the Games Player: That was then, This is Now (MF/mfF)

[KP Presents]

It really was a typical weekend afternoon- Gail often drops the kids off with me to spend the day, and this one was no different. My granddaughter Gail is twelve, and that day was wearing a red checked sleeveless blouse, jeans and trainers. Timmy is nine, and was wearing a checked shirt with his sleeves rolled up, tan pants and his own trainers.

Me? I had on a denim waistcoat and jeans, with a grey t0shirt under the waistcoat, and black ankle boots. Anyway, like I said, a typical day, the kids were sitting at the table in the main room doing their homework while I prepared some lunch.

I was just putting it down on the kitchen table, and was about to call them in to have their food, when the day took that very strange turn. I heard the door to the garden at the rear open, and turned round to see who it was – and there she stood.

She wasn’t much taller than me, and while I have greying blonde hair she had dark brown hair – which was forced down under the stocking that she had pulled down over her head. She was wearing a dark sweater and leggings, with the legs tucked into over the knee black boots, and she had black leather gloves on her hands. She also had what looked like a gun in one hand, as she looked at me and said “please, let’s not start shouting or screaming. Remain calm, and everyone gets to have some fun this afternoon.”

I looked at hr, but ~I was also thinking of my grandchildren, so I said “look, I won’t cause any problems – what do you want here?”

“Well, your valuables,” she said as she looked at the food on the table, “but we need to make sure the kids stay calm, don’t we? Who is here?”

“My grandchildren – why?”

“Well, I want you to tell them that I am here to play a game with them – a game of hostages. I promise you, I will not hurt them, but before I leave all three of you are going to be left unable to raise the alarm for a while.”

“A… You’re one of the Games Players, aren’t you?”

She smiled and nodded – I had heard of them, and from the stories, she was telling the truth. “Okay then,” I said quietly, “I’ll play along, but…”

She looked at me, her head to one side as I remembered something, and then said “will you allow me to tell them a story, make it easier for them to take?”

“What sort of story?”

“I have to trust you when you say you will not hurt them – so will you trust me please?”

She slowly nodded as I said “please, put the gun away, and sit down.” As she did this, I saw the rucksack she put on the floor, and then went to the door.

“Gail, Timmy – lunch is ready, and I have a surprise for you.”

“Coming,” I heard Gail say, and they came into the kitchen – and then saw the masked woman sitting there.

“Gran…”

“Sit down, and don’t be afraid,” I said with a smile, “this lady is someone I have hired to come and play a special game with all three of us – a game of hostages.”

“Hostages,” Timmy said as he sat down, “you mean like someone who is kidnapped?”

“Well, in this case, she is going to pretend to rob me,” I said as Gail sat, never taking her eyes off her, “But it is just a game, and we will all be the same. It does mean later we may not be able to move or talk for a while, but it is just for fun – and I did it because I want you both to have an experience I had when I was your age Gail?”

“You Granny?” I nodded as I sat down, and said “yes – so eat up while I tell you about it…

I was the same age as you, Gail, and on this particular day I was at home with your great aunt Bertha, your great uncle Tim, and your great grandmother. This was in the early seventies – that day I was wearing a red sleeveless top and matching bellbottom pants, the top over a chocolate brown roll neck sweater, and black and white shoes.

Bertha was wearing a vest that was the same colour as my jumper, over a white long sleeved blouse, and white pants with a pattern on them. She was also wearing a pair of white boots. As for Tim, I remember he was wearing a light brown jumper, and grey pants that had huge pockets the same colour as his jumper, as well as black shoes.

As for my mother – well, she had been to the office that day, so she was wearing a mustard coloured waistcoat with one button fastening it at the front, over a long sleeved white blouse that had this massive white bow at the neck. She was also wearing a short, checked skirt, and this pair of white boots that came up to her knees.

We had all come home from school, and were sitting at the table, doing our homework just as you were when Mum came in and asked if we wanted a drink. All three of us nodded our heads as she went to the kitchen, and cam back with three glasses of squash and some biscuits.

Only she wasn’t alone when she came back. There were two men with her – men we had never seen before. They were dressed in black, like this woman here – but they wore dark glasses, and one of them stood with my mother while the other one put a bag on the floor. It opened as he put it down – and I could see if I looked over the ropes inside.

“Kids,” she said quietly, “I want you to do what this man says. Don’t be afraid, whatever happens – and we’ll talk about all this later, all right?”

We all nodded as the man with her said “give them their drinks and the snacks – as for you three, stay in those seats and don’t move. My mate here is going to tie your ankles and legs so that you cannot get off the chair.”

Well, we knew this was not a good thing, but we also knew we had no choice, so I sipped from my glass while the second man knelt beside me, and used a length of rope to tie my ankles tightly together. He used a second length of rope to tie my legs together below my knees, taking it around and between my legs, before he stood up and wrapped more rope round my waist, forcing me against the chair back.

Kneeling again, he took my ankles under the seat, and I felt him using more rope so that they were secured to the bar at the back of the chair. He then pushed my chair in, and said “finish your homework” before he went to Bertha and knelt by her.

By the time he had finished, all three of us had our legs and waists secured, and we were finishing our work while eating and drinking at the same time. The man with my mother took her by the arm, and said “hand me some ropes.” The second man gave him some ropes from the bag, before he said “I’m taking your mother for a walk. Don’t worry – she’ll come back to join you.

“When they have finished, secure their arms, and make sure they stay quiet.”

The second man nodded as my mother was taken out of the room, the three of us looking at each other as we wondered what was going to happen next. As it was, we didn’t have to wait long, as Tim said “I’m finished.”

“Lean forward, and out your hands behind your back,” the man said. The chairs we were sitting on had slats of wood in the back, with spaces between them so we both watched as the man made Tim put his hands through the gaps and sit back, before he used more rope to tie his wrists together and then to the chair back. He tried to move as I made one last note, and then said “I’m finished as well.”

“You do the same,” the man said as I leaned forward and put my hands behind me. He guided them through the gaps as I sat back, and then felt the rope on my wrists as he tied them together. When he had finished, they were secured to the chair back, as he walked round to do the same to Bertha.

So there we were – tied to the chair, unable to move, and we knew what was coming next as he held a roll of brown sticking plaster in his hand.

“Please…”

“What is it kid?”

“My brother – he’s allergic to that plaster. If you are going to keep us quiet, please use something else for him.”

He looked at Tim, and then nodded before he tore a long strip of the brown sticking plaster off, and said “purse your lips kid.” He then pressed the tape down over my mouth with his gloved hands, before Bertha was silenced in the same way.

He went back to the bag, and took out a white silk scarf, which he rolled into a band and then tied a knot in the middle of. Walking behind Tim, he said “open your mouth as wide as you can,” before he pushed the knot between his teeth and lips and then tied the band tightly round his head.

“Whllhushhlrhttthm,” Bertha mumbled as she looked over, our brother nodding as he closed his lips over the band.

So there we were, tied and gagged – and then the first man brought our mother back into the room as the chair was pulled away from the table. We could see her arms were behind her back, and also that she had brown plaster pressed down over her mouth.

“Hffhhnkghd,” she said as she looked at Tim, before she was at in the spare chair. One of the men then wound rope round her upper body and the chair back, while the other one knelt down and started to tie her ankles together, then her legs below her knees.

Her ankles were then secured to the front leg of the chair before e she was pushed into the table as well, all four of us looking at each other as the men left the room. We were like that until my father came home – they had even pulled the telephone wire out of the wall just in case we had managed to move…


“Wow,” Timmy said, “what happened when your father got home?”

“Well, we were all a bit stiff,” I said as I watched them finish their lunch, “and the scarf Tim had in his mouth was very grey and damp at the corners of his mouth, but we were all right otherwise.”

“So,” Gail said quietly as she looked at the Player, “are you going to tie us to these chairs?”

“No,” the masked woman said with a smile, “but I will make sure you and your brother stay in a room, and your grandmother will join you later. Have you both had enough?” As they nodded, she said “well, I want you both to give me your mobile phones, and if you promise not to raise the alarm, I’ll let you both go to the toilet.”

“You can use the downstairs one,” I said with a smile as both Gail and Timmy gave her their phones, before they stood up and went out of the room. The Player stood up and took a length of rope from her rucksack, as she said “let’s begin – stand up, and put your hands behind your back.”

As I stood, she came behind me and crossed my wrists behind my back, before I felt the rope round them as she began to tie them together. It was soft, but she knew what she was doing, so that when Gail and Timmy came back they could see I could not move them apart.

“Let’s go into the front room,” she said as she picked up her rucksack, “and I want you Timmy to pull the curtains closed before you both stand with your hands behind your back.”

“Okay – this is going to be fun,” he said as he walked to the front room, Gail coming with me as he pulled the curtains over the windows, leaving the room darker as I sat down and watched. The Player said “so, let’s get you both secured for the game” and walked behind them, taking Gail’s arms behind her back first.

It was a surreal experience, watching the masked woman as she tied Gail’s wrists together behind her back, and then doing the same to Timmy, before she took a longer rope and wrapped it round his body to make sure his arms stayed at his sides.

“You’re all going to be the same – makes the game more exciting,” she said as she looked at me, Timmy nodding as she made two bands with the rope, his arms fixed to his sides before she did the same to Gail. I could see the bands on her bare arms, but she seemed to be coping, as she tied the ropes off behind her.

“Now then,” she said with a smile, “I want you both to sit in front of the couch, and stretch your legs out.” I watched them both as they did so, and she took more lengths of rope from the bag, kneeling and starting with Gail as she took the rope around and between her ankles, the band sitting on top of her jeans as it was pulled tighter and tighter.

She then tied her legs together below her knees, again taking the rope around and between her legs, before she did the same thing to Timmy. As he twisted his legs round, she looked at both of them and said “I should ask – are either of you allergic to medical tape?”

They both shook their heads as she smiled and said “good” before standing up and going to her rucksack. She took out of it a wide roll of white tape, both of them watching as she said “I’m going to put this over your mouths, and then I have one more thing to do before I take your grandmother for a walk round the house. Is there anything you would both like to watch?”

“Can we watch Encanto Granny,” Gail asked, and I nodded as I watched the Player peel a long length of the tape from the roll, then press it down over Gail’s mouth, covering it from ear to ear as I saw the shape of her lips underneath. She did the same to Timmy, before she helped them both to lie on their stomachs and took their ankles back, securing them to the ropes at their back before she put cushions under their heads, and turned the television and PS5 on.

Once she had the film starting, she said “come with me, Granny” as she helped me to stand, Gail and Timmy nodding as we left the room.

“Thank you – they don’t seme scared,” I said as we walked up the stairs.

“Well, your story helped them,” the masked woman said as we went into my bedroom. Putting her rucksack on the bed, she took out a long rope and bound my arms tightly to my sides, my waistcoat opening up as they framed my chest.

“Now then,” she said as she looked at me, “let’s do this with a minimum of mess. Tell me where your valuables are, and any combinations.”

For the next hour, I had to help her steal my jewels and other things, before she took the roll of tape and peeled a length off.

“What happened when I go downstairs?”

“I’ll leave you like them, put on the couch – just remain calm and you will all be fine.”

“Then, thank you,” I said as I pursed my lips, and felt the tape as it was pressed down over my mouth. It did not tug as much on my skin as the brown plaster did, but I had the feeling I was not going to be able to say much, as we walked back down the stairs.

“Hlgghrhrnn,” Timmy said as I looked at them, and then sat on the couch, watching as the Player secured my ankles, and my legs below my knees. I then managed to lie on my stomach as she pulled my ankles back and tied them to my chest ropes, then rolled onto my side so that I could watch Gail and Timmy and the film with them.

“Now, wait till the end of the film, and then try to get free,” she said as she picked up her rucksack, “first one to make it to the kitchen gets a surprise.” But I could feel the knots at my ankles, could see the knots on them – and I knew we were going to be there until their mother called for them…

[Dpsiic]

Nice change of tack, writing it from the victims perspective.