The Lady Traders

 

By Peter Walsh

 

One

Hazel and I were kept gagged during the shop’s business hours and usually beyond them.  Our captors used this as a precaution against our making our situation known to the outside world.  After all the kidnappers also had a legitimate business to run and did not want to have to worry that we would not behave ourselves.

 

‘I know those gags are uncomfortable’.  Jason had told us.  ‘It is just a matter of getting used to them’.

 

The gags that Hazel and I were obliged to endure were only one torment amongst many.  We were tied up, lying on the cots most of the time and had only three or four hours of liberty in every twenty-four.  My captive partner and I dreaded if Jason and his partner Robert decided on an evening out, this meant being gagged and bound without any respite.

 

We were still unsure of what fate awaited us at the hands of our kidnappers.  Jason and Robert had already emptied our bank accounts and used our credit cards to their maximum limits.  They had gained access to our respective cars and managed to sell them on.  So far they had profited well out of us but what was next?  It was a strange scenario, two slightly built picture framers who worked a sideline as serial kidnappers.  Things like this were not supposed to happen in a non-descript town in middle England where Hazel and I lived and worked.

 

 

My name is Susan, I am forty-one and have been divorced for two years.  I worked as an Office Manager for an insurance company. I enjoy reading books, walking and have recently discovered yoga and am (almost) happy not to be in a relationship.  I managed to become a kidnap victim by virtue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It had been the last thing I had expected when on a brief bout of shopping. It was on one of the town’s quieter roads off the high street when I came across ‘In the Frame’.  It resided in a small row of shops between one that sold kitchen utensils and another selling carpets.  Apart from framing, Jason and Robert also sold pictures and it had been my misfortune to be interested in one on display in their window.  They had been polite and friendly and I had not really noticed the way they must have been looking at me.  I made the mistake of stretching out the conversation with them.  However my biggest mistake was to be enticed to the back of the shop to view some other pictures that may have been of interest to me.  I had no idea that these two pleasant looking younger men had sinister plans for me.

 

When I was safely out of sight either Jason or Robert clamped a white cloth reeking of some type of drug over my face.  They were stronger than they looked and I was held fast until the drug sent me under.  When I awoke I was lying on a cot like bed in a small room with a boarded up window.  I was tightly bound and gagged. My jacket and shoes had been removed and I lay on the cot in my sweater, skirt and tights.  Jason and Robert were checking the contents of my shoulder bag.  They removed the gag and asked me questions regarding my credit and store cards and about where I lived.  Once satisfied by my answers the gag was replaced.  I had been kidnapped and my own ransom was being extorted from me.  Being a single forty one-year old woman who worked, I was not rich but I suppose a determined person could profit from me in certain ways.

 

I was being held in a room upstairs from the shop and Jason and Robert knew how to tie a tight knot.  They jokingly told me it had been all they had learned in the Boy Scouts.  My wrists were bound behind my back; the knots on the ropes well away from my straining fingers and my black nylon covered ankles had been crossed and roped together.  I was gagged with a handkerchief stuffed into my mouth and held in place by a black nylon scarf securely tied over it.  The scarf had been liberated from my bag and thankfully the wadded handkerchief packing my mouth was clean.  They seemed to show some concern for my welfare.  I was allowed toilet breaks, to clean up and was fed in the morning and evening.  Despite this I was uneasy, being kidnapped and tied up is not an everyday ordeal.  Unfortunately the way I lived my life nobody would know that I was missing for quite a time.  Jason and Robert could continue to rob me at their leisure.

 

Two

I had been held prisoner for about three days and nights when suddenly I had company in the form of a fellow victim.  The door to my room opened and Jason and Robert appeared jointly carrying a limp form. There was a vacant cot on the other side of the room and they deposited their burden on it.  Being bound and gagged all I could do was watch. 

 

The new victim was a short, full figured but attractive dark haired woman in her mid-forties. She was wearing a grey jacket and skirt, a white blouse, black tights and black shoes.  Jason swiftly took off her jacket while Robert relieved her of her shoes.

 

Jason briefly had turned to address me.  ‘Susan, this is Hazel.  Hazel this is Susan’.

 

Using the thin but strong white rope they bound her wrists and ankles and finally applied a gag consisting of a wadded handkerchief and a folded red silk scarf.  Once satisfied that their new captive was secure they left the room locking the door behind them.  I was alone with a new captive companion.   I tried to talk to her through the tight bands of black nylon trapping my mouth but could manage little in the way of noise.  This was my first experience of wearing a gag and it was far from pleasant.  The white cotton handkerchief jammed between my jaws was sopping wet but the rest of my mouth was dry and sticky around it.  The scarf covering my mouth was tightly knotted over my hair and I could only breath slowly and a little noisily through my nose.

 

I was not sure how long it took for Hazel to wake up from the effects of the drug but it seemed like a long time.  She shook with shock surprise at her captive predicament and began to struggle against her bonds.  She then noticed me and became slightly self-conscious.  I must have looked strange to her, all tied up and with a black scarf gagging my mouth.  It was not until later when our gags had been removed did we get the chance to formally introduce ourselves.  Hazel worked in local government and like me lived alone.  She had entered the shop to enquire about the cost of framing some treasured prints.  Her kidnapping had also happened when she was shopping.

 

‘We’re not rich?’  Her attractive face bore a look of puzzlement.

 

‘Rich enough for their purposes I suppose’.  I had told her.

 

‘What will happen to us?’

 

‘I don’t know’.  That was the truth.

 

Three 

It was morning and Hazel and I lay on our respective cots with our wrists and ankles bound.  Jason and Robert stood over us holding the materials for our gags in our hands.

 

‘Susan and Hazel, you have been our guests for a while now’.  Jason told us.  ‘This inclines us to trust you a little more, so if you promise not to cry for help, we won’t gag you today.  Promise?’

 

Hazel and I exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

 

‘We promise’.  We told them.

 

‘Good but we’ll hold you to it’.  They then left us.

 

Hazel and I then whispered a plan.  There was little chance of us freeing each other from our bonds as a looped length fastened to the end of the cot secured the ropes about our ankles.  We were not gagged on the promise of our good behaviour; promises were made to be broken.

 

The room in which we were held prisoner was upstairs at the back of the shop.  We could often hear the voices of the visitors along with those of our captors down below.  Hazel and I would lull Jason and Robert into a false sense of security by going along with our side of the bargain for a while.  Until we could hear evidence that there were multiple visitors to the shop and then we would yell for all we were worth.

 

Unfortunately our captors were not stupid.  They had obviously considered all possible scenarios.  If things looked like getting hectic in the shop, Jason or Robert would rush upstairs and quickly gag us, Hazel with the red scarf, me with the black one.  Our plan foiled, Hazel and I would lie there silently fuming, our eyes angry over our respective tight gags.  There would be no respite and no chance of freedom.

 

 

Four   

Hazel and I were allowed downstairs to eat breakfast with Jason and Robert.  Drugged cloths, ropes and gags were close by to ensure we behaved ourselves.

 

‘Good news for us’.  Jason then said.

 

Hazel and I looked at him.

 

‘We’ve found a buyer for you, somebody local’.

 

‘What do you mean?’  I asked him.

 

‘Well, we have made about a hundred and twenty grand out of you both.  This was from your bank accounts, credit cards, cars and stuff from your homes.  However, you must not forget that you are both worth something too’.

 

Hazel and I exchanged worried glances.  Jason was enjoying himself.

 

‘You are two ladies, slightly older but attractive all the same and Robert and I know somebody that buys and sells nice slightly older ladies.  Together you are worth a tidy sum and the deal takes place tonight.  We are taking you to the other side of town’.

 

We both made to protest, standing up from the table but after a brief and very one-sided struggle they quickly tied our hands and gagged us before ushering us both back upstairs to be once more tied to the cots.  Hazel and I kept up a frustrated protest throughout the day.  We made as much noise as we could through our gags and rocked the cots on the floor.  We were ignored.

 

When our captors ceased trading for the day they came up brandishing a holdall.  ‘Fresh clothes for you both, borrowed from your homes’.  Jason announced.

 

We were untied and our gags were removed.  Hazel and I were both allowed a shower and given an opportunity to apply some make-up.  Hazel and I were surprised to find that our wardrobes were fairly similar when we were both given white tops, black skirts, black tights and black high-heels to wear.  Jason and Robert then took us downstairs where we were made to sit on the sofa.

 

Robert then said.  ‘You both look most attractive, we’re not going to tie you up for the journey across town but we need to ensure you are quiet’.  He then produced two long strips of almost transparent plaster.  ‘These are going over your mouths’.

 

Hazel and I exchanged sorry glances.  Robert tore the backing off one plaster strip and stooping slightly, indicated that Hazel should look up at him.  Robert smoothed the plaster across her mouth sealing her lips in a tight kiss of silence.  Then it was my turn.  Robert’s fingers made sure that every square millimetre of that plaster stuck to my face.  I turned to look at Hazel again and saw her lips pursed together behind the clear plaster, my own must have looked the same.

 

Jason then went to the small iron cabinet against the near wall and after unlocking it liberated an object wrapped in cloth.  I then saw the small black automatic gun in his hand.  ‘Yes it’s real and it’s loaded.  Have I said enough?’  Hazel and I quickly nodded.

 

It was dark when Robert brought their old Volvo around to the front of the shop.  Jason swiftly hustled his prisoners out to the car.  He sat in the back with Hazel and his gun.  I climbed into the front with Robert who was to drive.  If anything untoward was to happen, Hazel would be the first to suffer. 

 

We left the place, which had been our prison and drove along quiet residential streets.  It was a pleasant but brief diversion. Jason and Robert talked cheerfully between themselves but Hazel and I just sat there with our mouths plastered into silence.  We were driven to the other side of town and arrived in a respectable looking neighbourhood.  I missed the name of the road.  The Volvo came to halt outside a large house of three floors with a sizeable front garden.  I looked up and saw a window in the slope of the roof and thought that was probably where we would be held.  Robert got out and went up to the front door.  A formidable looking man with a beard flanked by a tall blonde woman answered the door.

 

Jason waved his gun.  ‘Let’s get inside’.

 

Five

It was warm in the house and under different circumstances might have been welcoming.  I liked the décor and the pictures on the walls.  The bearded man looked us over then smiled and nodded to Jason and Robert.

 

‘They look good.  What are their names?’

 

‘The slim one with the blonde highlights is called Susan, the cuddly dark haired one is Hazel’.

 

‘Right, get them upstairs and tied up then we can sort out the finances’.  The bearded man said.

 

‘I’m on it’.  The blonde woman told him.  She smiled at Hazel and I with a cold glee.  ‘I do the tying up and gagging in this house’.

 

Robert swiftly peeled the plasters from our mouths but we did not say anything.  ‘Goodbye ladies’.  He said.  Jason just smirked.  Then they retired into another room with the bearded man.  That was to be the last we saw of them but I had the uneasy feeling that our paths might cross again in the future.  I dreaded the latter feeling.

 

Hazel and I meekly followed the blonde woman up the expensively carpeted stairs.  I did not think of trying to escape, I knew I would not get far.  Hazel must have thought the same.  The blonde woman was probably around fifty but was fit and strong looking, she wore a black silk blouse, a tight black skirt, black seamed stockings and shoes with very steep heels.  We went up three flights of stairs until we came to a stout looking door.  The blonde woman unlocked it and went inside flicking on a light switch.  The room was carpeted and quite comfortable looking with a large divan bed as its centrepiece. The only window was the skylight cut into the roof.  The blonde woman went to a small chest and after opening it gathered up a large selection of silk scarves in a variety of colours and patterns.

 

‘Face the bed’.  Hazel and I were ordered.  ‘Place your hands behind you’.  We obeyed both commands.  Hazel and I had our wrists bound with silk scarves.  They were far more comfortable than the rope but made bonds that were just as tight and immobile. ‘Turn around and sit on the bed’.  We again obeyed.  A white silk scarf was looped around Hazel’s black nylon clad ankles, tightened and knotted.  My ankles were then also bound, the scarf being made tight about them.  Further scarves then secured our legs just below the knees.  I glanced at my captive companion and made a pathetic attempt at a reassuring smile.  Hazel shook her head slightly and cast her eyes down; she was completely resigned to her immediate fate.  Hazel and I got ready for the inevitable gags.  The blonde woman already seemed very busy on that score.  She was again delving into her chest.

 

The blonde woman held up a pair of white cotton socks.  She deftly balled one up in her long fingers with their lavishly painted nails and then addressed Hazel.  ‘Open your mouth’.  Hazel looked up, hesitated and then obeyed.  The blonde woman adroitly stuffed the sock into Hazel’s mouth.  She balled up the second sock and turned to me.  I could see no point in waiting to be asked so I dropped my jaw accordingly, an instant later my mouth was crammed full of white cotton.

 

The blonde woman then folded two more silk scarves into narrow strips, which were forced between Hazel’s and mines lips, trapping the balled socks in place.  The scarves were tightly knotted behind our heads.  She then tied wider, slightly thicker scarves over our first gags.  Finally further scarves folded into triangle shapes were then fastened about our faces covering them completely from the bridges of our noses downwards in the fashion of a mask.  Hazel and I turned to look at each other’s gag masked faces.  I tried to say something but found I could not utter a sound.  Hazel looked at me with wide eyes over the layers of silk covering more than half her face.  It was slightly awkward to breathe with this new method of gagging, which I supposed was the intention.  We would have to keep still.

 

‘Move up on the bed and lie down’.  Came the next order.  We did as we were told.  I was surprised to find the bed most comfortable and Hazel and I laid our heads on double pillows facing each other.  We were captive, bound and gagged but almost comfortable.  The blonde woman then left us, turning off the light and locking the door behind her.

 

Hazel and I lay on the bed, bound and helpless, gagged and silent.  The moon shone in through the skylight bathing our captive bodies in a milky light.  We settled down to another night of captivity.

 

Six

I woke up and saw the sunlight streaming in through the small window.  I blinked up at it over the layers of silk half shrouding my face.  My eyes switched to Hazel, sleeping peacefully opposite me.  Despite the discomfort of our gags and bonds we had both managed to rest.

 

I then heard the click of the lock on the door as it opened.  The blonde woman entered the room.  She stood over us and smiled.  She was not a natural blonde I noticed the dark roots.  She had a harshly attractive face but wore too much make up around the eyes. Those eyes were cold.  Hazel stirred and turned to look up at her.

 

‘Did you sleep well my darlings?’  She asked us.  The reply I gave was hardly worth the trouble it took.  ‘You are both quite cute’.  She then said. With the layers of silk fastened about our faces all that was visible was our hair and eyes.  ‘I’m going to make some calls today and I don’t imagine any problems finding new homes for you’.  New homes?  What were we?  Stray cats?  This was strange.

 

The blonde woman stroked Hazel’s hair and still smiling came around to me.  She ran a hand up my bound legs, stroking them through the black nylon of my tights.  Her hand went up under my skirt, I tensed slightly and then she withdrew it.

 

‘My partner and I buy and sell ladies like you.  There is a big demand for more mature women, mother or aunt type figures. You two seem to fit our bill perfectly.  You are both divorced and live alone and it will be a while before you are missed.  We deal in quality merchandise to the right people.  You may even find yourselves being sold as a pair.  Who will buy you?  Wealthy young couples that want maternal figures in their homes or men wanting a specific partner.  You will be expected to do exactly as you are bidden but there can be substantial rewards for co-operating’.

 

We had been kidnapped and were to be sold as slaves to sections of the middle class.  This was fantastic and terrifying. 

 

Seven

We were freed, allowed to use the bathroom and given something to eat but not together.  Hazel was untied and had her gags removed and left the room in the company of the blonde woman who had a firm grip on Hazel’s arms.  I stayed on in a state of solitary captivity until Hazel was returned to the room.  I patiently watched the blonde woman tie up and gag my companion with an impressive swift and quite ruthless efficiency and dump her back on the bed.  Then it was my turn for a brief spell of freedom.  It was heaven to have the three gagging silk scarves and sock removed and also to enjoy gloriously free arms and legs.  After the bathroom visit I was taken downstairs to a well-appointed kitchen where the bearded man had prepared a breakfast for me.  As I ate, they talked about me.

 

‘Slightly the more attractive of the two, don’t you think?’  The bearded man said to the blonde woman.

 

‘Yes, a bit taller and nice and slim’.  She replied.  It was a compliment I suppose.

 

‘She will be easier to place with a buyer, shall we try to move her first?’

 

‘I’ll make the call’.  The blonde woman said.  I did not look up from my generously loaded plate of food.  I was hungry that morning.

 

I was soon reunited with Hazel.  The blonde woman tightly bound me with the scarves and I meekly submitted to the three-scarf and sock treatment of the gag.  She pushed me down so I was again prone on the bed facing Hazel.  The blonde woman then left us, locking the door behind her.  With most of our faces hidden by the gags Hazel and I could only communicate with our eyes.  They reflected our sense of resignation, our fate had been decided and there was nothing we could do about it.

 

Eight

It was getting dark when the blonde woman next paid us a visit.  She stood at the foot of the bed and again smiled down at her helpless captives.  She pointed at me.

 

‘You are a lucky lady Susan, you might not have to spend another night here’.  I drew no comfort from her words.  Whatever was planned for me I was certain that it did not involve my freedom.

 

‘A couple have expressed an interest in you.  They sounded very nice, young and wealthy and they live in a lovely part of the country’.  The blonde woman had her back to me.  She was sorting through a drawer in the small chest where the silk scarves used to secure us had been kept.  ‘I need you to look your best’.  She took out some folded garments and laid them on the foot of the bed.  Ignoring Hazel she approached me and started to untie the silken bindings about my legs.  I was soon free but the gag hiding most of my face remained in place.

 

The blonde woman pointed to the clothes on the bed.  ‘Get changed’.  I did as I was told.  I shed my own clothes until I stood naked before my captor.  I quickly donned a skimpy black bra and some matching panties that were a little on the snug side.  I heard the blonde woman rip open some packaging and then hand me a pair of sheer jet-black stockings.  As I sat on the bed to roll them on I noticed that they were seamed like the ones the blonde woman was wearing.  Next I donned a silk blouse of a shimmering emerald green and a tight black skirt about ten centimetres shorter than any I had worn in the last ten years.  I slipped back on my own black patent shoes, the heels of which were not in my captor’s league but enticing enough.  I then stood up and faced the blonde woman.

 

‘Your gag stays on for now’.  The blonde woman picked up two of the white silk scarves off the bed and then taking me by the arm escorted me out of the room.  I heard frantic noises from Hazel as she thrashed about on the bed but I was not allowed the chance of a backwards glance.  Hazel would be on her own and scared.

 

Nine

I was taken downstairs to the lounge where the bearded man was waiting.  He gestured to a comfortable looking chair.  I sat down in it.  The blonde woman was then in front of me.

 

‘Hold out your hands and cross your wrists’.  She ordered me and promptly bound my wrists with one of the white silk scarves.  She then dropped to one knee and secured my black stocking clad ankles with the second scarf.  I was now a well-dressed, well-trussed captive awaiting a potential buyer.

 

‘What time did they say they’d be here?’  The bearded man asked his companion.

 

‘Eight’.  She replied.  I looked at the clock on the wall.  Twenty minutes to wait.

 

The three of us waited in near silence and I started slightly when I heard the front door bell ring.  The bearded man got up from his chair.  The blonde woman stood over me.

 

‘They will probably want your gag removed to get a better look at you and hear you speak.  If you try to scream both you and Hazel are dead and I do mean dead.  Do you understand?’  I nodded quickly.  I then heard voices in the hall, the bearded man’s along with that of another man and woman.

 

A slender and attractive dark haired girl clad in an expensive black trouser suit then entered the room.  A good-looking young man who was also smartly attired followed her.  The blonde woman offered them refreshment, which they politely declined.  They looked me over and nodded to each other.  The couple then sat down on the sofa opposite me with the blonde woman.  The bearded man stood to one side, keeping a watchful eye on events.

 

‘She’s wearing a double gag under the scarf about her face so there is no danger of her crying out’.  The blonde woman told her guests.

 

‘Must be uncomfortable?’  The girl commented.

 

‘Right!’  The blonde woman said in a cheery yet business like voice.  ‘A little about her, her name is Susan, she is forty-one, divorced and lives alone, her family is scattered about.  She was acquired for us last week and she has not been listed as a missing person yet’.

 

‘We don’t have any living parents or any aunts’.  The young man said.  ‘We are looking for that type of figure to have around our home’.

 

‘I think Susan would be ideal for you’.  The blonde woman told him.

 

I sat there both angry and scared but able to do nothing about this terrible situation.

 

‘I would like a better look at her’.  The girl said.  ‘Will you take the scarf from around her face?’

 

The blonde woman got up and reached over to pull the scarf down from my face.  More of me was now visible to the young visitors.

 

‘She is attractive’.  The young man commented. 

 

‘I’d like to see her without any gag, is that possible?’  The girl requested.  ‘Will she cry out?’

 

‘She has been ordered not to’.  The blonde woman re-assured her.  She rose again and pulled the scarf down from where it tightly covered my mouth.  The other scarf forced between my lips was then also removed along with the horrid damp balled up sock.  I sat there with three silk scarves hanging about my neck.  I flexed my jaw, as it was very stiff.   The bearded man let me sip from a bottle of mineral water.

 

‘Yes, attractive’.  The young man said and the girl nodded.  He then asked me.  ‘Susan?  Do you have any children, nieces or nephews?’

 

‘No’.  I said softly.  ‘I don’t’.

 

‘Would you like some?’  The girl asked me.  What reply could I give?  It was something that had been put to the back of my mind.

 

‘Yes, I think so’.  I replied without really thinking.

 

‘Do you like the look of us?’

 

‘Yes, I think so’.  I said again.  They seemed pleased.

 

‘I think the gag should be put back on’.  The blonde woman then said.  ‘Just in case she gets any ideas about screaming’.

 

‘Ok’.  The young visitors said.  The blonde woman un-knotted the scarves about my neck and then after stuffing the awful sock back in my mouth, tied them tightly back in place.  One cleaving my lips and pressing against the sock, another firmly over my slightly open mouth and finally the final one that not only further muffled but also masked me.

 

‘We’d like to make an offer?’  The girl then said.

 

‘Ok’.  The blonde woman replied.  ‘However, I must remind you of a few things.   All of what we are doing is against the law, so you will be required to keep her hidden, tied up and gagged until she comes around to your way of thinking.  Also she becomes your responsibility, we will not take her back’.

 

‘We are aware of what we might have to do’.  The young man said.

 

‘Good!’  The blonde woman beamed.  “Let us talk about money’.

 

Silently behind my gag I cursed these awful people who had stolen me away from my life.

 

Ten

I did not know to be offended or flattered that I was being sold for a considerable amount of money.  The couple paid for me in cash, handing over a very fat brown envelope to my captors.  I sat there as a secure and mute witness to the proceedings.  I glared at them over the silk scarf about my face, mustering every gram of hated and disdain I could.  This amused everybody.

 

‘I’m sure you will be very happy with her’.  The bearded man told the couple. 

 

‘I’m sure we will’.  The girl said.  She was standing by me and stroking my hair.  What did they have in store for me?  The young man in his expensive suit stood over the chair in which I sat as a prisoner.

 

‘If you make us happy, we can make you very happy’.  He told me.  Suddenly something told me to stop glaring at him, so I did.  I then thought it best to smile with my eyes, so I did.

 

‘That’s better!’  He said.

 

‘Let’s get her ready to travel’.  The blonde woman said.  She came over and dropping to one black stocking clad knee she untied the scarf restricting my similarly attired legs.  I was brought to my feet.  My wrists were unbound from the front but then I was turned about and had my arms brought behind my back where my wrists were re-bound.  ‘Have you tied anybody up before?’  She then asked the couple.

 

‘We have some experience’.  The girl replied.  ‘Should we keep her gagged for the journey?’  She then asked her partner.

 

‘Best to’.  He replied.  ‘Anyway those silk scarves are a nice touch’.  I would remain silent and masked.

 

‘I have some chloroform if you want to her unconscious for the journey?’  The blonde woman offered.

 

‘Oh no!’  The girl said.  ‘I think she has suffered enough’.

 

I was manoeuvred out of the room and out of the front door.  The night was warm and the street was deserted.  Nobody would be coming to rescue me.  The young man proceeded to the large Mercedes 4X4 parked outside the house.  I was steered towards it by the blonde woman and the girl.  Soon I was on the roomy backseats of the vehicle with my ankles once again bound and firmly strapped in.  The tinted windows blocked any view of me from outside.  I was more than helpless.  I then thought about Hazel still captive up in that room.  Bound and gagged, alone and frightened.  What fate was planned for her?

 

‘Thank you for all your help’.  The girl told the blonde woman and the bearded man as she climbed into the front passenger seat.  They said their goodbyes and soon we were driving away from that house of torment.

 

I was driven out of town and soon the Mercedes was eating up the miles on one of the motorways heading north.  Bound and gagged in the back all I could do was watch the darkened countryside and the headlights of the other vehicles.  I heard the couple talking about me.  The girl would turn occasionally and smile at me.  I was surprised to find that her smile was that of reassurance.

 

‘Don’t worry’.  She then said.  ‘You won’t have to be tied up for much longer we’ll be home in an hour.  You’ll like our home. Don’t forget it’ll be yours too.  We’ve made up a lovely room for you and tomorrow I’ll get you some nice new clothes’.

 

Home, lovely rooms and new clothes, it was hardly what a kidnap victim could expect?  The girl’s words sounded like those to a visiting parent or aunt. What exactly did they want from me? My new captors seemed quite sweet.  The mystery was getting deeper but was almost starting to sound good.  I settled back and as much as my gag and bonds would allow made myself comfortable.  Perhaps I should keep an open mind, things might not be so bad after all?  I would have to wait and see, as I couldn’t do anything else.  Right now paradise was the promise of getting that wretched sock out of my mouth.

 

The End