Short Stories (MF/mfF)

[KP Presents]

Cry Freedom

“Freedom.” That’s the word on the front of my t-shirt, but somehow, I have the feeling freedom is something I won’t have for a while, as I sit next to my ten year old son Deepak. He’s wearing a red shirt and shorts, while I have on leggings the same colour as my t-shirt.

He had asked if we could play a game of secret telling, and when he asked me what that was, he showed me a video he had found on the internet. It had a mother and her son playing a guessing game, with a scarf rolled up and tied between their lips, and he wanted me to play that with him.

It seemed innocent enough, so I found two of my scarves – a light blue one and a gold one with a brown pattern on it – rolled them both up, and used the blue one for my son and the gold one for me. Rolled up, they filled out mouths, so we could barely close out lips over them.

And it was as we were talking, or trying to, that the men came in and surprised us, so that when the men came in, and told us not to move as they held ropes up, all we could do was look at each other…

Duct Tales

Well, it was the middle of the lockdown, I had an important meeting – so important that I actually put on a black and white striped dress and a pair of black boots even though I was going nowhere – and I had to look after my two girls.

My oldest is six, and was wearing a white onesie, while my three year old was in a vest top and shorts – and I swear, if I didn’t have more than about five minutes, I would never have even let the idea cross my mind.

But cross my mind it did, and act I did – so two minutes later, my girls are standing against the wall, silver duct tape around their waist and keeping their hands by their sides, around their ankles and legs, and over their mouths.

They should be upset, angry, but they’re not – and that’s probably because I’m taped to the seat I am sitting in, and my ankles and legs are taped together as well. Just out of range of the camera is the woman who surprised me – and I get the feeling after the meeting, I’ll have tape on my wrists and mouth as well…

Put a sock in it


The thing about being stuck at home, especially when your mother is a nurse and your father is a delivery driver, is they work shifts, and just occasionally, they both need sleep when I’m awake.

I’m thirteen, I can look after myself – but when last week I got bored in the middle of the morning, and I turned on the playstation, I didn’t realise how loud I was getting – until I looked up and saw Dad satanding there, a stern look on his face.

He said nothing, but pulled a chair away from the dining table, set it down in front of the television, and made a gesture that made it clear I had to sit on it. I did as he had – asked, and then I saw the roll of tape he had in his hand. IT was black with yellow flames printed on the front – and he used it to tape me to the chair round my waist, then my wrists together, and finally around my upper arms.

He then bent down and taped my ankles together, before he pressed a pair of sports socks against my mouth, and wound the tape around my head. It had the desired effect – I could barely mumble as he put the controller in my hands, and left me there to continue my game, while he went back to bed…

Quiet Time

Mum looked at me, I looked at Amy, and she looked at both of us. There wasn’t really a lot any of us could say about this, given the black tape that was covering our mouths.

They found me first – I was working on an assignment in my room when the men came in, and one of them put his hand over my mouth, pressing the black tape down over it. I was wearing a green top, blue jeans and black trainers – and the assignment had to wait, as they took my hands behind my back and taped my wrists together, then made me walk with them to Amy’s room.

My darling little sister was wearing a pink sweatshirt, Minnie Mouse in gold on the front with a large black bow, black leggings and blue socks- but a few minutes later, she was just like me, tape over her mouth and her wrists taped together behind her back.

So you can imagine how mum felt when she saw us coming into the front room with the two men. She was wearing a blue checked blouse over a grey vest top, the sleeves rolled up and the front tied under her chest, and blue jeans – but when the men told her to stand up, she did so and let them tape her wrists together behind her back, and then covered her mouth with the tape.

So that’s why we’re standing here, watching one of them search the room, while the other tapes our ankles and our legs – and wondering where they are going to leave us when they leave the house…

Mary, Mandy and Midge

“That’s a good girl.”

Mary nodded as she sat on the floor, watching the woman as she wound the black tape round her ankles, the cuffs of her pink pants under the band as she wriggled her bare toes. The nine year old was wearing a cream sweatshirt with My Little Pony in rainbow colours on the front, her light brown hair falling down her back.

“What are you going to do next,” she said as the woman looked at her through the stocking that was pulled down over her head, “and where’s Mum?”

“She’s fine,” the woman said as she put Mary’s wrists together in front of her and taped them together, resting her hands on her knees when she was done. Smiling, she then tore a length from the roll and said “Put your lips together for me.”

Mary looked across the room, then nodded as the tape was mouthed down over her mouth. The woman smiled, and then stood up and walked to where her classmate Mandy was sitting on a box at the foot of her bed.

The young girl was wearing denim dress over a blue hooded top, and white leggings – but like Mary, she also had a band of black tape holding her ankles together, and another around her crossed wrists in front of her.

“Your turn now,” she said as he brushed her light brown hair away from her face, and then tore a fresh strip of the tape from the roll before she pressed it down over her mouth. “Whhhdudhnhths,” she mumbled as the tape crinkled over her lips.

“I need to make sure none of you call for help,” the woman said as she walked to where the third classmate was sitting on the bed. Midge had long black hair, and was wearing a black vets top over a pale blue hooded top, and pink leggings with a black pattern printed on them. Like Mary and Mandy, however, she had black tape around her wrists and ankles – and a moment later, like the other two, she had black tape pressed down over her mouth to keep her quiet.

“Now stay there,” the woman said as she left the room, the three girls looking at each other as they heard footsteps. Eventually, they heard the front door open and close, as Mary pushed herself up until she was standing.

“Whnhhdthfhndmhm,” she said, the other two nodding as they managed to stand, and then following Mary as they jumped to of the room, along the corridor, and then looked in her parent’s bedroom. Her mother was there, lying on a bed, wearing a black cardigan over a white dress with a black mesh pattern, and black tights. She also had black tape round her wrists and ankles, but also around her legs below her knees and her arms and body – and her eyes were wide behind her glasses as she saw tew three girls jump in.

“Ghrehlslhuhhlrht,” she mumbled through the black tape that covered her mouth. Mary, Mandy and Midge all nodded as they jumped over to join her…

Country Times

Neither Morag or her daughter could warn her granddaughters as they came in of what was happening – both of them were tied to chairs with rolled up scarves between their lips, muffling their voices.

Morag has not even been able to take her wellington boots off when they grabbed her, but at least they had let her take her coat off, revealing the red sweatshirt as well as the black pants. Her daughter was wearing a black and white striped top and dark jeans, with a pair of brown leather ankle botts laced up over the cuffs of the legs.

They were both struggling, trying to call for help until they heard the front door open and close, and a young girl say “hey Gran – we’re back.” Given they lived in the farmhouse with their grandmother, they had to take the bus to and from school every day – but school was closed, so they had been at a friend they shared a bubble with.

Claire was the first to come in, the eleven year old wearing a blue jumper with a white pattern printed on it and blue leggings, white socks pulled up over the bottoms. Her nine year old sister Holly followed her, the blue fleece fastened up the front and the black socks over the bottom of her faded blue jeans.

They both looked at their mother and grandmother, before a voice said “well now – two more to keep quiet…”

They didn’t use ropes on them – instead, the masked man made them put their hands together in front of themselves, and taped their wrists together with blue tape. The man then made them put their hands under their chin, before wrapping more tape round their bodies. That made sure they could not lower their wrists, and also made sure their arms stayed against their sides.

They were then sat down on a couch, the man taping Holly’s left ankles to Clare’s right leg, and then taping their ankles together, before their mouths were covered with the tape as well.

All four of them could only look on as the man left them unable to raise the alarm…