Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Monday, August 27th 2001 - 06:21:28 AM More Tales from the Woods This continues my adventures from many years ago, loosely based around the scouting activities of myself and a group of friends in Cyprus where our parents were serving with the armed forces. Much of the background is contained within my previous tales (Evasion in the Woods and Summer Camp Adventure - both in the July archive). In the latter story I told how my close friend, James and I (together with a third boy, Stuart) were abducted from our tent during the night and subsequently "tortured" as punishment for an unprovoked attack which we launched on some of our buddies. Despite the indignities we were put to that night, we agreed that we had basically deserved what happened, the "state of war" was de-escalated and we all remained firm friends and continued our participation in our regular tie-up games throughout the remaining weeks of the long, hot summer vacation. About a week after the camp ended we agreed to have an informal meeting during the day along with the boys in Mike's patrol. There would be fourteen present if everyone turned up and a golden opportunity for a full scale "game". We would meet at 2.00pm, swim from the adjacent beach then back to the woods for whatever activity was decided upon. Having nothing better to do, I called for James and we set off before lunch in the hope that some more of our buddies would be there early and we could hang out together until the rest arrived. Unfortunately there was no sign of any one and we sat on the sand for a while watching the water. This particular cove was isolated and, while it was quite safe for swimming the shore shelved rapidly to deep water. I had therefore been expressly forbidden to swim there alone (being with James was "alone"!) by my parents, particularly as the next bay was altogether much safer, and always had a lifeguard in attendance. The sunshine and gently rippling water however was too much of an attraction and we were soon enjoying our dip, and who would know, anyway? I had forgotten that my elder brother, Chris, had been invited to join us that afternoon. Chris was 16, almost four years older than I was, and I thought the world of him. For his part, while he was always strict with me, he was scrupulously fair and always went to great lengths to look after his little brother. He had only been a member of our troop a few months before leaving us to join the seniors, but in that short time he seemed to earn everyone's respect. He often came back to help out with our activities. I was therefore shocked when a loud voice suddenly shouted my name and ordered us out of the water. I realised how angry he was by the use of my name - since as long as I could remember he had referred to me as "The Runt" and used the nickname affectionately. The use of my Christian name was bad news! He reminded me of our parent's rule, pointed out that it was for my own good, and the other bay was only a few hundred yards away. I pleaded with him not to tell our father and he finished by telling me that he would decide what to do about it at the end of the day. Soon the rest of our friends arrived and once back in the water (apart from Chris many of the older boys had life saving awards) the incident was soon forgotten. As we dried out in the sun afterwards someone proposed that we hold a "cockfighting competition". This was enthusiastically agreed, as it was ideal to play on the beach. To explain briefly, the "fight" takes place between two boys. Each contestant has his hands tied in front of him. He then crouches with arms around his knees and is pinioned in that position with a piece of wood (usually a cricket stump) passed behind his knees and through the natural crook of his elbows. Thus bound, and forced to remain in a crouching position, he attempts to force his opponent off balance thereby winning the round. Timing and a sense of balance are more important than weight or sheer strength and it was therefore a popular game with us smaller boys, who could play on equal terms with the older ones. James and I in particular were remarkably successful at this past time. The soft sand of the beach ensured that no one would suffer any harm in defeat. I quickly realised that, engineered with care, this might present a golden opportunity for us to get our revenge on our former torturers, in particular Mike and Peter. While they were much heavier than me and my friend, I believed we had every chance of beating them soundly and therefore suggested that each patrol should hold a competition amongst themselves to find their two "champions", and that these four boys should fight an inter-patrol battle to determine the overall winners. This was agreed on immediately. I then cunningly proposed that the two losers should submit to being bound for an hour or two as prisoners of the winners. I saw our adversaries exchange glances, but with surprisingly little resistance the plan was agreed to. I saw smirks on some of their faces that suggested they thought this would be a pushover. Stumps and rope were quickly produced and our first two contestants had their hands tied and were duly pinioned with the wood. We decided that each boy would fight every other member of the patrol to determine the two most suitable to face the onslaught from Mike's bunch. A few yards away, Mike and Co were similarly engaged. Thirty minutes was all it took for James and me to triumph over the rest, a result which surprised none of us since we had held similar contests within our patrol, invariably with the same result. Mike finally announced that he and Matthew would be our adversaries (more than satisfactory since it was the latter who had inflicted the "water torture" on us a few weeks before although James would have preferred to meet his earlier tormentor, Peter). We saw his followers grinning broadly when they were told that James and I would fight them. Clearly they thought it was only a matter of a few minutes before we would once more be securely tied up for the remainder of the afternoon. Our buddies tightly bound our wrists and we crouched down a few feet from Mike and Matthew while the stumps were inserted. I was facing Mike, altogether heavier than me, and at the signal he immediately started hopping straight at me with the intention of knocking me over by superior force. I simply turned, and as he approached placed the end of my pinioning stump under his and, with a quick twist Mike was lying, still trussed, on the sand a look of shocked amazement on his face. Matthew fared no better at the hands of James. With my stump quickly removed by my buddies I stood over our trussed and vanquished opponents, my hands still bound, and said gleefully "OK guys, pay back time!" Richard UK Monday, August 27th 2001 - 06:23:13 AM More Tales from the Woods Mike and Matthew exchanged glances and then said, "Fair enough, we accepted the challenge. Do your worst". David and Robert untied James and me and after removing the stumps pinioning our two prisoners we ordered them to roll onto their stomachs with their arms stretched above their heads. They did so and James and I, quickly assuming the unusual role of captors, untied their hands, pulled their arms behind their backs and tied their hands together palm to palm, carefully cinching the rope off securely and knotting it well out of reach of their fingers. I was enjoying myself as I jokingly said "Don't worry, this will hurt you more than it will me!" James suggested we should put an elbow tie on them as they had once used on us and this was quickly accomplished while our prisoners' chums watched with some amusement as the two boys writhed in their bonds at our feet. "We need something to gag them," said James. We were all dressed the same in shorts but none of us had put our tee shirts back on since our swim. "Use their shirts", I replied. "They won't be needing them for the rest of the afternoon". The shirts were rolled up, forced between their teeth and tied off tightly at the back of their necks. "OK, lets get them back to the hut". We dragged Mike and Matthew to their feet and they were escorted back to the woods hanging their heads and looking dejected while their comrades made derisory comments about their defeat at our hands. Arrived back at our patrol hut the two boys were made to lie face down on the ground and their ankles were tied to prevent any attempt at escape, although I didn't think this was likely. Mike had accepted his fate in a resigned fashion and he wasn't going any place since there was no question of a rescue by his buddies. We now began a discussion on what we should do with them for the rest of the afternoon. Numerous suggestions but the final decision was left to James and me. My first concern was to give them more satisfactory gags so we gathered a number of cloths kept for the purpose and untied their shirts. Neither boy resisted as a wad of cloth was stuffed unceremoniously into each of their mouths and a second cloth was forced between their teeth and tied off securely. Two long ropes were fetched from our store and Mike's arms and hands were freed. His arms were then brought in front and his wrists tied once more in front of him. The end of one long rope was thrown over a branch of a tree, Mike was helped to stand under the branch (his ankles were still tied), the rope tied to his wrists and then hauled hard up until Mike was standing almost on tiptoe. Keeping the rope tight all the time, it was finally tied to the lashing around Mike's ankles leaving him stretched taut and immobile. Within a few minutes the second rope had been used to similar effect on Matthew a few yards away. James and I stood back and admired our handiwork while Mike's patrol had a good chuckle at their leader's predicament. The two bound boys meanwhile tried gyrated gently in their bonds but were otherwise left completely immobile. My brother, Chris, had watched good naturedly at all this activity and suddenly said to me with an unusual glint in his eye, "You really enjoy this sought of thing, don't you?" I blushed slightly and replied, "Well, I am usually on the receiving end so it makes a change to be giving some of it out". Chris now reminded everyone that the reason he had joined us was to help us with some of our badge work. "That's OK", said Robert. "You can talk to us all right here. Mike and Matthew will be able to listen and I guarantee they won't interrupt!" We grinned at the two boys tied up and with their arms pulled taut above their heads and they glared furiously at us over their gags. We all gathered round for Chris's talk and when he had finished after an hour, he said, "I think you ought to set your prisoners free now". This we agreed to and they were quickly liberated, taking their places on the sandy ground with the rest of us. Chris now started talking again and what he had to say took me completely by surprise since I had forgotten the events of that morning. He began by telling everyone how he had caught James and me swimming before anyone else arrived, explaining that I had been expressly forbidden to by our parents. As I hung my head with shame he went on to say that he could not let it pass without taking some action. If father was told I would at least be grounded for the next two weeks and with a sickening feeling I realised what a disaster this would be. Looking me straight in the eye he added "I have been considering alternatives to this course of action and have decided to make you an offer. Before we leave hear this evening, I propose that you should have your hands tied behind your back and then you will walk home with me. By all accounts you enjoy being tied up so this shouldn't be too much of a punishment!" My mind raced. What he said was essentially true but we had always played our games in private. The thought of the humiliation of being seen in the street by friends with my hands tied behind me was too much to bear - the walk home was nearly two miles. "I'll give you some time to think about it - you know what the alternative is" Chris added sternly. I sat looking dejected as Robert, David, Ken, Stuart and James crowded around me. "Look," said Stuart, "you can't possibly risk being grounded. We only have three weeks of the vacation left and we are planning a big tie-up game before the end. You are only being asked to walk home with your hands tied and you have suffered much more than that down here!" "I know what you are saying," I replied. "I'm not worried at being tied up in normal circumstances as you all know, but the thought of meeting friends on the way home and having to explain why my hands are tied behind my back is altogether too shameful. I would die from embarrassment!" The others thought for a few moments and then David said, "The solution is simple. Robert and I live a few blocks away from you, as does James. We will all accompany you and Chris to your house before making our own way home." Robert and James nodded their assent. David continued, "It shouldn't be obvious to anyone approaching from the front that your hands are tied and we will stay close to you to give you as much cover as possible. There shouldn't be many people about in the early evening anyway." "It's all very well for you to talk - it's not you who is being tied up on this occasion" I complained, but in the face of ever more persuasive arguments from the other five I finally capitulated. "I just wish we could wait until it was dark," I said ruefully "but I am sure Chris will have that one covered! Let's get this over with." We approached Chris and told him I would accept his deal "But how are you going to explain to Mum and Dad why I am tied up when we get home?" I asked petulantly. "You leave that one to me" he replied with a mischievous grin. Richard UK Tuesday, August 28th 2001 - 09:36:08 AM More Tales from the Woods - Part 3 At 5.00pm Chris announced that it was time to leave. Mike's followers thought Chris's notion hilarious and several lengths of rope were produced without hesitation at the latter's request. Surrounded by the expectant crowd, Chris ordered me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. I had always enjoyed the sensation of being bound (and still do) but I complied with his request reluctantly on this occasion. Chris took hold of my hands and crossed my wrists and I felt the first loop of rope tighten around them as all the while my brother received good advice as to how he should tie me up. I had never been tied by Chris before and it was a strange sensation. He handled my arms very gently but never the less tied my hands tightly and securely. The rope was looped around my wrists both horizontally and vertically several times before being cinched off and knotted well beyond the reach of my fingers. As Chris released my hands and admired his work I tested my bonds. My brother certainly knew what he was about - no way was I going to be able to untie my hands without assistance. I suddenly realised that my hands were tightly bound behind my back and there would be no going back on the deal - I would remain that way until Chris was good and ready. Chris put his arm round my shoulder and made his farewells to the other boys. I meanwhile hung my head to hide my embarrassment while the others gathered round me to inspect Chris's work and some of them gave my hands a playful tug extracting a series of yelps from me. They pronounced themselves well satisfied and confirmed my belief that my freedom would be entirely at my brother's discretion! They then surprised me by slapping me on my back and saying how pleased they were that I was not risking being grounded. I couldn't help thinking that they might have shown how pleased they were by being a little less enthusiastic in producing the rope which Chris had used to tie my hands and in offering their support to his scheme! David and co. now surprised Chris by announcing that they would accompany us home. I think he realised what they had in mind and this wasn't on his agenda but it was too late for him to modify his plan so he was forced to accept it. We headed for the edge of the wood and the beach road. With the shops, bars and cafes etc. near the beach I was afraid it would be busy and suggested an alternative, longer (and quieter) way home but Chris would hear nothing of it - he was clearly going to milk this one for all it was worth! More distressing was the support he received from my three buddies. Once my hands had been tied their attitude subtlety changed! They were now enjoying my distress enormously, which only added to my embarrassment. I was now afraid that, at the first sight of other people they would at least renege on the protection they had offered, or worse still, actively draw attention to my predicament. My worst fears, at least initially, proved unfounded. As soon as we approached the first group of people, two of the boys moved close either side of me, while the third fell back a couple of paces. Several people passed us without comment and I assumed that my tied hands would be hidden from behind by my rear escort. If anyone had noticed, I was determined to avoid their stares and kept my eyes glued to the ground in front of me, all the while blushing to the roots of my hair. This continued until we were passing the first beach cafe when Robert suddenly suggested we should stop for a coke. If my hands had been free I swear I would have throttled him! Chris considered for a moment and then said, "Good idea!" I pleaded desperately with him to change his mind but the only response I got was "Well we are going to have one. You can stay out here on your own if you prefer." I really felt this was a little unfair but I slunk in with the others. There were only a few tables occupied and we found one in a corner much to my relief. I sat uncomfortably on a chair with my back towards the wall and glared at my mates who only laughed at my distress. Chris collected the drinks and thoughtfully provided me with a straw. I drank as rapidly as I could but didn't dare to try to persuade them to hurry as I was afraid they would only delay our departure further. We finally left the cafe, so far as I could tell unobserved and Chris said, ""See, that wasn't too bad." The others burst into fits of giggles seeing my embarrassment. They had kept close to me during our unscheduled stop but now they shifted their allegiance once more and I became the butt of their humour. They referred to me as "The Jailbird" and the more self-conscious I became, the more unrestrained were their jokes. At one stage Robert said, "Cheer up, he could have insisted on your being gagged as well!" I pointed out there was little point as I was the quietest one in the group but this didn't stop them badgering Chris to bind my mouth. Finally he silenced them by making it clear this wasn't on and I breathed an inward sigh of relief. I have already mentioned that our journey was approximately two miles. Once we left the beach area we followed a rough footpath through trees and scrubland. This was an improvement since we were less likely to meet anybody but I was amazed how tiring it was to walk without the free use of my arms. Although I new that struggling was a waste of time I had been working my wrists ever since we set out and they were now quite sore. Additionally, several times Chris, or one of the others had saved me from falling after tripping over rough spots but when I pleaded to be set free Chris reminded me of the alternative. "And stop struggling too. There is absolutely no point in your doing so and you'll only make your arms sore!" he added. I stopped working my hands and did as I was told. To get to the residential area we were faced with a climb up a long flight of steps which was broken into flights of about 15 steps interspersed with short landings. Normally my friends and I would take this at a run but this time I was out of breath after the second flight and, unable to hold onto the rail, had to be helped up the remaining twelve or so flights. By the time we reached the top I was gasping for breath and was unconscious of our surroundings. A girl's voice brought me back to earth with a thump. "Hi Richard, we are thinking about seeing a movie later and wondered if you would like to join us." I looked up to see a group of five girls, all of them classmates of my friends and myself. The speaker, Angela, was a petite brunette, quite charming, who I had the hots for but had never dared (at twelve years old!) to approach and here she was asking me to go to the cinema! For a moment I had forgotten my tied hands but as my buddies formed their protective shield Chris spoke before I could get in a reply, "Sorry, but Richard is going to be a bit tied up for a while! You might like to arrange something later in the week"... Richard UK Tuesday, August 28th 2001 - 09:40:12 AM More Tales from the Woods - Conclusion Chris really was getting his money's worth! As he spoke I realised the dire situation I was in. Once more I blushed and looked at the floor. If I had been able to cover my embarrassment all might have been well but suddenly one of the girls became suspicious and asked what was up. I made no reply but my three pals couldn't contain their giggles - I was sunk. The girls realised that the other three youngsters were all standing unnaturally close to me and demanded to know what was going on. Rather than try to cover up, the boys suddenly grasped me by the shoulders and spun me around to reveal my tightly bound hands. There was a short pause and suddenly the newcomers were all laughing hysterically. I wished the ground would open and swallow me up. "Does he enjoy this sort of thing?" asked Jane, a rather pretty thirteen-year-old trying to stifle her laughter. "Oh yes!" David replied with a giggle, "But there is more to this than meets the eye!" he added ingenuously. While I stood in the middle of the circle unable to hide my embarrassment, my friends gleefully narrated the circumstances leading up to my present predicament. I hung my head and silently swore revenge on my "mates". When they had finished their tale Chris added "Sorry, but Richard won't be going out tonight. He may be free later in the week." Looking up, I suddenly realised that Angela was not joining in the general merriment at my expense and as Chris said that we must be on our way home she looked at me with big, sad brown eyes and said "I'm so sorry Richard. Can I call on you tomorrow?" Wow, are you serious I thought but replied "OK, tomorrow morning if you like." "See you then" she said, and was gone with her friends in a moment. I turned and looked David straight in the eye and exclaimed "Judas! I thought the idea was you would protect me!" "So what's the problem? They were obviously going to find out what was going on, and hey, you got a date out of it! Anyway, watch your language - you are hardly in a position to start insulting your best buddies," he laughed and with that he launched a sudden attack on my ribs and sides with his finger tips. Unable to defend myself I tried to pull away but was prevented by James and Robert who each grabbed an arm,. In moments I was writhing about trying to avoid my assailant while giggling uncontrollably. Chris watched with an amused expression on his face for a few minutes then said "Come on, let's get you home," while at the same time he put an arm round my shoulder in a kindly fashion. For a moment I thought he was going to relent and release me but no such luck and we continued the last few hundred yards to our door where the others finally parted company. Now for the next hurdle - our parents. I had assumed that Chris would untie me before we went inside but again I was disappointed. Sensing my reluctance to enter he said "Oh don't worry. Mum and Dad are out for the evening with friends and won't be back till late. I knew all along but didn't see any reason to tell you!" Once inside I waited expectantly for Chris to set me free but he had other plans and he ushered me upstairs to the room we shared as a games room. "We need to have a chat. I'll fetch a chair so you can sit down". He left the room and returned a few moments later with a high backed dining chair, placing it in the middle of the room and telling me to sit down. Chris moved out of sight behind me and as I sat down I felt my arms suddenly seized pulled upwards and back and then forced down over the back of the chair. As I began to protest loudly he grasped my bound wrists and in seconds had lashed them tightly to one of the vertical bars in the seat back using a piece of cord he must have hidden in his pocket earlier for the purpose. I was going no place now. "This isn't fair, Chris. I did what you wanted and you enjoyed my humiliation all the way home. Let me go now!" "Be quiet Runt, or I'll have to gag you. Do I have to remind you how you got into this?" He didn't, and I really did not want my father involved. "From all I hear you enjoy being tied up so the walk home couldn't have been that much of a hardship." His first statement was certainly true but I wasn't going to admit that to my big brother! As for the walk home, I thought it was the most humiliating experience of my life and promptly told Chris so. "Guess I have some bad news for you then, little buddy." My heart sank - what else did Chris think he could inflict on me? "Gwen is out with friends at the moment but is due home before 8.00pm. I am going to keep you tied up so she can have a good laugh at you!" Gwen was our sister, a year younger than Chris, very self-assured and a stunning good looker. Although always very kind to her "Baby Brother" she would never miss the opportunity of a joke at my expense. I began my wild protests again and suddenly Chris produced a tea towel which he quickly rolled up. "OK, guess we do it the hard way," he said. "Open wide!" saying which he dropped the cloth across my mouth. I struggled frantically to avoid the gag but with my hands tied to the back of the chair I was not going anywhere. Chris knew only too well how to deal with this situation. He grasped my nose with one hand while keeping the towel in place over my mouth with the other. I continued to struggle frantically but after a short period I inevitably had to gasp for breath, Chris seized his opportunity and forced the cloth between my teeth. In moments he had tied it off tightly at the back of my neck and I was comprehensively gagged. I yelled my indignation at Chris but only managed a subdued mmpphhhf. I glared at my brother over the tea towel while he said "Sorry about the gag but I did warn you to keep quiet. I'll just finish off securing you to the chair and then leave you to meditate on your foolishness this morning". He produced more rope from a pocket and knelt down at my feet. I guessed what he was about to do and lashed out angrily, launching a savage kick at my brother. He saw it coming, grabbed my leg, quickly pulled my trainer and sock off, got a loop of rope around my ankle and twisted my leg back around the chair leg. Holding it there with a knee he grabbed my other foot, again removed my shoe and sock and, with my kicking power thus reduced he took hold of both my ankles, brought them together, crossed them and lashed them together tightly, both horizontally and vertically. When he had finished he had a long length of cord left. This he passed under the chair using it to pull my bound feet back until my legs were doubled up beneath me, then keeping it tight he lead it up to my bound hands and tied it off there. There was no play in the rope what so ever and my toes were now just brushing the floor. I was going no where and Chris knew it. "I'll leave you now until Gwen gets home," he said giving me a big grin. "Don't go far!" and with that, the door closed leaving me on my own. I was furious with Chris for trapping me in this situation and struggled madly for some time but only succeeded in making myself hot and sweaty and my wrists sore. Finally I realised that it was futile and I would just have to sit and await my fate. As I cooled down so did my fury and I found myself reflecting on the afternoon's events. The fact was that that walk had been the most humiliating experience in my life and I certainly wouldn't want to repeat it. On the other hand, there was no denying that it had also been strangely exciting, something which I hoped hadn't been too obvious! After maybe a quarter of an hour Chris put his head round the door to make sure I was all right. He came across and tested all my bonds, giving my hands a playful yank which made me yelp into my gag. He pronounced himself satisfied that I had made no impression on them and left me alone again. This performance was repeated twice more and then, after I had been tied to the chair for a little over an hour I heard the front door open and voices down stairs. After a few minutes I heard the voices coming up stairs and I felt my heart beating fit to burst. Chris came in and announced "I've brought you a visitor!" and as I turned a deep crimson yet again Gwen walked into the room, took one look at my bound and gagged form and promptly collapsed with laughter. "Can't we do this more often, Chris?" she laughed, "it would certainly keep him out of mischief!" She came up to me and lifted my tee shirt. "I had forgotten how skinny he is" she chuckled. "Could we perhaps see if he is still ticklish". Both my siblings knew my susceptibility to this form of torture but Chris now surprised me by saying "Not this time Sis. I think he has had sufficient punishment on this occasion". He stepped behind me and began untying my gag. As he did so he told me he had told Gwen the reason for my predicament as soon as she got home. With my mouth free at last and having had time to reflect, I apologised for my foolishness on the beach that morning. "That's OK," said Chris "and your apology is accepted. I devised this plan after talking to some of your mates. They told me you were quite happy being tied up and I realised that only your dignity would be hurt by the walk home. I hope you won't feel inclined to risk it happening again! I must have another word with your mates and thank them. When they said they were coming home with us I suspected they would attempt a rescue but without them this wouldn't have turned out half so well!" As he said this he finished untying my ankles leaving me still secured to the chair by my bound wrists. "I shan't be risking this again!" I replied. "I didn't realise you were so expert at tying someone up. I shall have to think about what to do about my "friends" but the next time you attend one of our meetings you are dead meat!" "I really wouldn't use threats seeing your hands are still tied to the chair," Chris laughed. "You may be surprised to know that you are not the only one to enjoy tie-up games and, as for your next meeting well, I'll take my chances!" He untied my hands and I was free at last. I was covered in sweat and my shirt clung to my damp ribs. I dived for the shower and cleaned myself up. I never did defy my parents ruling again although some of my friends suggested it with wide grins on their faces, from time to time. This adventure had several outcomes, both good and bad. First, I got to go out with Angela (which oddly, Chris found wildly amusing) which I doubt if I would ever have accomplished otherwise. We got to hold our "game" a week later before the end of the vacation and the guys were so impressed by my brother's activities they invited him to join us. I inwardly said a silent prayer when I heard this as I thought it would give me my opportunity for revenge, although it didn't turn out quite as I imagined. Finally, our meeting with the girls rebounded on me after our return to school. I will tell both these stories at some future date if anyone out there is interested. Just let me know! Richard UK