Stories of Tie Up Games

It might have only been a silly kids’ game when I look back on it now but, at the time, this one was important. David was fitter than I but I still think I was the more intelligent. Nevertheless he’d always won our games in the past. He was popular and I was less so and, yes, I suppose I was jealous of him.

We’d just go into the woods and would decide upon our roles. This time I was the guerrilla freedom fighter and he was the government trooper. The guerrilla was always given an hour to prepare before the trooper came searching for him. Did I point out that one of David’s weaknesses was that he was honest? I’d rather not comment on my own sense of fair play.

I had taken the precaution of taking a spade with me that day. I hid it before David arrived and retrieved it once we’d decided upon our respective roles and went out to one of the narrower paths where I started digging. All those fallen leaves and great, tall bracken fronds were going to come in handy.

OK, let’s cut to the chase. David couldn’t believe his luck when he saw me sitting in the middle of the path with my back to his approach. He was lithe and athletic and known as “Puss” on account of his cat-like grace and he moved forward very carefully to avoid my hearing him.

I’ll give him his due, he WAS quiet - until he fell into that pit! It wasn’t a very deep one but the fall incapacitated him just enough for me to press home my advantage. So, there he was, shirtless and secured into place by that set of handcuffs that he didn’t know I had. I couldn’t resist applying the gag, he was always so full of himself and I thought that it was his turn to listen for once and that tatty t-shirt of his that I ripped up was obviously an old one.


So, there he was. He had no choice but to listen to the details of my magnificent victory in spite of the wounded knee that I had sustained and so bravely bore in the cause of freedom. Even if he stood up, he would be unable to slip his cuffs over the end of the branch and I was making the best of it.

I pointed out that he was completely defenceless against being tickled, and I knew that was one of his weaknesses. I even debated whether or not I should remove his shoes. That was when he tried tucking his feet under his bum.

It was hours until tea-time and I hadn’t even started torturing him yet.

What a cute story! I don’t think I familiar with the artist.

I don't think he's been active for some years but I got permision to use the pic some time ago.

Good you try your second favorite hobby here . ( making stories from pics )
Nice catch, guerilla freedom fighter !

And thoroughly well deserved, I thought.

Great story. Short, well written, and with an excellent drawing. I'm a big fan of illustrated stories. Is there more?

There is another episode in a completely different style. No pic. though, sorry!

Nice story and pic, well written and nicely elaborates from the drawing, looking forwards to the next part

Very cool little story

Nicely done. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks folks.

As I said, there is another part in a completely different style but with no pic.
I shall post it soon. (Like as soon as I've managed to edit the version I've already posted elsewhere and corrected the cock-ups!)
Watch this space.

Nicely done. Writing it as a play makes the story entirely dependent upon dialogue and forces the reader to fill in the blanks. I'll have to try that method some day.

Thanks for posting!

Thank you for the support.
I now need to think of another method for any future episodes.

May I suggest that you hire actors and produce this as a radio play?

Ah, but is the world ready for it?

Nice experiment and content too. I confirm it's fun to imagine the whole scene from the hints in the dialogue.

And the two friends are now even... All bets are on for part three. No suggestion for the experimental aspect, but you'll think of something Exterior PoV maybe, the tree's spirit wondering what those two boys are doing...

Thanks.
Yes, the third party point of view is the obvious option but I didn't want to try that. I think you've given me an idea, though.

A shame that I missed that one, thanks for bringing it to my attention. I have known the pic for a long time, always liked it. Didn't know, you had written a story for it.

The second part especially is very well done, and, considering that it's summer now, fits so very well. Just mentioning summer evenings makes me dreamy and feel good.

I really like our dialogue, the second part especially is very well done. I know, you wrote this a few years ago, but do you remember if it was hard, doing it dialogue-only?

Thanks for that, [mention]FelixSH[/mention]. It wan't easy but I have tried it again but with an illustration to help.
There was a very short treatise on gag-talk on DA as well. I'm glad that this worked without an illustration. It has been said that radio is so much better than TV because the pictures are better!

I did try to get someone to make a picture of the "Tree-hog" but they declined. I'm not sure it's not better without.

As legendary broadcaster Vin Scully said before Kirk Gibson's dramatic 9th inning game winning home run in game 1 of the 1988 World Series. "Not a bad opening act." A little short, but I see a lot of potential here.

Drawscore

Thanks but, even after all this time, I haven't come up with a different format to complete the triptych.

It's a little bit short because I would love to read more about those two It's a great story.

Thank you.
Let's call it short and sweet, shall we? Unless you have a suggestion for the format of a third part . . .