Fall 1966
A Game of Commando
Part I
A Clever Plan
(m+/f)
In the last story, Betty and Maggie launched an impromptu game by trying to tie up Angela. I soon was involved and decided to use this opportunity to capture the others. We did, but Betty and Maggie switched sides, and we lost, again.
We still remembered with fondness the games that we played on the wooded hills on our great grandfather’s place, and since we had our own hilly woods in our backyard, we decided to play a couple of games with tying-up being involved. We already played there numerous times, but not with any tie-up games involved. It was usually ‘bang bang your dead’ type of games.
The next day, Saturday, we went to play in the woods. Officially, we called this game ‘Commando’, instead of the usual ‘Cops and Robbers’, ‘Capture the Flag’, etc, but it was simply a ‘capture all the members of the other team’ game. We, or to be more accurate, Andrew, decided to tell Angela about our game. At first, she wasn’t all that interested, until he casually mentioned that there would be tie-ups involved, and she immediately told us that she’d want to join us.
Now, the girls, like us boys, have played in the woods before, but they never had taken part in our stalking games before, with or without tie-ups. They didn’t want games that were too rough.
***
It was Autumn, and the cold wind was blowing the leaves off the trees. The weather was still dry, so it gave us a break. So all of us boys wore jeans and sweatshirts over t-shirts, while Angela, the only girl, wore a sweater, a skirt that reached to just below her calves, and tights over her legs to insulate herself from chilly wind. She also wore a scarf around her neck. All of us wore sneakers with thick socks. Andrew, David, Donald, and I wore hats, as did Angela. All of us brought bags which contains our supplies.
We quickly agreed on the rules. There would be four members for each group, to be decided by coin toss, and we would go to separate ends of the hilly woods. There was a clearing on those parts that would serve as our base. We would go to the clearing and the game would start at a certain time. It was eight in the morning, and we had just finished breakfast. We would wait until the vegetation was completely dry of dew so we won’t get too dirty before we start.
The coin toss revealed the following groupings.
Heads – Andrew (10)
Tails – Frank (9)
Tails – Chester (10)
Tails – Jay (10)
Tails – Donald (9)
The remaining three did not anymore bother to toss the coin because to maintain numerical balance, they automatically became part of Andrew’s group. So it was Andrew, Angela (9), David (10), and I (9) against Frank, Chester, Jay, and Donald. I think all of us knew that our opponents stood little chance of winning given the groupings, but nobody said it out loud.
We immediately agreed on the rules of the game. The objective is to capture as much of the opposite team as possible. Once all members have been captured, they would be gathered in a single place selected by the captors, where they would automatically lose the game. If by noon, not everyone of a group has been captured, the group holding the most captives would win. If both teams have the same number of captives at the end of the game, we would count the total number of captives including the ones who escaped. If both groups have no captives at noon, then the one who had held the most captives before their escape would win. If for example, at noon, all of us were free, but say, Angela and I had been held captive and escaped, while only Frank was captured of the other group and escaped, then they would win. If there were the same number of captured members of each team, then we would either declare the game a draw, or would resume the game after lunch, at two in the afternoon.
We can capture a member of the opposite team by water pistol. If you got hit by a stream of water, you have to surrender to the one who fired on you.
We departed for the clearing at one end of the woods. There, we waited for nine o’clock, the designated start of the game, to arrive. In the meantime, we discussed our strategy. I thought that Angela and Andrew would argue about what to do, but she was quiet as my brother discussed his plans.
“There are many ways we could do it, but I know a sure fire way to win,” said Andrew. “First, let’s assume that they’d come after us. But it would be difficult for us to find them, right? Especially if they split up!”
“How do you know they’d split up?” asked Angela.
“Well, I don’t, but if they don’t, it would easier for us to capture them all. Besides, I’m pretty sure that the twins would be sticking together and Frank and Donald would also be together. I don’t think they’d be foolish enough to split up one by one,” said my brother.
“Go on,” said David.
“Well, the key to this game is to lure them to a place where we can capture them without them seeing us,” said Andrew. “I know a place where there are lots of bushes and plants where we can hide. Then, when they pass, we can simply zap them before they can react. Now comes the crucial part.” He looked at Angela. “Angela, do you want to have the most important role in this plan?”
Not having played this kind of game before, she was eager. “Yes, yes, I would!”
We were all attentive as Andrew continued.
“The next problem is how to make sure they pass through there, or fall for our trap. Just waiting for them to pass would simply take too much time. I propose we lure them there. But how do we do it? I propose that we tie someone of our group in that place. It would attract them like flies to honey, don’t you think? And that one would be Angela!”
“I’m going to be the bait?” she asked.
“Yes,” Andrew said.
The look on Angela’s face told me that either she was pleased that she had gotten a lot of attention, again, or that she was peeved that she would be put on the ropes, again.
“You all want just want to tie me up!” she accused. “But Andrew’s plan is good, and I don’t think they’d fall for the trap if it were the others, right?”
“Yes,” said Andrew. “Now, it’s still a couple of minutes before nine, but we should tie you right now so we won’t waste time setting-up the trap when we get to the site! We’ll tie your hands and gag you here, so when we arrive there, we could simply tie her to a tree.”
David and I were floored by this audacious plan. Clearly, Andrew had thought this through. So that was why he invited her to join our games in the first place!
“Andy, you better hope this works, or you’re going to get it!” she said, then laughed. “Why am I not surprised by this?” she asked as Andrew took a large bandana from his pocket, rolled it into a narrow band, and approached her.
“Now, turn around and put your hands behind you!” my brother asked.
“Don’t tell me you’re only using that to tie my hands,” Angela asked.
“You’d be surprised how effective it is,” David replied.
She first put her hands behind her palm to palm. Andrew wound it then tightened it, but did not yet knot it. It was snug, and if that was all, then it was easily escapable.
My brother asked her to then cross her wrists. She did so and Andrew tied the remain ends vertically, then knotted it on the back of her hands. It looked simple, but it was effective.
“Now try to get out of that,” said Andrew. “Just don’t try to put your hands in front. Trust me, the ground’s dirty.”
Angela tried, but after five minutes, she gave up. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Andy, this really is good. It’s more comfortable than rope,” she said. Although that kind of tie-up technique would prove ineffective in the future, she really didn’t struggle that much as she didn’t want to spoil their game.
“I suppose you’ll gag me next,” she resignedly said.
“Angie, you took the words right out of my mouth,” Andrew smiled. “But I think Tom should do the honors!”
I was surprised—I thought Andrew would do all the tying—and delighted. I wanted to have my revenge. I took a handkerchief, balled it up and put it in her willing mouth. I then took a bandana, knotted it in the center, pushed it between her teeth, and tied it tight at the back of her head. I finished by taking another bandana, folded it into a wide band, and tied it over her cleave gag and tied it in the back of the head.
“Now that’s a well muffled captive!” David remarked.
“Bait, not captive!” Andrew corrected. “She’s part of the team, after all! Well, it’s nine. Let’s go and get ‘em! Tom, you walk behind Angela so she won’t slip or have any accidents.”