FUN AND GAMES

by Dingbat

This story is a work of fiction, all characters and plot lines are fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. FUN AND GAMES 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.

“Wha'da'ya wanna do today, Scott?” Doug asked. 

Scott just shrugged his shoulders. “Right now, I'd like some breakfast, and then we can decide.” he told his best friend.

The two boys went to the kitchen of Doug's house, where Scott's brother, Allen, was just finishing a bowl of cereal. “'Bout time you two got up.” he teased. “Me and Charlie've been up for a half hour.”

“Where is Charlie?” Doug asked. Before Allen could answer, Charlie let out a couple of “mmmppfff's.” Doug and Scott turned to the living room, where Charlie, still in pajamas, was laying on his side on the sofa, with his hands and feet bound with rope, and his mouth gagged with one of Doug's scout neckerchiefs.

“Two questions.” Doug said. “One, how come you got Charlie trussed up like a turkey?”, and two, why didn't you let him get dressed?”

“He said he's getting better at getting loose,” so I asked him to prove it.” Allen said. “Second, if he'd'a asked, I probably would have let him change into jeans. But maybe Kevin has something. He does look kinda funny, tied up in his pajamas.” 

“He'd look neater tied up in a cub scout uniform, but there ain't none that'll fit him.” joked Scott. Allen nodded assent, but Doug said “Maybe not. I got an idea.”

By this time, Charlie had grown frustrated, and pushed away his gag with his tongue, and asked to be untied. “No problem, Charlie.” grinned Allen. But you know the rules. You couldn't get loose; you pushed out your gag, and you talked, and each of those is worth two free ties. Each!” 

Charlie winced. His inability to get loose, and his frustration had just cost him 18 free ties at the hands of his two cousins and Doug. But he also knew that they'd either take one or two each, and forget about the rest, or, in a worst case scenario, they'd take one or two each, then give the rest of the “penalties” to Mark and Kevin. The two smaller kids would take every one, and Kevin was almost as good at tying as Mike Hayworth.

On the bright side, Mark couldn't tie at all, so he could get tied a few times, and by getting loose from Mark's ropes, he could earn some freebees on them. And neither Mark, nor Kevin was very good at the art of escape.

What worried him at the moment, was Doug's idea to tie him up wearing a cub scout uniform. He could get in to the biggest shirts, and there were a couple of cub scout pants in the uniform exchange that would fit him around the waist, but even with the cuffs let all the way out, they'd still be “high waters,” with the pants legs coming to an abrupt halt three to five inches above his ankles. “How's he going to get around that?” he thought.

Then another thought occurred to him. “Anything's possible if we go through that damn portal.” he mumbled. “They gonna pull that kind of stunt? I wouldn't put anything past that weasel, Doug.”

After being freed, Charlie dressed in his jeans and a white T-shirt. The others also chose jeans, with Allen picking a tan T-shirt, and Doug and Scott both opting for short sleeved pullovers.

After finishing a couple of bowls of cereal each, the boys headed for the scout house. Allen wondered about the bag Doug carried, and asked what it was for. “You'll see.” Doug grinned.

Allen couldn't keep his mind off the bag. “Can't be a rope bag. There's plenty of rope at the scout house. Neckerchiefs, bandages, and some rawhide, too.

It wasn't long before Allen's curiosity was satisfied. When the boys got to the scout house, Charlie was “ordered” to change into a cub uniform. The shirt was a fit, but snug. The pants, as expected, were well above Charlie's ankles. “You guys ain't gonna tie me up like this, are you?” Charlie protested. “I look like some kind of nerd.”

Doug opened the bag, and pulled up his pair of Apache boots. “Put these on.” Doug ordered. Charlie did as directed, then laced up and tied the boots. They came up high enough to disguise the fact that the pants Charlie was wearing, were too short for him.

“Cool!” exclaimed Scott, and the sentiment was echoed by Allen. Even Charlie was impressed with Doug's ingenuity, despite the fact he was going to spend the next hour or two being a tie up “practice dummy” for Doug, Allen, and Scott.

“If I'm going to be miserable, I might as well have company.” Charlie thought, as Doug bound his hands behind him with a piece of rope. “Hey, wait! We have a restricted phone in here. Let me call Ronnie!”

The others were more than willing to accede to Charlie's request, and prepared the only other large sized cub uniform for him. “What about boots?” Doug asked. “When you guys got them buckskins from Kevin, did anyone else get boots, or just moccasins?”

An “mmmppfff” came from Charlie, and Allen pulled down his gag. “I got boots.” he said. “They're in the closet.”

Scott was dispatched to collect Charlie's boots, and made the trip to his house and back just behind Ronnie, who was just changing into the second cub uniform as Scott arrived. His complaints were the same as Charlie's – that the pants were “high waters,” but like Charlie, he didn't mind after he put on the boots. He didn't even mind being tied and gagged by Doug, Scott, and Allen, because his best friend, Charlie was tied up with him.

“They look like twins.” joked Scott, as he looked at Charlie and Ronnie, this time, bound and gagged with bandages.

“Only from the neck down.” Doug replied. 

From downstairs came the high pitched voice of Mark. “Anybody here? The door's open!”

“C'mon up, Mark.” Doug called. “Anybody with you?”

“Yeah!” the youngest scout called. “Terry, Steve, Greg, and the twins, Tommy and Bobby.”

Mark and his five friends bolted up the steps and greeted Doug, Scott, and Allen. “What's going on with you guys?” Doug asked.

“Now that I'm a scout, I brung these cub scouts to audition for the position of troop mascot.” Mark told them. “Kevin and Big Chris will be here in a few minutes, and we're gonna put them through some tests.”

Allen looked at the five 10-year olds, and asked “Do you guys have any idea what Mark, Kevin, and Chris have in mind for you?” All he got, was five blank looks.

“Hey, neat! C'm'ere, guys, and look at this!” Mark squealed, and the five cub scouts ran over to the door of the uniform exchange. Inside, Charlie and Ronnie were still trying to escape from the bandages that bound their hands behind them.

“They were pretending to be cub scouts, so we tied 'em up, and were just about to call you!” Doug said. 

“Yeah, right!” Mark growled.

From downstairs, another voice. “Hey Mark, you here yet?” It was Big Chris.

Terry and Steve had been best friends since they were five. Now they were around ten and a half, and Steve asked if they were going to get tied up. Scott grinned, and said “Isn't that what mascots are for?”

Chris and Kevin got in at the tail end of the conversation, and it was Chris that came up with the answer to Steve's question: “Not only are you guys gonna get tied up, you're gonna get gaged, too!”

“I don't know about this.” Steve said.”

“Don't be a wussy, Steve.” Terry chided. “Mark said he got tied up all the time when he was the troop mascot. Besides, we'll probably get to tie up Mark and Kevin, and that'll be fun.”

“You sure?” Steve asked.

“If you don't believe me, ask Mark.” Terry answered.

While Allen, Doug, and Scott talked to Mark, Kevin, and Chris about the five potential troop mascots, Ronnie and Charlie managed to get themselves back to back, and pick their knots loose. They walked out into the main room, only to be greeted with “Just what we need!” from Big Chris.

“Now what?” Charlie said. 

“We wanna see which one of these five is the best at tying up prisoners.” Mark said. “Allen, Scott, and Doug said you two were their captives, but that we could have you for the rest of the day.”

“And tonight, too!” Kevin added.

Before Ronnie and Charlie could protest, Doug said “Hey, we gotta go. See you guys later. Have fun!” Then he, along with Allen and Scott, disappeared down the stairs and out the door

“I'm gonna kill all three of them!” Charlie snarled. 

“No you ain't, 'cause I'm gonna kill 'em first!” Ronnie shot back.

Mark grinned at the two of them and said “You can kill 'em later. Right now, get your hands behind your backs!”

Charlie and Ronnie obeyed, and Big Chris said “OK, Terry. You're first!”

Terry was almost ten and a half, and his eyes lit up with delight at the prospect of tying up two boys nearly four years his senior. And his four friends cheered him on with encouraging comments and helpful hints. Outwardly they were supportive, but inside, Steve, Greg, Tommy, and Bobby were all hoping that Terry wouldn't do TOO good a job, and ace them out of being the new troop mascot..

Terry did well, but the others did well, too, or at least they thought they did. But the only boy that tied up Charlie and Ronnie that held them for the requisite 20 minutes, was Little Kevin. Mark and the five cub scouts were in awe of him, and he basked in that attention and adulation.

Late in the afternoon Mark and Kevin had finished up their initial “testing” of the five candidates for mascot. Charlie and Ronnie had been freed, and the five cub scouts took off in different directions. As Ronnie was spending the night with Charlie, and was supposed to be “watching out” for his little brother, Mark went with them. Kevin also had an invitation to stay overnight, and so, made up the fourth member of the quartet.

“Do we have to choose only one to be troop mascot?” Charlie asked.

“I dunno.” Kevin answered. “Why?”

“I'm sorta leanin' toward the twins, Tommy and Bobby.” Charlie replied. “Take one, you gotta take 'em both.”

“Yeah!” added Mark. “Me, too.”

“Why?” Ronnie asked.

“Twice as many mascots to tie up on camping trips and sleepovers.” Mark said. “If you guys are busy with them, maybe you'll leave me and Kevin alone, instead of treating us like we were still the troop mascots, instead of being full fledged scouts.”

“Not a bad idea.” Kevin said, after considering what the others had said. “Me and Mark can do to them what you guys did to us!”

The boys arrived back at Charlie's, Allen's, and Scott's house, and followed Charlie up to the bedroom he shared with Allen and Scott. Scott and Doug greeted them with a nod, and Allen, with “It's about time you guys got here. What took you so long?”

“How would you like to spend the night tied up?” snarled Ronnie.

“Yeah!” echoed Charlie. “In the closet, and wearing pajamas.”

Doug jumped in and changed the subject. “So who do you think should be the new troop mascot?” he asked.

“We both like the twins, Tommy and Bobby.” Charlie answered. 

“Yeah, but the other three, Steve, Greg, and Terry, all had their moments.” Ronnie added. “Any one of them would make a good mascot. What about you, Mark? What do you and Kevin think?

Mark and Kevin grinned like a pair of evil clowns. “I think they need to be tested some more.” Kevin said. “I think we ought to invite them for a scout house sleepover with all of us, plus Big Chris and Red Jeff, and maybe Mike, Mike, Jimmy, Bill, and Little Chris.

“That's kind of ambitious.” Charlie said.

Kevin then launched into his best impression of one of the TV pitchmen on the Friday night monster movie. “But wait, there's more!” he continued. “We take 'em through the portal, and get 'em hooked up with Packy and Israel, and with Little Beaver, Red Horse, Wild Horse, and Pokewah, and see how they handle themselves.”

“I like it, but it's just a little too much for them.” Charlie said. Besides, I think we ought to see how well they can escape, if at all. Besides, me and Ronnie still owe 'em for that Indian Day thing last month. They tied us to clothespoles, hog tied us in the tents, tied us back to back, and at night, they made us pajama Indians, and tied us up some more.”

“Yeah!” Ronnie added. “But none of 'em except Kevin was any good at tyin' us up, and we got out of everything except when Terry spread eagled us and Kevin hog tied us.

Speaking of hog ties, don't we owe Doug, Scott, and Allen a few?” Charlie grinned. “We did get out of their knots.”

Scott and Allen protested, but Doug, always looking for a reason and a chance to show off, agreed to let Charlie and Ronnie tie him up. A little too quickly for Scott's and Allen's tastes, as both probably would have given in eventually. But Doug had, more or less, done it for them, and both shot annoyed glares in his direction. 

Ronnie went first, tying his three captives' wrists, ankles, and arms. Then, in an unusual gesture in the company of his friends, he turned to his little brother, gave him a bag of neckerchiefs, bandanas, and bandages, and said “Here, Mark. You gag 'em!”

Mark squealed with delight, took the bag from Ronnie, and soon had three scout neckerchiefs tied tightly over the mouths of the three prisoners. Ronnie flashed a grin at Charlie, and laughed. “L'il bro can't tie worth a tinker's damn, bet he does tie a mean gag.” 

“Everybody ties a mean gag.” sniffed Charlie. That's easy.”

“Yeah, but it makes him feel good when I say it, and more than once, a complement in his direction has saved my butt – and yours – from being tied and gagged by him and Kevin.”

“Didn't do us a hell of a lot of good for that Indian Day thing, did it?” Charlie growled.

“No, but we got 'em all back that night and the next day.” Ronnie countered, and Charlie had to agree with him.

Allen, Scott, and Doug were given the OK to try and get loose, and, as always, they put on a good show, twisting and turning, struggling and “mmmppfff'ing,” and, in general, making it look like they were really having problems.

Doug was again annoyed that Allen had escaped ahead of him, if only by 30 some odd seconds. “Sooner or later, I'm gonna beat him consistently.” Doug thought. “I just need more practice.”

Scott was the last one loose, but not for long. Charlie stood in front of him with a length of rope in his hands, and grinned, “OK, you three. My turn now.” 

Scott was paying a “penalty within a penalty.” The penalty for being the last to get loose, was to be tied up first in the next round, and Scott turned his back to his cousin, and crossed his hands behind him.

Doug followed, and finally Allen was tied, and again, the three captives put on the requisite show for their captors. For a change, this time, Doug escaped ahead of Allen, which obviously made Doug quite pleased with himself. Scott, again, was third, and started thinking that maybe he needed more practice, as well. 

“Hey, what about us?” Mark asked. “Me and Kevin want to tie them, too!”

“Sorry!” sniffed Scott. “All the penalties we owe you two are paid.”

“You can let us tie you up so we can try and earn some more.” suggested Mark.

“Fat chance of that!” growled Allen.

Seeing a chance to needle his cousin, Charlie laughed, and said “What's the matter, Allen, you chicken?”

That set off Allen, who then almost demanded that Mark tie him up. But his quick acquiescence was a little out of character, and it was picked up on by Charlie. “I ain't never seen him that eager to get tied up.” he whispered to Ronnie. “Wha'da'ya think is up with that?”

“Probably wants to show that Doug beating him out of your knots, was just a fluke, and he wants to re-establish his position as the best escapist in the troop.” Ronnie said.

“He has a long way to go if he wants to be better than Wayne Sommers.” Charlie laughed.

Meanwhile, Mark was happily tying Allen's hands behind his back, and after he finished, he did Allen's ankles, then his arms, and finally, above Allen's knees. Allen looked over at Scott and Doug, who were both grinning like Cheshire cats. Just before Mark gagged him with a scout neckerchief, he said “Don't laugh too hard. You're next!”

Scott and Doug laughed. “Hey, you were the one that demanded Mark tie you up.” Doug told him. “Me and Scott didn't say a word.”

Allen got the feeling he'd been had, and he was right. And now, with Mark having tied the gag firmly in place, all he could do, was “mmmppfff” in protest. 

But the “mmmppff's” from Allen were enough for Charlie to pull down the gag, and once able to talk, Allen challenged Doug to let Mark tie him. “And you, too, Scott! Unless you guys are chicken!”

All he needed to do, was say the magic word, and Doug and Scott, like Allen earlier, were eager to have Mark tie and gag them. And Mark was more than happy to do it.

Once the three of them were again tied and gagged, Mark sprung another trap. “Tied up prisoners gotta do what the guy who ties 'em up, tells 'em, right?” he asked.

Charlie and Ronnie agreed verbally, while Allen, Scott, and Doug nodded.

“Good!” said Mark. “You guys gotta let Kevin tie you up after I get done!”

Scott glared at Mark, but kept quiet. Doug regarded it as another opportunity to show off his skills at escaping, and Allen looked on it as another chance to further establish himself as the best escapist of their little group. Still, it wouldn't do to appear too eager, so he, also, shot a glare at Mark.

Kevin was quite happy with the deal his best friend had just engineered, while Charlie and Ronnie discussed how Mark was making great progress in becoming one of the troop's leading weasels. “He's still got a long way to go before he comes up to Doug's level.” Charlie said.

“I hate saying anything good about my little brother,” Ronnie said. “But at eleven, he's where Doug was at twelve.”

“And how would you know what Doug's weasel level was when he was twelve, when he didn't move here until he was 13?” Charlie asked.

“I have my sources.” Ronnie cryptically replied.

“Yeah, I know.” Charlie sarcastically answered. “You could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me.”

“Nah! Ronnie replied. “I'd just have to keep you tied and gagged in the closet for a couple of years.”

Doug, Scott, and Allen easily escaped from Mark's knots, then, as they agreed, allowed Little Kevin to take his turn. Kevin, being considerably better than Mark at tying up prisoners, held the three of them for a bit longer, but they still escaped in under ten minutes.

“So what are you two termites gonna do tomorrow?” Charlie asked of Mark and Kevin. Kevin replied that he was turning over his job as the go-between between the cubs and the scouts, to Mark, and they they were going to take Terry, Steve, Greg, Tommy, and Bobby out in the woods for a game of “hide and go seek.”

“We'll teach 'em how we play it.” Kevin smiled. “Me and Mark get to be the big kids for a change.”

The seven boys then engaged in a massive pillow fight, which Charlie and Ronnie, being the two biggest, won handily, but not without the others getting in a few good licks. Then, worn out, they changed into pajamas, and got ready for bed.

Morning came early. Mark and Kevin were up first, and woke the others. Charlie grumbled that if they didn't have to go and continue the “auditions” for troop mascot, he would have tied and gagged the both of them, thrown them in the closet, and gone back to sleep. As it was, Mark and Kevin sensed the annoyance on the parts of Charlie and Ronnie, so dressed quickly, and headed out the door. “We can eat breakfast at my house.” Kevin said. “The cubs will be over at 9:00.”

Right on the stroke of 9:00, Terry, Steve, Greg, Tommy, and Bobby showed up on Kevin's doorstep. They were welcomed in, right along with another boy. “This is Russell.” said Steve, introducing the dark-haired boy wearing faded levis and a yellow tank top. “He's eleven, and a scout, and his parents and mine are real good friends. They are visiting for the weekend, so I brung him with me.”

Kevin was immediately defensive. “We can't have no scout from some other troop nosing around. We'll just tie him up, and you, too, for bringing him.”

Mark was a little more accommodating. “I got a better idea.” he said. “Let's go play “hide and go seek,” and Russell and Steve will be 'it' first!”

Kevin smiled. “I like it. Great idea!”

Kevin grabbed a bag full of rope, bandages, and neckerchiefs, and he and Mark rounded up the five “contestants” and the visitor, and led them to a clearing in the woods. “Here's the rules!” announced Kevin. “Steve and Russell are 'it.' We tie them up here, then run and hide. When they get loose, they come and chase us.”

“Don't you mean IF they get loose?” interrupted Terry, with an evil grin on his face.

“No, it's WHEN.” Kevin stressed. “We want them to chase us, so we don't tie them up very good. Besides, they can get back to back, and help each other get loose.”

“So what happens when we get caught? Tommy asked. 

“We get brought to the base, and they tie us up.” Kevin answered.

“Yeah, and they gag us, too!” Mark cut in, holding up a bright red bandana.

Mark handed the bandana to Bobby, then pulled out several more, and gave one to each boy. “Put this in your back pocket or belt.” Mark said. “If whoever's 'it' pulls it, you're captured. If you lose it, you're captured. Last two captured are 'it' for the next round, and if you're caught and tied up, you can't help any other captive get loose.”

“What if we get loose on our own?” Russell asked.

“If you can do that, you're back in the game. Put your bandana back in your belt, and take off.” Kevin told them. 

Several yards away, peering through a pair of small binoculars, was Charlie. “Looks like Kevin and Mark are explaining 'hide and go seek' to them.” Charlie said to Ronnie. “Steve and some new kid are gonna be 'it' I think.”

“Gimme those things!” Ronnie said, reaching for the binoculars. Charlie handed them over, and Ronnie took a look. “You're right!” he said. Steve and the new kid are getting tied up by Tommy and Bobby.”

Doug, Scott, and Allen pressed Charlie and Ronnie for details of what they were seeing through the binoculars, and Scott and Allen were too engrossed in the activities of Kevin, Mark, and their cub scout friends, to notice that Doug had slipped off.

“Hey, Mike!” Doug said into the phone. “Mark and Kevin are trying out a bunch of cub scouts to see which one will be our next troop mascot, and they're down in the woods playing 'hide and go seek.' Maybe your guys ought to take a look.”

“Mike Hayworth knew that Doug always had a purpose to what he did, and wondered why Doug would want to clue him in about a bunch of ten year olds playing “hide and go seek” in the woods. He put that question to his best friend, Mike Houghton, and Mike's little brother, Jimmy, and got nothing but blank stares. A call to Bill Berville and his brother, Little Chris, got about the same reaction. 

“You and Little Chris get over here, and we'll go check it out.” Mike Hayworth told Bill. Bill acknowledged, and said that he and his brother would be over in ten minutes.

Doug rejoined Allen, Scott, Charlie, and Ronnie, who never even noticed he was gone. “What are they doing?” he asked.

“Steve and the new kid are just about to get loose. Tommy, Bobby, Greg, Terry, Mark, and Kevin are all out hiding.” Allen said.

Steve and Russell took to the game like a duck to water. They got loose fairly quickly for kids their age, and happily took off chasing after the other players in their game. Soon, Tommy, Terry, and Greg had been captured, brought back to the clearing, and were tied up, and gagged with the bandanas pulled from their pockets. 

“They put on a good show of struggling, but they're preaching to the choir.” Ronnie said. 

“How so?” Charlie asked.

“They have no idea we're watching.” Ronnie answered. They're putting on a struggling show for each other, but none of them is going to make any of the others, the new troop mascot.”

“You got a point.” Charlie replied.

Through the binoculars, Allen saw Steve and Russell bring in Bobby and Little Kevin, leaving only Mark to be found. Unfortunately for Mark, it wasn't Steve and Russell that found him. It was Mike Hayworth, Mike and Jimmy Houghton, and Bill and Chris Berville. “Hey, neat!” Little Chris exclaimed, pointing at the bandana in Mark's back pocket. “He brought his own gag!”

Mike Houghton fished a couple of pieces of rope from his pocket. Mike Hayworth, who had one arm around Mark's upper body, and a hand over his mouth, grinned down at his young captive, and whispered “Not a sound.” Mark nodded, and Mike removed his hand from over Mark's mouth.

Silently, Mark endured being tied up by Mike Hayworth. “Where's the rest of your friends?” Mike demanded. Mark said he didn't know, but did tell Mike that he, Kevin, five cub scouts, and one friend, Russell, were playing “hide and go seek.”

“Gag him!” Mike Hayworth ordered. “Jimmy, you and Little Chris stay here with him; Mike, Bill, and me will sneak in for a closer look at his base.”

The two younger boys were sort of miffed at being left to “guard duty,” but they did have a tied up and gagged captive to tease, and to compensate for being left behind, wasted no time in doing it. “We ought to tie your arms and legs, too.” laughed Little Chris. 

“Yeah, and maybe even hog tied, like we're gonna do to your friends.” chimed in Jimmy.

Mark let out a couple of soft “mmmppfff's” of annoyance and protest, but he was well tied, and he knew full well what would happen if he pushed out the gag and talked, so contented himself to make the occasional “mmmppfff,” and make a show of trying to get loose, even though, for him, escape was next to impossible.

Through the binoculars, Charlie saw Terry, Greg, Kevin, Tommy, and Bobby, all tied up at the base, and remarked that Steve and his friend, Russell, had done an “adequate” job. Allen took the glasses, and looked, then agreed. 

“Uh oh, take a look, Charlie, and see if you see what I'm seeing.” Allen said.

Allen took the binoculars back, and followed Charlie's point. “If you're seeing Mike Hayworth, Mike Houghton, and Bill Berville, I'm seeing it too!” he said. 

In the background, Doug grinned. “I love it when a plan comes together!” he thought.

The three rival scouts pulled back, satisfied that Russell and Steve had tied their captives well. Using the skills they learned as scouts, they used the trees and shade to stay out of sight, just in case Steve and Russell might spot them. Fortune smiled on them, as it was they who saw Steve and Russell first. Using hand signals to communicate, the three teenagers stealthily set and sprung an ambush.

Steve's and Russell's cries were quickly silenced with heavy hands over their mouths. Seeing that they were not going to get loose from the grips of their captors, they went limp, and allowed their hands to be tied behind them. They were marched back to the clearing where the others were still tied up and struggling, and untied the feet of the other captives. Then, the seven prisoners were taken back to where Jimmy and Little Chris were watching a struggling Mark.

“We'll take 'em to my house!” Mike Hayworth directed, and the others agreed, knowing that Mike had the biggest bedroom, and lots of room for eight small captives. And if they got lucky, and caught Allen, Charlie, Scott, Doug, Big Chris, Ronnie, and Red Jeff, there was room for them, too.

Charlie watched as Mark's ankles were untied, and he was stood up to join the others. He could not hear Mike Hayworth say that they would take them through their side of the woods, and up to Mike's back door. “You know they are gonna call us to gloat.” Charlie said.

“Yeah, you're right.” Ronnie said. “They'll probably call your place, so maybe we'd better go there and wait.

Doug laughed, and observed that “Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.” 

“May be,” Allen said, “But I've known them since I was eight. They were predictable when we were all cub scouts, and they're predictable now. Charlie's right. They'll call, and they'll call my place.”

The boys adjourned to Allen's, Scott's, and Charlie's bedroom, and sure enough, less then ten minutes after they got there, the phone rang. And, as expected, Mike Hayworth was on the other end, bragging that he and his friends had Mark, Kevin, Terry, Steve, Greg, Tommy, Bobby, and Russell as their captives.

“Come and get 'em if you dare!” Mike gleefully challenged. “We'll be waiting for you!”

“It's Mike Hayworth, and he says they got Mark, Kevin,and the cub scouts.” Allen announced.

“Big deal, let them keep 'em.” laughed Charlie. “They can keep 'em out of our hair for the day.”

“If it was just the cub scouts, I'd agree.” Allen replied. “But Kevin and Mark are scouts now, and no matter what, we always help our troopmates.”

“Yeah? And how quick would they leave us to Mike Hayworth's tender mercies if they were here, and we were over at Mike's place, all tied up and gagged?” Doug commented.

“We wouldn't be tied up for long!” Allen responded. “You, me, and Scott would get loose, we'd untie whoever else was with us, we'd tie and gag Mike and his friends, and either leave them there to get loose, or leave them with the cub scouts.”

“So, what are you saying?” Doug asked. “That we should just go out there and let ourselves get caught by that bunch of turkeys?”

“That sounds like one of your crackpot ideas.” Ronnie laughed.

“No, wait, he's got a point.” Scott cut in. “You all know we can get loose, so it's got a good chance of working.”

“Yeah, as long as they don't stake us out, spread eagle us, or tie us to a bed or cot in some way.” Ronnie argued. “You guys know damn well they'll do it if they think of it.”

“The key words, are 'if they think of it,' and I don't think they will.” Allen said. “There have been all kinds of times when they caught us and tied us up. But they ain't never tied us to something except through the portal, and then, only at the insistence of someone else, like Keena or Swift Arrow.

“Well, how are we going to get ourselves caught?” Charlie asked. “We can't very well all go strolling up to Mike Hayworth and his buddies, and say 'Here we are, please tie us up.'”

“Well, we could.” Doug laughed. “But Mike and his bunch would certainly think something was up, and wonder why.”

“If he came over here and asked to be tied up, I wouldn't ask him any questions.” Scott said. “I'd just hog tie him. And after I gag him, he won't be able to answer any questions. His mouth would be too full of a neckerchief, bandana, or bandage for him to talk.”

“I'm afraid you're the one that's gonna get hog tied.” Allen said. “You're gonna be the one that gets careless, and gets caught.”

“Why me?” Scott asked.

“Because you're the youngest.” Allen laughed.

“I'll need someone to go with me.” Scott said, and the others agreed.

“But who?” Ronnie asked.

“You!” Charlie exclaimed.

“Me, why me?” Ronnie asked.

“Who else?” Charlie said. 

“What about Doug?” Ronnie asked.

“Nah,” Charlie said. They know both Doug and Scott are pretty good at getting loose, so if they catch the both of you, they'll take extra precautions, like hog tying you, or staking you out. You're the logical choice.”

“What about you?” Ronnie asked.

“Me? Hell, I'm the brains of the outfit.” Charlie said. I'm the one that's gonna come up with the idea to get you, Mark, Kevin, and the cub scouts back, and capture Mike Hayworth and his friends in the bargain.”

“If you're the brains of the outfit, we all better just go over to Mike's house and surrender right now.” Allen laughed. His barb drew a dirty look, and a low snarl from Charlie.

Ronnie stepped in and said “Let's hear him out. If we like it, we'll go along. If we don't, we'll tie him up as one of Little Kevin's pajama Indians, and leave him on Mike Hayworth's doorstep.

That idea was enthusiastically received, and told Charlie just one thing: He'd better have an exceptional plan. If he didn't, his day might be one he'd rather forget.

Charlie told the others that Scott and Ronnie should make themselves seen by Mike, Mike, Jimmy, Bill, and Chris; that once seen, they would, most assuredly, come out and try to catch them. Ronnie was skeptical. “We've done this twice before.” he said. The first time, it worked, but the last time, it blew up in our faces, and you, me, Allen, Scott, and Doug spent the weekend as Mike Hayworth's guests.”

“Yeah, I remember that!” Allen said.

“Me, too!” Scott chimed in.

Doug eased over to Charlie's bed, and pulled Charlie's pajamas from under the pillow. He handed them to Charlie, and grinned. “Your idea sucks!” he said. “My idea is to leave Charlie on Mike's back doorstep, ring the bell, and run. Charlie'll get taken up to Mike's bedroom, and he can help Mark, Kevin, and the cubs escape.”

Ronnie picked up Doug's pajamas, and handed them to him. “Your idea is dumb, too.” he said. “You can join Charlie!”

Doug looked on being tied up, as just another chance to show off, and about the only thing he objected to, was changing to pajamas at 1:30 in the afternoon. The others said they'd pack his overnight bag for him. “Gee, thanks!” he said, with just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “You guys are real pals.”

Getting tied and gagged did not bother Doug all that much, but he was somewhat miffed that Ronnie thought he had a bad idea. “What's wrong with it?” he wailed. 

“You've been here five months, and you've had Kevin and Mark tied up, right?” Ronnie asked.

“Yeah? So what?” Doug replied.

“They've escaped, haven't they?” Ronnie questioned.

Again, Doug's reply was “Yeah. So what?”

“And how did they escape?” Ronnie asked.

“They got back to back, and picked each other's hands loose.” Doug remembered.

“So why in the bloody hell do I need to be tied up with them, when they've already proven they can escape on their own if they work together?”

Doug was at a loss for an answer, but did have a question. “If that's true, why should I be tied up and left on Mike's back doorstep?”

“He does have a point.” Allen said. “But I'd do it just 'cause he's a weasel.”

“But I haven't been a weasel to you guys for at least the last day and a half.” Doug weakly protested.

“We ought to do it anyway, just in case you have something up your sleeve for tomorrow or the next day.” Ronnie said.

Just then, the phone rang. Charlie answered it with “Hello?”

On the other end, was Little Kevin. “Hey, when are you guys gonna come over for us?” he asked. “You better hurry up, 'cause you're gonna get a big surprise!”

Charlie passed on the information to the others, and Allen asked if Kevin had said anything about baseball. “No.” Charlie answered. “Why would he say anything about baseball?”

“It's a code.” Allen said. “If he mentions anything at all about baseball, it means he's been captured, and is being forced to make the call.”

“He's been taking weasel lessons from Doug. I bet it's a trick.” Ronnie said.

“I don't think so.” Charlie answered. “I say we go over there, and if it's a trick, I'll volunteer to let the cub scouts practice their knots on me for a whole weekend.”

“You'll do more than that!” Scott said. “You'll give each of us four penalties!”

“Bull!” responded Charlie.

“What'samatter? No confidence in your assessment of the situation?” Allen asked.

“Quit using big words.” Scott complained. “Wha'da'ya mean?

“It means he don't believe what he says.” Allen answered.

“More bull!” Charlie said. “If I'm wrong, I'll give you ten penalties each. But if I'm right, you guys gotta give me five each.”

“Done!” Charlie said. “Let's get over there!”

The boys trooped down the stairs and out the door. Less than five minutes later, they were at Mike Hayworth's front door, ringing the doorbell. Kevin answered with a huge grin on his face.

“Where's Mike?” Allen demanded.

“Upstairs!” Kevin exclaimed. “C'mon up!”

The boys followed Kevin up the stairs, and down the hall to Mike Hayworth's bedroom. There, they found Mike, Mike, Bill, Jimmy, and Little Chris, all bound and gagged, surrounded by five grinning cub scouts, plus Mark. “What happened here?” asked Allen after recovering from his initial shock.

“They didn't search us, and I had a knife in my pocket.” said Greg. “I cut my hands loose, and untied everyone else!”

“And their rules are the same as ours!” Kevin said. “If we got loose, we got to tie them up!”

“And there's no rule that says we we can't use knives to get loose!” added Mark. “Besides, if they welched on us, it'd be all over the neighborhood and school in a day.”

“And I've been teachin' the cub scouts how to tie!” Kevin added.

That much was obvious when Charlie and Allen inspected the knots holding Mike, Mike, Bill, Jimmy, and Little Chris. And it was also obvious that the five captives were not overly happy about being tied and gagged by a gaggle of 10-year olds. They were even more unhappy about the trouble they were having getting loose. They had not expected a bunch of cubs to tie them as well as they had, and were unaware that Little Kevin had Indian blood in him, and had spent two weeks with his Indian cousins out west, where he learned the fine art of tying up captives from them.

Allen, Charlie, Scott, Doug, and Ronnie gathered up Mark, Kevin, and the five cub scouts, and headed back over to Allen's, Scott's, and Charlie's house. Charlie was grinning from ear to ear.

“See, I told you so!” Charlie said.

The others grumbled, knowing they'd have to pay a price to Charlie for doubting him earlier. Charlie was pleased with himself, having won his bet, and now being the proud owner of five free ties each on Doug, Scott, Allen, and Ronnie.

Mike, Mike, Bill, Little Chris, and Jimmy were left tied up in Mike Hayworth's bedroom. Scott had a few qualms about it, but Charlie and Ronnie said that they might be “slippery characters,” but they did have sense enough to get themselves untied.

“Does that mean we'll have to let them tie us up again?” asked Terry.

“Not if they don't see you for the next two hours.” Ronnie told him. “There's a time limit on how long they have to claim it.”

“Cool.” Terry replied.

When they got back to Charlie's, Allen's, and Scott's house, Charlie ordered Doug, Scott, Ronnie, and Allen to cross their hands behind their backs. “Time to pay the piper!” he grinned.

Charlie looked at the cubs, and asked “You guys wanna help?” The reaction was immediate and positive.

“After I get their hands tied, you guys tie their feet, and gag them. If you want, you can tie their arms and legs, too!”

The cubs were delighted, and even more so, when Charlie ceded the rest of his “penalties” to them. From the expressions on the faces of Doug, Scott, Allen, and Ronnie, they were just as unhappy as Mike Hayworth and his friends, about having to submit to being tied and gagged four more times each, by a bunch of ten year olds. But there was nothing they can do about it, other than glare at a grinning Charlie, while the cub scouts, along with Mark and Little Kevin finished tying them up.

Charlie kicked back and put his feet up, enjoying the spectacle of his friends being the captives of Mark, Kevin, and the five cub scouts. Then, knowing the “clock” would start as soon as he was out the door, stood up, and grinned even wider. “See you guys in about three hours or so.” he laughed, and headed out the door. As a parting shot, he called back “Have fun, guys!”

Getting lost for a few hours was not difficult, and the cubs would have Doug, Ronnie, Scott, and Allen occupied for at least one of them, either as captives or captors. With luck, maybe they'd get caught up in what they were doing, and forget Charlie for a while. 

Charlie snuck over to the scout house, and let himself in with the key. He made sure to lock the door behind him, then found a cot with a mattress, and kicked back. “Life is good.” he thought, while imagining his friends at the tender mercies of the cub scouts. “The only thing better, would be if they had Mike, Mike, and the others, along with them.” Charlie thought, as he closed his eyes for a short nap.

END

© Copyright Dingbat 2009

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