The Initiation
Charlie, Allen, Scott, Doug, Ronnie, Mark, Little Kevin, Big Chris, and Red Jeff were parked in front of the television at Red Jeff's house. It was mid morning on a Saturday, and the boys had interrupted their trek to the ball field to watch an episode of "Rin Tin Tin."
The program ended with Corporal Rusty being made the "blood brother" of Pokewah, the chief's son, and Little Kevin said that he thought that was neat, and that they should put their heads together, and come up with an initiation for the troop, too.
"You mean we all ought to become blood brothers, like on TV?" Big Chris asked.
Kevin thought for a moment, then answered "No, not really, but something else."
Scott laughed, and said that ought to be expected from someone who hates needles and going to the doctor for shots.
"Hey, smart ass, I don't hear you coming up with any ideas." Kevin snarled.
"I wanna tie up Ronnie." Mark interrupted.
"You always wanna tie up Ronnie." sniffed Charlie.
"Hey, wait!" Allen said. "Maybe he's got something."
"Yeah, a hole in his head." Ronnie countered. "Every time we have a sleepover, or go on a campout, somebody, and usually a whole bunch of somebodies, gets tied up. That's nothing new."
"And don't forget all those games of 'hide and go seek,' and 'team chase' we play." chimed in Doug.
"True, but there just doesn't seem to be any order to it." Ronnie said. "There's no structure."
"Well, how would you 'structure' it?" Charlie asked.
"If he's gonna be initiated into the troop, then he has to wear a scout uniform for the initiation." Allen said.
"That makes sense." Doug said, and nods and murmurs of agreement came from the others.
"And since he's being initiated into the troop, whoever is doing the initiating should also be wearing a scout uniform." Charlie added. Again, more nods of agreement.
"How many?" Big Chris asked. "Does he get initiated by one of us, all of us, or what?"
"Five seems like a good number." Kevin said.
"Five's a little heavy." said Ronnie. "How about three?"
A discussion and vote came out seven to two for three. Surprisingly, Mark was one of the two, apparently not realizing that he would be one of the first to undergo this new initiation plan. That is, if the other boys could all come to an agreement.
"And then what?" Charlie asked.
"Well, if he gets tied up to see how good he can escape, he ought'a have to tie his initiation team, to see how good he can tie." Red Jeff volunteered.
"That's not a bad idea, either." Scott said "But there ought'a be more."
"We could make him do it twice, with two different teams of three." Little Kevin suggested.
"What about making him capture three kids from another troop?" asked Big Chris.
"I like it, but you never know when they're gonna be around." answered Allen. "I think we'd be better off keeping it in our own house."
After some thought, Chris agreed, then told his friends that they ought to do it twice, but with the same team. "How about if he keeps his uniform, and his team wears jeans or cords, or maybe Kevin could wear his buckskins that he got from his cousins.
"They could wear pajamas, too!" Kevin offered.
"You and your pajama Indians." sniffed Ronnie. "That has got to be the single dumbest idea anybody ever came up with."
"Give him a break." Charlie said. "He's only 11."
"Yeah, and the next time we have a sleepover, and you get tied up in your pajamas, why don't YOU let him tie a bandana around your forehead, and stick a feather in it?" Ronnie growled back. The others laughed.
"We can see if it works when Mark joins the troop." Kevin said, grinning at his best friend. "We could initiate him as the troop mascot, and again as a scout when he turns 11."
Mark scowled back, and said that maybe the last three scouts that joined would be better "test subjects." "The three newest members are Kevin, Doug, and Charlie." he said.
Kevin and Charlie immediately protested, and Doug sort of half-heartedly went along. He was not looking at this as a test, but as another opportunity to show off his escape skills. A protest was expected from him, but it was weak.
"If I'm not on the initiation team, can I watch?" Kevin asked.
Ronnie, seeing an opportunity to toss out a barb, sarcastically said "Sure, but you can't interrupt, or talk to the initiate or the team unless they talk to you, and since you like pajama Indians so much, you gotta wear yours, and be tied up."
Little Kevin did not think a whole lot of that idea. "That's dumb." he shot back.
"Not any dumber than your stupid pajama Indian idea." Ronnie retorted.
"Hey, maybe that ain't such a bad idea." Doug said. "I'd be willing to get tied up if I could watch you guys initiate Charlie. Even in my pajamas."
"You would!" Charlie growled back.
"I think I'd rather be on the team that initiates him." Red Jeff added. That comment brought more nods and murmurs of agreement.
"OK, let's see what we got." Charlie said. "We all agree that when a new kid joins, he wears his uniform, and so does his team. Each guy on the team ties him up, and then, he ties them up, right?" The others all agreed. "Then, they do it again, but he stays in uniform, while the others change, right?" Again agreement.
"And then, he stays in uniform, while the team changes into jeans or cords, or whatever, and they do it all over again." Charlie continued.
"Right!" Allen said. "But there's got to be more, like when he gets tied up, he has to escape at least twice out of the three times in 20 minutes or less, and when he ties his team, he's gotta keep two of them tied for at least 20 minutes."
"Give him 20 minutes to escape, but he should only have to keep his team tied for ten." Big Chris offered.
"I like it!" Scott said. "Let's add that in."
"What about tying him up in his pajamas?" Kevin asked.
"How'd you like to be pajama'd right upside your head?" Ronnie growled back.
"Yeah!" Red Jeff added. "You like pajama tie ups so much, I'm sure we can arrange some for you at the scout house sleepover next weekend."
Kevin started to say something, but thought the better of it.
"Should we initiate our three newest members, or should we wait, and let Mark be the first one we initiate?" Scott asked.
"Initiate the three newest members." Mark exclaimed.
"You ain't in the troop yet, so you won't be initiating anybody." Ronnie said. "But we'll let you watch, if you sit in the corner, all tied up and gagged."
"But he's the troop mascot, and he can get a uniform from the clothing exchange." Kevin argued.
"Yeah, and be tied up in it again for borrowing it." Allen said. "Besides, if we include Mark as one of the three newest members, it lets Kevin off the hook. Instead of Kevin, Doug, and Charlie, it'd be Doug, Charlie, and Mark."
"Some best friend you got." Doug teased. "He's trying to weasel out of getting initiated at your expense, Mark."
"It's OK." Mark replied. "He's been taking weasel lessons from you." That comment brought laughter from all of them, and a comment from Doug that if he really wanted to take weasel lessons, the best teachers were the weasels over in Mike Hayworth's troop. Everybody agreed with that assessment, and again, there was laughter.
"So we got this sorted out yet?" Ronnie asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Scott answered.
The crowd broke up, with Doug joining Scott and Allen; Mark and Kevin going off with Red Jeff and Big Chris, and Ronnie and Charlie going off together. With Allen, Scott, and Doug, it did not take long for the conversation to get back around to initiations.
"I just thought of something." Doug said. "What if we like the new kid, like Mark, but he can't pass the initiation?"
"How about if we do it like we play hide and go seek?" Scott returned. "We never tie up whoever's 'it' very good, 'cause we want him to get loose and chase us. Even Mark gets loose in under five minutes."
"Good point." Allen answered. "But do you think that we could sit there and be tied up by Mark, or some other 11 year old, and pretend that we can't get loose?"
Doug thought a moment, then said "Ya know, he only has to keep two of us tied for ten minutes, so if one of us is teamed with Charlie and Big Chris, or with Red Jeff and Ronnie, it wouldn't be a big deal. None of those guys could escape from a paper bag, even if they were standing in it, had a 12-inch Bowie knife, and had their hands tied in front of them."
"What if one of us is teamed with one or both of the other two?" Scott asked.
"Then he fails the initiation, and has to do it again." Doug said. "The second time, with a different team."
"Cool! I like it." Allen said. "I also like that bit about if anybody wants to watch, they watch with their hands and feet tied and their mouths gagged, like Ronnie said."
"I can live with that." Doug said.
"Yeah!" Scott said. "But could you sit there for the duration of the initiation and not try to escape?"
"And," Allen added, "What if the interrupters or watchers had to be tied up by the kid being initiated, and be his captives at the completion of his initiation?"
"Not bad." Doug said. "I like both suggestions, but I'd like to run through it a few times, just to work out the kinks and bugs. I'd be willing to go first."
"We figured that." Allen said. "How come you like getting tied up so much?"
"I don't." Doug answered. "I like getting loose."
"If that's true, how could you sit through, say Charlie's initiation all tied up, and not make any attempt to escape, and then let yourself be his prisoner?" Scott asked.
Doug tilted his head to the side, gave Scott's comment a few moments of thought, then said "Ya know, that's a good point there. I guess I won't want to watch too many initiations, and I'll be careful not to walk in on any unless it's in the last stages." Scott and Allen laughed.
"But I might make an exception if me and Charlie and Red Jeff and Big Chris caught either of you two turkeys doing something wrong, and busted you back to cub scout for it, and Mark, Tommy, Bobby, Steve, Greg, Terry, and Billy, pick out their own initiation teams, and initiate you back into their den." Doug continued.
"They don't even know the final form of what we'll do for an initiation. Allen sniffed.
"How long do you think that will last, with Mark as the troop mascot, and knowing everything about it?" Doug growled back.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Allen replied. "But since you like getting loose so much, let's go to your place. Me and Scott will give you a couple of opportunities to do it."
Doug knew exactly what they meant, and thought it was a good idea. Still, he didn't want to appear too anxious, so he replied "That's fine, but only if I get to give you two the same opportunities."
"You're on!" said Scott, knowing that while Doug was quite good at escaping, he could not tie anywhere close to as good as Charlie.
Two blocks away, Mark looked at a delivery van, and said "Hey, Kevin. Looks like your parents are getting some packages."
"Yeah, and I think I know what they are. C'mon!" Kevin shouted excitedly. The two small boys took off on the run, and were greeted by Kevin's mother. "I'm glad you're here." she said. "You can help carry these packages up to your room."
Several medium sized boxes were carted to Kevin's room, and the elated youngster tore in to the first one, pulling out a set of fringed buckskins, obviously a couple of sizes too big for Kevin, and with pants at least four inches too long. "Looks like they'd fit Charlie or Ronnie." Mark said. "They're sure too big for you or me."
"That's who they're for." Kevin said. "My cousins out west sent them."
"But those are real expensive." Mark said. "At the western store, they're $50 a set."
"No problem." Kevin said. My dad and my uncles and aunts own a big patch of land, and they just sold the mineral rights on it for a bunch of money. Dad gave me some money, and told me to spend it on my friends, so I thought you guys would all like buckskins like the ones I brought back when I went out to see my cousins, so I called up my uncle, told him what I wanted, and since he runs the store, I got 'em all for you guys. My uncle was so impressed that I wanted them for gifts, he sent them to me free!"
"How'd you get the sizes right?" Mark asked.
"Look at the patch on the back of your jeans." Kevin said. "It says '11,' and that's your size. Charlie has one that says '27 x 30,' and Big Chris's says '12.'
Another set, smaller than the others, was retrieved from the fifth box. "These look like mine." Mark said, and Kevin nodded. "Can I try them on?"
"Sure!" Kevin told him, and pointed down the hall. "Go change in the bathroom."
Mark did, then came back. "Cool!" Kevin told him. "You almost look like an Indian."
Mark shook his head. "I think I look more like Israel Boone." he said. "These are more like the buckskins he wears on TV, than what I've seen Indians wear. But the coat is pretty Indian."
"Probably 'cause my uncle sells more of these to white tourists, than to the Indians there in Wyoming. Kevin said. "But, if you want, you can make a loincloth out of one of those fender covers from Red Jeff's dad's car repair shop.
"That's OK." Mark said. "I like 'em just the way they are."
"Oh, there's one other thing, and I'm real glad you're here." Kevin added.
"Why's that?" Mark asked.
"Ya know the initiation we were talking about earlier today?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah, so what?" Mark replied.
"Well, I think if you and the other guys want them, like the scout uniforms, they gotta be tied up wearing them. Sorta like an Indian initiation." Kevin said.
"So that means you want to tie me up in these buckskins?" Mark asked.
"That's right, but look on the bright side." Kevin told him. "When the others come over to get theirs, you'll have already been initiated, and you can help me initiate them."
Mark grinned from ear to ear. "Where's the rope?" he asked his friend.
END
The Initiation m/m
"Where's the rope?" is always the question, isn't it?
Another great tale. Thanks for posting.
Another great tale. Thanks for posting.
Fun story. And I haven't mentioned before, but I love the fact that you have characters named Big Chris and Red Jeff. Really adds some flavor.