## Down on the farm continued (Finally) Part 2

Post by Alex95 » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:28 pm

I started this story last summer. However, I moved and I couldn't get internet access at my new home until now. I thought I would celelbrate by continuting on this with story. The first parts of this story can be cound under the name "Down on the farm" in the fictional tugs archive.
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The first rays of the sun beckoned through the window shinning down on top of where Zac rested tiredly in his bed. He was resting face down on top of his covers with his eyes closed trying to drown out the the incoming light from the rising sun. It was a Saturday morning and already the first few day of the month of June had come and gone for the year. School still had a few days the following week before he could claim freedom for the remainder of his favorite part of the year, the summer vacation. He had been half away for more than an hour now drifting constantly between the layers of sleep and consciousness.
It had been 3 weeks since the his last trip over to see Tammy and Sarah. His time there had concluded that afternoon with him spending about 45 minutes with his hands and feet both bound with rope at Tammy's hand. Despite her promise to release him upon his request he had been tied up for an extended period. The whole of the situation had left him with the same mixture of fear and curiosity his original interest in the topic had derived. He had so much fear from it that he hadn't been back to Tammy's house for 2 weeks and 5 days that followed the episode. Tammy had simply bound Zac and let him sit there and struggle against the ropes. At first, it had been interesting, but he quickly learned that he couldn't escape on his own and his new friend went back on her promise.
He had remained tied voluntarily for about 30 minutes before requesting his release. After which, when Tammy denied him, Sarah was brought upstairs by his yells in arguing on the matter. She had untied him a few minutes later after he made his wishes known and drove him home not long after. The rest was history. Zac saw Tammy in passing a few times a day at recess. They said hi, but other than that the topic of that Tuesday afternoon didn't come up and they left it at that. Zac opened his eyes for the first time in a while all the way. The clock already read 20 minutes after 7:00 in the morning. It would be a time most school children were still lost to the world, but on the farm this was really considered sleeping in for him. He decided that it was time to get up and start his day whether or not he was well rested.
Zac rolled off of his stomach and brought himself up to a sitting position. He let his legs dangle over the edge of the bed as he yawned and wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. He was still dressed in one of the blanket sleepers that his mother had gotten for him a month or so earlier. He like the pajamas with the built in feet. They were comfortable and warm all around. However, even with his sleeping quarters being below ground level, Summer was quickly approaching and the temperature in his room was rising above the level where the pajamas comfort outweighed their impracticability.
He had been under the covers the previous night and within an hour, he already knew he was too hot. Still, rather than change into something else, he simple slid out and slept on top of the covers. It had made the situation much more tolerable. However, even now, the air trapped between the garment and his body felt more like steam. He wasn't wet with sweat, but he was getting there. This combination had deprived him of a portion of his sleep at least in depth if not in amount. Zac rose and crossed the room without much of a sound. He collected some clothing from his dresser and made his was across the basement. Zac wanted a quick shower before he went upstairs for the day.
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Norma made her way about the kitchen. She had already collected several of the plates and was prepping the sink for dishes. Her husband, Robbie and the two hired hands had already had breakfast and were now out concentrating on the days work. Robbie had fallen into routine with working on Saturdays around the farm for the past two years. He normally helped with milking the herd during the week twice a day. Saturday he would spend working on other things around the farm. They included maintenance and work involving crops among other things. Norma's husband normally hired between 6 and 8 teenagers or other farm hands seasonally during the late spring into early fall to help with the production of the crops. They worked cheap and found out what a real days work was. Not standing around behind and counter and inquiring whether the customer wanted french fries or not.
Norma kept a few pancakes and several slices of bacon wrapped in tin foil in a frying pan on the back of the stove. The burner was on its lowest setting. Her two youngest children had yet to emerge for their morning meal and it was going on half past 7 already. There were many weekend where Emily would not show until half past 8. However it was unusual for Zac to be absent from the breakfast table. Her plans for the day were pretty tame. She was going to mow the lawn and do laundry along with the cooking. The house could use a good full cleaning. However, that would require her and the 3 children to complete and with summer vacation just a few days off she figured it could wait. Zac and Emily would complain if Robbie wasn't involved and her husband needed their eldest child's help more than she currently did.
She held some concern for Zac on the issue in question. He had given her a full account. However, he didn't seem upset by what had occurred, just drawn back from it. Her son had distanced himself from the incident. Sarah and Norma had hit it off fast despite the incident. Norma didn't overly approve of the tying up game that Tammy seemed to play every couple of days. Still, she didn't see anything particularly wrong with it either. She had played a similar game with her siblings growing up occasionally and no harm had come out of it.
While their children had a mixed friendship at best, Norma and Sarah were becoming fast friends. Norma's Schedule kept her pretty busy around the farm trying to keep up with everything. Still, Sarah had made it a point to come over and visit her here at least twice a week since Zac and Tammy had first met. The visits were usually moderate in length. They normally transpired in the morning on a week day after the children were all off to school. Sarah would drop by the farm house and she and Norma would share a cup of coffee and trade stories. Norma would divided her attention between the conversation and addressing the work that she had to get done. Sarah wasn't the kind of guest who needed your full attention. In fact often her visitor would join in bringing the chores to a quicker conclusion. For example, she would help dry dishes or hang laundry outside when Norma's work took her there.
Norma let the thoughts of her friend drift from her mind as she heard the familiar thud raising up the stairs from the basement. She gathered up a plate from the back of the stove. She filled it with a half stack of pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon, and enough syrup to make anything taste good. She deposited the meal at Zac's seat at the table and poured a glass of fresh milk from the first milking at it's corner. Norma completed this task as her youngest son emerged from the basement.
Zac rounded the corner slowly checking his balance as he went. Some things never seemed to change and Norma hoped that they never would at least for a few more years. Zac was dressed in a short sleeved white T-shirt, and a navy blue knit pair of shorts. The shorts fell just above the tops of the knee pads that encircled her sons legs. Zac had on white socks along with the familiar yellow and blue fisher price skates along with the rest of his padding. The young man crossed the kitchen slowly and took a seat where his mother had laid out his meal for him.
"Good morning little Crab. Dig in before it get's cold I am going to go and drag your sister out of bed." Normal greeted before she rounded the corner out of the kitchen and began making her way to the second floor of the house.
Zac sat down and began consuming the breakfast that his mother had prepared for him lovingly. It was a nice day out and he was looking forward to spending a good portion of it outside. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower a few minutes ago. He had dried it with a towel, but forgone his normal use of a hair dryer due to his late awakening.
It was only a few minutes before Norma reappeared with a passenger. Emily clung to her mother's back still half asleep and dressed in a pink night shirt and slippers. The farming life had left Norma quite strong physically. She seemed unhindered in her speed even with the 11 year old on her back. She swung a chair out from the table and deposited Emily into almost like she was dropping a sack of potatoes on the floor. The soft thud drew his sister more awake. Emily stared across the table at her brother eating away while her mother went to retrieve her food from it's place on the back of the stove.
She prepared the remainder of the breakfast and served her last customer at the diner. She could finally get started on the dishes while her two children ate. Not much was said by either child at first. Zac was too busy shoving food down his throat and Emily hadn't quite reached the world of the living completely. She seemed still divided between trying to eat and wake up. Norma worked her way through the breakfast dishes with a good deal of haste. She could vary the task based on the demands of the rest of her day.
Still, Zac skated over and handed over his plate just as she was getting down to the last 9 or 10 remaining items from the meal. She took them from her son with a quiet smile and added them to the dirty pile. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Emily. It was quite clear that Norma would empty the sink before Emily did the same with her plate. Still, it really made little difference. She could just leave one plate, glass and fork to go with the lunch dishes. She passed a towel over to her son who took it without complaint or comment. Zac's skates added a good in and a half to his height which, allowed him to reach the drying rack on the counter without a step stool. He began taking the plates one at a time clearing space for his mother to put the ones that remained to be cleaned.
"So, Emily what are you going to do today? It's a nice day outside and it's the last weekend before school is over." Norma commented staring out the window.
"Cartoons then xbox." Emily shot out the three words between bites of food.
"If you are going to be inside all day then I want you to run the vacuum through the living and dining rooms as well." Norm continued.
"OK, this afternoon" Emily offered as before she took another long drink of her orange juice. Norma nodded with approval. Her daughter was a born procrastinator, but she would keep her word. That would be 20 minutes less work Norma would have to do herself.
Norma set the last dish in the drying rack and informed Zac that he could leave the rest to air dry. With that done, she collected her phone from the counter top along with her keys. She pocketed both of the items and then grabbed up the CB radio handle from on the counter. "Robby this is mom do you copy?" Norma spoke into the radio.
"Roger Mom what's up?" The voice of a familiar teenage boy responded over the radio from the portable he was carrying.
"I am heading out. Let your father know that will be back around 11 or a little after to fix lunch for all you folks. Zac and Emily should be on their own for the morning. Check in on them if you get a chance. I will leave the phone number on the counter should you need to reach me for something. Over." Norma replied into the radio.
"Got it, I'll let Dad know. Have a nice morning hope you have a better time there than I am having with this tractor here." Robby responded. He was over in the main barn trying to trouble shoot an older tractor the family had that wouldn't start. The boy wasn't much of a mechanic, but it needed to be done and he was capable.
Norma deposited the CB handle back on the main unit and then began to make her way towards the door. She was in such a hurry, that she nearly tripped over Zac who was between her and her destination. She stopped moving and looked down at her son intentionally. "Where are you going this morning?" Zac inquired already knowing his mother's plans from the dinner table discussion the evening before. She had made no mention of any departure from the homestead today.
"I am going to visit Sarah and Tammy this morning. She comes over here quite a bit and thought I should come over to her house for a change. I'll be back in a few hours. Make sure you don't wander too far. If you leave the house take your watch with you. That way you can keep an eye on the time for lunch." Norma concluded.
"Can I come too? It's nice outside and I could go skating in their drive way. That is if they don't mind that is?" Zac responded to his mother.
Norma gave the matter a quick amount of consideration. She really didn't waste too much thought on the matter. "Sure, you can come. I am sure Sarah would be happy to have you over again."
With that the two of them departed out the front door of the house leaving Emily to finish her breakfast.
I will break here. I need to get some sleep because I work tomorrow. I will post the next part of this in a few days.
Alex 95

### Re: Down on the farm continued (Finally) Part 2

Post by Alex95 » Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:08 pm

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Sarah was moving around the kitchen a little faster than normal this morning. She wasn't accustomed to being an early riser on the weekend despite Tammy's request this morning. She had taken her gone outside early still dressed in her robe and pajama pants. She had just finished getting dressed herself and was now on getting her house set up for company. The place was still a bit on the messy side. The previous day's mail and newspaper still sat on the counter and she had a sink full of dishes. Not that it really mattered. Norma wasn't concerned with the appearance of the house and was more than tolerant of any reasonable situation.
She had biscuits baking in the oven with a few minutes to go and a fresh pot of coffee brewing when she heard the car pull into the driveway. She ignored the arrival of her guest completely. The front door was unlocked and she had notified Norma that it would be. The biscuits had less than 2 minutes to go and she didn't want to risk burning them. A minute later, there were two sharp knocks on the door.
"It's open, come in and make yourself at home. The biscuits are almost out of the oven." Sarah shouted across the house at the sound of the rapping on the door.
"Zac leave your skates here, I am sure Sarah doesn't want you tracking anything across her house." Norma commanded directing her speech at her youngest son.
Zac seated himself on the floor of the front porch and leaned his back against the wall. He undid the Velcro on the top straps of the skates. He deposited the roller skates neatly just outside the front door off to the side where nobody would risk tripping over them. Then, he rose and followed through the front door after his mother. The two of them crossed the living room and headed into the kitchen. Since the house had belong to Zac's extended family before they passed away a few years earlier, the pair was familiar with the layout. They made the short journey without a guide.
"Good morning Norma, thank you so much for coming. It's wonderful to have you in my home this morning." Sarah greeted cheerfully. "Oh, and you brought Zac along too. Well, this is a pleasant surprise." She continued seeing her second guest.
"Thanks for having us. Zac heard I was coming over this morning and wanted to know if he could borrow your driveway for skating. Our farm has quite a bit of concrete around, but nothing as long or level as your driveway. Since you invited me I didn't think you would mind."
"Not at all Norma you and your family are welcome here any time." Sarah replied pulling the tray of biscuits from the oven. She had done so responding to the ding from her egg timer. Sarah retracted the hot tray and placed it on the back of the stove. She continued her efforts pouring a fresh cup of coffee for her and the elder of her two guests.
"Zac, you are welcome to use our drive way while your mom is visiting. Tammy is out in the back yard if you want to say hello, but I don't think she is going to be doing any skating this morning. Have fun either way. Now, Norma, these biscuits are from the recipe you gave me. You are going to have to try one and let me know how they turned out." Sarah finished.
Zac shot a quick "Hello" and "Thank you" in response to Sarah's invitation. Before he headed back out the way that he and Norma had entered the building.
Norma seated herself at the kitchen table and accepted the cup of warm black liquid offered by her host. She fished her phone out of her pocket and flipped the screen on. After sifting through a few apps, she found the one she was looking for and examined the screen for a few moments. Norma was looking down at a green dot on the screen. She let out a short smile and slid the phone off to the side so that she could turn her attention to her host and the warm cup of coffee. Sarah was stirring milk into her cup but she already knew better than to extend the offer. Norma took her coffee one way, in a cup and black.
"That is something else, I will give you that. Which, one is the green dot again?" Sarah asked looking over her shoulder at Norma's phone.
Norma took a long deep draw from her cup before answering the question. "The green one is Robbie. I can tell from the map that he is in the main barn. Which, means he went and informed John about my departure. She slid her finger gently across the screen. "The pink dot is Emily's watch, which is probably still hanging up in the kitchen. However, she is not leaving the house today so, I really am not too concerned with it. Finally," Norma said as she dragged the map a good distance from her own farm. "You can see the blue dot here, that is Zac moving up and down your driveway. It's expensive, but it brings me peace of mind. I know where they are and I don't have to be with them as a nagging parent."
"What will they think of next. You're right Norma, you cannot put a price on peace of mind. The biscuits should be ready in a few minutes."
"Yeah, so tell me Sarah, what do you do to keep an eye on Tammy? After all, I haven't seen her since we arrived. You told me she has a birthday coming up next month. A watch would set you back a few bills, but I could set it up so that you could use my account to track her if you want." Norma commented sipping on her coffee.
"Thanks, I will keep that in mind. For the time being though, I have the situation under control."
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Zac was finishing his return trip from his first pass down the driveway. It took him a good 5 minutes to make the round trip on the old yellow skates. He had just passed his mother's car that was parked off to the side to allow him to pass it easily. He tapped the garage and began to turn around to make his next pass when a voice stopped him.
"Hey Zac, is that you?" The voice was familiar and belonged to a young female. Zac turned around and looked back across the yard. Tammy was a good distance off and her position was obscured by the house from the road. Still, he saw her plain as day and decided to cut his activity short. It had been a few days since they had last crossed paths. He wasn't trying to avoid her intentionally, he just hadn't made it a habit to seek her out at school if the opportunity presented itself.
Zac stepped off the driveway and began making his way back towards the rear of the yard. Tammy was a good distance back sitting on the ground near one of the trees in the yard. Upon seeing him round the corner of the garage, she stood up and started forward towards him. He followed with the same gesture. The ground in the back yard was full of grass not recently mowed and littered with tree roots. This wasn't the easiest turrain to navigate with roller skates on, but he managed it just as well. Tammy rose and began coming forward to meet up with him.
She wasn't wearing roller skates or pads, so she traveled at a quicker rate than he did. However, after she moved about 20 from where she had started, there was a sharp backwards jerk in her movement and she stopped abruptly. The sudden change in her motion caught Zac's attention and he quickened his pace in attempting to reach her. He almost ran forward. It was a valiant effort, but one that should have yielded to more caution. When we was about 15 feet short of his goal, the toe stop in his left roller skate caught a tree root and sent him falling forward with his gathered momentum. He landed with a soft thud on the grass a few feet short of where Tammy was now standing.
Zac lied on the ground for a moment. The forward fall had knocked the wind out of him. He had brought his arms forward to catch his body and landed on the. The pads absorbed the majority of the impact and he was left unharmed for the most part. Tammy laughed slightly looking down at him.
"Are you OK?" Zac looked up at her scanning her over and nodded as he drew himself up into a sitting positions. "We have to stop meeting like this. At least you have pads on this time. I am glad you didnâ€™t get hurt."
Zac returned her smile and examined her more closely now that he was closer. Tammy was dressed in a short green sun dress with short ruffle sleeves, white socks, and a pair of black mary jane flats. Her hair was drawn back and parted with a headband tucked neatly behind her ears. However, these were not the features that really drew Zac's attention. Now that he was closer, he noticed that Tammy's wrists were crossed in front of her and tied securely with a piece of white clothes line.
"I would help you up, but I cannot. Well, at least not from right here I don't think I can reach you." Tammy took another step forward and then had to stop again. Zac looked up at her now that she was less than 10 feet away. In this closer proximity he got a better understanding of Tammy's situation. The young boy eased himself upwards slowly into a sitting position. Zac rolled off his stomach and propped himself up on one arm before taking a look a Tammy. The girl was wearing something else as well in addition to having her hands tied together. There was a large set of straps that seemed to circle her upper body.
Tammy was wearing some sort of a harness. It reminded Zac of the one that he had been kept on when he was between the ages of 2 and 4. There was a long belt about an inch and a half wide that encircled her waist. In the front two more straps came up and went over her shoulders snugly. They disappeared behind her level with her shoulders. Finally, Zac caught sight of a final strap. This one went from the front of her waist belt between the girls legs. It pulled her dress up in the center where it was drawn snugly, parting it almost like a pair of baggy shorts. The sundress stopped about an inch or two above Tammy's knees.
Zac shifted his view to the side and he could see a rope leaning off the back of the harness. It went backwards and attached to a tree about 25 feet behind the girl. Zac studied the situation a moment more and then set about righting himself back into a standing position. He brushed the dust off from the fall and gave himself a good check once over. It was clear that he wasn't hurt. Then, at a more controlled pace he started forward towards Tammy. It took him only a minute or two to cross the short distance. Then, he half circled her to get a better look at the situation.
The harness rolled over the girls shoulders and the two shoulder straps quickly merged into a central column that ran down the length of her back. The straps converged near her midsection where the waist belt seemed to be fastened. A series of 3 buckles secured the leash in the back. An in or two below where the shoulder straps converged, there was a ring on the back of the harness. A half inch thick piece of rope was tied there with a solid knot in the middle of her back. The remained of it's length ran at Tammy's height to a nearby tree. Once it arrived there, it went up into the trunk of the tree and was tied off to a branch about 10 feet up the tree.
"Aren't you a little old to be on a leash?" Zac asked looking over the whole situation.
"It keeps me safe." Tammy replied.
"Really, just what does it keep you safe from?" Zac asked.
"Well, with this on I cannot run out into the road and get hit by a car. Also, I cannot go near the lake in the front yard. My mom put it on me so she didn't have to keep an eye on me this morning." Tammy explained shifting back and forth slightly on her feet.
The explanation made sense. However, it would have fit better if Tammy was between the ages of 3 and 7. Zac thought it was a little awkward to say the least. "Why are your hands tied up like that?" He asked trying to find a new way to drive the conversation without embarrassing Tammy.
"Well, since they are criss cross, I cannot escape even though they are in front. Mom tucks the knot in so I cannot pull it loose. Also, with my hands like this I cannot take the leash off or untie it from the tree." Tammy explained.
Zac smiled back. "Sounds pretty boring to me. You are leashed out here so you cannot go anywhere and your hands are tied up too." It was a mix of an argument and a tease at the same time.
"I don't mind. It give me time to think. I like to sit out here under the tree and look up at the sky and see what shapes I can see in the clouds. Want to come take a look with me?" She asked looking at Zac.
Zac just shrugged. The pair of children retreated back to allow Tammy more slack for moving. Tammy located a soft patch of grass in the yard and seated herself neatly on it. Zac took a perch next to her. The two of them sat together for the next half hour or so. The stared upwards at the heavens enjoying the view that was partially obscured by the canopies of the trees around the yard. It was a bright and cheerful day out and about and the two of them just looked upwards and took turns pointing out shapes. Zac had trouble following Tammy's points because of the difficulty she had pointing with her wrists cross tied.
It was a fun time. Zac's original plan to come and do laps of the driveway faded from the front of his mind. It had been more of an excuse to come over in the first place. Now that Tammy was here he realized that he wanted to come see her. There was something about her that he liked. Although he couldn't put his finger on it. She wasn't like a lot of the other girls he met at school. Tammy made him feel more relaxed around her. She wasn't afraid of being seen with a boy or that they probably liked different things. She seemed to perceive the world around her situation rather than focusing on it.
The other day when he had been tied up, the only thing he had attempted was to regain his freedom. He had been lying there on the floor of her room with his wrist tied behind his back and his ankles bound and cinched. The whole time he had been struggling and complaining that he wanted out. Tammy was just laying there on the grass not 10 feet away from him and the two of them were having a good time. She was participating in the activity at hand. The fact that her hands were tied together and she was tethered to the tree didn't seem to cross her mind. She made no mention of either as they sat there.
The two some was interrupted by an a short comment from Norma. "Wow Sarah, you weren't kidding when you said you knew that Tammy was keeping out of trouble" She commented as she surveyed the situation from a few feet away.
Zac propped himself back upwards and looked towards his mother and Sarah. Tammy shifted her gaze as well, but remained prone.
"It's not nearly as high tech as your solution, but it's just as effective. I know right where she is and that she is keeping out of trouble." Sarah commented looking down at the two of them.
"Hi Mom. I know I was supposed to be skating. But, then I saw Tammy. I wanted to come over and talk to her. Since I hadn't seen her in a while. She suggested that we play together, but she couldn't reach the driveway. So, we figured we would play here." Zac rattled off as he began climbing to his feet.
"Well, as long as you are having fun that is all that counts. We'll let you two play. Zac, I am heading home in about 45 minutes. I will come and get you then. But you can have a little while longer to play with your friend." Norma finished the conversation.
"You two have fun. Come on Norma I need a refill." Sarah offered showing the empty coffee mug as she shook it upside down. With a warm smile the two ladies departed leaving the children to play together.
Zac watched as the two of them rounded the corner and headed back into the house. He was so caught up in watching them leave, he didn't notice Tammy climb to her feet behind him. He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.
"Tag your it!" Tammy shouted as she darted away from Zac.
The young boy gave chase almost immediately. Tammy moved quickly despite the lack of balance from having her hands tied together. She moved easily and steadily to avoid her pursuer. It was an interesting match to say the least. The two children were evenly matched. The turrain under the tree was uneven and clogged with several large roots. Not the best place for Zac to have his skates on in the grass. Still, Tammy was at a greater disadvantage. Zac gave chase and the pair circled the tree 3 times. However, each pass shorted Tammy's tether. Inevitably Zac caught up with her and tagged her back.
Tammy took a minute and untangled herself from the tree before giving chase again. She caught Zac quicker than he expected and passed off who was it again. Zac gave chase again, this time, Tammy circled around staying on one side of the tree to try and avoid him. She moved and darted around Zac several times before she took her first fall of the morning. The toe of her left foot caught a tree root and she went down and forward catching herself with her bound hands. Zac caught up with her instantly.
"Are you OK?" He asked
"Yeah I am OK." Tammy replied as Zac helped her back to her feet.
"Well, then I tagged you and you are it. Zac yelled as he pulled out of her reach. She came after him at once. However, Zac picked the correct direction to flee from his pursuer, away from the tree. It wasn't very long before Tammy ran out of line and Zac was safety away.
"Hey no fair, you have to stay where I can reach you!" Tammy shouted correcting Zac's obvious means of flight. Zac circled back away from her and corrected his mistake. However, Tammy was after him again in a few minutes. The two some darted back and fourth around the base of the tree for quite a while. Each one serving as the chaser and the one being chased. Zac has outgrown the idea of playing tag probably two years ago. He thought it as simple and childish game beneath his stature. However, with these circumstances, it added a new twist the the game and made it rather exciting. He continued to evade Tammy.
So, ends the second part of this story. I will post the third in a few more days.

### Re: Down on the farm continued (Finally) Part 2

Post by cp729 » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:25 am

Hi,
Will you finish this great story ?
Thanks
cp