Postby KP Presents » Wed Dec 18, 2013 3:39 am
After tea that night, we all sat in the front room, talking about some of the things we had found out in the woods.
“Well,” Mum said eventually, “we can’t stop you playing around in the woods, but make sure you have your mobile phone with you – and that you get back at the time we tell you to get back if at all possible. I don’t suppose there is a map of the woods anywhere, is there?”
“I think there might have been one in the boxes Bobby discovered in the attic,” Dad said, which made me look at him as something occurred to me.
“Where did you three take the girls that day,” I asked him, actually enjoying the fact he looked a little uncomfortable as he said “Well, we went for a picnic lunch, and then to the cinema, but – well, we may have had the lunch here...”
“It’s all right,” Dad said as he ruffled my hair, “I said they could, and it gave Bobby a chance to check out a few things for me. Maybe one day your beau can whisk you away like that.”
“Yeah – like that day is coming,” I said with a smile. “Listen, when the girls come on Saturday, can we go into the woods for some of the time?”
“So long as you follow the rules – and you’d better tell them to bring some wellies. It might be a bit wet on Saturday, all right?”
Well it wasn’t Saturday morning that was wet – it was Friday night, as I looked out of my bedroom window and saw the rain streaks and the parting grey clouds. I shrugged my shoulders, and went to have a shower, before pulling on a pair of blue jeans and a baggy white jumper.
Padding down the stairs in my white socks, I went into the kitchen to see that Bobby was already there, making a start on his breakfast. “Morning,” he said as Mum passed me a bowl of cereal, “Ready for a busy weekend?”
“I guess so – it’s only us today isn’t it Mum?”
“That’s right,” she said as she sat down with us. “The parents are coming tomorrow – I actually think Rachel’s parents are coming as well, so it will give us a chance to meet them.”
“So they get here after lunch?”
“Cassie’s parents are bringing some of them after lunch – Anne and Simon are coming here for lunch. Then the others will join us tomorrow. I think Colin’s coming after lunch as well, isn’t he Bobby?”
Bobby nodded and said “Yup – that’s right.” He was wearing an old green jumper and jogging pants – which suggested he had the same idea as me for later on.
“So I guess its smart clothes for tomorrow, and scruffy for today?”
“Correct – and we are going to take them for a little walk when they all get here. Colin’s bringing the supplies.”
“Is it all right if we go and play in the playhouse until they get here, Mum?”
“Once you have tidied your rooms and done your homework, yes you may – so eat up and get started!” We both nodded at that and started to eat a little more quickly, then headed to our rooms to tidy up.
As it was, it was nearly eleven by the time we had both finished, which is when there was a knock on the door and I saw Mrs Boyle going to open it. “Good morning,” I then heard a familiar voice say, “Is Bobby at home?”
“Hey Colin,” my brother said as he poked his head round the corner, “Come on in. Is Brian with you?”
That made me come and look out, to see Colin and Brian standing there, both wearing old jeans and t-shirts with wellies on their feet. “Leave your boots in the hallway for a moment,” Bobby said as Dad came out and greeted Colin’s father, “we can go and get a drink before we go outside.”
As Bobby took the boys into the kitchen, I saw a car pull up, and Hazel, Claire and Pippa jumped out. “Hey there,” I said as I waved at them, “Welcome to my new home!”
“Wow,” Pippa said as she came in, looking round the hallway through her glasses, “This is a big place. We can have so much fun in here.”
“You have no idea yet,” I said as Mum came out to talk to Pippa’s mother, while I pulled on a pair of wellies. “Mum, I’m going to take the girls out to the playhouse.”
Mum nodded as I led the three of them out through the back door, and up the staircase into the tree house, letting them all come up before I closed the door. Pippa was wearing a sleeveless padded jerkin over a grey hooded top and joggers, with brown wellies on. As for Hazel and Claire, they didn’t have wellies on, but they did have lace up hiking boots with thick woollen socks covering the bottoms of their jeans, as well as thick jumpers.
“Oh my,” Pippa said as I took them into the room with the supplies, “You really have traded up. When do we start calling your Lady Suzanne?”
“You don’t – just think of this as one massive play house,” I said as I looked out of the window. “This is my playground now – and yours as well.”
“All right girls – hands in the air and no funny moves.”
We turned to see Bobby and Brian standing in the doorway, scarves wrapped round their heads and pointing toy guns at us. “All right ladies,” Bobby said with his muffled voice, “Take those boots off, and lie face down on the floor.”
“What are you going to do to us,” I said as the four of us followed their orders.
“We just need to keep you out of the way until we have robbed the place,” Brian said as he looked at me, “Got any rope in the house?”
I indicated the boxes with my head, as Bobby walked over and took out four lengths, passing two to Brian and keeping two for himself. He knelt beside Pippa and crossed her hands behind her back, tying them together with one length of rope as Brian did the same to me.
“Well, it’s always fun coming to your place,” Hazel said as she winked at me, watching as Brian made sure my wrists were secured together before going over and starting to tie her up. He was definitely getting better – the rope was snug and tight – but I was already hoping Bobby had no plans to go the whole way. The fact our hands weren’t covered was a good sign, mind you...
Once we all had our wrists tied, they made us sit u and sat me and Pippa back to back, as well as Hazel and Claire. We watched as they tied our ankles tightly together, as well as our legs below our knees, before they took a long length of rope each and pulled us together at our chests.
“You’ll never get away with this, you crooks,” I called out as Bobby pulled the rope tighter around our arms, and then passed it between our bodies.
“Like you’re going to be able to stop me,” he said in reply as he rolled up one of Mum’s old scarves, tied a knot in the middle, and then pulled it into my mouth, securing it around my head. I heard Pippa grunt a little as a scarf was pulled into her mouth, and then saw the twins gagged in the same way.
“Right,” Brian said as he hit Bobby in the arm, “Let’s search for those jewels.”
The two boys left us in the room, as we started to struggle and try to get free. I turned my head to Pippa and said “snnuusststllamnn?”
She nodded and waited as I probed with my fingers, and eventually found the knot that held the rope tight around her wrists. I then started to gently pull and push at it, trying to slacken off just one tiny little bit of it in the hope Bobby had left an out for us.
And true to his word, he had, as I slowly started to unravel the cords and she felt her wrists part. “Gttt” she said as she then found the knot of the rope around my wrists, and started to untie them.
The twins were doing nothing, except trying to talk to each other through the knotted cotton scarves that Brian had used on them, and wink at us as they did so. They were having the time of their lives, as was I, as my hands came loose and we both wriggled them round the front, before starting to untie our legs.
“Lady Suzanne? Are you in here?”
“NHRRRR!” I called out as I heard Colin at the door. He ran in, looked at us and said “Thank God I have found you! Your parents have been besides themselves with worry.”
He eased the scarf out of my mouth, allowing me to say “Thank you, Inspector – now free my friends before you free us.”
“What happened to the two crooks,” Hazel said as the wet scarf hung down from her neck.
“Oh I took care of them,” he said as he released the twins form each other, then untied their wrists, before he untied Pippa from me. “Would you like to see them?”
“Oh yeah,” I said quietly, “I want to give them a piece of my mind and see them arrested.” We walked over to the other side of the tree house, once we had put our boots and wellies back on, to see Bobby and Brian playing each other at football on the games console!
“Oh hey Suzie,” Brian said as he looked at me, “How did you get free?”
“No thanks to you two,” I said as I threw a cushion at both of them. Colin just shook his head before saying “Anyway, I came to tell you all that your mum says lunch is ready.”
“Thanks Colin,” Bobby said as he stopped the game. “Come on – when the others get here, we’re going to go for a walk in the woods.”
Mum and Mrs Boyle had prepared a huge pot of homemade chicken soup for us, as well as some sandwiches, so we were all full up by the time we heard a car pulling up outside.
“I’ll get it,” I said as I ran to the front door, opening it up to see Cassie getting out of her father’s car, alongside Rachel and Lisa. Cassie was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, the legs tucked into black Wellington boots, which she carefully took off as she walked in, and a blue jumper.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” she said as she came in, making me laugh.
“What is it?”
“I know Bobby brought you here half term week – don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret.”
She smiled as Rachel and Lisa came in. Rachel was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, while Lisa was wearing a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and a matching zip top with a blue padded jerkin over it. They were followed by Cassie’s dad and Charlie, Lisa’s younger brother, carrying the bags between them,
“Hello John,” Dad said as he came in, “Got a few minutes to talk business? Mister Boyle will take the bags up to the rooms the girls will sleep in tonight.”
“Of course,” Mister Craig said as I took the girls into the front room, followed by the other three. Charlie heard Bobby call to him, and made his way into the kitchen.
“Lisa and Rachel,” I said as they came in, “these are my friends Hazel, Claire and Pippa. Girls, this is Lisa Williamson, Cassie’s new neighbour and Rachel Rigg, Patty’s school friend.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Pippa said as she hugged Lisa. “So, are you one of the tie-up gang as well?”
“Well, in a way,” Lisa said as she bowed her head down, “I like being tied up, but Cassie needs to teach me how to tie someone up.”
“Which is on the agenda for the slumber part of tonight,” Cassie said with a smile, “if I can get a willing volunteer...”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” I said as the others burst out laughing. “Anyway, welcome to Wissenden Hall. We’re going to go for a walk in the forest this afternoon – guided by the experts in this area, Bobby and Colin.”
“Oh yeah,” Rachel said as she sat down, “and will we get a choice in where we go?”
“Nope.”
We turned to look at the doorway, to see the four boys looking at us, ropes and tapes in their hands.
“We’ll give you all ten minutes to go to the toilet and get your footwear on,” Bobby said with a smile, “and then you’re coming with us.”
“Where’s Jenny,” I whispered to Cassie as I pulled my boots on.
“She and the other girls are coming at dinner time tonight – they had something to do in town today. I guess they miss the walk.”
“All right then,” Bobby said as we gathered, “I need you to stand in an Indian line. Lisa, you take the front, and the others move in behind you.”
“I’ll go after you,” I said as I stood behind Lisa, followed by Cassie, Pippa, Clare and Hazel, with Rachel at the back. The boys then handed us each two lengths of rope, and said “Right, crossed and bound wrists behind the back, and then tied to your waist.”
We all did as we were asked, Charlie saying “Let me” to Rachel once she had bound Hazel’s wrists, and then the boys tied the waist rope of the girl in front to the belly of the one behind.
“Now,” Bobby said as he produced a roll of the special white tape, while the other three secured our legs together below our knees, leaving a little rope between them, “Lips together – this is a silent walk.”