She was home from school that day, because she didn’t feel well. She was still in her nightdress and she was bored to tears. Her parents had gone out just for a couple of minutes when, all of a sudden, she heard a noise coming from down-stairs. She put on a pair of thick socks, and went down to investigate. When she did, she came face to face with a burglar. The burglar was apparently more scared than she was. He dropped what he was holding and started to run towards the door. As it happened, she was standing right in front of it. He stopped dead in his tracks, and to her amazement started sobbing!
“What’s the matter?†she asked, puzzled.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen!†he sobbed. “The house was supposed to be empty! I saw them leave and thought...†his voice trailed off. “Now, what do I do? I can’t just leave you here, now can I?â€
‘What kind of a burglar is this guy?’ she thought. “Well, I suppose you’ll just have to kidnap me, and hold me for ransom. That is what a real burglar would do. And he would wear a mask, too!†She emphasised the words ‘burglar’ and ‘mask’ almost to the point of them being an insult.
“Yes, I suppose so,†the burglar said. “I forgot. You see, I’ve not been a burglar for very long. In fact, this is my first burglary. And now you want me to be a kidnapper, on top of everything else!â€
‘Oh, come on! Give me a break, will you! Not a novice burglar! Oh well, there’s a first time for everything. ’ she thought philosophically. Aloud she said:â€I mean, how hard can it be, for crying out loud? Here, cut the string from that blind over there, and follow me.†He did as she told him and then followed her upstairs to her room. From a drawer, she took out a pair of underpants. Then she went over to a closet and took out an old sheet that nobody was going to miss anyway, tore three wide strips from it and said:â€Before I do or say anything else, I need to ask you; did you come by car?â€
He looked at her, puzzled. “Yes, I did. It’s parked outside.†He sure was getting more and more unsure about this girl by the minute.
“In a spot where everyone can see it, I suppose!†she muttered. “Is it parked far from here?†She was getting more and more irritated by this guy by the minute.
“No, it’s right outside the door.†Who did this girl think she was, ordering him about like that? But on the other hand, she had given him several useful tips already, so he might as well follow her lead, now that she had it. She seemed to know what to do, anyway.
“Okay, good,†she said. “Now, I’m going to put these underpants in my mouth and tie one of the strips around my head, to keep them in. That will stop me from talking and shouting. You will then tie my hands behind my back, tie the remaining strip around my head and over my eyes, and take me to your car. Then you will put me, face down, in the back seat of your car and drive off. Remember, keep the speed limit! You do NOT want to attract the attention of the police, now do you? Also remember; tie my hands tight, so I can’t work them free, no matter how hard I try.†With that, she put her underpants in her mouth and tied it in place with one of the strips. She turned her back to him and put her hands on her back. She felt him encircling them with one of the strips. She groaned, involuntarily, when he tied it off. She tried to break free, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. She gave him a nod, and he encircled her head with the remaining strip, tying it off behind her head. Then he grabbed her arm and took her to the car where he, as instructed, put her in the back. Then he drove off.
He stopped a few minutes later, opened the back door and took her outside. She noticed she was being lead into a house. When he had shut the door, he removed the gag and was just about to remove the blindfold, when she stopped him:â€No, don’t! Is there a room where you can hold me captive, anywhere in this house? Somewhere with windows high enough for me not to look out of them, when I’m sitting down? I’m only going to be here for a week, or so, I promise. “He thought about it for a while and then said there was.
She instructed him to bring her there, then bring in a chair, to which he could tie her. “And, oh, is there any rope in the house? If there is, could you please bring that, too?†He lead her to, and locked her in, a room and she could hear him rummage around for a while before opening the door. She could hear him put down a chair. â€I’ve got everything you asked for. Now, what do I do?â€
“Well, I’ll sit down so you can tie my legs to the legs of that chair. What comes next depends very much on how much rope you’ve got.†He assured her he had plenty of rope, so she told him to tie one of them around her hands and remove the strip, she had been bound with before. She then instructed him to tie another rope around her waist and one around her chest and around the back of the chair, so she couldn’t get out of it. Once again, he did as she told him.
As he was about to leave her, he asked:â€How come, you know so much about kidnapping?†“Easy,†she replied, “I watch a lot of TV.â€
“Too much, if you ask me!†he said, closing the door.