done was both unfair and potentially dangerous.
Bob and Jill's Mum broke the ice by saying, 'I think these two could do with some of that tea.' While Jill was pouring it, she went on, 'I really think you should give Jon and Janet a chance to get their own back.' Bob and Jill's Mum had a knack of putting the gentlest of suggestions so as to leave you in no doubt that an ultimatum had been issued. All four of us children heard the sub-text loud and clear, 'Let Jon and Janet tie you up, right now, or you're in trouble.' Jill said nothing; Bob managed a grudging, 'Oh, all right.'
Janet and I gulped our tea down. Janet was looking much better now and had the glint of revenge in her eye. The other two showed no signs of moving, so Janet and I went upstairs and brought down to the kitchen the various scarves, socks and old stockings that had been amassed for our earlier game. On the way, Janet said she wanted to do to the other two what they had done to us. I agreed.
Back in the kitchen, while Jill and her Mum looked on, we started on Bob. We waited while he put a pair of gloves on and pulled his socks up over the ends of his trousers, to protect against chafing. I was just about to bind Bob's wrists with a stocking when his Mum said, 'Wait, use this; I have an idea.' She picked up a long sock, tied a tomfool knot in it and handed it to me. Bob looked very worried about any 'idea' his Mum might have, but said nothing. I took the tomfool knot and Bob held his hands out behind his back. I slipped the loops over his hands and pulled the ends tight. 'Not /too/ tight,' said Bob's Mum. Accordingly, I made the knot firm but not as tight as I could. Next, I tied Bob's ankles and knees together with old stockings. I was about to tie a long scarf around his arms and chest when Bob and Jill's Mum intervened again, 'Wait till Janet has finished with Jill.'
Janet was meanwhile tying Jill in the same way that I had tied Bob: wrists behind back with a sock using a tomfool knot, ankles and knees using stockings. Janet also smoothed the skirt of Jill's dress down and tied it in place with another stocking at mid-thigh level, which she pulled tight with a vicious jerk, grinning at Jill as she did do.
I turned my attention to gagging Bob. I pushed a handkerchief into his mouth and held it in place by using one sock of a pair as a cleave gag. I blindfolded him with the other sock. Janet had reached the point of revenge she was particularly looking forward to. She had already pushed one handkerchief into Jill's mouth and now proceeded to get as much of a second one in as she could. Once she was satisfied with the packing, she tied a scarf over Jill's whole face, as Jill had done to her, using the same grey scarf. There was a muffled squeak from Jill as Janet pulled the combined gag and blindfold tight.
Janet and I manoeuvred Bob and Jill so they were sitting back-to-back on the floor. Their Mum made some suggestions about what to do next. I can't remember exactly how we did it, but following her ideas, we tied Bob and Jill together at shoulder level with (I think) two scarves, keeping them safely away from throats. Next we cinched Bob and Jill's wrist bonds together with a stocking. Finally, we tied a long scarf round each of them, pinning their arms to their sides.
'Very neat,' announced Bob and Jill's Mum, 'Now, they ought to be able to get out of that, if only they can work out how.' Janet and I sat down with her at the kitchen table to enjoy the fun.
Bob and Jill did a great deal of wriggling and eventually keeled over on their side, but didn't seem to be making much impression. After about ten minutes, Bob and Jill's Mum said, 'Oh, dear, I think I'll have to give them a clue.' She pointed out that the way their arms were tied, they were never going to pull their own wrists free, but might manage each other's. There was some grunting and squirming while Bob and Jill sorted out who was going to pull free. Eventually Bob pushed his wrists down while Jill pulled hers up. First one of Jill's hands pulled free, leaving the mitten she was wearing behind, then the other came free, still with its mitten on. She immediately tried to reach her gag, but discovered that she first had to remove the scarf round her arms, then separate herself from Bob. Jill tried to pull the gag down then up then realised she had to untie it. There was a huge gasp of relief as she removed it and spat the packing out.
Jill freed Bob's hands and removed his gag and blindfold before turning her attention to her own legs. Bob untied the rest of his bonds himself.
Janet and I felt that honour had been satisfied and the score properly made even.
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Jon (McA)'s stories
- 01 - Tying Up Jill (mmF/f)
- 02 - Tying Bob’s Mum (mm/F)
- 03 - Ambushing Mum (mff/F)
- 04 - Jill’s Revenge (mmF/f)
- 05 - Retribution (F/mmf)
- 06 - Ambuhing Jill (mmF/f)
- 07 - Games with Janet (mm/ff)
- 08 - A Knotty Problem (mff/self)
- 09 - Pot Boiler (f/m)
- 10 - Burglars (mf/mf)
- 11 - Babysitting à la mode (f/m)
- 12 - An Evening With Susan and Karen (mf/f)
- 13 - Susan gets her own back (f/fm)
- 14 - Revenge all round (ff/m, m/ff)
- 15 - Handcuffs for Two (mm/fF, Ff/mm)
Index of all stories in the "Archive for Everyone" section