In the cafeteria, they bought their drinks and gathered round one of the large tables, dropping their bags on the floor around them and hanging their jackets or coats over the backs of the chairs. The conversations and laughter continued.
“I’m nay the wuss you are!†Paulscot teased his sister, sat immediately to his right, as he put his empty glass on the table.
“Oh, really?†Gemscot replied, sparing a discreet wink to Katescot, sat to Paul’s left.
Katescot is Paul’s tall, slender and very pretty girlfriend, with long curly dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail.
Gemscot removed her black belt as she and Katescot put their hands on Paulscot’s shoulders and forced him facedown onto the table.
“Hey!†Paul laughed.
Using a figure of eight, Gemscot tied Paul’s arms very tightly behind his back with her belt. Their friends laughed and teased Paulscot as they did so.
“He’s never escaped from anything I’ve tied him up with!†Gemscot laughed, admiring her brother.
Gemscot and Katescot left Paulscot tied up and the conversations and laughter resumed.
“Ready?†Gemscot asked, about half an hour later.
“Aren’t you going to untie him?†Jason asked.
“Not a chance!†Katescot laughed, putting her blue and white Adidas tracksuit jacket on over her karate suit and leaving the zip unfastened.
Gemscot lifted Paul’s blue and white leather motorcycle jacket off the chair and hung it carefully and neatly over his shoulders, leaving the zip unfastened.
The gang made their way out of the sports centre and walked to their respective homes, saying their “good nights†as they did so, as though it was perfectly normal for one of their number to be tied up with his sister’s karate belt.
The walk home took about twenty minutes. Although some people spared them amused glances, no comment was ever offered at the sight of three youngsters walking home in karate suits with one having his hands tied behind his back with his sister’s karate belt.
Gemscot opened the front door, and lead Katescot and Paulscot into their affluent middle-class Edinburgh home. The house was deserted. Their parents were both on the night shift, and their younger brother was staying with his grandmother as he always did at weekends. Katescot was sleeping over.
“Still no escaped, bro?†Gemscot teased, as Katescot lifted Paul’s jacket off his shoulders and laid it neatly over the back of the sofa.
“Can we nay leave him tied up all night?†Katescot laughed teasingly at her boyfriend.
“Very tempting!†Gemscot laughed.
The girls teased Paulscot a bit more and then Gemscot finally untied her brother. Paulscot’s wrists had been tied very tightly behind his back for nearly ninety minutes and his hands were numb. Paulscot rubbed the circulation back into his hands.
The trio changed into their pyjamas and had supper. Then they said prayers and went to bed.


