KEN'S KENNEL FOR KID BROTHERS
Prologue:Text on a Flyer handed out only to selected individuals:
Looking forward to summer school vacation with a sense of dread as your kids and/or younger siblings run around the house all day and constantly bug you? Would you rather have the noisy, pesky urchins out of the house - and out of your life – for the summer? Better yet, would you like them to be trained in proper manners while you enjoy summer vacation in peace and quiet in the comfort of your own home?
Then Ken’s Kennels for Kids has the solution for all your problems!
For the modest fee of $20 a day per child (plus a small fee for pick-up and re-delivery if you do not wish to transport the child/children yourself), we will house your annoying younger relatives in the finest accommodations available from small cages to full-sized cells… roomier quarters of course cost extra. All clients will be kept in air-conditioned surroundings with a small air mattress. All cells have piped in music laced with subliminal messages about how proper children should behave in order to avoid a repeat visit to our kennel.
All clients receive three meals and eight glasses of water a day; plus a daily period of walking and gymnastic exercises followed by showers.
For an extra fee, clients will be trained in discipline by experts in child psychology who do not mind enforcing their teachings with a little corporal correction. Clients will be trained to obey all orders from their selected parent/guardian/older sibling without question with alacrity and even a cheerful smile. Graduates of our Obedience school are so eager to please that to date no client has required a refresher course during any following summer vacations.
Unlike ordinary summer camps, children are given no access to phones or mail, and therefore cannot bother anyone to please come take them home before you are ready for them. Also, we guarantee that not even the most stubborn and un-cooperative client will be able to prematurely depart from our facilities, as we use the finest locks and security system to be found anywhere. Those few who still try get to sample the hospitality of the kennel’s owner himself in his private cellar/dungeon, where they soon learn that escape is worse than futile and resistance is rewarded with uncompromising punishment from employees who thoroughly enjoy their work. Most are in fact former school bullies with considerable experience in getting their own way from even the most pig-headed of weaker victims.
Part One
Jake struggled, but it was no use. His big brother Martin had tied him up too well, and Jake would have been no match for any one of the boys dragging him out of his house even if he were free - let alone all three of them while bound hand and foot like this. But despite the hopelessness of it, Jake fought anyway – until the stuff injected by a needle in his arm put an end to wakefulness for a long while.
When Jake awoke again, he was inside a small, dark, cramped space inside a moving vehicle of some sort; apparently a van. He could not tell for sure because it was totally dark where he was; any windows were entirely blacked over. Jake tried to check out his surroundings, only to find that he was handcuffed in a hogtie and was locked inside a small cage of some sort. Attempt to yell for help proved futile, as he was also gagged. He couldn’t tell from feel alone what kind of gag it was, but it covered much of his face and appeared highly effective in keeping him quiet.
The vehicle he was in came to a stop, and Jake waited fearfully as he heard doors opening and closing and the sound of voices coming around to the other side. The back of the van was opened, and he saw Martin and two other boys his brother’s age reach out and slide the cage he was in right of the van. Ignoring Jake’s struggles and attempts to yell, the three boys carried his cage out of the van and into a nearby building. Jake briefly saw a sign on the front door as one boy carrying his cage opened it:
ARKWRIGHT’S KENNELS
CLOSED FOR BUSINESS
CLOSED FOR BUSINESS
Jake shuddered. He knew where he was now; this place was notorious throughout his school district. This used to be a reputable dog kennel, until it was closed down and its owners jailed because of allegations of staged dogfights for gamblers. But rumor among his friends had it that the owners’ college-aged-son, assisted by his three high-school-aged brothers, still ran the place as a boarding kennel. But not for dogs; rather, they ran it to house and train kids whose older siblings (or even parents) decided that said kid needed to be out of the house for a while!
Apparently, Jake realized, Martin had decided to avail himself of the kennel’s service to get him out of the way for a time, while their parents were away on the European vacation! Jake admitted to himself that he’d been a bit of a pest lately, wanting his older brother to spend more time with him now that their parents were away. But this seemed to be a bit of an over-reaction!
Jake’s cage was carried to the top of a large table and left there while Martin talked with another boy his own age. The second boy wore the all white outfit of someone who worked as a professional health care worker – or a vet.
“Name and age?” asked the second boy.
“Martin Galloway, 16,” replied Jake’s older brother.
“Name and age of the boarder?” asked the boy.
“Jake Galloway, 12,” replied Martin.
“Duration and reason for stay?”
“Two weeks, because he’s a pest!” answered Martin unkindly. “He’s always underfoot; getting into my things; never leaving me alone. I want the house to myself for a while.”
“Basic room and board; or do you want him to undergo discipline training while he’s here?” asked the other boy.
“Aah… hmmm… what does that entail, anyway?” asked Martin, definitely sounding interested. “And how much does it cost?”
“Basic pet training,” replied the boy in the white outfit. “He’ll learn to obey all your commands, speak only when spoken to, and generally behave himself like a little brother should… like a well-behaved pet! We’ve had a pretty high success rate; especially since we’ve begun offering free refresher discipline courses for those who weren’t 100% satisfied with the results of the initial course. We’ve had no siblings brought in for second-time training in months. The course is $100 for the two week term, in addition to the $100 a week for room and board.”
“Whew! $300!? That’s quite a bit,” exclaimed Martin, and for a brief moment Jake had the hope that Martin would call off the whole thing. “But it’ll be worth it to have some peace and quiet for a while and a quieter brother afterward. Okay. I’ll do it!”
The deal was soon done, and Martin walked out without even once looking back at Jake as he huddled miserably inside his cramped cage. Then the boy who had interviewed called out and two more boys in white outfits entered the office to ‘process’ Jake. One of the boys held a hypodermic needle, and try as he might Jake was unable to stop him from returning Jake to Slumber Land for a while.
When he awoke again, Jake found himself out of the cage he was in and lying on – and strapped face down onto – a cold metal tabletop. His clothing was all gone; instead he wore a simple set of black Speedos. He was still gagged, but now he could see his gag via his reflection on the shiny metal tabletop he lay on; it was a full face muzzle gag of some kind. It kept his mouth wide open but still prevented him but speaking or making much in the way of sound. His hands were secured by ‘fuzzy’ cuffs behind his back, and his feet hobbled in addition to the straps securing him to the table. The only other thing he wore besides his bonds was a dog collar padlocked around his neck.
A boy about 14 years of age and clad in the clinical, white outfit came in. Seeing Jake was awake, the boy placed a leash on Jake’s collar and then freed Jake of his straps. “I am Fred; I’m your new caretaker and trainer. If you do what I tell you from now on, I’ll treat you nice,” the boy said to Jake. “If you make trouble for me, I won’t be so nice. There’s no way to get out of this but to do whatever I tell you from now on. Now come along with me quietly, and no noise.”
Although Fred wasn’t large for his age, he was still larger and stronger than Jake; also, with his hands cuffed behind him and his ankles hobbled, Jake saw no hope of escape and no point in angering his captor. He followed him quietly as Fred, holding the leash casually in one hand, led Jake out of the office and to an outdoor enclosure out back.
There, Jake saw about a dozen other cages; each a cube a little more than four feet to a side. All were clean, and furnished with a mattress, some blankets, a deep bowl with water in it, and a metal food bowl. The bars of each cage were much thicker and sturdier than typical kennel cages; being about half an inch in diameter and a mere two-and-a-half inches apart. At the moment, seven of the cages were occupied by one boy each, ranging in age from eight to fifteen; there were no girls, although Jake had heard that some were also boarded here by older siblings on occasion. Two of the younger boys were bound and gagged as Jake was, but the others were free inside their cages and wearing normal clothing; though these were gagged as well (their gags secured by padlocks so that they could not be removed). They also had portable potties inside their cages, whereas those bound like Jake did not. Jake assumed that these were the boarders who would not be subjected to discipline training, as he was supposed to be.
Jake was led to an empty cage and Fred gently shoved his captive inside. Jake turned around just as his jailer closed the cage door shut on him and padlocked it. Fred then proceeded to walk away without a word to Jake; and without freeing Jake from his cuffs or his hobbles.
Jake flushed and turned away again from the front of the cage as he suddenly realized that he was getting a hard-on from all this.
Jake looked around him. The cages were set up in two rows of half a dozen each, and spaced evenly enough so that it was possible to look into every other cage in his row from where he was. The other two cages occupied by boys bound as he was were in the same row as Jake was, whereas the five allowed to wear normal clothing were in the opposite row. Jake soon noticed that these cages were equipped with privacy curtains, which the occupants were allowed to use for privacy purposes when using the potty. There was apparently a limit to how long such curtains could be used at one time, since he saw one boy close it and then open it again after only a couple of minutes. In any case, Jake’s cage was not equipped with a potty or a curtain; and with his hands cuffed behind him he would not have been able to use either one were they available anyway.
At least there was a reasonably comfortable mattress inside his cage, although it was scrunched up in order to fit inside the limited space. Jake eased himself onto it and tried his best to make himself comfortable. At least his bonds were not on too tight; they were secure but did not cut into his skin. The fuzzy padding further alleviated the discomfort of having his hands bound behind him. Even so, Jake was not looking forward to being left like this for two weeks. Surely there would be more to this than leaving him locked up inside a cage for this entire time – unable to even use the toilet!
Seeing no point in wasting energy in struggling and deciding that calling attention to himself would likely be a bad idea, Jake merely sat quietly on the mattress and waited for someone to come to him. Surely someone would tend to his physical needs sooner or later. The other boys in their cages did not look as if they were suffering from any privation; though of course Jake had no idea how long any of them had been here. But he doubted they’d all come here just today; some of them had probably been for several days – or even a week or more.
The cages were outside the building, inside a compound surrounded by a ten-foot-high wooden fence. Rather than being open to the sun, shade was provided by numerous tall trees that surrounded the compound. Jake was uncertain what protection was provided in the event of bad weather, but for now at least weather conditions were ideal enough to make being stuck inside his cage only mildly uncomfortable rather than unendurable.
Jake only noticed the gate inside the fence when it was opened, and a boy in a white outfit walked in, leading another boy clad in Speedos on a leash. The boy in the white outfit looked like Fred but was obviously a year or two older; evidently one of the brothers who ran this place. The boy he led was older than Jake but younger than the boy who led him. He followed docilely as the boy in white led him to the cage next to Jake’s, opened it up, and removed the leash from his collar. Without waiting for a command, the Speedo-clad boy crawled into the cage. The older boy then casually locked him inside.
Rather than walk off, he stepped in front of Jake’s cage and crouched down to peer in at Jake. It was a cursory examination; apparently more to check on Jake’s condition rather to talk to him. It was like a bored vet examining a new dog that had been brought in. He made a few notes on a clipboard, stood up, and went on to the next occupied cage. Jake was tempted to make some noise to get some attention, decided he would probably be ignored, and merely kept silent.
Shortly after this boy left, Fred came into the compound and stopped in front of Jake’s cage. He crouched down, setting down a leash he was carrying, and unlocked the padlock to Jake’s cage. “I’m talking you for a walk while I explain to you what will be expected of you,” Fred explained. “Come to the door and then remain still on your knees until I tell you to do otherwise.” Fred continued as he gestured for Jake to crawl out of the cage (the door was too small to emerge standing up or even hunched over.
Jake did as he was bid, although he found it difficult to kneel down and then forward with his hands bound behind him. Fred clipped the leash onto Jake’s collar as he was still halfway out the door, and then helped Jake to his feet once he was fully out of the cage.
“Come,” instructed Fred, tugging gently on the leash as he walked Jake toward the gate in the fence. Jake followed without any resistance.
Outside the enclosure was a small lawn surrounded by trees. This wooded area was maintained more like a park than a wild forest, and had a path running all through it in a zigzag fashion. The entire area was about three acres in extent and was surrounded by another fence even higher than the one that surrounded the compound behind the house.
Fred walked Jake in silence for a short distance, then stopped and faced Jake. “I will remove the gag for the rest of our walk, but you may talk only when instructed; to answer questions or ask your own or make requests when I give permission,” Fred told him. “Do not speak aloud without permission, or you *will* be punished. Obey all my commands without hesitation, or you will be punished. This is the *only* warning you will get. Nod if you understand.”
Jake nodded his understanding; he would be more than glad to be rid of that gag for now!
“Stand still,” Fred told Jake as he stepped behind the younger boy. “Do not move in any way you can’t help until I tell you otherwise.”
Jake remained perfectly still as he was told while Jake stepped behind him and unlocked the padlock that held the gag in place. Jake breathed a loud sigh of relief and began to thank Fred before he caught himself; fearing this might be speaking against orders not to and therefore grounds for punishment. But Fred merely smiled at him a trifle sardonically and said, “You may thank me for taking that gag off of you if you wish.”
“Thank you!” Jake said simply; deciding that more might be pushing it.
“Whenever you say anything to me, you must finish by calling me ‘sir’,” Fred said to him firmly but with a gentle smile.
“Yes, sir!” Jake immediately replied quietly.
“You’re a smart boy,” Fred continued gently when Jake did not venture to speak further. “That’s good – for both of us. Just remember to call me ‘sir” from now on when we speak. The first time I excused because you didn’t know. I won’t punish mistakes when you don’t know that you’ve made one. But once you’ve been corrected mistakes *will* be punished. The occasional honest mistakes not harshly; just enough to remind you of your place. But if you seem forgetful or rebellious, you won’t like what happens to you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Jake quickly, who was after all no fool.
Fred grinned. “I like you, Jake. We ought to get along quite well together. I am expected to train you, but perhaps you’ll have an easier time of it than most of our clients if you continue to be smart.”
Jake almost said something when Fred finished, but he remembered just in time not to.
Fred led Jake along the path slowly enough so that the hobbled boy had no problem keeping up. “I’m responsible for your care while you are here. I’ll see to it that you have enough water to drink, food to eat, and that you’re kept clean, warm, exercised, and healthy. You may now ask me one – and only one - question about anything you like. I’ll answer it if I can.”
Jake thought carefully but quickly; unsure if this offer had a time limit. “How do I eat or drink if my hands are cuffed behind me and I always have a gag on?”
“You can drink water through the gag,” replied Fred. “It’s not difficult. Didn’t you see anyone else drinking water while you were in your cage? No? Well, just stick your face into the water bowl carefully and you’ll find that you can lap up water easily enough. Gags are removed when you are fed, and then of course you can drink more freely still. Your hands will still be cuffed though; you’ll have to earn the privilege of eating with your hands free. Meanwhile, you don’t need your hands to eat. Dogs eat without using hands all the time, now don’t they?”
Jake wasn’t too happy about this response but had the sense not to protest. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he imagined.
“Well, since this is your first day it’s only a short walk for you now,” Fred told Jake. Meanwhile, it’s almost feeding time. So I may as well begin your training and feed you at the same time.”
Fred led Jake to a table just outside the back of the house, where Jake saw a water bowl beside an outdoor faucet. Fred turned on the faucet, washed out the bowl, and then filled it with cold water. Then he unlocked one of Jake’s handcuffs, pulled Jakes wrists in front of him, and re-cuffed his wrists in front of him. “Go ahead and drink your fill now, and then we’ll begin.” Fred told him.
Normally Jake would have been unwilling to drink water under such circumstances as these, but he was too thirsty by this time to protest. He got down on his knees and prepared to lift the bowl to drink from it.
“No, leave the bowl right where it is,” Fred told him. “You must drink from it without using your hands.”
Jake suppressed a sigh and bent his face down to the bowl. But he didn’t lap up the water like a dog, but simply suctioned it in – this was faster and easier. After all, Fred hadn’t said he had to lap it up, and Jake felt humiliated enough as it was. Fred made no objection, so Jake figured he’d guessed correctly. Jake took comfort from the fact that the older boy did not seem to be looking for excuses to punish him; so perhaps he could get through his training without ever being punished at all provided he was cooperative.
While Jake was drinking, Fred was talking to someone on his cell phone. Another boy dressed in white came out of the house carrying a plate in his hands. This boy seemed to be Jake’s age, though a trifle taller and more slender, but had the same curly reddish hair and facial features as Fred. “Thank you, Robin,” Fred said to the other boy as he set the plate on the table and turned to go; sparing a long but silent look at Jake. The boy quietly nodded in response to Fred, smiled at Jake, and walked back into the house.
“All right, Jake… come in front of me and kneel,” instructed Fred. Jake did so as Fred removed an object a couple of inches long and half that in width from the plate. Jake realized it was a pizza bite; there were several others still in the plate. Fred held the treat out at arms’ length in front of Jake and said, “Beg!”
Jake knelt down and held his arms limply like a dog. He whined for good measure.
Fred popped the tidbit in Jake’s mouth, and Jake ate hungrily. It was only then that he realized that the bulge in his groin was betraying to Fred how Jake was feeling about all this; those darned skimpy Speedos weren’t hiding that at all!
“Yep, I’m really going to enjoy training *you*,” Fred said with a quiet laugh.
i think i had it posted at DA too before my CaptainQuirk5 account was shut down.
