MONDAY
Tying Up the Loose Ends
The jury needed to decide upon both the nature and the duration of the forfeits. Sam wanted to prolong the suffering of the losers in order to torment his little brother to the maximum possible extent during what was almost certain to be his last “Tied Game†with his Troop but other voices of reason decided that there should be no sign of the less conventional “un-Scoutlike†activities before Gill and her family were likely to return.
Vic started to cheer up. The jury decided that, because the forfeits were the last for the Tied Olympics, they should be prolonged until midnight. Vic protested. The nature of TUGers’ logic always escapes me but to the boys the decision seemed perfectly logical and, to most of them, totally reasonable. So that was duration decided, now all that was left was the careful consideration of each individual case.
Three Scouts (Land Farmers) were left in need of securing along with JT. Sam immediately “bagsied†his brother to tie; Vic’s desperate appeal for justice was denied. Joe tried the same tactic and offered to finish tying his larger twin. The fair-minded jury thought that it would not be appropriate for Big Steve to be tied by a member of his own Troop and Joe’s disappointment was evident. Joe was such a nice kid, though, that Alex offered to supervise to make sure that he treated his brother “fairlyâ€. One twin’s mouth turned up at the ends showing a row of perfect teeth and the other’s turned down as he slumped in total defeat. Luke wasn’t too bright but even he knew who’d be given the privilege of finishing his bondage and torturing him, but he knew that was something he’d have to put up with. Scott approached his little brother. “Brace yourself, Shit-Head.†Luke shook his head resignedly. But he was still smiling – just. At least his brother couldn’t be TOO cruel to him within sight of the others.
Matt and Max volunteered to tie Rusty, who seemed to be happy with the decision. He was going to be good value to future games. George, however, wasn’t too happy when Action Man’s bid to use George to instruct his “apprentice†in tying techniques was granted. Tarzan, on the other hand, was delighted. That left just JT to have his fate decided. Much to his delight, Jamie and Long Tom won the contract.
The next account is quite difficult to write as various events take place simultaneously, not only the forfeits but also the necessary showering and changing on the part of the other contestants. However, I shall do my best.
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Scott collected one long and one normal length pioneering stave, two large wooden tent-pegs, a few ropes and a neckerchief before he went to beg one of the medical dressings from Ben. Once he was equipped, he returned to his little brother, picked up one of the plastic chairs and headed for the trees. “Here, boy!†Luke knew he’d have to follow his big brother as best he could. It would be better than being “taken†forcibly. Scott found a tree with a strong horizontal branch about two metres from the ground and, as he was waiting for his brother to make his slow, rolling and crawling progress to his place of torment, he placed the chair under the branch and mounted it. He took a longish rope and, using the middle of it, tied a clove hitch round the branch. Having made two further loops round the branch with each free end, Scott secured them with a reef knot. That should provide enough friction to prevent Luke using his weight to move his arms later. By the time the dirt-encrusted smaller boy arrived, Scott had finished securing the longer pioneering stave horizontally at about what he guessed to be shoulder height to his brother. Luke looked up resignedly at his grinning big brother.
“Face down.†Luke rolled over and Scott sat on the small of his back. “Legs up.†Scott leaned forward and gathered his brother’s bound legs and untied his ankles. Luke’s newly freed legs fell to the ground and Scott dismounted. “Head up.†Luke raised his head and found his eyes bound with a Troop neckerchief which was tied rather too tightly for comfort and knotted multiple times behind his head. “Stand up.†Luke struggled to his feet. He was getting used to performing that manoeuvre with his hands bound. Scott then freed his prisoner’s wrists. Luke could have made a run for it at that stage but he knew that to do so would be social death; this was not part of the feud but a forfeit that he would have to pay as a result of losing a consensual game.
Scott guided Luke to where he wanted him to stand and told him to stretch out his arms. Luke did as he was told and Scott congratulated himself on getting the height of the stave about right. It took about ten minutes for Scott to bind his brother’s outstretched arms and leave him crucified. He’d tied him by the wrists, about half way along his forearms, at his elbows near where he’d secured the original rope, around his biceps and near his armpits. Luke had very little scope for movement and he wasn’t even sure that the tying would prevent Scott getting access to his hairless armpits for what he knew would be the inevitable tickle assault.
The next thing Luke felt was the smaller pioneering stave being held against his left leg. Scott soon secured his ankle with a square lashing. By the time he had done the same to his right ankle, not only had the initial square lashing tightened up but Luke was unable to draw his feet much closer together than about a metre apart. That left the rope from the tree stretched tight and Luke unable to bend his legs without his feet leaving the ground. Scott had even tied his victim in such a way that the bindings around his arms, having been tied in one rope, prevented the rope from the branch slipping towards Luke’s body thus denying him the relief that that would afford. The bizarre oscillations demonstrated by such prisoners were clearly demonstrated as Scott gave his brother a series of little shoves and flicks to his nose and ears.
“Bastard.â€
“OK, Shit-Head?â€
Honour demanded that Luke had to admit that he was. That was the last thing he had the opportunity to utter clearly before Scott stripped the protective layer from the surgical dressing and pressed it firmly into place over his little brother’s lips, his cheeks and most of his chin. “And now I shall test the gag,†announced Scott only just before he gave his brother the most painful pair of simultaneous nipple cripples of which he was capable. “Yep, I suppose that’ll do. Pity I didn’t stuff your mouth though.†With that and a casual back-hander to the gut Scott abandoned his helpless prisoner for a short while to see what else was going on.
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“OK, Farmer Boy. You’re not going to enjoy this.â€
“Just get on with it, you lanky stream of bat’s piss, and stop gloating.†Vic knew he couldn’t avoid what was coming to him but he wished it wasn’t his brother who had been given control over him. And he’d called him far worse things in the past. The kid with the “come to bed†eyes was still trying to decide whether the decision that his forfeit should not go on beyond midnight meant that it was likely to last right up to that time. With his brother in control of him, he assumed that it would so he could see no reason to be polite to his tormentor. Still, he knew that he had to remain on his knees with his hands on his head until he was told otherwise. Sam’s rather feline face was formed into a Cheshire grin as he revelled in his brother’s helplessness.
Sam, being a skinny youth, was renowned for his suppleness (as well as his surprising strength; he certainly had a power-to-weight advantage over most boys his age) and he told his brother that he wondered whether he was also still capable of having his arms bound so that his elbows touched behind him. He thought that he would find out. I’ll edit out the language that passed between the two siblings but readers should assume that not much of it was complimentary and that, other than occasioning mocking laughter and sarcastic intakes of breath, it didn’t affect the others who had become used to it over the history of the inter-troop feud.
Sam decided that he’d try to do what he’d always wanted to do: make his brother disappear. He used some of the techniques that had previously been demonstrated when Long Tom was prevented from taking up too much room. First. he told his brother to tie his own ankles to his opposite knees and to be sure to get it right unless he wanted to lose “Those Speedos with the girly pink flash†in spite of the fact that Vic wore “Arena†briefs. Sam watched over his brother’s efforts as he toyed ostentatiously with his sheath knife.
Vic crossed his legs but Sam knew he could do better and, to the accompaniment of his brother’s kindest regards, insisted that he did so. Eventually Vic had tied his own ankles rather cruelly to the opposite knees. “Not good enough yet, worm.†and Sam threw his brother a hank of paracord. “Toes, and make sure you lash them above your knees.†Vic knew exactly what Sam meant and started lashing his left big toe with a clove hitch and several round turns before pulling the cord uncomfortably tight and wrapping it several times around his right leg just above his knee. Admittedly, he made several false starts until Sam was satisfied. Vic just couldn’t bring himself to beg for mercy so Sam made him pass the hank across to his left leg and wrap it round several times. He deliberately didn’t force him to wrap it any tighter than he did at first attempt; he knew it would soon hurt like fuck as it was. “Let me help you.†Vic looked daggers as Sam took the hank, tied the cord round his right big toe and tied it off carefully before cutting the cord.
“You’re going to be left like that for quite some time. - - Unless you’re VERY humble in which case I MIGHT consider cutting the paracord and binding your calves together instead. But you’ll have to plead VERY sincerely.†Vic repeated his opinion of his brother. He’d never been this cruel to him before, even in the feud.
Sam took a long rope and doubled it and then his climber persona cut in. He tied a loose figure of eight knot about a metre from the bight in the doubled rope and told his brother to sit up and raise his hands while he knelt behind him. Sam passed the long loop in the rope up across Vic’s torso and over his right shoulder before throwing it down again over his left one. He retrieved the end of the loop and brought it close to the still loose figure of eight just about in line with his victim’s shoulder blades. After some further adjustments, Sam skilfully retied the knot by threading the bight around it. When he’d finished, the knot would have made a smart presentation in a glass frame but, once Sam had gradually pulled it tight, that knot was going nowhere and, to his immense satisfaction, it sat just about where Vic’s elbows would be when he tied them.
“Yes! Oh, this boy’s good.†Sam congratulated himself. Vic begged to differ. There was lots of length left in the free ends of the rope and Sam had to work quite slowly if his tying was to be as secure as he would have liked it to be. He wound the ends in counter directions just above Vic’s elbows for a couple of turns and then pulled tight. Vic’s howl occasioned by the rope burn was quite impressive. “Oh look, your elbows CAN still meet!â€
“XXXXX.†(Vic’s reply has been suppressed out of consideration for readers’ sensibilities. Let’s just say that it contained words that rhymed with bucking and punt.)
Sam tied a reef knot by Vic’s trapped elbows and another simple overhand knot in the doubled rope near his wrists, which were soon secured palm to palm and cinched off with a couple of frapping turns. Sam lifted the rope high causing stress to his brother’s arms and shoulders. “No, there’s no need to thank me. Now, should I tie your thumbs?â€
I don’t think Sam understood Vic’s reply because the sharp sheath knife made short work of the paracord as Sam cut off a short piece of it. Vic’s thumbs were soon bound in a parody of the wrist bondage. “Now, now, don’t be like that; I could tie the rest of them as well.â€
As soon as Sam was no longer supporting him, Vic immediately suffered the indignity of falling backwards with his bound legs in the air. That was a popular move with the audience, even his fellow Scouts. “Beg me and I won’t tie you up any more.â€
“Get stuffed. This is supposed to be a forfeit, not your own personal revenge.â€
“You sure?â€
“Twat.â€
“OK then.â€
Sam almost made the sighing sound as though he really did regret what he was about to do to his little brother. He used a neckerchief to blindfold Vic and teased him that he could still cut his briefs off and gag him with them. Vic suddenly decided there was nothing wrong with begging after all. Sam magnanimously agreed to use Vic’s own Troop necker and one of Ben’s dressings as long as Vic didn’t resist. Vic was left pathetically squirming on the ground while his big brother went for supplies.
Vic was as good as his word and Sam managed to get his victim gagged but he didn’t bother to explain that he’d emptied the entire contents of his rucksack over quite an area as he was looking for the neckerchief. “Last chance. Beg me not to tie you up any worse.â€
The two gagged syllables didn’t seem to amount to what Sam wanted to hear so he carried on with what he intended to do in the first place. He dragged Vic over to where there was a Yew tree with a hefty horizontal branch but, with Vic being unable to stand, it didn’t need to be as high as the one to which Luke was secured. While he was in Vic’s tent, Sam had also got hold of Vic’s precious camp blanket which, without warning, he passed over the head of the seated boy. “Wouldn’t want you to catch cold, would we?†He then passed the free ends of the rope hanging from Vic’s wrists in opposite directions over the branch and pulled them tight, forcing Vic to lean forwards with the back of the blanket draped over his arms. Sam’s monkey-grip hands then held his brother uncomfortably only just in contact with the ground while he wrapped each end round the branch a few times and pulled them tight. By this time there was enough friction to stop the rope from slipping until Sam could tie it off.
Vic was not happy but, even though he was offered the chance to say the safe-word, he still couldn’t stand the humiliation. He was determined to tough it out as if his torment was part of the feud. Sam thought that the blanket had helped him to make his brother disappear but he really didn’t want to see his face. An unconventional use of a towel and some of the Sellotape that Martin had brought for H. Q. use seemed to solve the problem to Sam’s satisfaction.
Sam’s smug-count had probably reached its peak, his face was certainly split with another cat-like grin but even he was aware that, having stressed his unfortunate brother’s body to the extent that he had, he needed to keep a close eye on him and give him frequent opportunities to use the safe-word. (“Harry Potterâ€, since you ask. The rhythm of the words is easily recognised even when the speaker is gagged.) If it wasn’t his brother who was torturing him, Vic would probably have used the word very early on in his ordeal.
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A grinning Joe and his “supervisor†approached Big Steve, whose wet, white Arena briefs with the black band had managed to collect considerable grass-stains when he was dragged into place and as he tried to wriggle free while the jury deliberated. Joe hadn’t been lucky enough to be in such a position of power over his stronger twin before and he was going to enjoy himself.
Steve tried charm. “Oh, come on Joe, you wouldn’t want to hurt me, would you?â€
Joe just kept grinning.
Steve tried threats, “Oh, come on Joe, you wouldn’t want to hurt me, would you?â€
Joe remained unimpressed. He was determined to make the best of his unique opportunity. “Do you reckon Ben could spare a couple more of those white plasters?â€
“I expect so. I’ll go and ask.†Alex was only too willing to run errands for the smaller twin. He’d always had a soft spot for the underdog.
“Now, what should I do? Hog-tie? Parrot perch? Crucifixion? Spread-eagle? . . .†The normally taciturn Joe seemed quite eloquent all of a sudden as he straddled his wriggling twin’s back. “Of course, you could always beg for mercy, then all I’d have to do is tie you to a tree for a few hours. How does that sound?â€
“You – are – a – dead man! You know that, don’t you?â€
“La, la, la; la, la la. I can’t hear you.†said Joe incongruously leaning forwards and sticking his fingers in Big Steve’s ears.
Steve bucked furiously but totally ineffectually. Alex returned with his booty which included a few ropes and other things that he thought Joe would find handy as well as the surgical dressings for which he had originally gone. There were several picnic tables under the trees and Joe asked Alex whether he thought he’d be allowed to use one. Alex couldn’t see why not and he helped Joe to carry Steve over to one of them and to lay him on it facing up.
Steve was, of course, still bound hand and foot from his swim and, other than checking the ropes, Joe saw no need to do anything about that. Alex agreed; it looked like this kid was going to take the easy way out. For them that is but he thought that “The Hippyâ€â€ might not find things quite as easy. He couldn’t help remembering that time when his Troop had both the Twins at their mercy and when they used the catapults to pelt them with cow-pats and pony crap. How situations change.
“Yes! It works!†announced a triumphant Joe once Alex had slid his brother backwards and forwards on the table under his instruction. What pleased him was the way Steve’s lower legs hung down over one end of the table leaving his shoulders just clear enough of the other end to allow his bound arms to be forced underneath the tabletop. Alex’s expertise seemed a bit redundant as Joe ducked underneath the table and completed a fairly loose hog-tie. That left Steve lying on the slatted surface and capable of very little longitudinal movement.
Joe tested the access to his brother’s feet, thighs, torso and neck ready for his forthcoming tickle ordeal. During the test, Steve was still capable of a certain amount of lateral movement which Joe declared to be unsatisfactory. Alex suggested binding Steve’s thighs to the outer slats of the table. That sounded like a good idea so the tormentor and his mentor set about the task. Steve wasn’t exactly delighted as his knees were separated with the resultant stress on his bound ankles. “You might be able to outrun me but you’ll never be able to relax again. Remember that, Titch.†It was like water off a duck’s back; Joe was enjoying himself too much.
Steve’s head, because it was unsupported, hung down keeping his long, wet hair out of his eyes. Nevertheless, Joe still made sure that he snagged quite a lot of it as he plastered the dressing over his twin’s eyes before thoroughly rubbing it into the contours of his face while his red-headed assistant held him in his muscular arms.
Once more with a combination of bad luck and bad timing, Big Steve brought his brother’s life expectancy into question. Bad timing because Joe, having finished blindfolding his helpless twin, now had his hands free. Bad luck because Steve was unable to see Alex looking alternately towards something he’d left on the table and then towards his face. Nothing was too much trouble for Alex who had donated one of his used socks to the cause. Once Joe had cottoned on and picked up the rolled lightweight Brigdale, which was laughingly described as being “breathableâ€, Alex pulled Steve’s head firmly backwards and Joe forced the smelly item into Steve’s unprepared mouth and held it into place while Alex prepared the remaining dressing. Big Steve had no chance of expelling the noxious garment before it was trapped by the over-large dressing that Joe then pressed carefully into place but he was unable trap much hair this time. Even with the hair falling away from Steve’s face, there was not much of that face visible other than his nose and the underside of his chin. At least he became suddenly quieter.
Joe and Alex abandoned him to go and see what was happening to the others.
TBC