More Than I Bargained For

Postby Canuck33 » Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:35 pm

PART 1

This story may or may not have happened when I was 15.
During the summer following ninth grade, I became seriously interested in escapology for the first time. It helped that I had an older cousin, Colin, who was making a living being a part-time magician, and his shows which became increasingly more reliant on escape tricks for success. Colin explained to me several times that “magic” was losing its appeal, since nearly all the acts have already been solved by audiences and therefore were no longer impressive. Escapology, though, was not even real magic, but rather an attempt to escape from a series of restraints using one’s natural wit and physical prowess, without any rigging or tricks. Things were even more exciting when Colin picked a volunteer from the audience to tie him up. Since escapology seemed more real, less circuslike, Colin claimed, there would always be an intelligent audience looking for talented performers.
“Mm-hmm,” would always be my answer, “now let me tie you up inside that metal suitcase and see how long it would take you to escape. Oh, you’ll be wearing 15 padlocks, tape all around your body, and there’s an angry snake with you inside the suitcase.”
“Idiot,” Colin responded, “I don’t attempt anything dangerous. Everything I performed is rehearsal several times until I’m absolutely sure it’s not going to fail.”
That’s when Colin stared at me as if waiting for a response. And my response was: “Your escapes don’t seem that impressive. With practice, I could probably complete an escape in half your speed.”
Colin isn’t someone to let go of a bet easily. He looked at me quizzically, smiled and asked: “Would you like to try that out yourself?”
I stared at him, surprised. Colin usually didn’t even let me touch his stuff. “Really?”
Colin scoffed. “Alex, you are all talk aren’t you? I’m being dead serious.”
“That’s not fair! I never had any proper training.”
“You don’t need any training. Well, at least not according to you,” Colin chuckled. “If you back out, that means you’re a liar and a coward. So, are you going to back out?”
“Well, if you put it like that,” I said, and we shook hands in truce.
“I think I will need two of you. Let me call Michalo.”

Michalo, my other cousin (who was 17) was surprisingly willing to participate. The next day at 1:00 pm, right after my lunch, we met at Colin’s apartment. It was a very hot, stifling day, so staying outside was not an option. My sister Kalyna also showed up.
“Ok Mic and Alex,” Colin announced once the door closed, “This is a three-way escape trick. Kalyna is going to tie up the three of us exactly the same way – using the handcuffs, rope, leather straps and tape that are on the tape behind me.” He removed the mantelpiece covering the table and revealed the items. “Alex will be tied up first, followed by Mic and finally me. You’re not allowed to move until Kalyna yells ‘begin’. Are you guys clear?”
We both nodded. Michalo raised his hand.
“How are we going to be tied up?”
“You will have your hands cuffed behind your back; all three handcuffs are identical, and Kalyna has the key. Then, you’ll have your elbows pinned together with the rope, which will be tied tightly around your torso, and then the straps will be wrapped tightly around your legs so it will be pretty hard to move them. To finish you off, Kalyna will put a small piece of tape around your mouths so you’re properly gagged. You’re not allowed to move until Kalyna is finished.”
Involuntarily, I felt myself getting excited by the seriousness of this escape game. Yet I decided to be polite and let Kalyna handcuff me without protest.
“Ouch!” I squeaked at the tightness of the handcuffs. It was the first time I’ve ever been handcuffed.
“You’ll get used it to. Don’t worry, they won’t get any tighter,” she said in an emotionless voice. Kalyna continued with the rope, followed by the straps around my legs. My body felt stiff, immobile. I suddenly had to scratch my nose, but I couldn’t.
Kalyna has now moved on to Michalo who seemed equally excited. He kept smiling suggestively at my sister, who didn’t react, while she bound him up nicely. Colin was perfectly still as Kalyna tied him up identically. She checked everyone’s ropes and straps to make sure they’re still tight, then ripped three pieces of black tape, and gagged each one of us. I moaned slightly. Imagine being fifteen, gagged for the first time, and not being able to remove the gag because you’re tied up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t so bad!
“Alright...begin!”

Needless to say, Colin managed to remove all the restraints and then rip the tape off his mouth while Michalo and I were still idly picking at the handcuffs. We were both moaning noisily when he ripped the tape off our mouths, making me squeal again.
“Do you need some help?” He asked mockingly. “I haven’t got all day, you know.”
“Yeees please,” I said. Being gagged for about 5-6 minutes and disabled from crying for help, I was so relieved! Kalyna was standing there all along with an amused expression on her face.
Michalo untied me effortlessly and unlocked the handcuffs before turning to Michalo and freeing him as well. I rubbed my wrists and apologized for not being able to escape.
Colin laughed. “Yeah, I was kinda expecting that. So don’t worry.”
I smiled meekly. “So, anyways, thank you for this demonstration, it was...interesting. I’ll be going home now...”
“Wait!” He stopped us both.
“What is it?”
“Do you want to take part in my show then?”
Needless to say, I said yes.

TO BE CONTINUED...
Last edited by Canuck33 on Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sorry I can't talk now, I'm a little tied up at the moment.

Re: More Than I Bargained For

Postby xtc » Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:38 am

Good start. Typo near the end. "Michao untied me . . ." Colin surely?
Boxer shorts are cool,
but little speedos rule!

More by the same author: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22729

Re: More Than I Bargained For

Postby TUfriend » Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:32 pm

xtc wrote:Good start. Typo near the end. "Michao untied me . . ." Colin surely?

And yet you get annoyed by Chris12 and me checking your work.

Great story by the way. Sounds like an interesting way to bait a tie up game given the circumstances.
Heil Toddman, the Wonderful Wizard of Odd
I'm a nerd with a dangerous side.

See my most recent TRUE story, "SPL Initiation", here.

Read my most recent FICTIONAL story, "The Birth of a Whovian", here

Re: More Than I Bargained For

Postby Canuck33 » Wed Dec 19, 2012 9:06 am

Thank xtc, I don't mind spell-checkers. Here's the second part of my story.

Next day, I was back at Colin’s apartment with Kalyna and Michalo. I was wearing the same blue basketball shorts, but a different, white short-sleeved jersey. Colin was testing a strange looking white contraption. He was wearing similar blue shorts, sneakers without socks and a white sleeveless shirt. Kalyna was wearing black gym shorts and a white tank top. Michalo was goggling at my sister, much to my disappointment.
“Ready?” Asked Colin. I simply nodded.
“Good, because you’re going to help me into this thing.”

The weird contraption happened to be a canvas straightjacket. Michalo, Kalyna and I inspected the straightjacket, a padlock and a length of chain before Colin began giving us instructions. I’ve been to magic shows in my early teen years, but I’ve never seen a real straightjacket from so close! There was something eerie about it. Although I didn’t mind being tied up, having been restrained by various people before, I was not a big fan of straightjackets. The total lack of arm movement was something that always frightened me.”
“You’re not going to force me to wear that, right Colin?” I asked.
“Of course not, I only have one of them. Now tie my hand together with that chain and lock them together for me. Kalyna can help you.”

I was glad my sister helped, because apparently I was not a very good binder. She managed to wrap the chain much more tightly around his arms and hands before locking it. Although it seemed pretty lightweight, the chain was long and quite restrictive. With the canvas straightjacket, I doubted Colin would be able to escape.
Nonetheless, I was surprisingly enjoying myself when Colin instructed me to pull his arms into the straightjacket and lace it behind his back. There were several leather straps, which Colin wanted me to pull tight, including an additional arm and pelvic strap (I felt too awkward about the pelvic strap, so I let Michalo do that). When everything was complete, Kalyna took a solid black nylon bag and covered his face with it. I gulped heavily.
“Can you see anything?” She asked Colin.
He shook his covered head. “Nope.”
She smiled. “Alright boys, watch your great magician escape from a padlocked chain and a straightjacket with a suffocating nylon bag wrapped around his head.”
I noticed how Colin was huffing through the thick hood, twisting and struggling to escape. For about a full minute, there seemed to be no progress made, until eventually the middle strap became loose. Several moments later (btw Colin was grunting the entire time) more straps became undone, until eventually Colin managed to get enough slack to remove the straightjacket AND the chain, which he miraculously unlocked. Kalyna had the key the entire time. She smiled smugly at me when she noticed my puzzlement.
Colin removed the bag from his face (which was very red and sweaty) and smiled. “So, how was that?” He asked.
I nodded in approval. “Very, very impressive! I was so worried about the plastic bag, I thought you’ll run out of air for sure.”
Colin seemed a little embarrassed. “Well, if anything goes wrong, I have a safeword which Kalyna knows. Once she hears the safeword, she unties me before things get out of control.” The safeword was ‘impact’.
“So, are you ready to be tied up?”
I nodded.
“Good, because I’ve made a few changes.”

Kalyna and Michalo pulled three large cloth laundry bags.
“Alex, take the blue one,” said Colin. “I’ll take the red, Michalo will use the green one later.”
“The good news is, I thought about this escape, and if anything goes wrong, having you guys gagged would be really unsafe, so you won’t be gagged.”
“Thank you!” I breathed heavily with relief.
“The bad news is – instead, you’re going to be tied up in something else.” He pointed to the blue cloth bag I was holding.
“Get in!” ordered Kalyna.
I didn’t want to admit this to Colin, but I always wanted someone to tie me in a bag. I opened the bag and placed my feet inside which Kalyna organized the restraints.
“I’m going to handcuff you, then tie you up and strap your legs the same way I did yesterday,” said Kalyna coldly. There was no belittlement in her voice. “Only then I’m going to pull the bag and tie it over your head. Michalo is going to tie Colin at the same time.”
“Alright, sure,” Kalyna already pulled the handcuffs around my wrists and started tying me up when I answered. And then I heard a click.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take some pics of you for the promo,” Michalo smiled at me. I looked at Colin. “Alex, we decided that having a pretty poster boy will help bring more people; we won’t use your picture if you don’t feel comfortable. It’s up to you.”
“Nah, it’s ok,” I said.

Kalyna wrapped all the straps (six in total) around my legs and brought the bag up to my neck before Michalo took another picture. “I’m going to call this one: ‘dude in distress.” He chuckled.
“That’s very creative, Mic,” I said sarcastically.
“Whatever man, you’re the one who’s tied in a bag,” he laughed and pushed my head down. I tried resisting, but he was older and stronger so there was no point. When I was completely swallowed up in the bag, he closed it over my head and tied it very tightly with a rope. Then he took another picture. Colin was bound the same way.
“Alex, at the actual show, I want you to struggle more when we put you inside, like you really don’t wanna do it, okay?”
“You mean like I’m being kidnapped?” I asked.
“Yes! That’s brilliant. Kidnapped...unless you can escape!”
I don’t know exactly how long I was kept inside, all I know was that the handcuffs weren’t rigged, and I couldn’t remove them. The rope was knotted too tightly to generate enough movement with my arms. And being confined in a tightly tied bag has made my escape even more difficult. Eventually, I just stopped trying, and sighed in frustration. That was when the top of the bag was loosened and I was led out.
“You didn’t get very far at all, eh?” asked Colin.
“Nope,” I said. “Did you just escape?”
“Yep.” He smiled smugly. I half-hated him right now, but I realized this was part of the show.
“Thank you for doing this. We’ll do two more practices before the show okay?”

Colin told me about the other numbers, but he didn’t want to do them in front of me because apparently they weren’t ready. He was very appreciative of me and Michalo helped him with the straightjacket escape. We kept taking pictures of each other, both in and out of bonds, and deciding which ones would generate the best response. There was one of me with my mouth wide open, looking like I just saw a ghost. I picked one of Colin struggling in his straightjacket, black nylon bag clinging to his face, but he decided it was too much for a promo. Colin brought two of his friends, Sarah and Justine, for the three-way escape. We decided having three girls tying up three guys might generate enough excitement to attract lots of girls. The restraints weren’t any different – each one of us guys was handcuffed, tied up, had his legs strapped tight and was tied inside a bag. I wasn’t getting any closer to escaping, though, while apparently Colin managed to break free in about two minutes, and he refused to tell us how he did it.

The day of the magic show finally arrived. The boys were all nicely dressed in slacks and short-sleeved button-up shirts, Kalyna was wearing a short black skirt and the other girls wore skinny jeans and colourful polo shirts. We used an old school gymnasium, and charged people $5. We borrowed about fifty plastic chairs. Michalo and I sat at the very front so we could easily walk to the stage for the last number. Colin’s acts included: A magic square game, a card guessing game for which he used an innocent old lady volunteer from the audience, and juggling with five objects with the music for “Let’s Dance” in the background. He then had Kalyna tie him to a chair with 100 feet of rope. He seemed to be struggling severely for at least seven minutes, but eventually he released himself, and got a serious applause from the audience. Then he passed his canvas straightjacket to us and the rest of the audience and asked everyone to examine it. People seemed impressed; it was a very genuine looking straightjacket. He had Kalyna chain his arms this time before putting his straightjacket on, tightening all the straps, including the pelvic one, which got some sneers from the audience. Then she covered his face with the black plastic bag, only this time she tied a string around the opening, keeping the bag tightly closed.
“This is a very dangerous escape trick which I would discourage any beginners from trying at home,” announced Kalyna, “if Colin can’t escape in time, he will suffocate. Will he do it?” She stepped away to offer everyone a clear view of the helpless captive. Colin remained surprisingly calm, despite having a plastic bag wrapped over his face. The string further affected his breathing. However, he already knew the escape well enough, and after a few minutes, he dropped the straightjacket and chain to the floor and removed his hooded, smiling.

Colin called the last escape “The Odd One In”, and said he got the idea from a British TV-show. He explained to the audience how each one of the boys on the stage was to be handcuffed, bound and tied inside a cloth bag by one of the beautiful girls onstage. Everyone would be tied up identically, but would everybody be able to escape in the allotted time?
Justine cued in some corny 90’s smooth jazz before grabbing me, pinning my hands together and pulling the handcuffs on. Kalyna and Sarah did the same thing to their captives. I made a struggling show, just like Colin asked, although I have previously mentioned, I was actually really enjoying this. Justine pulled the straps around legs, only now they were cinched so tightly I could barely remain standing! Either Kalyna didn’t tie me correctly or she was going gentle on me. I felt the soft rope digging into my shirt in intricate knots, looking for any loose knots but unable to find any, my heartbeat accelerating. Then the bag was pulled to my neck.
“Any last requests, boys?” My sister shouts.
Colin goes first, “um, yeah. Boys, it was nice working with you, good luck escaping, but I know it’s not gonna change anything.” Colin winked at me before Kalyna pushed his head down and closed him inside the bag.
“Heeeeelp!” He shouted with his voice breaking. The audience laughed.
“What about you?” She turned to Michalo.
“Um, this is actually quite fun, I gotta say,” Michalo smiled as Sarah bagged him up and held the top closed.
“And you, shrimp?” That was me.
“Uh...uh...” I wasn’t very good with last minute words.
“Too long! Bag him up!” That was the last thing I remembered before I was bagged whole. Justine was holding the top closed the entire time while she was tying the bag using the tightest knot imaginable. Her hands were pushing me inside, making me feel helpless. Eventually she released me, and I heard Kalyna shouting “let the escape begin!”

I barely managed to figure out what was happening when I heard loud applause from the audience, and realized Colin has already escaped. Damn him! I thought.
“Let’s give our brave volunteers a few more minutes to escape, just to be fair,” he said as Michalo and I were rolling around the floor. At one point, I felt hands grabbing me and pulling me back, and that’s when I realized I almost fell off the stage. The laughter generated by the audience wasn’t helping at all.
“Alllllright, unfortunately, it seems like we’re out of time, but thank you all for watching our show, there are some refreshments outside, don’t forget to tell you friends! Have a good night everyone!” Then I heard more applause, and people getting up from their chairs.
“Noooo!” I shouted. “LET ME OUT!” I was seriously getting worried. I might have been crying.

Eventually, I felt someone untying the bag and letting me out. Michalo was still rolling around, but not really making any sounds.
Kalyna hugged me. “Are you okay, brother?”
“Yes...” I said, but very quietly.
“Did you really think we were going to keep you there all night?” She asked, laughing.
Personally, I was half expecting them to kidnap me after the show, but I didn’t say that (it might give them ideas). “Why is stupid Mic still tied up in the bag?”
Colin laughed, “Because he really seems to like it. Alright Mic, time to get out,” he unknotted the top of the bag and pulled him out. Michalo was sweating, like me, but he seemed to be in a fantastic mood.
“We don’t want to untie you just yet,” Justine said to me, smiling. “We want to see you walking around all tied up, get a couple of laughs, if that’s alright with you.”
I was a little ticked off with them, but for some reason, the idea made me smile. “Sure, as long as you help me untie myself later.”

Kalyna had to feed me herself because my arms were still roped together. Eventually she removed all the restraints, checked that my circulation was okay and then thanked me for doing this. That was how I began to enjoy escapology and TUGs altogether. :big:
Sorry I can't talk now, I'm a little tied up at the moment.