The Bound Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Part 4 - Tom Meets Huck Finn
This story is a work of fiction, all characters and plot lines are fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
The Bound Adventures of Tom Sawyer remains the property of the author. The story or characters may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere without the expressed written consent of the author.
When Tom finally reached the small woods that was his destination, there was but an hour or two of daylight remaining, still it was enough for his purposes. Tom sat himself down in a secluded clearing and withdrew from his pockets the lengths of rope which he habitually carried.
Now, the observant reader will have remarked that Tom seems to have developed some small liking for playing with rope, especially if the rope was wrapped around a person. The trouble was that there were times when a convenient body was simply not to hand. Tom had therefore reasoned that the one body he could be sure of having conveniently to hand at all times was his own, and therefore he had resolved to learn the art of binding himself so that he might never lack for a body to tie. The problem was that other folks seemed to think this odd and disturbing, so Tom practiced in private.
Tom now removed his shirt and britches since squirming around on the ground would considerably soil them and Aunt Polly would likely deduce the cause – or Sidney would enlighten her. He then opened his pocket knife and embedded the point in the root of a nearby tree. An embarrassing problem that he had a while back had taught him the wisdom of this precaution. Tom now took two of his rope lengths and used them to securely bind his legs at the knees and ankles. He took a third length of rope and knotted it around his waist leaving a longish tail. In this tail he fashioned a slip knot which he passed between his legs from front to back. Rolling onto his belly and feeling behind with his hands he inserted both wrists into the slip knot, and then by pulling smartly up with hands he was able to close the slipped loop around his wrists.
Tom lay still, enjoying the feel of the rope on his bare skin. He didn’t know why he felt this way, it just felt good he supposed. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a daydream in which Joe Harper had him bound real good.
He was suddenly awoken from this pleasant reverie by the sound of a footfall close by. Sensing his vulnerability, his eyes snapped open. Just to the front of him, he spied a pair of very dirty bare feet. Craning his neck to see further up he detected a pair of old patched britches rolled up at the bottoms so as not to drag on the ground. The britches were kept hoisted by pair of red braces which buttoned one side only. Craning up still further Tom spied a shapeless wide brim straw hat with a great chunk torn out of the brim. He heaved a sigh of relief, his unexpected visitor was only Huckleberry Finn.
Huck Finn was a year older than Tom, the son of the town drunk, although he no longer lived with his pa. He slept rough wherever he could find a place that was warm and dry enough. Huck didn't go to school or attend church, he was not required to wash on a regular basis, but he did smoke, cuss and spit. All the other children were strictly forbidden to associate with him so that his company was much sought after.
Huck squatted down by Tom seemingly unaware of his state of undress and the fact that he was bound hand and foot. He took a reflective puff on the corn cob tobacco pipe at the corner of his mouth and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"Hi Tom."
"Hi Huck."
A long reflective pause and Huck spoke again.
"I sees yo' all tied up Tom."
"Yep, that’s so Huck, I was pounced upon by a couple of real fierce robbers, they took every brass cent that I had about me an' left me tied an' all like this."
Huck took another pull on his pipe and silence reigned for a while before Huck spoke again.
"Yo' seems to have mislaid yo' britches Tom, how come you a'lying there near naked as the day yo' was born 'cept for yo' undiewear?"
"It were them darn robbers, Huck, they done stripped me bare! Likely they aiming to sell my togs fer what they kin get." Another puff on the pipe and a pause.
"Well Tom, I knows you aint givin to tellin' lies, but it sure does seems mighty strange that yo' britches is still a'lying there not four feet away, an besides em an' all, an open knife all handy fo' yo' to make yo' escape. Mighty odd habits for varmint robbers."
"You must've scared em off Huck. Dropped their loot and run like chicken livered cowards."
There was an even longer silence while both contemplated their respective agendas. Finally, Tom broke the silence.
"I'd be mighty grateful, Huck, If'n you could see your way clear to untying me ... please?"
"Well now Tom, I would be real happy to oblige you... but… seems to me that fate must have fetched to me to this very spot where you was waylaid by robbers. When fate is givin' you a gift, Tom, it is real bad juju to turn down that gift. Seems to me Tom, that if I aint gonna get no bad juju I best make use of what fate has dealt up."
"No, Huck, you would'n be so cruel! Huck…," began Tom.
Huck shushed him. "Don' take on so Tom, it's just a little game. I'll wager that I kin make you cry Uncle a'fore the sun goes down, if'n you can last out then I'll submit an you kin gets revenge."
To Tom this was, of course, an irresistible challenge and he set about preparing himself for the torments to come. Huck began by going over Tom's bindings. Tom felt his strong, sure fingers working on the knots tightening and securing them. Extra bindings were added to pull his elbows back and pinion his arms tightly to his body. When he was done Tom was very securely bound and quite helpless.
Huck worked slowly and methodically on his hapless victim keeping up a running commentary in his quiet slow Southern drawl.
"Stop fidgetin' so Tom, all I is a'doing is drawing this feather tween your toes."
"Aww, Tom. You does make such a racket! A body would think you were'nt familiar with havin' yo'ribs tickled. No wonder I got to sit astride yo' butt if'n you roll about so."
"Yo' is making such a fuss that I gonna blindfold you so as yo' wont see what I is goin' to do next."
"Tom Sawyer yo' makes me ashamed! All that bucking about and all I is doin' is rooting around with this grass stem in yo' belly button."
"Tom. Don’t clench yo' teeth so! You know's I will just pinch yo' nose and shut off your air till you open up, and then this here worm is going right in. It wont be the first, I seen you done it for a bet 'afore."
"Quit yelping Tom, a Chinese burn aint nothin'. Even little kids kin take Chinese burns."
"These little hairs a'growin on yo' chest look real unsightly Tom, I gonna do you a real favour and pluck them loose one by one."
"Sure is a pretty pink sunset Tom, I bets I could'n turn your belly the same colour with a little slappin'."
Shortly before sunset Tom could take no more and delivered his surrender. Huck immediately untied him and Tom reacquainted himself with the britches and shirt that the 'robbers' had so mysteriously abandoned. Together they gathered some sticks of firewood and lit up a small fire. They sat together companionably staring into the fire with their backs propped against a fallen log. Huck refilled his pipe, lit it and passed it to Tom who took a long satisfying draw before announcing.
"You sure do know how to torment a body, Huck."
"Don' feel bad, Tom, you did real well, I sure did'n think you'd last half so long!" Tom swelled with pride.
After a while Tom began to smell something unpleasant on the air and tracked it down to a small sack that Huck had with him.
"What've you got in the sack, Huck?" he asked.
"Why, that be three dead crows." There was a silence while Tom tried to figure out why Huck would be toting three dead crows. Not even Huck would eat crow meat.
"What're you planning to do with them crows then, Huck?"
"You kin cast a mighty powerful spell with dead crows Tom. Old mistress Mackey tol' me that if'n you say the right words and cast 'em into the river at midnight at the full moon, then the water spirits will take 'em as a gift and in return you kin never be drownded."
"That's a mighty handy spell, Huck. It's full moon tomorrow, are you gonna do it then?"
"No, Tom, I is a'feered to. They says the water spirits appear as nekkid ladies that lures you and tempts you into the water til' you drown."
"Nekkid ladies sure is a pow'ful lure, Huck!"
"Aint that just so, Tom. I don' reckon that I could resist those nekkid ladies and I'd have to foller them right down into the water to be drownded."
"Not if tied you up real tight!" said Tom in a sudden burst of inspiration. "If I was to bind you to a tree then no matter how much you was a tempted by the nekkid ladies you could'n follow."
Huck thought about this. While he didn't entirely trust Tom's motives, the opportunity to observe the 'nekkid ladies' without the threat of involuntary immersion was tempting.
"Why that could work, Tom, We'll do it. Tomorrow I'll come by your house 'afore midnight and miaow like a cat. That'll be your signal to sneak out!"
And so the plan was laid.
© Copyright Cinched 2009
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