The Adventures of Simon - 2. Chapter 2 - Birthday Party Gone Awry

The Adventures of Simon

Birthday Party Gone Awry.

Story by BC and Bondwriter

Text by Bondwriter

 

This story is a work of fiction, all characters and plot lines are fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Birtday Party Gone Awryremains the property of the author. The story or characters may not be reproduced or republished elsewhere without the expressed written consent of the author.
WARNING: This story doesn't have any sexual content or even a hint at romance. It's meant to revive old adventure comics boy-heroes who face peril all the time.

Chapter 1: Backyard entertainment

It was a nice summer afternoon on this late August Tuesday in Goodland, Kansas. The Von Rautenberg estate was of a good size, with a modest three-story house, but with a huge backyard. There was a big lawn, big trees, and coppices here and there, to create various atmospheres, a pavilion on the side of the house.

It was a wealthy people's home, and Simon had never come to a birthday party thrown for rich people, or to any rich people's home for that matter. But he was not here to be a party guest, he was there to work!

The circus had traveled west, and they had settled in this small town for a couple of weeks. On Sunday, after the matinee, a man had come up to Stilo and Simon. He had taken his two sons, Joseph and Friedrich with him; they looked like they were a bit older than the Escape Artist apprentice.

Upon learning they performed for private audiences, the man, who had introduced himself as Mr. Von Rautenberg, engaged them for his youngest son Joseph's birthday party, which was to take place on Tuesday.

He would pay them twenty dollars, and Simon had refrained from shouting in joy, for it was a huge amount of money. It was enough to feed the whole circus, including the bunnies and the doves, for a whole week, or maybe more!

They accepted enthusiastically, especially Simon, and agreed to come at two on Tuesday afternoon. They had gone after lunch, pulling a chest with their props on a small cart. After a 10-minute walk, they entered the estate. A butler welcomed them, and showed where in the backyard they would perform.

As requested when they had been hired, there was a table, and thirty chairs were facing them. Once everything was set, Stilo and Simon waited, sipping the glasses of lemonade the butler had handed them, along with an envelope that contained their fee.

Then came the performance. Simon was focused on doing his act properly, so he paid very little attention to the audience, mainly kids his own age, some of them still with their nannies. Most boys were dressed in stupid sailor suits, and Simon did not regret not being a posh kid, for his overalls didn't make him look like a dummy! He wore a costume only to do his job!

Everything went smoothly, and the small audience clapped politely their hands at the end of the magic show. The escape act got the usual attention, and there was a much louder response. There had been some gasps as Stilo had restrained Simon, but by now, getting his hands out of handcuffs was child's play.

Stilo then unfolded his cape, keeping the young Houdini hidden from the crowd, and counted down to ten; he then folded his cape, and stood aside, to reveal Simon, arms spread wide, with the ball gag in one hand and the handcuffs in the other. It was over, and the crowd of kids moved on towards the pavilion, where drinks and cake would be served.

Simon put his clothes back on, and, along with Stilo, they started putting props back in the chest. They were interrupted by three boys. Simon quickly identified them as the Von Rautenbergs. He had seen Joseph and Friedrich on Sunday with their father, but the third boy was unknown.

At the same time, they all looked so much alike that it was obvious it was their brother. On top of that, they all had the same haircut, and were wearing the same white shirt and lederhosen. He had already noticed this exotic outfit two days before, and Stilo had explained him it was a traditional German or Austrian one.

To Simon, Germany and Austria were far away countries, and the only things he had read about them were always war stories, in which Germans were bloodthirsty, cruel people. It was the first time he met people who were German (well, that he knew about, because some people living in nearby farms in his hometown were also of German descent, but he only thought of them as Americans.)

And these Germans did not look like the enemies he had read about!

Joseph introduced his brother Wilhelm, who had to be fifteen or sixteen. Like his brothers, he had short cropped blond hair and clear-blue eyes.

Joseph thanked politely Stilo and Simon for the great performance; obviously he was quite envious of Simon's job, which had to be much more glamorous than his own life in Goodland. Then he left with Friedrich, going to join the other kids for the birthday cake. He had been taught not to have his guests waiting for him! The oldest stayed though. He had been very keen on watching Simon performing.

"So, Simon, can you perform all the stunts by Houdini I've read about?"

"Sure, I've practiced all sorts of escape. Today we've done only a few of the things we can do…"

"Is that right? Could you show me a few of them? I'd rather learn a few things than go have cake with small kids…"

Simon was not really sure, because he was needed back at the circus, to feed the horses and start the fire, and all the usual stuff; but at the same time, he was happy to be able to show off to some older posh German kid.

"What do you think, Stilo? Should we show him the 'escape from a pole?'"

This latest stunt was one that they had worked on for a week or so. It involved a "magic rope," a rope that could be loosened in one spot, by unscrewing a carefully hidden metal tube, which gave just enough leeway to then perform his already well-mastered skills, and get free from ropes holding him tightly to a pole.

Stilo was unsure also. They had been extremely well paid for a rather short performance; at the same time, there was something in the teenager's eye that he did not like…

"I don't know, Simon… I'm afraid they miss us back at the circus. We wanted to make them a surprise, and didn't say anything about us being here, and I wouldn't want them to worry…"

"What if I give you an extra five dollars?" Wilhelm asked.

Simon thought quickly about the new props they would be able to buy; maybe there would even be some money left to buy newer, bigger cages for the bunnies and the doves!

"You've got a deal! It won't take me more than five minutes to get out from ropes holding me to a pole…"

"We don't have a pole," Wilhelm answered. But there's a thin maple tree, back behind there, by the toolshed, it could do the trick! Meet me there in two minutes; I'll go get your fee…"

With that, he rushed towards the house; Stilo and Simon went to the place they had been told.

"We'll do this quickly, Simon, there is something about this boy that I don't like…"

"Come on, Stilo! We've done that tens of times!" (Actually, ten times would have been more accurate…) "It's very good money, and easily earned! We'll be back at the circus before they even notice we were gone…"

Stilo sighed. That was true; they were not in a position in which they could afford turning down good money for fifteen minutes of performance. And he knew Simon would be glad to test his newly-acquired skills. Simon appraised the maple tree, straight, with smooth bark. It would be even easier than on the metal pole they used for practice.

Wilhelm came back panting; he had run fast. He handed the bill to Stilo, who quickly put it down his pocket. Simon had already taken his shirt, pants and shoes off, and was ready to perform. Wilhelm sat cross-legged, four feet away from the tree.

Stilo noticed the teenager grabbing a small metal flask from his shirt pocket, and taking out a cigar and matches. What to do? Would the parents approve of their son smoking? And was there anything illegal in this flask? He pretended he had not seen anything, and he bound Simon's crossed hands behind the tree, as Wilhelm lit his cigar up…

The magician did his usual, three loops around the wrists, and then he made a cinch. This is tight, Simon thought. But nothing impossible to escape from either… Then he felt a rope being looped around his elbows. What was that? They had not practiced that way… Simon whispered: "What are you doing Stilo? I need to be able to move my elbows…"

But the only response he got was the pocket silk handkerchief swiftly crammed into his mouth, and followed by another one that Stilo had taken out from his pocket. "I hope it's clean…" Simon thought. It dawned on him, as Stilo fastened the strap keeping the red rubber ball between his lips and snarled:

"Prisoners should be kept quiet…", that Stilo was suffering from the same thing that had happened a few weeks earlier. He had almost completely forgotten about the incident, but he was now fully reminded of it. At the same time, he now could no longer try to reason him, and they also had an audience.

Wilhelm was apparently enjoying the show. He was happily smoking, getting a sip from his flask now and then, and he beamed as Stilo was doing a rougher act than before with all the kids.

Simon decided he should wait until Stilo was done, and if he did not regain his senses immediately, then Wilhelm would notice he could not escape, and he would untie him. Maybe he would have to give the ten dollars back, and it would certainly mean it was a big failure. No new cages for the bunnies…

Stilo kept on wrapping the young escape artist in ropes, and Simon saw the magic rope was not used. No big surprise at that point, but he would have to rely on the shorts-wearing older boy for release, now he was sure of it.

Next, more coils of the coarse hemp rope were used to encircle his ankles, knees, thighs, and belly, and other ropes were used to cinch these loops and link them to the tree. Stilo even used a shoe lace to tie his fingers together. Stilo used a longer piece that he craftily threaded from his ankles to his shoulders, making the whole network of ropes even more inescapable.

"Now that you are tied to your tree, I'm going to leave you to the care of the wild beasts roaming around!" Stilo snarled with a demonic tone. Simon let out another "Mmmmpph", trying to snap Stilo back into reality, but he only got a joyful smile on the audience's face… And Stilo left, heading straight in front of him, leaving him and Wilhelm alone.

Chapter 2: Bad company

Simon squirmed, trying to find some way out, experimenting with all the tricks he had learned. But the mere fact of having his elbows solidly attached to the tree, and his fingers tied made the escape impossible. The thing of having someone watch him both made him more willing to manage and a little shameful not to succeed as usual. After five or ten minutes, Wilhelm got puzzled of not seeing Stilo come back.

"It seems the bad magician really wants you to get eaten by the wild beasts…", he sniggered.

"Mmmgnmmph!" Simon mumbled as loud as he could with a fully packed mouth.

Wilhelm raised an eyebrow, and smiled evilly. "Maybe he did leave you for good, is that what you mean?"

Simon nodded affirmatively.

"And you can't escape?"

He denied by shaking his head.

"This is something else, then!' Wilhelm triumphed; He went to the chest, and got a big white scarf out. He folded it diagonally and used the two-inch bandage he eventually got to cover Simon's mouth from nose to chin, pressing the packing even tighter in his mouth. Once he had secured it with a tight knot at the back of Simon's neck, Wilhelm said:

"Don't go, I'll be back soon…"

"Mmmmph!" Simon grunted.

And Wilhelm headed towards the pavilion…

Simon kept on trying to free himself, but the ropes did not get that much looser. Wilhelm had certainly gone to get the other kids to show them how the escape artist was stuck. He would have to endure the shame of these posh kids making fun of him before he would be free. But Wilhelm soon came back all alone. "No one saw Stilo the Great leaving… Well, almost, no one, but me, for I saw him and his assistant to the gate. They have left very happy about their performance, that's what I told my parents and the guests… So, Simon, I guess it's just the two of us now, and I think I'm going to prove you that you should not brag about your skills… You're going to be my prisoner until you can escape. And believe me, I'll see to it that you can't."

Wilhelm swiftly set to work, untying the boy's arms, only to tie them again, pulled up between his shoulder blades. Simon struggled, but Wilhelm was much stronger, and with ropes pinning him to the tree from his chest down, he got nowhere. He was soon freed from the tree, but still held by ropes everywhere. Wilhelm dragged him into the tool shed, where it had to be a hundred and ten degrees, and Simon immediately started sweating.

The teenager left him standing as he fetched the cart with the chest. He pulled it in and gloated over his captive: "We're going to have a lot of fun together, Simon the Lousy! I'd like to see if I can tie good knots. If I can, that means you remain my prisoner…"

Simon protested, for he had understood the first time around, and did not particularly enjoy being kidnapped, but the faint grunt that he could make through his nose only made Wilhelm laugh evilly: "Oh, by the way, I've released your doves and your rabbits… I thought about torturing the rabbits, but I've decided against it. No time for burying them afterwards, and it's much too messy anyway…" Simon let out a desperate mmph through his gag. The bunnies and the doves! No, not them!

He grabbed a long-handled rake, and stood it behind Simon, the end of the handle against his heels, the metal teeth slightly above his hair.

"I'll see if I've learned something today…"

As he worked methodically, Simon understood Wilhelm was tying him up exactly as he had been to the tree. But the handle was much thinner than the tree trunk, and his elbows were pulled back even more behind his back. After ten or fifteen minutes, Simon was able to assess the quality of Wilhelm's tying-up skills: they were good! Maybe a mistake had been made, he would have to try… And if he could hop to the pair of shears he saw at the back of the shed, he'd be able to cut himself loose.

Wilhelm then untied the scarf covering his gagged mouth, but Simon's relief of having the cruel gag removed was short-lived. It was tied again even tighter, and the two ends were knotted to the handle, making his head immobile also. He tied a piece of rope to the rake, and threaded it to a ring in the ceiling. So much for hopping around!

"I wouldn't want you to fall down," Wilhelm said considerately, "While you wait for me to come back… Oh and by the way, if you manage to escape before I do come back, I'll give you an extra ten dollars…"

Chapter 3: A long evening

"I hope you don't get too hot. I think we're going to have lots of fun together, Simon. I've always dreamed of having an escape artist friend. To prove him I am very talented with ropes… Because, you know, I've liked to tie kids up for the longest time. I can't say my parents are too supportive of my little habit, but I still enjoy it a lot. And I think I may also help you in developing your escape skills…"

"Mmmmbblmmph!" Simon pleaded pitifully. But to no avail.

For Wilhelm stepped out from the shed, glistening with sweat after the effort he had put into restraining our unfortunate hero. The door was slammed shut, and Simon stood, helpless, in the unbearable heat. He hoped the sweat would make everything slippery, and would help him out a little, but the stringent elbow-tie made his efforts useless. The shoelace holding his fingers, a novelty, did not help. Time went by, Simon expecting Stilo to come and rescue him every second. But he hoped in vain, for when the door opened, it was not Stilo, it was Wilhelm.

"It doesn't look like you're really trying to escape! Maybe I'll make you a little more helpless, as an incentive…"

He came by Simon? He removed his gag and gave him some water to drink. He crammed the scarves back into his mouth and more were knotted to keep the packing from being spat out. He then put cotton pads over his eyes, before he held them in place with some leather belt. "My brother doesn't need his belt at the moment, for we don't need them when we wear lederhosen. And we wear lederhosen all summer long" Wilhelm explained, leaving a puzzled Simon wondering why the German teen would need to tell him about their clothing habits.

"And just to make sure…"

Simon felt another belt coming over his already thoroughly gagged mouth, drawing his head even tighter to the rake handle. Overkill, Simon thought, this Wilhelm is a villain! He chuckled inwardly of the pun, trying to stay brave as he had fallen into the hands of a kid who apparently was far from being benevolent.

He heard the door being pulled shut again, and went into meditation and concentration, relaxing as much as he could in his bonds, twisting and squirming ever so slightly to loosen the ropes; they would eventually yield, it was just a matter of time.

He wished he knew how to dislocate limbs, which he could have put into use to get out of his current predicament. He got pulled back into reality by screams and giggles outside the shed. The party was not over, and there were kids running around and playing outside.

He called out for help, but he could barely hear his own noise, and the voices soon drifted away. He was trapped, but he was not to despair, something would happen so he'd be rescued…

It had to be dark outside by now, which Simon had inferred from the slight cooling down in temperature that told the sun had set, in spite of having his sense of time completely thrown by the blindfold. He then heard steps outside, and made as much noise as he possibly could through his gag.

"Mmmmmmph!"

The door opened, and he heard the nasty voice he has grown familiar with over the last few hours.

"Still here, Simon the Lousy? That's a good boy! I couldn't hear you with the door shut, in case you were trying to call for help. I have to get you to another more convenient place, one where there's little risk my bratty brothers find you…" Simon felt fingers removing the blindfolding belt. Wilhelm leaned over, and with a torch light he inspected the knots. "You didn't get anywhere close to escaping, Simon the Pathetic!" He sniffed inquisitively… "But you do smell, and not good! I was told that redheads stink, but now I know for sure…" This was really too much! Simon had had his weekly bath just the day before, and he did not like being mocked for his hair color. He would fight this mean German! But as Wilhelm released the ropes tying him to the rake's handle, Simon realized he had gotten weak from the long tie-up. He felt numb, and fought not to fall in the dirt.

Wilhelm quickly cuffed his hands behind his back, and added a set of leather cuffs to his elbows. The chain linking them allowed for a little more movement, and did not stretch him as badly as the ropes had, but he was in no state to get his wrists free. Wilhelm shoved him out of the shed. The cool wind did tons of good to Simon. He was freed from the gag again, and Wilhelm made him drink water from a bottle. Simon guzzled it eagerly, his mouth parched from the gag and his whole body being dried from the heat. He had emptied the bottle, which Wilhelm put down on the grass…

"Please, Wilhelm, let me go, you've had your mmblmm…" Wilhelm had clamped his hand over his mouth, preventing Simon from pleading any further.

"No talking, prisoner, I don't want to hear you. I'm going to feed you, but only if you remain quiet." Simon nodded yes. Wilhelm removed his hand, and put chicken in Simon's mouth. He clamped his hand back on the boy's mouth as he was chewing quietly. A whole meal was fed this way, ending with a piece of the birthday cake for dessert. Wilhelm gave him more water to drink, and the gag went back in. Then Simon heard the German teenager fumbling next to the tool shed, and felt water hitting him as Wilhelm had turned a hose on. In the moonlight, Wilhelm turned around Simon, spraying him all over. "Pee now if you need, it'll be a while before you can go again…"

Simon grumbled, having no taste for having his bodily functions discussed out loud. But he did, humiliated to have to do that in his briefs, which Wilhelm carefully hosed down eventually. He then grabbed a towel in the big duffel bag he had taken with him and dried Simon. Our young escape artist was now fairly revived, and he started trying to get out from the cuffs.

As Wilhelm turned his back to him, putting things back in the bag and taking others out, Simon decided he would give it a go and run to the house. His legs were free; he maybe would not have another opportunity. He took small steps at first, and when he thought he was far enough, he started running. But Wilhelm had caught him sneaking away, and Simon was soon tackled to the ground. Wilhelm whispered into his ear: "Good try, Mr. the Escape Artist! But not good enough…" He pulled him up to his feet and took him back where they came from, a hand firmly holding his shoulder.

"So, you like running?" Wilhelm asked rhetorically. Simon did not even bother grunting in reply, that would make his assailant all too happy. He soon had his legs seriously trussed up with ropes. More were added to his chest and waist, pinning his arms against his body. Wilhelm then picked up a big woolen blanket that he had laid on the ground, and wrapped Simon in it, head included. He then added ropes outside the blanket, further hampering Simon's possibility to move.

"Ready for the journey, boy?" Wilhelm asked, expecting no answer. With that, he pulled Simon up and threw him on his shoulder, with amazing ease, and he took off, taking Simon to his lair…

Chapter 4: Getting ready for the night

When the blanket was removed, after he had been put down on the floor, Simon saw they were in an attic. He had thought they were climbing stairs, but he was not sure. Now he knew. It was a hard wood floor, very sparsely furnished. In front of him sat a wooden chair, a solid one with two armrests. Wilhelm turned him around, and made him sit on the chair. He had also brought the duffel bag up with him, out of which he took carefully coiled ropes, and used one piece, to pull his ankles under the chair. He tied the rope to the rung underneath. He then used long leather belts to strap Simon's thighs to the seat, one just above his knees and one at the top of his thighs.

He freed his torso and arms, but to tie them back to the armrests with rope right away, that he crisscrossed from the wrist to the elbow. Simon felt there was an opportunity, for it was much looser than the ropes Wilhelm had tied before. Then Wilhelm used shoelaces to tie his fingers together and to the armrests. "No wiggling these fine escape artist fingers, uh?" Wilhelm mockingly said. A piece of rope was doubled, and its middle put on the boy's neck, the two ends running under his armpits, before they were passed behind the chair's top back rung, and they were threaded twice more to double and then triple the first one, holding Simon's shoulders to the back of the chair. A firm square knot united the ends of the rope. One more rope at the waist, and Simon was firmly anchored to the seat.

Wilhelm took yet another long rope, and threw it over a rafter that was just above the chair.

"Ok, let me tie one end here…" Simon felt him tying the rope to the left of the top rung, "and the other one here…" His fingers tightened a knot on the right of the rung. "Now you can't fall back. By the way, even if you manage to tilt the chair a little, it's my bedroom just underneath, so I'll be the only one to hear you. Of course, the chair crashing on the floor could make enough noise to warn someone else in the house, but I doubt it. And now, it won't be possible to check it out! This house is built like we do in Germany, so the walls and the floors are thick and solid. But I have to be cautious, you know… I'll be back soon, wait for me nicely!" He walked out of the room, and Simon heard he locked the door behind him. He squirmed a bit to test out the bonds. "Twenty to thirty minutes at the most" he assessed, for this tie-up was one he could get out of. The tied fingers made it slightly more difficult, but he could work something out with time.

But he did not have this much time. It had not to be more than ten minutes when he heard the door being unlocked. Wilhelm came in, carrying Stilo's chest.

"How is the escape going?" he asked in a low voice. He walked up to Simon, who did not bother grunting back. One more thing..." He used the belt to reinforce the gag.

"What happened? The cat got your tongue? You're awfully quiet…"

"MMmph!" Simon groaned contemptibly.

"Much too loud… I thought the extra belt would do the trick, but I guess I was wrong! It's time for your night gag, my boy, I'll have to be creative…"

What new devious torture was Wilhelm going to inflict upon him? Simon wondered. He thought that he should not alarm his kidnapper, and that once he would have gagged him anew, if he left for the night, he would be able to escape at last. So he docilely let Wilhelm remove the layers of gag, remove the soggy silk scarves, and replace them with a big ball of absorbent cotton. This was very unpleasant, and Simon would have liked to spit them out, but by now he had enough knowledge about the leather-shorted teenager to know better. This latter went to the chest again, and picked up some rolls. Seeing Simon's puzzled look, he explained:

"Surgical tape. I stole quite a few rolls from the drugstore a few months back, as they had left their back door open. I knew it could come in handy!"

He pinched Simon's cheeks, bringing the two corners of his mouth together, and stuck two 1-inch wide strips in an X going to his chin bone to his cheeks to keep his lips pulled together and his mouth closed.

He then took something else from the chest. It was a black rubber swim cap, that he carefully put over Simon's head, tucking in any visible hair.

"Let me protect this fine red hair of yours… Right, here we are… The other roll, now…"

He first used the finer tape to trap the wadding inside his mouth, with a few turns…

He had taken a much wider roll, like two or three inches, and he ripped a long strip, that he plastered over Simon's lips.

He added an even longer strip under his chin, and stuck the ends, overlapping, at the top of his head over the rubber, forcing his lower jaw up. Two horizontal strips going from under one ear to the other covered completely his lower face. "He thinks of very effective gags!" Simon thought.

But then Wilhelm was not done yet! He picked up a crepe bandage, and wrapped it around Simon's lower face, then from his chin up above his head, and methodically wrapped his lower face and jaw until there was no bandage left. He stuck the end with a short piece of the wide tape, which he then used to reinforce the ropes holding Simon's forearms to the armrests. He did the same to his legs, from his ankles to his knees. "Time to wrap it all up!", Wilhelm teased Simon. He grabbed a small silk cushion Stilo used to lay props on during his act, and stuck it between Simon's head and the chair's top rung. He used a second crepe bandage to pin Simon's already well covered head to the chair, doing alternative turns over where his mouth was and over his eyes, and soon Simon's only visible skin from his face was his nose.

He took the silk scarf to top the already intricate network mummifying the poor boy's head.

Simon felt the blanket being thrown over him. It was tucked here and there, and Wilhelm eventually said:

"It should keep you warm and cozy, Simon the Prisoner! The bet is still on, so if I open the door tomorrow morning to find you've escaped, not only will you be free to go, but I'll also give you the money I promised! Have a good night! Hey, don't you wish me a good night? I thought you'd be more polite…"

"Mmmmph…" Simon groaned I, annoyed by Wilhelm's remark.

Simon heard quiet steps fading away, and he just heard the door being locked up. He sighed, and got to thinking…

Chapter 5: A day with Wilhelm

The next morning, a hand softly patting his head woke Simon up. He heard a low voice:

"Time to wake up, Simon the Lowly! Your friend Wilhelm is here to play with you!"

Simon came to his senses, quickly remembering of his predicament. He had managed to sleep, even though not extremely well, by relaxing as Wilhelm had left him. He had first realized that no attempt would get him out of the chair, so he had just let go, loosening all his muscles as much as he could, thinking that the next day would bring an occasion of escape, if not Stilo himself once he would have recovered.

This day had come, and Wilhelm was unwrapping the bandages that imprisoned his head. He blinked as his eyesight got cleared, and the sun shone through a small, high window and hit him in the eye. As the second bandage got finally unwrapped, Simon felt better, the strain having been greatly released.

"I knew you'd still be where I left you. You're not a very good escape artist. But I'm willing to help you out. We're going to practice some more today…"

He was hovering over Simon, who had decided to pretend he was afraid, and not to challenge Wilhelm. He knew that would not make him pity him, this word had to be out of his vocabulary, but he would think he was the boss, and would make the mistake that would allow the young escape artist to perform successfully.

So he had breakfast without making a fuss, and obediently opened his mouth when Wilhelm brought a clean scarf up to his lips. A second one followed, then a third cleave gagging him, strips of the wide tape to seal his lips, and a fourth one tied tight behind his neck, finishing the job neatly.

"I've got to go now; it's time for family breakfast…" Wilhelm said as he walked out, locking the door behind him. Simon tried out his bonds, wondering if the sticky bandage was easier to remove with time. But no, he still was stuck, literally. He just sat there, watching the little sun ray moving around the attic, so he estimated one hour and a half had gone by when he heard the sound of a key unlocking the door.

"We're on our own, now, Simon the Third-Rate Escape Artist! My dad's gone to the plant, my mom to her charity, and my bros have gone to some stupid base-ball tournament. Me, I'm grounded for the summer, so I'm supposed to study in my room. There's only Siegfried left, the butler, and he doesn't leave the kitchen. He's too busy drinking the booze I got him!" Simon was appalled by the extent of Wilhelm's villainy: he even sold alcohol, and in his parents' house!

"So we won't be disturbed before noon, which gives us a good three hours! I'm taking you to the bathroom before we start!"

Simon was released from the chair, and ended up with his hands cuffed behind his back, at the wrists and the elbows. Another set of cuffs above his knees prevent him from running or kicking. Wilhelm took him downstairs, on the floor just below, and got him inside a bathroom. It was white and modern, and big. He released his arms, cuffing his left wrist to a towel rack between the bathtub and the toilets. He turned around.

"You've got two minutes to do what you've got to do. Be quick…"

Simon did not really like to have someone in the same room as he relieved himself, but he still enjoyed having his arms free, and he knew Wilhelm would not give him many opportunities. So he took that one. Two minutes later, he was standing, briefs pulled up, when Wilhelm said his two minutes were up. He was uncuffed, and Wilhelm took him in front of the sink. "Wash up, Irish stinker…" he taunted him, standing behind him, ready to act in case of any attempt at escaping.

Simon was perplexed about Wilhelm's taste for cleanliness. Was it because of his German ascent, or because he was a rich kid. Nevertheless, he turned the faucet on, grabbed the wash mitt and the soap and enjoyed the refreshing feeling. He was looking at himself in the mirror, and thought about how impressive his gag looked. There was no doubt Wilhelm had already silenced other boys, and that he liked it. He handed Simon a towel, and once he was dry, his arms were tightly cuffed back behind him, before he was brought back upstairs.

"We'll try something different, rodeo-style… We'll see if you can escape this time!"

Wilhelm laid Simon on the floor face down, and started working with ropes and shoelaces. Fifteen minutes later, he had trussed him up in a severe hogtie, leaving a bewildered Simon wondering how he would manage to escape the inextricable network of ropes keeping him prisoner.

"I think the little calf is not going anywhere!" Wilhelm gloated as he looked at the job he'd done. Simon rejoiced inwardly, for he felt loose ropes encircling his right wrist.

The wide silk scarf was used to cover his already well-muffling gag. Wilhelm traced Simon's lips through the silk covering them.

"Not much mooing either, I reckon! What about listening to a nice story? Do you want to know why I'm grounded for the summer?"

He paused, and Simon knew he was expecting a response. He had to please the evil German teen…

"Mmmmblm!"

"I knew you'd want to! So, three months ago, my brothers had invited one of their friends over one Saturday afternoon. This kid had got me in trouble by telling on me, claiming I had bullied him on the playground. I had just played around a bit, maybe a little roughly, but, hey! Boys will be boys, as they say… And snitches are despicable beings, aren't they? I had gotten detention for a whole week after class, so I decided I'd play a little prank on him…"

Wilhelm being a school bully was no surprise to Simon. He was not surprised either by the story that followed…

"I managed to have my brothers sent for running an errand, around the time this boy Keith was supposed to come in, telling them I'd see him in. I waited at the gate, and when Keith arrived, I took him inside, showing him to Friedrich's room, telling he was playing, waiting for him. I pounced on him before he had a chance to say anything about the room being empty, and I overpowered the little wimp easily. I tied up his wrists and arms, and as started being a bit too vocal, I shoved one of my brother's socks inside his mouth, and I took him to my room. I quickly tied him up on a chair, and hid him inside a closet. I went out of my room when my brothers came back, and told them Keith's mom had called to say he had homework to do and he couldn't come. The gullible brats swallowed it all, and they went playing in Friedrich's room. I came back and opened the closet. Keith had turned red shouting for help, but with doors closed, he had heard us talking, but he made to little sound to be heard himself…"

He twitched, with little possible movement, and after quite a while, he managed to pull his fingers out of the shoelaces. The thumbs were out easily after that. He could start releasing his right wrist. It would have been easy, had not his elbows been pulled together. But the looseness in the wrist induced some slack in the elbow rope, so, with time and determination, he eventually managed. His wrists being free, he could fiddle with the knot that tied them to his ankles, pulled against his butt. He searched for the knot, squirmed, and twisted until he got his fingers on it. He grabbed it firmly, and felt for it, until he found out how it could be released.

Once he succeeded, his legs stretched and went to bump on the hardwood floor. He breathed through his nostrils, and caught his breath. The hardest part was done, now he could work on his elbows. More squirming was involved, but then, the rope tied above his elbow slipped down his joint, and he carefully pulled his left forearm out of the loop. With his arms free, all he had to do was free his legs and get rid of the gag. Once he had quickly unwrapped the layer of gauze, he decided to untie his legs, because the ropes were uncomfortable, and it was really tied tightly.

The knots were more difficult to undo than for his arms, but as he was picking the final knot, he heard the door being unlocked. With his still bound ankles, he jumped to his feet, and frantically went to remove the gag, but Wilhelm was already in. He was flabbergasted, and stayed for a few seconds gazing at Simon, who spread his arms open, and bowed as if he had just finished an act. He had won. But Wilhelm quickly got a grip on himself:

"No, not good enough, your ankles are still tied, and you're still gagged! That doesn't count."

Simon tried to get over with removing the sticky tape preventing him from shouting, in the hope that there would be someone downstairs to come rescue him. But Wilhelm had already jumped on him, and grabbed his arms behind his back. The handcuffs snapped, and there was still one bit of tape keeping the cotton inside his mouth. Wilhelm clamped a big sweaty hand over the escape artist's mouth, in case he would be about to spit the padding out, which he wasn't anyway.

"Close call! You're not as hopeless as I thought when it comes to escaping… I'll have to be much more cautious! I wouldn't want to have to give you the ten dollars. It's almost three months of my allowance…"

Simon let out a grunting sigh…

Wilhelm spent the next twenty minutes threading, cinching and knotting ropes with a great amount of concentration. Simon flexed his muscles as much as he could, so there would be a little slack once the fiend's work would be over, but it felt like there wouldn't be much. The gagging that followed was no less thorough, even though there had been a few minutes of release so he would drink and eat a little, and once all these activities were over, a gloating Wilhelm was utterly satisfied:

"The little Irish brat has turned into a bratwurst hanging to dry, hasn't he?"

"Mmmmbllmmmph!" was all Simon could faintly reply. He did not particularly enjoy the pun, Wilhelm was really starting to get on his nerves…

This time, the position Wilhelm's ropes forced him in was the reason for his concern. Having to stand on tiptoe with your arms stretched up above your head was no guarantee of great ease and comfort. Wilhelm grabbed a long feather and started to tickle Simon under his armpits, having fun seeing him writhing helplessly. He then sat in front of Simon in the chair he had previously tied him up, and started to taunt him by using his imagination to make up possible future ordeals.

He kept on teasing Simon, verbally and with his feather for at least one hour. Simon saw him fidgeting a bit as time went by, until he finally got up.

"I've got to go. I won't be long…" he stated dryly. Simon guessed he meant he had to go to the bathroom. Wilhelm took a piece of rope.

"One little thing, maybe…" He threaded the doubled rope through the gag at the neck, then through the arms that he encircled just above the shoulders, and he knotted it with the rope restraining his elbows. Now even Simon's head was prevented from moving.

"Another challenge baffling Simon the Escape Artist! Will he get out from Wilhelm der Wunderbar's skilled knots?"

Simon was left to hang. This game was really starting to get physical. Simon hoped he would find a way out soon.

A couple minutes later at the most, the doorknob was fumbled with, and Simon turned wearily to see what Wilhelm was up to this time. He got a shock: on the threshold was a tall man in his thirties, dressed in overalls, who frowned at what he was seeing, not the evil German kid! Simon shouted for help, even though it only came out so faintly He walked up to Simon, and started removing his gag.

He tried to, at least, because it took a few seconds to figure out where to start. He eventually found the small piece of rope holding the knot of the silk scarf, and worked both knots loose with lots of patience. Then, he removed the tape running over the scarf. Simon was patiently waiting for the gag to be removed completely. The man had just unfastened the strap holding the red ball gag keeping the silk wadding inside Simon's mouth, when an authoritative teenage voice boomed in the attic:

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Wilhelm stood in the doorway, his hands on his hips.

The carpenter stood aside, taking two steps to get away from Simon. He stuttered:

"I…I am…the carpenter and I'm…uh… freeing this boy…"

"You don't want to do that!" he snapped back.

The man was completely taken aback by what sounded like an order. Wilhelm had walked up to Simon, behind whom he was now standing.

He had noticed the desperate tongue motions the escape artist did in order to get rid of the packing, but before Simon could expel it, he playfully put his warm, smelly hand over the boy's mouth to keep the packing well put. He elicited a grunt, but he had also used his other hand to keep Simon from moving his head, by grabbing the hair at the back of his neck. The carpenter was puzzled:

"And… why is that?"

"Because if you had done such a foolish thing, I don't think my cousin Simon here would have been too happy with the consequences. Didn't you hear him protest against your untying him?"

"He wasn't asking to be released?"

"I doubt it. He wouldn't be released anyway, because the rules prohibit it!"

"Which rules are you talking about?"

"The rules of our game!"

As he said that, Wilhelm peacefully took another hankie from his pocket and crammed it inside Simon's mouth, poking it with his fingers to make an even fuller ball of material. Wilhelm went on:

"You see, Simon has been there for two weeks, and everyday after lunch, we play a game of chess. The loser has to pay a forfeit. I've lost for almost two weeks in a row, and Simon decided on the first day my forfeit was to be tied up to a chair for two hours. So that's what he did: he tied me to a chair. He also thought I should be gagged so I couldn't get any help. He has been rather creative in his forfeits, and today is the first time I actually won a game. So it was eventually my turn this afternoon to make up a forfeit…"

"Mmmmbllmm!" Simon protested, but the hands were back holding his head and preventing him from disapproving with any head motion.

"You hear the boy! He doesn't want you to get involved in our games!" Wilhelm triumphed, leaving Simon bewildered by his audacity.

"You play tie-up?" the carpenter asked with a knowing smile, remembering his own fun tie-up games with the neighborhood's kids when he was Simon's age.

"Yes, for the last few years, Simon has always made up games in which we would tie each other up, like cowboys and Indians…"

Simon was flabbergasted. This evil German teen was trying to lead this carpenter into believing it was a game! He grunted in disapproval.

"Mmmmmph!!" But the only response he got was a thin scarf cleaving his lips and trapping the wadding inside his mouth, and a snigger from Wilhelm.

"Yeah, he's not too happy with me telling about how much he likes these games, but this is the truth. He especially enjoys tying me up, and I'd better tell you he has become quite skilled at it, and quite ruthless also, so now that I can get even, I'm not going to go easy on him. And we're going to stick to the rules! The new rule Simon made up two days ago would apply right now…"

As he said that, Wilhelm had taken his roll of tape, and was plastering Simon's lower face with it. He acted quite casually, as if it was perfectly normal to shut his "cousin's" lips with the sticky material.

here was yet another grunt from Simon, but the carpenter smiled, misunderstanding the true meaning of the sound for an approval of Wilhelm's words.

"So, on Monday, Simon won the game, and my forfeit was to be tied to the beam over there. He bound me tightly, and after one hour and a half, with a half hour to go, my brother came in and removed my gag, to know if he should release me. When Simon came, he shooed him away, and gagged me anew, and said the rule in case someone else releases you is to start the forfeit again from the beginning. And I had to stay tied to my pole the whole afternoon. So I came in right in time to avoid such an ordeal to happen to him, apparently."

The carpenter nodded, and asked how much longer Simon had to remain tied up; Wilhelm answered, as he was tightly knotting the wide silk scarf that Simon had been freed of a few minutes earlier:

"It's another forty minutes before he's off the hook, so to speak. By the way, what did you come to do up here, Sir?"

"I came to take measurements of the window; we have to come fix it tomorrow. Your father called us last week, and the butler showed me the stairs. I don't know if he still can climb stairs himself, for various reasons…"

"Go right ahead, do as planned, do not mind us…"

"Hmmmmbllmmph!!!" Simon screamed in despair, but the amount of packing allowed only a limited sound.

"You're right, Simon," Wilhelm approved, "he should take his time and not worry about us!" He eventually used the rope pulling the scarf from behind, pinning Simon's head to his arms. It did not take more than five minutes for the carpenter to take his measurements, and as he left, Wilhelm went with him.

"I'm going to show you to the door, Sir."

"Oh, thank you."

As Wilhelm closed the door he winked at Simon who was making a final attempt at attracting the carpenter's attention.

He came back three minutes later.

"Naughty, naughty, naughty… You were ready to tattle on me to this man, weren't you? But, too bad for you, I've always known how to handle this type of situations. I didn't do too bad, did I?

"Mmmmbbmmgnmmph!" Simon groaned, having for the first time lost hope of escaping the evil teen's clutches. But there was no way he would please this Wilhelm kid. No way!!! He'd wait for Stilo. He would be rescued. He would even get a chance to escape on his own!

Wilhelm stepped up in front of him. "You're playing the tough guy, Mr. the Escape Artist. I'm here to take care of you… Forever!!!"

That was Simon's first encounter with someone displaying such an abusive behavior. Nevertheless, he knew he could fight the evil guy. It had been over one day now, and he had not broken down. He felt even stronger.

He had to be tougher. He had to hold on even more. It was only a matter of time. Someone would come along, Wilhelm's parents would find out… Something had to happen. In a split second, he knew for sure he could not lose, and gave Wilhelm a defying look.

"You're feeling better all of a sudden, aren't you? That's good, I'd much rather have a strong-willed opponent than a whinnying crybaby. As you know, I like challenges."

Wilhelm had gotten hold of the rubber swim cap, which he put over Simon's head.

"I like a prisoner's head carefully wrapped up, it looks so much better…"

It took him a while to tuck all of Simon's hair underneath the black shiny material.

Simon was wondering what experience Wilhelm had with keeping people captive. Was this boy Keith the only one who had had to undergo the German teen's abuse?

Wilhelm went on making Simon's predicament even more unpleasant. He took belts out from his pockets; they were different from the ones he had used the day before. They were made of a thinner, shinier material, and a bit wider also. He used one to clamp his jaws together buckling it shut on top of Simon's skull, he used the next one to reinforce the nasty gag, and a last one to blindfold him. The buckles were unpleasantly tight, and Simon wondered how long Wilhelm was going to let him undergo this ordeal.

Unseen from Simon, Wilhelm wagged his finger in a threatening sign.

"No funny stuff, this time, or else… Be a nice little escape artist, and escape playing the rules, I mean, on your own… The deal goes on, so try hard, and I'll feed you in a while if you fail to escape, which I know you will. See you in a bit…"

Simon heard steps, and a door being locked. He was hanging in darkness, but he would not give up. He wiggled and squirmed, and managed to get his wrists' ropes slightly loosened, but not enough to slip them free. He then went into meditation, knowing that focusing on important things would avoid feeling despair, so he'd be able to fight Wilhelm back. He was getting good at that, so he let his mind wander in a place filled with pleasant people, and he even saw himself performing in front of a big city crowd with Stilo, and of course the soothing image of bunnies and doves hopping and flying around him made him feel better.

An annoying noise got him out of his daydream. He could hear a buzzing, irritating sound, this of a mosquito flying around. So much for doves! Simon was always a good prey for the little bloodsuckers, and their bite was always quite irritating. As he felt the mosquito land on his shoulder, he squirmed to scare it off. But this was far from over, as the insect had tons of other places to target. Simon's attention got fully drawn into trying to feel the bug landing and then shaking it off. After a while, he was all sweaty and exhausted by the unrelenting efforts he had to put into keeping the mosquito away. At the same time, he had not been bitten yet.

Then another buzzing sound was heard. It was quite different, for it had to be either a bee or a wasp. What a dilemma! He did not want to scare this insect, for that was when it would sting him!

So he had to make even more efforts, making sure the bee was not on him when he squirmed to frighten the mosquito off. This ordeal went on and on, until he finally heard the door being unlocked.

"Time for dinner!" Wilhelm whispered. As he came close to the hanging boy, he noticed the flying bugs. "It seems that the stinking Irishman made some new friends…" Simon felt a stinging slap on his left buttock. "That'll be one less mosquito! I hate these worthless insects!" Wilhelm said.

He removed Simon's blindfold, and the other straps encircling his head. Then Simon was the witness to a very cruel scene: Wilhelm caught the bee in his hand, and slowly opened it to grab the insect's wing between his thumb and first finger. He took hold of the other wing with his now available other thumb and first finger, and slowly pulled on the wings.

"So, what about having your wings removed? It will make flying much more difficult, won't it?"

The unfortunate bee, deprived of its wings, fell on the hardwood floor, where it tried to move with just its legs. Simon was appalled at the teen's cruelty. Being mean to animals was something that really shocked him, for, on the family farm, he had been raised to respect all of God's creatures, including insects, which all had a purpose in this world. Simon wondered whether there was a purpose for Wilhelm having come into the world. There had to be, but besides making others' lives miserable, he could not clearly see what it was.

The evil German boy ended the bee's suffering by smashing it with his heavy leather shoe. Simon protested into his gag, only to get a smirk from the vicious killer.

"A little soft-hearted, Simon the Goody Two Shoes? That's what makes the difference between the superior race to which I belong, and the weaklings that make up the rest of the world! Hopefully, we will soon rule this world and rid it of useless beings just as I did with this bee!"

Simon understood only much later what this really meant, but he always kept a vivid memory of this first encounter with a Nazi, whom he judged despicable from then on, even though he did not know what they were called.

Wilhelm stopped his ranting to remove Simon's gag, and he gave him plenty to drink and some food. He then carefully put the various wadding and layers back on, minus the cruel straps, and left again, saying he'd come back to get Simon ready for the night. He climbed on a stool to give a little slack to the rope pulling Simon's wrists towards the ceiling, just enough so he had the balls of his feet touching the floor. It was almost comfortable, compared to the afternoon he had spent, but his arms were too numb to allow him to perform any escape routine. Wilhelm closed the window, making sure there would not be more bugs coming in, and Simon just stood there waiting. He saw the day fading out through the window, and long after it was dark, Wilhelm eventually came back.

"I thought that giving you some slack in the rope would enable you to escape, but maybe you don't want to? You like me taking care of you better than being with your circus friends? That's easy to understand, I'm a very likeable person…"

He had steeped up on the stool again, and untied the rope from the rafter.

"Hop to the beam over there, hop like your silly rabbits do!"

Making fun of the bunnies again! How much longer would Simon have to stand this inhuman Wilhelm? But he abode, and jumped the few feet that kept him away from the beam.

This time, Wilhelm stood him facing it, and had him on tiptoe as he tied his ankles to it. His arms were then held exactly the same way as before, with a rope pulled up and knotted to a rafter attached to the beam.

"You like playing the little ballerina, don't you?"

"Mmmph!" Simon groaned, not enjoying his manhood being thus mocked.

Wilhelm then wrapped him in the blanket from his shoulders to his feet, and used yards of rope to make a tight bundle out of Simon and the beam.

"All right, my boy, sleep tight! We'll have plenty more fun tomorrow, I assure you!"

He left, and Simon was on his own again, and after a few minutes of meditation, he was relaxed, and the ropes held him enough so that he could fall asleep, and drift away in a dream world in which cruelty and spitefulness did not exist…

Chapter 6: Wilhelm's devious mind

When the blanket got unwrapped, which woke Simon up, our young escape artist noticed it was still dark outside. It had to be fairly early in the morning, for the sun rose around six at this time of the year. He understood fast enough what was going on.

"Time to move, Simon, while everybody's still asleep, and before the carpenter and his crew come. I doubt I can pull the same trick twice, 'cousin'! I'll bring you back where I kept you before; it's a safe place to have you in…"

Simon was surprised to hear that, for he had been taken out from the toolshed for the exactly opposite reason. But it seemed Wilhelm was also showing signs of insanity.

Wilhelm went on doing the same fastidious routine of bringing Simon's arms behind his back, trussing him up all wrapped in the blanket again, so he could be carried back safely and quietly in the backyard. Simon was beginning to be used to Wilhelm's handling. It would be another forty years or so before he would hear of the Stockholm syndrome, but there was a little bit of this phenomenon at work. He despised Wilhelm, and knew this teen had no consideration for him, at the same time Wilhelm saw to his most basic needs, and every time he came, there was some hope of a mistake being made that would end up in his escape.

They soon were back in the yard, behind the shed. Simon was freed from the blanket, and his hands and legs untied, a mere hobble keeping his knees a few inches apart at the most. His limbs were numb from the previous tie-up anyway, and Wilhelm tied a rope around his neck. He left the gag, and told his prisoner not to mess with it.

"So my puppy doesn't run away!" he joked.

Simon was allowed to relieve himself in the ferns, then the German teen, obsessed with hygiene, handed the redheaded boy a bar of soap, and hosed him down. As the icy cold water struck him, Simon grunted out of discomfort.

"Come on, strong men like cold water, Simon!" the evil German teen teased him.

After a thorough lathering and a good rinsing, Wilhelm threw a dry towel to Simon, who could dry and rub himself to get a little warmer.

His hands were tied back behind his back before he was pushed inside the shed. Simon was quickly fed breakfast, consisting in old bread and water, and a fresh gag was then applied. Wilhelm had gone into focused mode, meaning he kept silent as he crammed two clean handkerchiefs inside Simon's mouth, and as he buckled up the red ball gag, as he plastered his lower face with tape to eventually secure the whole thing with the white silk scarf.

Then came the ropes, and Simon's arms were pulled back tight, his ankles tied to his thighs. He ended up kneeling with his legs at an angle.

"That should do for now. I'll be back in a while. I'll take you to some other place, my dad has got this nice hunting hut in the woods, it's a bit far, but I'll bring you back to the house once it's clear… Meanwhile, do try to get out of that!"

He left. Simon wriggled, realizing that he could move around the shed as his bonds would allow. No rope holding him to the ceiling or to some heavy piece of furniture this time!

He wiggled and squirmed to get close to the shovel behind him. Its side was not extremely sharp, but it had a little edge which would make it possible to wear the rope out…

He cautiously started to rub the thick hemp over the metal. It would be long, but he now knew that he had at least one hour to manage … One by one, he felt the strands of the rope encircling his wrists yielding. But there were many to cut before he would get loose...

Wilhelm was back into the house. He had greeted the carpenter's crew politely, and told the man he had seen the previous evening of his cousin leaving, and that the next time Simon would be around, he would certainly get his payback, which had made the man smile. His own memories of such games were fond, even though these times were long gone. Then Wilhelm went to the cellar. There, he fed the rabbits and the doves he had hidden two days previous.

Tonight would be the night! Once in the hunting hut, he would have lots of fun with them, and he would certainly enjoy the look on Simon's face. He exited the cellar stealthily; he did not want to be seen. But he had failed, for Mr. Von Rautenberg wondered why his son would go in there. Had Wilhelm eventually decided to clean up the mess as he had been assigned a few months earlier, and postponed doing it making up the lamest excuses for postponing it? He had to find out the truth…

Simon was halfway through cutting the rope when the door's padlock was being fumbled with. He cursed silently, and went back as swiftly as he could where Wilhelm had left him. The door swung open, and it took Simon two seconds to realize the figure standing in the doorframe was not Wilhelm, for it was his brother Friedrich. They looked alike, and they dressed the same, but he was much smaller. He put down the bucket he was carrying, and rushed to Simon.

"You're Simon, the escape artist! But… What are you doing here?"

He kneeled and quickly removed the gag preventing Simon from answering.

"I suppose Wilhelm did that to you! My dad is going to be mad when he knows…"

"Thanks, Friedrich," Simon croaked, "Your brother is a really mean person…"

"Don't tell me about it, he's picked on us often enough. He even scared my friend Keith big time a few months back…"

He got behind Simon, and started to undo the knot keeping the ropes imprisoning his arms. But Simon's victory was short-lived…

"Well, look who we've got here! Friedrich the Snitch in person…"

"You won't get away with it this time, Wilhelm! Dad will send you to the institution he's promised to commit you to this time! Wait until I tell him!"

But Wilhelm's only answer was to jump on his brother, and after a short wrestling match, he had his sibling lying on his belly, his arms held in a tight lock.

"I don't think you're going to tell anyone about what you've seen…"

He had already grabbed a short piece of ropes and tied Friedrich's wrists together. Despite both boys' protests, the lashing continued, quick and thorough. Friedrich ended up tied up in a manner that would have been an easy escape for our escape artist, but the boy did not have Simon's practice…

"Du bist Krank im Kopf, Wilhelm! Don't make it harder on yourself," Friedrich pleaded again, "let us go now and I promise I won't tell…"

Wilhelm picked up the soggy scarves that had been used to gag Simon, and stuck them into his brother's mouth.

"Just like your friend Keith promised last time? I'm going to avoid you the embarrassment of making promises you don't keep. And to teach you calling me a loony…" He tied the white silk scarf over Friedrich's mouth so he could not spit out the hankies.

"Now let's see how my little Irish friend is doing…"

"Wilhelm, you're going to get caught, eventually… Let us go now, you…"

"Quiet!" Wilhelm snapped, turning red and no longer feigning benevolence. "Inferior races are denied any freedom of speech!"

Simon kept quiet, hoping that he would be gagged again quickly, and that Wilhelm would then leave without noticing that he had started cutting the ropes. The ball gag was taken from the floor and put back on Simon.

"Much better, Simon the Helpless Captive. Just stay where I want you!"

Simon was no longer surprised by the evil behavior, but he was wondering whether Wilhelm was not losing it completely. The teenager took a look at the bucket Friedrich had brought inside the shed.

"I'm out of scarves, so I guess I'll have to use what I've got under hand…"

What was in the bucket? What did he mean?

The teenager went to a shelf from which he took a square of green oiled canvas. He then came back to the bucket.

He thrust his hand inside, and took out a handful of what was inside: bugs! There were worms, and spiders, and cockroaches, and all kinds of disgusting crawling insects. Wilhelm noticed the puzzled look over his prisoner's face.

"Yes, my stupid brothers like to go fishing and they collect all sorts of creepy-crawlies beforehand… First time this is going to be any useful!"

He laid the fistful of live bait on the canvas piece, and warily took another one to get a tennis ball size pile. He then folded the four corners together, and brought the sides together with care. He closed the little bag he had made with a shoe lace.

"I wouldn't want to hurt the poor creatures…" he ironically added.

Simon was wondering where this would lead, but when Wilhelm came up to him, and brought the bag to his lips, he got genuinely disgusted.

"Mmmphmmmblmmm…"

Wilhelm laughed.

"Did you really think I'd put worms inside your mouth! Ah! Ah!" Wilhelm laughed, as he untied the noose keeping the bag shut, and dropped the bugs back into the bucket.

"No, I'd be afraid a weakling like you wouldn't take it and puke."

He got a grunt of protest from Friedrich, who already knew his brother was mean, but who now thought he was right down scary.

"Oh, talking of weakling, the Snitch is shocked…"

As he taunted Friedrich, Wilhelm had taken a large ball of cotton linen he took to replace the swarming threat. He then folded the green canvas back, tying the shoe lace at the top so he had a tennis ball size globe.

He removed the ball gag, but Simon's lips remained shut; he was still awestruck by Wilhelm's latest dirty trick.

"Are you really challenging me? Do you want the bugs better? We'll see…"

Scared by the threat, Simon reluctantly opened his mouth.

Wilhelm still had the ball in his other hand and inserted it carefully between Simon's teeth.

"Don't chew on it!" he joked as he tied the rope around Simon's head, keeping the ball inescapably inside his mouth.

Then it was the last straw on the camel's back…

"Simon! You had almost managed to cut the ropes! It's another 'almost' for you."

Simon summoned all of his meditation skills at that very moment. He did not want to crack up. He had to make a tremendous effort to forget the cotton he had inside his mouth, it was a big amount of packing. He did not want to throw up, for it could be lethal. So, as Wilhelm handled him roughly to tie him up in an even worse position, he managed to get his mind thinking of a sunny prairie, in which he was playing with friends, bunnies and doves, where torturers like Wilhelm just did not exist.

He succeeded, for neither Wilhelm's brutal moves nor Friedrich's indignant moans could get him away from his fancy for the following ten minutes. But good things have to end, especially with somebody like Wilhelm around, for he jumped on his feet and gloated over the tightly restrained escape artist.

"You won't go anywhere now!"

Simon realized at that moment the evil teenager was right. He was bundled up like he had never been before, chins against thighs and knees against chest, made into a ball with his arms, toes and fingers most severely restrained. What Wilhelm then said and did should have sent him down the bottom of the pit, but something he felt with his left hand got some hope glimmering anew: another chance and this would be the good one to take!

"Two trussed up kids, then. My escape artist friend, that I keep challenging and who is a big failure, for he's been my prisoner for almost two days, and my meddling kid brother, who has been messing around with me way too much… I'm going to take you to the woods, because I need to take the necessary measures to be sure never to get caught. Weil ich bin ein Übermensch! Ach! Ach! Ach! Oh, by the way, Simon, I'll also take your pet friends with us tonight."

Was he talking about the bunnies and the doves? So, they were not alone wandering in the wild? He moaned in concern.

"Yes, your rabbits, and your birds. As we're going to our hunting hut, I'll use them to show you some of my talents as a hunter!"

"Mmmmblmm!"

"I know, I should be nice, but I'm not!" Wilhelm chuckled as he dropped socks over Simon.

"These are my dirty brothers' socks, they should keep you awake. And, as my little brother here likes to act as the degenerates we have back home in Germany, and who go camping in the nude, that's how you'll both be dressed. Wild boys! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Simon heard the sinister threat and the evil laughter as the blanket he was lying on got wrapped around him, trapping the stinking socks with him. Both ends of the folded blanket got knotted, so it was like if he was in a sack.

"See you, boys! We'll have much more fun, or at least, I'll have much more fun! For what really matters is how much fun I have!"

Simon heard him going out the shed, still laughing and soon all he could do was smell the unpleasant fume of the smelly socks, and hear the desperate moans of Friedrich, who was much more afraid than Simon. But this time, Simon knew he was saved…

Chapter 7: Free at last!

In the dark and warm space that the blanket had become, in the company of the repulsive socks, Simon was paradoxically feeling that for the first time he could escape. Not to mention the fact that Friedrich was tied up loosely enough to get out of his bonds. But the muffled groans he could hear outside his woolen prison made him doubt that Wilhelm's brother would be the first to free himself. One important factor that made him think so positively was the use of the magic rope by the evil teen.

It had been used at other moments since he had been "abducted" by Wilhelm, but it was the first time the tampered part was within his fingers' reach. His fingers were cruelly tied together, but since Wilhelm was really starting to lose it, he had not threaded the shoelaces like before, and there was a little space for his thumb. He focused on this reality, which helped him forget about the sticky mass between his palate and his tongue.

After a short while, he got his thumb out of the noose, and from there on the whole shoelace holding his fingers motionless would quickly follow…

A few miles away from the shed where the two boys were locked, and one hour earlier, Stilo had woken up in a ditch. He could not remember what had happened and why he was lying in the grass, dressed in his magician outfit. It took him a few minutes to come to his senses, and he then decided to walk south, hoping it would get him back to Goodland. He had merely walked a few steps when he heard the faint hum of an engine in the distance.

Pretty soon a small truck had caught up with him, and stopped as he waved. He was heading the good way, and the truck driver offered to give him a lift to Goodland. Twenty minutes later, Stilo was in the main street, and as he recovered, he thought about Simon… Then in a flash he saw again the estate they had performed in, and he had a fuzzy image in his mind of Simon tied to a tree. He had to go there. Now.

Mr. Von Rautenberg had gone to the aeronautics plant where he had quickly wrapped up the tasks that required his presence. Around eleven, he was done, and he left to go back to his house. This time, he knew there was something wrong, he could not help but feel that his older son was up to something. Once he had been home, he had gone straight down to the cellar. Having seen Wilhelm come out from this unusual place had puzzled him, and set him thinking.

After a quick inspection, he had found two big cages with rabbits and pigeons. Apparently they had not suffered from the cruelty Wilhelm had already used on small animals. Still, it was even more intriguing. And then he realized where these pets came from! Wilhelm had stolen them from the Magician two days previous! He climbed the stairs swiftly, and flung Wilhelm's bedroom door open.

"What does this mean? When did you steal the magician's animals?"

Wilhelm was calm. He had heard his father's car in the driveway, and he had had plenty of time to settle down at his desk, pretending to do his homework as he was supposed to.

"Animals? What are you talking about, dad?"

"The cages in the cellar, wo hast du die von? Where do they come from?"

"That's what I've wondered also… I think you should ask Friedrich when he comes home for lunch. He knows about it, that's for sure!"

" Du kleiner Dieb!" The evil teen's dad knew perfectly well that his son was lying, hence he called him a thief, but he had long given up on getting straight answers from Wilhelm. He knew it was hopeless. Thankfully, his two younger sons were very different, and in the good way. He would wait for Friedrich and find out about what was going on.

In the shed, the sun had the temperature going up. Simon felt on his skin sweat running down on him. At last his fingers were free and the magic rope had been loosened. Now, in the dark, he had to put into play what he had learned at practice. Both ropes running over his lower back were loose, and he now could reach the knot at the top of his thighs. He stretched, ever so slowly, to reach the knot with his fingers. Friedrich had stopped grunting, and except for some motion he heard from time to time, he was staying quite still. "Let's hope Wilhelm leaves me a little bit of time…" Simon wished to himself.

As Joseph came in the living room twenty minutes later, he was surprised to find his father home.

"You're home early, dad?" he asked joyfully. But Mr. Von Rautenberg answered with a tone that meant there was to be trouble.

"Not really. Where is Friedrich?"

"I don't know, he's not in his room. He just had to go get some bugs as we go fishing this afternoon."

"This means someone is lying, and I don't think it's you. What is it, Siegfried?" he asked, as the butler entered the room.

"It's Stilo, the magician who came on Tuesday. He wants to see you…"

"Let him in, Siegfried," he sighed, for the butler's manners at this time of the day showed he must have been drinking. But where did he get his booze?

Wilhelm had gone down on tiptoe into the stairs to eavesdrop on the conversations going on in the living room. It was impossible to go down the stairs without being seen from people who were there.

He hoped his father would go some place else, because he had to go check on his prisoners. He now tried to remember if he had tied the knots on Friedrich totally out of reach. He hid as his youngest brother came in, and was glad he did not know much. But then, when Stilo was shown in, his whole plan was smashed to pieces…

"Mr. Von Rautenberg, "Stilo asked shyly, "I'm sorry to disturb you at home…"

"No, not at all, you've come to get your animals back, I understand very well…"

"Well, uh, yes, but also my assistant…"

"The red-haired boy? He's still here?"

There was a brief pause, and Wilhelm could almost hear the cogs turning into his dad's head, even from a distance. Then he heard him rush out from the living room, and scream from the bottom of the stairs: "WILHELM!!!"

He walked down two steps, making himself seen from his father.

"And you were spying on me, on top of it? That's the straw that breaks the camel's back! So you know what I'm going to ask you?"

Stilo had come behind Mr. Von Rautenberg, and was eagerly waiting for the answer.

"He's… he's in the shed. I've got him tied up in the shed." And he started crying. He was actually breaking down, as he was prone to.

Stilo pictured the location immediately in his mind, and rushed out of the house, running to rescue Simon from these two days, as he had found out from the truck driver, these two days at the hands of this apparently nice kid, who had turned out to be a monster.

Once he had gotten rid of the ropes, Simon had managed to take the big gag out of his mouth. He still had to make his way out from the blanket. But it was easy; the twine knotting it was not tight. He had been able to feel fresher air, for it was quite warm inside and rather stuffy by now.

Before he had freed Friedrich, he had gone to the door, opened it, to get some air and to make sure Wilhelm was not coming. It had been his fear, but the path was clear. It had taken only a few seconds to get Friedrich out of his bonds. He then heard someone running in the distance. They had to flee! They hastily got out from the tool shed, only to find themselves face to face with Stilo…

"Simon!"

"Stilo! You've come at last!"

They hugged warmly, but Simon quickly cut the embrace: "Stilo, this is Friedrich. I've rescued him after I got myself untied."

He was beaming with pride at his feat.

"This older boy, did he hurt you?"

"No," Simon bragged, willing to make an impression on Friedrich, "he challenged me to escape, and I did!"

Obviously the young Von Rautenberg was impressed.

"Let's go back to the house, I'm hungry. Are you hungry too, Simon?"

"Yes, I'd eat anything but worms!"

Both boys laughed, leaving Stilo puzzled.

They sat at the kitchen table and Siegfried brought them sandwiches and lemonade. Meanwhile, Mr. Von Rautenberg was talking in the living room with Stilo.

"I'm afraid my son Wilhelm is a disgrace to our family, Mr. The Great."

"Oh, just call me Stilo it's fine. And all's well that ends well…"

"I'm sure glad this does not end up badly. But he was told that he would not get another chance. I've already called an institution that should be able to help him. They're supposed to have very efficient electroshock therapy that does wonders for people like Wilhelm… But, then, I'd like all this sad misadventure not to be known around town."

Stilo was not too eager for having it known either, for he felt responsible for what had happened also. And he did not really want to experiment with the type of therapy intended for the evil teen.

"It seems Simon is all right. I see no reason for making a big fuss about the whole thing. You're handling the situation so it does not happen again anyway…"

"Fine, then. Here is some compensation for time lost from work…" Mr. Von Rautenberg said as he handed Stilo a thick envelope. "Let's go see how the kids are doing."

Friedrich and Simon were done with lunch, and Simon was introducing his pets to Friedrich. They had fetched the cages in the hall, and they were quite busy looking at the small signs that allowed Simon to tell a dove from another one.

"Well Simon, why don't you go put some clothes on?" Stilo said, suddenly concerned that walking around in just his briefs was a bit out of place in this upper-class environment.

"You might want to go take a bath?" inquired Mr. Von Rautenberg.

Simon was more than willing to use the bathroom he had had a glimpse of the day before, and in much better conditions…

"Oh yes, thank you very much!"

So he walked upstairs, and Friedrich showed him how the faucets worked, and where everything needed was.

Half an hour later, he came back down dressed in his overalls and shirt. He felt really good, and he was glad this was all over. As he walked downstairs, he met men all dressed in white who were heading for the first floor. As he came into the kitchen, Mr. Von Rautenberg greeted him: "Feeling better, Simon?" It seemed this whole cleaning up to feel better thing was a family concern, after all…

"Yes. Are the people in white the carpenters?"

"No, these are the male nurses who've come to take Wilhelm away…"

There was some racket just above, screams that did not last and a "thump" could clearly be heard, from some furniture falling on the floor. Then there were steps in the stairs. One of the guys in white Simon had seen before came in.

"It seems this is quite a case you've got here, Mr. Von Rautenberg… But we're used to handle them. Could you sign these papers?"

Simon looked out the window. Two men were holding Wilhelm who was in a straightjacket. He turned around, and Simon saw that they had muzzled him. Friedrich had looked also, and he said:

"They've done the same we did with the rabid dog over in Germany!"

"Don't make fun of your brother, Friedrich!"

"But Dad, I'm not…"

"That's it; it's painful enough like that."

The male nurse had gone out and joined his colleagues. They all had gone into the van that took off.

Everybody was silent in the kitchen. Simon himself did not know if he was really glad. Sure, Wilhelm had been very, very mean, and he could have done even worse things to him had he not escaped. But he did not know if he had to be happy about what was going to happen to him.

Friedrich broke the silence: "Dad, could I possibly go to see Simon practice at the circus tomorrow?"

"Well, of course, this would be a good idea…"

"So you can show me how you work and how you escaped from Wilhelm. I never got out of his claws before he let me go…"

"I don't think I'll be able to show you that trick, but there are others that you could practice…" Simon said with a very assured voice. It seemed the dreadful ordeal had not affected him. His stamina did impress the other boy.

"Oh, this will be so nice…"

Simon cut off the conversation.

"If you're ready, Simon, I think we ought to go. I'm sure we are expected back at the circus…"

They took leave, put all of their things on the small cart, and headed back to where they had come from just two days before. Simon breathed in deep, and smiled to the sun that had started going down.

"This was quite an adventure, Stilo. But you know what? I don't really want to have another one like that soon!"

The End