The activities in this story are real, but I have changed the names and locations. A small amount of artistic licence may have been taken here and there.
The people in this tale are:
Scout Leader Philip
Scouts:
Paul 12
Thomas 11
Matthew 11
Simon 10
And various others that didn't get caught!
CHAPTER ONE
The late afternoon sunshine was filtering through the heavily leafed trees in the woodland scout camp. We'd arrived at lunchtime after a three-hour drive to our annual summer camp. We were to stay for one week exploring the local area, learning new skills and generally having a fun time. Tents peppered the little clearing. Mess tents for eating, Patrol tents for sleeping, my little leaders tent, and an odd shaped tent that was essentially a dumping ground for equipment.
The scouts had spent the afternoon pitching camp, collecting firewood and water, marking out their Patrol's territory. We'd gone over the ground rules and were now in the process of finishing eating the evening meal, cooked by each Patrol on their own altar fire; some of it more edible than others. Everyone was now ready for some fun.
As the light fades on a camping trip, attention is turned to that day's 'wide game'. Usually some form of expansive and energetic contest of strategy and cunning. For the first night I'd decided that we'd keep things pretty simple. It would be a game of 'capture the flag'. The three patrols would scatter and within the woodland area defend their base. The objective was to gain access to the base, and retrieve the other Patrol's 'flag' (actually a coloured tea towel). Each scout had two pieces of wool, one tied around each wrist. If they were 'tagged' by having the wool ripped off they had to return to the base to have it replaced. In return they had to spend 10 minutes in 'jail'. If they were tagged three times they were out of the game and had to stay in jail until the game was over.
Jail was the mess tent, and tents are not particularly secure, so it would be necessary to restrain any scout that got caught, for which a supply of rope was supplied. Each Patrol was sent out to find a spot for their base, and the game would start on the blow of a whistle.
As the shrill sound subsided, the voices in the woods were raised. Standing outside the jail I could see the torchlights flickering back and forth through the trees. It didn't take very long for the first scout to appear, missing one of his woollen loops. I showed him into the tent.
"You didn't last very long Matthew!"
"I know" he said a little dejectedly, "I thought I could see another base".
"Don't worry, you'll get another go, but try to be a little less obvious!" I told him, not expecting a change of approach. "Ok, you need to stay here for 10 minutes, so I need to tie you up."
Matthew looked a little taken aback, but offered no resistance as I turned him around.
"Ok, put your hands behind your back" I said as I untangled the first piece of rope. I tied his hands firmly, but checked to make sure I could get a finger between rope and wrist. I sat him on a bench and tied his legs together.
"Ok, does that feel tight?" I asked, as he peered up at me.
"Yep" came the reply, as he wriggled into a more comfortable position.
"Ok, good. Tell me straight away if you feel any tingling" Starting the stopwatch, his 10 minutes incarceration began.
No sooner had I exited the tent than the next prisoner arrived. Out of breath and red in the face, Paul wanted his new tag so he could get straight back into the fray.
"Woah! I said, you have a 10 minute time-out first."
He seemed a little annoyed by that. Paul was a bit of an Alpha within the Troop. Very sporty, and talented with it, he was ultra-competitive. So being tagged was a bit of a hit to his pride. "Go into the tent" I said, nodding to the door flap. He rolled his eyes and lolloped towards the opening. He walked in, barely registering Matthew who was sat there as meek as a mouse.
Wanting a bit of variation, I told Paul to lie on his back along the length of one of the benches. They are about 6ft long and a foot or so wide. I pulled his hands over his head, tying his wrists together. The remaining length was taken over the end of the bench and then down to the legs where it was tied off. The slightly annoyed look Paul had an arrival had now been replaced with a calmness. Maybe this helped him relax, I thought. I went down to his feet and pulled him towards me. As he slid along the bench his arms were gently being stretched to full length. I tied another rope around his ankles, cinching it and as with his arms, pulling the rope over the end of the bench, anchoring it to the legs underneath. Paul was now stretched fully, but seemed comfortable. I gave him the same advice as Matthew - to tell me straight away if he got any tingling.
I'd only just finished tying Paul as Matthew's timer went. It was time to release him back into the game. I untied him and gave him his new woollen loop. Warning him that if he got caught again, he would be in jail until the game finished. He nodded that he understood and I let him out of the door.
Looking back over to Paul, I decided that he needed a little more restraint to keep him on the bench. If he flopped to his right he would effectively untie himself from the bench. Another length of rope was procured. Looking at him I decided the best course of action would be to tie it around his waist and under the bench, attaching him directly. I asked him to breathe in so that it would hold him tightly. As I finished tidying up the ends I asked him if he was comfortable.
"Yes" he replied, "thankyou".
It wouldn't be very long before the next victim scout would be along....
TO BE CONTINUED (if you're enjoying it
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