This happened when I was twelve years old.
It was summer and I was spending my holiday with my grandmother and grandfather in their house since my mother had to work.
It had been raining all day and we were sitting at the dinner table in the living room having just finished our Sunday dinner. My grandmother and grandfather were pretty conservative and Sunday dinner at their house always meant being dressed up: my grandmother in a dress and high heels, my grandfather in shirt and tie and me in a blue dress and my hair braided.
To keep me from getting bored my grandmother had tried to keep me occupied by having me helping her with the chores which I didn’t mind. After finishing our dinner my grandmother asked me if I wanted to help her do the dishes.
She went in to the kitchen and started to fill the sink with water while she put on her special dishwashing apron which was a blue transparent plastic apron and rubber gloves while started to clear the table. One thing about my grandmother is that she almost always wore an apron when she was at home and she had different kinds of aprons for different occasion. The only time she didn’t wear an apron was when she was eating because that was a sign of bad manners she told me.
She always tried to get me to wear an apron to when helping her but it felt kind of awkward for me but sometimes I let her have her way.
When I returned to the kitchen a white apron was dangling from her finger.
“Put this on so you don’t mess your clothes dear.â€
I sighed and turned around and lifted my braid so she could put the apron around my neck and tie it.
I remembered it was a white cotton apron with a bib and ruffle and lace trim and I felt kind of embarrassed to wear it but I didn’t want to hurt her so I let her have her way.
She also gave me a pair of yellow rubber gloves to wear.
I quickly cleared the last things from the table and was about to go back to the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
“Can you get that dear?†My grandfather asked me from behind his newspaper as he was sitting in the sofa. It was Daniel, a boy two years younger than me who lived a couple of houses down the road from my grandparents house. His family has moved here this spring and this boy quickly to a liking to me and visited us whenever I was visiting my grandparents. I know my grandfather had a soft spot for him and treated him like the grandson he never had. To be honest I think he had a small crush on me which I didn’t mind since he was a nice boy and the only child on the block.
He asked me if we could play and I said okay but that I had to finish the dishes first and he settled down in the living room with my grandfather.
We could hear them whispering and giggling and at one moment they both appeared in the door opening with smiles on their faces.
My grandmother asked them what they were up to but they just smiled and left us.
We continued with our chore, my grandmother washing and me drying when we were suddenly interrupted by a voice come from behinf us:
“Hands up!â€
We both turned towards the voice with surprise in our faces and was met by my grandfather and Daniel. Daniel had a bandana tied over his face and held a toy gun in his hand, my grandfather was holding some bundles of white cord in his hands.
“What is going on?†My grandmother asked with a tone of playful fear in her voice.
“We are burglars and we are robbing you!†Daniel answered with a snap.
My grandmother slowly raised her hands with a smile.
“No not again! Please don’t hurt us. We will do anything you say.â€
I took words to mean that they had played this game before and that I would be included in the game so I slowly raised my hands too.
“There are two of them. I think we need some more rope.†My grandfather said to Daniel with a wicked smile. “You watch the prisoners while I find some more rope.â€
I have to admit it felt a bit both embarrassing and exciting at the same to be held up by a ten your old boy even though I felt that I might be too old for cops and robbers games I decided to play along.
My grandfather soon came back with more rope.
“Please don’t hurt us!†My grandmother pleaded playing her part in the game.
“You watch that one.†My grandfather said to Daniel while pointing at me. “And I tie the first one up.â€
He took my grandmother by the arm and guided her into a kitchen chair while putting the rope on the table before her.
“No, please!†She pleaded dramatically. “Don’t tie me up.†It was obvious that she had played this game before and was enjoying her part.
I watched with growing nervousness as my grandfather tied my grandmother to the chair as I realized that he was very thorough while Daniel was guarding me with his gun reminding me to keep my hands up. It took him several minutes to her up but when she was finished my grandmother was sitting securely bound with arms behind her back with rope around her wrists and elbows. The arms were tied to her back with rope around her waist and chest. Her legs were tied together with rope around her ankles, above and below her knees and around her thighs. Still more ropes tied her upper body and thighs to the chair and her ankles where tied to the back of the legs.
The ropes wrinkled her clothes and I remembered the squeaking noise from the chair and the sound of the ropes on the plastic apron every time she moved.
The sight amazed me, there was no way she was going to escape and the thought of me being tied up like made me decide not to give up without a fight. I had thought about trying to escape from them while I washed him and seeing my grandmother like that convinced me.
He then took a piece of white cloth he had also brought with him with the ropes and stretched it between his hands. My grandmother looked at me with a gentle smile as if to say that she was okay and then opened her mouth so grandfather could gag her. He tied the ends behind her neck creating a good looking but not very effective cleave gag of the type you often see on TV or movies.
“I had to tie her tight so she doesn’t escape like last time.†My grandfather said when he was finished and gave me a wicked smile indicating that I was next.
That’s when I decided to make a run for it. While Daniels attention was towards my grandmother and my grandfather was loosening a new bundle of rope I ran out of the kitchen laughing.
“Quick! Get her!†I heard my Daniel yell.
I ran into the living room with my grandfather in close pursuit and I just got out through the front door leading to the veranda before my grandfather caught me. He took me by the arm and dragged me inside again.
“Help! Help! Let me go!†I screamed and laughed at the same time. My grandfather put his one hand over my mouth to silence me and the other around my waist and lifted me from the floor.
I was laughing and kicking when he carried me into kitchen and put me down in another chair next to my helpless grandmother.
“I think we have to tie this one good to so she doesn’t escape?†My grandfather said while crossing my hands behind my back. “Just let me know if it’s too tight, okay?†He whispered into my ear. I nodded in reply.
I was happy that I was still wearing the dishing gloves as they would probably protect the skin of my wrists from the rope.
He began to loop the rope around my wrists in several turns make it tighter and tighter which each turn until I was unable to move them but still not too uncomfortable and secured it with a good knot well out of reach from my fingers. My hope of getting an easy treatment was quickly put to shame.
“Tie her tight!†Daniel commanded while still pointing the gun at me.
He then tied several coils around my upper body and waist and fastened it to the back of my arms with several knots until I was securely in place just like he had tied my grandmother.
I was sitting still and in silence and trying to grasp the situation all the while the ropes made me more and more helpless. In the corner of my eyes I could see my grandmother struggling and wriggling against the rope and hear her moans through the gag and I could swear she was smiling the whole time.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a fun game.†My grandfather’s soft whisper as he began to tie my legs in the same way he had tied my grandmothers. His firm but gentle touch as he looped the rope around my limbs.
I felt neither fear nor anger, I felt joy. I felt excitement. I decided to play my part the best that I could.
“Ask her where the money is!†Daniel demanded when grandfather had finished tying my body to the chair.
“I don’t know where the money is… Please let me go!†I pleaded while shaking my head.
“Liar!†He yelled. “Tell us!â€
“Sorry… I don’t know…†I sobbed playfully. “Please don’t hurt us!â€
My grandfather looked at me in disbelief.
“It looks like we have to find it ourselves then!†He said and picked up another piece of white cloth from the table.
“Open up!â€
“Please don’t gag me.â€
Grandfather brought the stretched out cloth to my lips and I opened my mouth and let it sink in between my teeth. It tasted odd, dry and it strained the corners of my mouth when I he tied it in a knot behind my neck.
After watching us for a couple of moments they both left the kitchen.
We were sitting alone in the kitchen both of us struggling against our bonds with the sound of squeaking chairs and our moans and groans as we wriggled to get free but it was no use.
I could see my grandmother looking at me with what still appeared to be a smile although she was gagged as if to make sure I was okay.
I was beginning to feel numb but not in an unpleasant way but rather comfortable as if sedated or drifting off to sleep, it was a feeling I had never felt before but it was very comfortable.
My grandfather and Daniel returned to the kitchen a couple of minutes apparently happy to see that none of us had managed to get free.
“So, you are still here?†My grandfather mocked us. “Unfortunately we didn’t find the money so we will have to take you with us until you reveal it to us. We will stash you away in our secret hideout were no one will ever find you.â€
My grandmother and I both protested through our gags simultaneously, this meant we hadn’t reached the end of our ordeal yet.
They loosened the ropes that secured me to the chair and my grandfather made me stand up which was very difficult due to me being bound and he had to support me with his hands. He then lifted me up in his arms and carried me out of the kitchen and in to the living room. It turned out that their secret hideaway was the basement of the house which was a place that I normally found a little scary but it filled the purpose well. He gently carried me down to the stairs and put me down on the floor with my back resting against the wall.
“You guard her while I get the other.†He instructed Daniel who was still aiming his gun at me.
The basement was dark and filled with boxes, shelves and tools of different kinds. My grandfather normally used it as his working space when repairing electronics and machinery.
My grandfather returned a couple of minutes later carrying my grandmother over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and he settled her down right next to me.
They spent the next minutes threatening and taunting us and my grandmother and I played our part by moan and whimpering through our gags as the damsels in distress we were.
I can admit that by now I was enjoying the game quite a bit and it was as though I had lost all track of time.
I could hear Daniel and my grandfather plotting on how they were going to tie us up next and for how long they would keep as prisoner and that we would never see our families again.
Unfortunately all good things come to an end as the telephone suddenly rang from upstairs. My grandfather came back down and told us that it was Daniels mother that had called and that it was time for him to go home. This meant the end of the game for us and Daniel went home leaving us.
I had a small hope that maybe the game could go on for a little bit more but that was shattered when grandfather loosened our gags and told us that we were free now which we thanked him for. He began to untie my grandmother which took quite some time due to how meticulous he had been and when she was freed she put her arms around him kissing his cheek calling him her hero.
After that they both helped to loosen my bonds and I remember my grandfather saying that I was a good sport to play along in the game.
When I was free I noticed that the ropes had left some clearly visible imprints on my skin but my grandmother told me not to worry and that they would be gone within an hour. We straightened out our clothes and my grandmother reminded me that we still hadn’t finished the dishes yet.
My legs were trembling as we made our way up the stairs into the kitchen. Thoughts were spinning around my head as I tried to sort what had just happened. I knew that I had liked it. That I had liked it a lot but at the same time I felt ashamed and I did not dare to speak to my grandmother about what had happened until she broke the silence:
“So, did you enjoy our little game?â€
“Yes… It was fun…†I said being anxious not to sound too eager. “Have you played this before?â€
“Yes…†My grandmother laughed. “I have been kidnapped, robbed, arrested, taken prisoner more times than I can remember since Daniel moved here. I am glad you enjoyed it could you might have to get used to it this summer.â€
I smiled within. I could definitely get used to this.