The Games Player - Christingle (F/Ff)

[KP Presents]

It was the Sunday before Christmas, and there was a light scattering of snow on the ground outside the grounds of St Barnabas Church, the Anglican church in this Shropshire village. Why was I parked in the car outside listening to Christmas songs on the radio?

Well, it had a lot to do with the wife of the Reverend Richard Cartwright, vicar of this parish. Virginia Cartwirght, his wife, would probably be better known to you as Ginny Harcourt, actress and authoress – and given this was the busy period for the church, Steve and I had thought today may be a chance for her and their two daughters eight year old Hannah and six year old Bethany, to have a little time-out on a busy day.

It was dry, the air was cold, as I saw thew congregation come out, and then Virginia with her daughters. All three of them were wearing black capes over their clothes, as they talked to Richard in his robes, and then walked to the vicarage next door while he went back into the church – I had seen the schedule for the day on the notice board, and he was going to help with a choir rehearsal and then prepare for a Carols by Candlelight service. I saw all three of them were holding decorated oranges with a candle on top – and smiled as they went into the front door, before I got out of the car and walked to the large house myself. I was wearing a black leather jacket over a roll neck sweater, and leggings tucked into over the knee black suede boots – and as I walked up the side of the house, I put on my leather gloves and pulled the stocking down over my head, before looking through the kitchen window.

Virginia was standing by the table, her long blonde hair falling over the shoulders of a pink peasant top with short sleeves, and a long black skirt with black felt boots on her lower legs. She didn’t turn round as I opened the back door – amazing how trusting some people are – and let myself in, slipping my rucksack off my back until she felt the barrel of the starting pistol I used against her back.

“What… Who…”

“I’m a big fan of your work, Mrs. Cartwright,” I said quietly, “so much of a fan, I decided to come and pay a surprise visit with you and your daughters while your husband does his vocation. Remain calm – do as I say, you and your daughters can have a relaxing afternoon.”

Virginia did not look round as she said “I… I was preparing some lunch for all three of us. Whatever you are going to do, please, allow us to eat first.”

“Of course – in fact, I’ll help you carry it through. Turn round.” As she turned and looked at me, I saw the top had a white lace trim round the neckline and was gathered at the waist with a drawstring tie – and that her skirt split at the front, her boots coming up to her knees.

“Please, my babies…”

“Will be fine – they might even enjoy what happens, if you do what I tell you to do.”

“And what is that?”

“That this is a surprise game, and they are going to surprise their father along with you later. Now, where is your mobile phone?”

“In… In the front room with the girls.”

“Well, we can fetch it later. For now, do what you were going to do.”

“So, you are going to rob us?”

“I am – but think of the girls, and prepare your lunch for all three of you…”

“I will not lie to my children…”

“Mrs. Cartwright – Virginia – ask yourself if you want your children to be scared and upset when I make sure all three of you are left unable to raise the alarm – in any way. You do understand what I am saying, don’t you?”

Virginia stared at me, and then slowly nodded as she said, “so this is a game?”

“This is a game – would you like some help?”


Thirty minutes later, Virginia opened the door to the front room and said, “lunch is ready girls – and we have a visitor.”

“Who is it Mum,” Hannah said as she saw me carry in a tray. She had a pink bow tied in her long light brown hair and was wearing a pink top with long cuffs – one under the other, that covered her hands – as well as a pale blue pleated cotton skirt, white tights and knee length sand coloured cloth boots with straps up the front. Her younger sister was wearing a long sleeved pink dress with a pleated wide skirt that came to her knees, and another pair of boots like her sister – but instead of a bow, she had a length of white cord tied in a bow in her hair.

“Hello,” I said, “let me put the tray down and give you your lunch and a drink while your mother explains who I am, and what we are going to do once you have eaten.”

The two girls looked at Varonica as she sat down, her hands on her lap as she said “Well, girls, we thought we would play a special and exciting game this afternoon while your father is at the church. He knows what is happening, and when eh comes home we will be able to give him a big surprise.”

“What sort of game, Mummy,” Bethany asked as I gave her a plate with food and a glass of juice to drink.

“Well,” Virginia said with a smile, “you know that Mummy writes books and stories for a living? Well, I am working on one that is based on a very well known criminal in the papers – they are called the Games Player, because they get the parents to pretend a robbery is a game the family will play.”

The two girls nodded as Virginia took a deep breath. “So, Alex here is an actress on a film of one of my stories, and I asked her if she would play the part of the Games Player – and take us through a visit by them, so that I can see how it would feel for myself. I know it is asking a lot of you girls, but if she is going to do this correctly, then she needs to treat us all as a family the Player visits.”

“What does that mean, Mum,” Hannah said quietly.

“It means,” I said as I handed their mother her food, “that I have to make sure none of you can raise the alarm, both while I am here and when I pretend to leave. It won’t hurt, and when I am done, I am going to light your Christingle candles on the table so you can watch them burn while some music plays. What music shall I put on for you, Virginia?”

“There are some Graham Kendrick CDs there – I’ll tell you which one to put on,” she said as she took a drink, and Bethany looked at me.

“so how will I know it won’t hurt?”

I slipped my rucksack off and opened the top, taking a length of cord out as I said “well, how about I do something that means you won’t be able to move your ankles apart, and you can tell me if it hurts or not. Deal?”

Bethany nodded as I knelt in front of her and doubled the cord over, before I passed it round her ankles and drew them together, securing them as the rope went around and between them while her sister and mother watched.

“there,” I said as I tied the ends off, “does that hurt?”

“No – no it doesn’t. what else would you do?”

“let me take another length, I’ll fold the skirt of your dress back and tie it round your leg below your knees as well. Ready?”


Bethany nodded as I tied her legs together below her knees in the same way as her ankles and then folded her skirt back as she twisted her legs round.

“Are you going to do this to Hannah and Mummy as well?”

“Your siter yes – but I need your mother to come on a walk round the house for me, just as the real Player would do. So, keep eating and drinking while I tie your sister’s ankles and legs as well.”

Virginia watched as I secured Hannah’s legs while she finished her food, so that she could only twist her legs around as well. She smiled as she said, “well we can’t move Mum – are you going to join us?”

“I will do,” Virginia said with a smile, “when the Player has finished with me. So – what are you going to do now?”

I smiled as I said “Well, it’s not just your legs I have to make sure you can’t move – it’s your wrists and your arms as well. I’ll show you what I am going to do on your mother – and then when you are ready, I’ll do the same thing to each of you before we go for a walk. Watch.”

I took two longer ropes from my rucksack as I said, “will you please stand up, Virginia?” As she did so, oi walked behind her and guided her hands behind her back, crossing her wrists and using the shorter of the two lengths to secure them tightly together. I then passed the doubled over longer length round her body, pulling it tight under her chest and then taking it around above her as her daughters watched.

“that looks tight, Mum,” Hannah whispered as I took the rope round several times, then tied the rope behind her before I fed the rope under her arm at one side, up and around the back of her neck, and then under the other side.

Tying the ends off, I held Virginia’s arms and said “there – is that uncomfortable?”

“It should be, but it isn’t,” Virginia almost whispered. “I think if we sit still, girls, we’ll be fine.” She sat herself down as I said “so – who wants to be first? You don’t have to get up – I’ll do it from behind the couch.”

“I will,” Hannah said as she handed me her plate and glass and I put it on the tray, before I took the rucksack behind the couch and took more ropes, crossing and securing the young girl’s wrists behind her back with the rope sitting over the lower cuff of her top. I then passed the rope round her arms and body in the same way as her mother, so that she was tightly secured as I tied the ends off out of reach of her fingers.

She looked at Bethany and said, “it feels like a big hug – put your hands behind your back,” then she watched with Virginia as I made sure Bethany was tightly secured as her sister.

“Now, your mother is going to take a walk with me. Can I trust you both to sit nice and quietly, or do I need to make sure you really cannot call for help?”

“Just sit quietly girls until I come back,” Virginia said as she slowly stood up, the two girls nodding as I opened the door and we walked out. As I closed it, Virginia looked at me and said, “you were right – if they knew this was a real robbery, they would be terrified.”

“I know,” I said with a smile, “but now let us do what has to be done – where shall we start?”

“Our bedroom – follow me…”






When we came back in, the two girls shuffled to either side of the couch they were sitting on as Virginia sat between them, the three of them watching as I knelt down and bound her ankles tightly together – the white cord sinking into the soft black fabric and making it lighter at the edges of the tight bands. I then moved her skirt to the side and secured her legs together below her knees, taking the rope between her legs to make it tighter as well, and then stood up and said “there – any questions?”

“So, what happen snow,” Hannah said with a smile.”

“What happens now,” Virginia said, “is that the Player stops us from calling for help, by stopping us from taking for a while. She will then light the candles, put the music on and turn the lights on the Christmas tree on – and the room lights off. We can then wait for your father to come home.”

“How is she going to stop us talking,” Bethany asked.

“Good question,” I said with a smile as I took a small pink cloth from my rucksack and folded it into a pad. “the first part is to put one of these into each of your mouths. Ready?” Bethany nodded as she opened her mouth and let me push the cloth in, closing her lips and watching as a second pink scarf went into Hannah’s mouth, and then a folded head scarf into Virginia’s.

“whhdhdsmhhgthabhhghrchlf,” Hannah mumbled.

“Because she is bigger and I need to really make sure she cannot call out. Now part “.” I took a wide roll of white tape from my rucksack, peeled a length off and tore it free, and then gently pressed it down over Bethany’s mouth, covering her chin and making sure there were no creases.

“Try to talk now,” I said, Hannah and Virginia watching as the young girl said “cchhuhhrmmhh?”

I covered the mouths of the other two with tape as well, as they mumbled to each other, and then I took the tray, plates and glasses to the kitchen, coming back and turning on the Christmas tree lights. I then put the Christingle candles on the low table in front of the couch they were sitting on and lit the three candles using matches I found in the kitchen. I knew there was the possibility Virginia might try to burn through the ropes round her wrists – which is why we had a safety talk, and she understood if she tried, she and the girls may get hurt or worse.

I then put on the CD she had indicated and turned the lights off, the family sitting in silence as the music started and I made my way out.

“Look to the skies there’s a celebration,
Lift up your heads, join the Angels throng…”