## The old barn M/f

Post by lasse672000 » Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:28 pm

She took refuge from a sudden thunderstorm in an old, disused barn. It was barely standing upright, leaning as it was all over the place, but surprisingly dry and warm inside. When her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light inside, she saw it was full of hay. She curled up in it and feeling warm and secure from the bad weather outside, she immediately fell asleep.
She was awakened some time later, by someone coming in to the barn. She could see it was an older man, leaning heavily as he was on a wooden staff.
â€œI know someoneâ€™s in here! I can hear you breathe! Come here and let me have a look at you!â€ he called out, in a creaky voice. She crept out from the hay and walked over to him. When she got near, she could see he was almost blind and was using the staff as kind of a guide.
â€œWell, now. Who do we have here, then?â€ he asked, in a friendly voice.
â€œMy name is Sarah,â€ she introduced herself. â€œI went in here to get away from the storm. Iâ€™m sorry if I trespassed, in any way.â€
â€œWell, hello Sarah. My name is Oscar and no, I donâ€™t think you, or I for that matter, is trespassing. This barn seems to have been standing here since... oh, I donâ€™t really know when. Whoever built it must be long gone, by now.â€
The man sounded friendly enough, but Sarah didnâ€™t quite trust him, so she said: â€œThe stormâ€™s dying out, so I best be getting on my way.â€
Oscar (if that was his real name) stood silently listening for a while, and then said: â€œIt seems to me, like itâ€™s getting stronger by the minute! Letâ€™s wait it out in here, where itâ€™s warm and dry.â€ he said and cleared a space for them to sit. He, somehow, found some old planks, which he gathered and piled up. Then he got out a box of matches and lit one of them, setting the pile on fire. Sarah came and sat down next to him.
After having sat silent for a couple of minutes, staring into the fire, Oscar said: â€œWhere you serious about leaving?â€
She looked at him and said she had been and that she would be leaving, just as soon as the storm had passed. â€œOf course you are! In fact, we both are. And weâ€™re leaving together, as a matter of fact.â€ From somewhere, he took out a long piece of rope and quickly tied her hands together in front of her. He did it so her palms were facing each other; â€œThat way, I donâ€™t have to feed you,â€ he muttered. She was so stunned by what happened she didnâ€™t really put up a fight. She tested her tether, but found it to be too secure to get free of on her own. The other end of the rope, he tied around his left wrist; â€œSo you donâ€™t go do anything silly, like try leaving me again.â€ From somewhere else, he got out a sausage, bread and cheese. He put the sausage on a stick and put it over the fire. When it was cooked, he took it off the stick, broke it in half, along with the bread and cheese, and offered it to her. She was so hungry she ate it all without thinking.
The night came, and still the storm raged on. Oscar led Sarah to a post, and tied her hands behind it. He wound a second rope around her chest (â€œSo you donâ€™t go falling sideways and hurt yourself, when youâ€™re sleepingâ€, he said). Lastly, he wound a rope from her ankles to her knees, tying it off, just under the kneecaps.
â€œI hope youâ€™re not thinking of shoutinâ€™ for help all night, â€˜cause there aint none to be had out here. You just sit quiet and try getting some sleep, and weâ€™ll be on our way tomorrow morning.â€
Needless to say; she didnâ€™t have a very good nightâ€™s sleep, if any, whereas Oscar slept like a baby.
The next morning, the storm had gone away. Oscar untied her hands, and gave her a piece of bread for breakfast. As soon as they had eaten, he released her from the post, but tied her hands in front of her again and, like the day before he tied the other end of the rope around one of his wrists. When they came out of the barn, and she could see him better, she first thought he looked like Father Christmas, with his long white beard, and all. But the Father Christmas she knew, didnâ€™t go around tying people up, or kidnap them!
He led her to an old house. It was so small it only consisted of one room. He took her inside and said: â€œThis will be your home for the time being.â€ He went over to a cupboard and took out four cuffs and two heavy-looking chains. He placed two of the cuffs on her wrists, and the rest on her ankles. He connected the handcuffs with one chain, but instead of using padlocks to lock them in place, he just held his hands around them. Sarah felt a short burst of heat, and the cuffs seemed to have been fused together with the chain. He did the same with the cuffs on her ankles.
He saw her bewildered look and said:â€Aye, lass, Iâ€™m a sorcerer. And donâ€™t you forget it! I donâ€™t want to turn you into something disgusting, like a toad or something. And before you ask, no, those cuffs wonâ€™t chafe. Not ever. Not much, at least, I donâ€™t think.â€
From then on, Sarahâ€™s days were filled with chores, from early morning till late night. If she wasnâ€™t filling buckets of water, she swept floors, made their meals, or any of the many things Oscar wanted her to do. She eventually got so used to having chains around her hands and feet all the time, the memory of not having them faded away more and more, until it was no more than a (bad?) dream.
At night, Oscar would magically fasten the handcuffs to the headboard of the bed, and she soon learned how to sleep that way.
When he had to go on one of his rare trips into town, he would fasten the handcuffs to a pole in the middle of the room before he left, tie a rope around her waist, and leave her standing there until he got back, usually late at night.
One day, just after he had left, she heard what sounded like a horse outside. The door opened and a lady (thereâ€™s no other word to describe her) walked in. She was tall, dark and slender. When she saw Sarah, she let out a sigh:â€The old manâ€™s been at it again, I see! How long have you been here, child?â€
Sarah, though resenting being called â€˜childâ€™ answered humbly:â€I donâ€™t really know, maâ€™m. A couple of weeks, I guess.â€
The woman snorted, and went over to her. â€œIâ€™m Ambla by the way, and Oscarâ€™s my father.â€ She said. â€œHe has done this many times before, you know. But donâ€™t worry; Iâ€™ll have you out of here in no time!â€
â€œIâ€™m Sarah. If Oscarâ€™s your father, that means youâ€™re a sorceress, doesnâ€™t it?â€ Sarah said in a trembling voice.
Ambla thought about it for a while and then said:â€I suppose you could call me that, if you like. Iâ€™ve been called worse things in my time.â€ The smile she gave Sarah could turn a bonfire to ice in an instant. â€œNow, letâ€™s get you out of those shackles, shall we? Let me have a look at them.â€ She held them in her hands, just as Oscar had done. â€œOh? The old manâ€™s improved over the years, I see.â€ Ambla sounded quite impressed at the discovery. â€œBut as usual, heâ€™s no match for me! There we are! Youâ€™re free now. I suggest you run home as quickly as possible. Iâ€™ll deal with the old man, when he decides to come home.â€
As soon as she was free of the shackles, Sarah gave Ambla a quick curtsy and quickly went for the door. She opened it, stepped out, felt the world spin around her... and woke up in her own bed!
When she was fully awake, she let out a sigh of relief. â€œIâ€™m glad it was only a dream!â€ she thought. â€œI sure hope it never comes back!â€
Whazzzz up!.

### Re: The old barn M/f

Post by lasse672000 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:06 am

Sarah was walking down a strangely familiar bit of country road. Suddenly she heard a creaky voice behind her:â€So, you came back after all, did you? No doubt, that daughter of mine warned you about me. Still, you couldnâ€™t keep away, now could you? Oh, well! Youâ€™re back, and thatâ€™s all that matters! To me it does, anyway. Come on, you know the drill. Be a good girl, turn around and give me your hands!
Mesmerized, she obeyed Oscar. Before long, she found herself being towed along the road. Her hands had once again been tied together in front of her, and Oscar had once again tied a kind of towrope to her wrists.
They soon arrived back at the all too familiar cottage. When they stepped in, Sarah noticed it was even messier than at he previous â€˜visitâ€™.
He went over to the cupboard and took out the shackles, and put them on her, before freeing her of the rope. â€œIâ€™ve added a little something extra this time, to prevent anyone else but me taking them off this time,â€ he said, with a wry smile. â€œIf they do, theyâ€™re in for the surprise of their lives!â€ He chuckled clearly amused by his own sense of humour. Sarah just shook her head in disbelief, sighed, and went to work clearing out and tidying up the room. As the shackles made that an awkward task, it took most of the day.
Later that evening, when they had finished their supper, she asked him how he had managed to drag her back into this particular dream, since she had tried so desperately hard not to go there.
â€œHuh!â€ he snorted. â€œAye, that much I noticed. I had to work very hard to get you here, this time. But Iâ€™m used to that. Itâ€™s the same story with almost every girl I invite for a subsequent visit. I canâ€™t imagine why, can you? The first time is easier because, obviously, they arenâ€™t aware of me then!â€
Hearing his words, and seeing his â€œsad-puppyâ€ face, made Sarah want to laugh. As calmly as she could, she replied: â€œYou canâ€™t, can you? Well, I think Iâ€™ve got a pretty good idea why.â€ She held up her hand, spreading her fingers. â€œBeing forced to wear these chains all the time, might be one reason!â€ She bent one of the fingers. â€Cleaning out your messy house all the time might, just might, be another.â€ Down went finger number two. â€œBeing kidnapped in our sleep and brought to this place, wherever it is, might be reason number three.â€ She bent a third finger. â€œGive me a few more minutes and Iâ€™m sure I can think of several other reasons.â€
If looks could kill, his certainly would. He looked at her for a long time, and then said:â€ Do you know what? You sound just like my daughter Ambla. Always nagging me, about how wrong it is for me to do this! I only want the company of someone, thatâ€™s all! Is that so hard to understand?â€ He burst out, angrily. â€œNot another word out of you â€˜til tomorrow, young lady,â€ he said, when she tried to say something in her defence. He took her to her bed and fastened the chain over her head for the night. That night, she sobbed herself to sleep, as she would on many subsequent nights.
She soon fell into her old routine of tidying up, getting water and everything else she had done on her last visit there.
One night, about a week later, Sarah asked Oscar why it was she didnâ€™t go back home, whenever she stepped out the door. What? He asked and gave her a puzzled look. â€œHavenâ€™t you figured it out yet? Itâ€™s the enchanted chains of course,â€ he explained. â€œAs long as youâ€™re wearing them, you stay here. Take them off; and â€˜poofâ€™, youâ€™re back in your own world and in your own bed. Itâ€™s the same with time; as long as you remain here, time will stand still in your world. But donâ€™t worry! Iâ€™ve cast a spell over them, so strong even the strongest sorcerer in the world couldnâ€™t break it. Well, not counting me, of course. But as Iâ€™m the one creating it, itâ€™s no surprise.â€ he stated, all the time with a smug grin. â€œThe only people, who can break them, are those with no magical powers at all, and those creatures are few and far between
One day, though, it happened. Oscar had chained Sarah to the pole and gone into town, when a horse stopped outside the cottage. In through the door came a man, and when he saw her, he rushed to her aid. â€œItâ€™s no use,â€ she sobbed. â€œThose chains can only be opened by a man, who possesses no magical powers at all!â€
â€œItâ€™s a good thing I donâ€™t then!â€ As he took a closer look at the shackles, he told her his lifeâ€™s story. A compressed version of it, anyway. His name was Ralf, and even though his parents were a sorcerer and sorceress. But to their dismay, he hadnâ€™t inherited their powers, not even a little bit of it.
After having closely inspected the chains and cuffs, he said: â€œI might as well try and cut the chains in two and see what happens!â€ He took his heavy axe, aimed carefully, and swung it, with all his might. The chain snapped in two with a loud â€˜pingâ€™ and landed on the ground along with the cuffs, everything neatly cut in two.
Both Sarah and Ralf stood like statues for a moment before she got to her senses. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek to thank him, and ran out the door, and into her bed. She swore the next time she would go there; she would seek out Ralf, before Oscar had the chance to lay his hands on her for a third time.
Whazzzz up!.