I could not believe that I had been tied to a bed. It was Christmas Eve and I decided to stay home instead of going to one of the many parties I was invited to tonight. My family was having a party at my Aunt Judy’s house, my grandparents were having a dinner party and several friends and neighbors were having get togethers. I normally would hit as many of these as the night allowed, but tonight I was not feeling well. I was running a low-grade temp and had a stomachache. I was home alone. I insisted on my parents going to dine with my grandparents and then they were going to a neighborhood party.
I heated up a can of soup and fixed myself some tea. That seemed to agree with my stomach and thought that I would take a hot shower, slip into my pajamas, and call it a night. After doing just that, I snuggled on the couch with a pillow, a blanket, and the tv remote control. I watched a couple of Christmas movies and felt tired, but could not get to sleep. I went into the medicine cabinet and found some sleeping pills that mom took on occasion when her insomnia acted up. I had no more tea so I poured myself a glass of wine and took a couple of the sleeping pills. I settled myself back onto the couch. That wine went down so easy, I decided on a second glass. Low and behold, there was another Christmas movie coming on, “The Grinch That Stole Christmas”. Approximately thirty minutes into the movie, the wine and the sleeping pills were taking their toll on me. My
Eyelids were feeling so heavy; I could barely hold them up. I decided to turn the TV off and hit the sack. I think I was fast asleep as soon as I got in my bed.
The next morning when I awoke, I was tied to my bed. Now my mind is racing. What is this? I had a thin nylon rope tied around each wrist and then tied to my bedposts. I wriggled around and tried to free myself, but could not get loose. I kicked so much that I kicked the covers off. I called out for my parents. They did not answer or come to my rescue. I called some more, still no answer. Then, I got worried. Had someone tied me up and did something to my parents. Perhaps they thought I would be no trouble if I were restrained, then they could kill my parents and rob the place. But if they killed my parents, why didn’t they just kill me too, instead of tying me up. My mind was going in a thousand directions, each thought worse than the previous. I told myself, calm down, Hunter; quit imagining the worst. I looked around my room, and at my body. My pajamas were still on; that was good. I didn’t have any cuts or abrasions. I was in no pain. My room looked messy, just as I left it. As far as I could tell, nothing was missing. I looked for my cell phone. It was on my bed, but I could not use it. What am I to do? Using my left foot, I stretched it across the bed and drew my phone to the end of the bed by my feet. I tried to dial with my toes, but was hitting four numbers. Geez, this isn’t going to work. Panic is starting to surface again, MAMA…DADDY…HELP…
ten seconds later…MAMA, DADDY, ANYBODY… I started trying to wiggle my hands out of the ropes, but could not free myself. I was feeling fairly desperate about now, and thinking I might be in this predicament until someone looks for us. All of a sudden, my bedroom door opened. “What’s all the screaming about son”, dad said. Then he saw, I was tied up, and ran to the bed, pulling the knots out and asked what happened. That’s what I would like to know, I replied. He got both restraints untied, and by this time, mom was in there. “What happened, Hunter”, mom asked. I don’t know, I replied. Where have you guys been? Why didn’t you hear me earlier? I’ve been calling y’all. “Well, son, your dad and I had a bit too much to drink last night and we did not hear anything till just now.
Even now, when you called, I punched your dad in the back, and told him to turn the TV off. He said, the TV’s not on, that’s the neighbor’s loud-mouth kid again. Then, we heard you again, and I said, Johnny, that sounds like Hunter” That’s when he came to check on you. I’m going to put some coffee on, meet me and dad in the kitchen, we need to hear more about the events that took place here last night. Nothing to tell, I hollered at them as they walked out the door. I went to the restroom, and brushed my teeth, dressed, then went to the kitchen.
Mom, dad, y’all have to believe me. I truly have no idea how or who tied me up.
“Take us to the beginning of the evening, son”, mom said. “Exactly what happened, after dad and I left.”
Okay, I said. I ate soup and went to bed.
“Well, how can you not know who tied you up?” dad inquired. “Do you have a knot on your head? Were you knocked unconscious, or something?”
No, I answered. My head’s just fine, as I rubbed it. No knots on it.
“Well, it just don’t add up, son”, dad said. “I think you’re not telling us everything.”
I sat stone faced and bewildered. I really did not know what happened. I also did not want to confess to helping myself to mom’s sleeping pills and their wine.
Saved by the bell. Someone was ringing our doorbell. Dad caught the door. It was Mrs. Young from two houses down.
“Marie left her wrap at the house last night”, she said as she handed it to daddy.
Mama headed towards the door, “Sure was a good party, Faye. I’d a forgot my butt last night if it wasn’t attached. Thanks for bringing my shawl over. Want some coffee?”
“Well, I might have time for a cup”, she answered and walked into the house.
I seized the moment and headed for my room. First thing I saw was those nylon ropes on my bed as the ugly reminder of last night’s ordeal. I sat on my bed and stared at them, trying to recall any details, but couldn’t. I remember taking the sleeping pills. I remember drinking two huge glasses of wine. I think I remember getting myself to my room, and into my bed, but nothing else till I woke up this morning tied up. How could I have slept so sound that somebody could come in here and tie me up without waking me?
My cell phone ringing interrupted my thoughts.
Hello.
“Hey Hunter, this is Jake. What happened to you last night? The party was a hit, but we were all wondering where you were. Every time the door opened, we expected to see you walking in, but NO.”
You know I was looking forward to your party, dude; but I got sick. I meant to call you last night, but fell asleep.
“Well, I called you but it kept going to voice mail. Check your phone. You’ll see the missed calls. I know others were calling you, too. Hunter, you missed it, bro; it was a fun party. We were playing pool and dancing. Then they started doing Karaoke. Nobody there could sing worth a darn, but somebody spiked the punch, and an hour later, I was thinking I had a house full of rock stars.”
We both laughed.
“You feeling better?” Jake asked.
Yeah. I guess it was just a 24-hour virus. Dude, the strangest thing happened to me last night. I was not feeling so hot, ya know; so I decided to watch a little TV till I got tired, but that wasn’t happening fast enough, so I took a couple sleeping pills and I drank a little wine with it. Well, lemme tell ya; that worked a little too good. I hit my bed like dead weight and slept like I was in a coma or something. Bro, when I woke up, my hands were tied up to my bedposts.
“What?” Jake said. “You were tied to your bed posts”?
Yeah man. I’m serious. Somebody got their freak on over here last night. When I woke up, both my wrists were tied up to my bed.
We both laughed again.
“You had your own party going on last night, huh, Hunter? You just don’t remember it.”
I laughed. I guess so.
Our conversation was cut short with dad calling me.
Gotta go, Jake. Talk to ya later.
“Hey, we gonna grab a bite at the pizzeria later on today; wanna come?” Jake asked.
Sure, I said. Call me later.
“Will do; and hey, I’m not gonna tell the guys about your night. You tell us about all this later at the Pizzeria. I’m just going to say that you got tied up with something last night is why you missed the party.”
We laughed again and said our goodbyes.
Dad said, “Come sit here in the living room with me and your mother. We want to hear more about last night. I know when we left you here that we locked the house. I see no signs of forced entry. Did you leave out of this house for any reason, after we left?”
No, I didn’t; I responded.
“Did someone come here after we left and maybe you forgot to lock the door back?” mom asked.
No ma’am, I answered.
“Hunter, something happened here last night and we are not going to take that lightly.”
Dad continued, “We have to get to the bottom of this, son. I want a step-by-step account of every waking minute of your evening. We should contact the police. Maybe they can get some fingerprints from those ropes or from your bed. Before you give all the details to the police; I think you should tell us first. Get to talking and don’t leave out anything”, dad insisted.
Okay, I said, but you and mom are not going to like some of it. Promise me you won’t get mad?
“Just give us the truth son, and you won’t get in trouble” was dad’s response.
Well, you know I wasn’t feeling too good when y’all left, I said.
Mom interrupted, “I knew we should have stayed home, but your temperature was not high, barely a hundred degrees.”
“He was fine, Marie. Continue Hunter”, dad said.
Well, I heated up a can of vegetable soup and finished off that tea you had in the fridge, I said while nodding towards mom. I took a quick shower and put on pajamas, got comfy on the couch, watched a couple of Christmas specials on TV I was feeling a little crummy and wanted to get to sleep, but even though I had the TV volume low and the house dimly lit; I just couldn’t get to sleep. I took a couple of your sleeping pills mama and washed them down with a glass of wine.
“You did what?” mama screamed.
I’m sorry.
“Let the boy finish, would ya” dad asked mama.
I know it was wrong, but I just wanted to sleep this stomach virus away. I drank a second glass. The Grinch that Stole Christmas was coming on and I snuggled up on the couch to watch that. Y’all know I always liked that movie. Anyway, the movie was barely underway when the sleeping pills and wine took its affect. I got so sleepy; I couldn’t finish the show so I went to bed. When I awoke, I was tied up. That is the honest to God’s truth. It sounds weird, I know.
We sat in silence for a minute or two then dad said; “Son, this must have been a prank. Nothing in the house was taken and you were not hurt. Who knows where the hidden key is besides us? Do you think your friends did that?”
I dunno dad, I responded. They do know which flower pot at the front door we hide the key under cuz they seen me get it many times when they brought me home, but all my buds were at Jake’s party last night.
“There was no forced entry in this house. Somebody got in here using that front door key”, dad continued. The house was not vandalized, nothing stolen, nor were you hurt. Yeah, the more I think about it; the more convinced I am that this was the handiwork from your buddies.”
I sat in silence a minute, contemplating dad’s theory. You might be right dad. Jake called me earlier and laughed extra much when I told him how I woke up tied to the bed.
Jake said he and the gang are going to pick me up later to hit the Pizzeria and he wants me to tell them my story.
Dad said, “Yep, they did it, alright. I betcha anything dem clowns did it, but we are the ones that’s gonna get the last laugh. You go to the Pizzeria with ‘em. Let them know the story and follow it up with this story: the cops just left our house. They took fingerprints off the front door, my bedroom door, and off the bed. They said they got some good prints and will be making arrests before the week is over.
We all cracked up laughing.
I will, dad. I can’t wait to watch the guilty squirm. Watch out boys, me and Karma are coming for ya!
Mama laughed and said, “I wish I could be a fly on the wall.”
A few hours later, as promised, Jake called and said, “We’ll be there in ten minutes. Ya still coming, huh?”
Heck yeah, I answered. I’m starving.
Jake picked me up in his dad’s truck. Jake and Tim were in the front seat. I squeezed in the back seat with D.J. and Hayden.
No sooner than we had our pizzas ordered, Jake ordered me to tell them about my night.
“Go head n tell ‘em, Hunter”, Jake smirked. Tell us all about your horrifying experience last night. Listen to this, y’all”.
It was weird guys. Lemme tell ya, freaky as freaky gets. I woke up tied to my bedposts this morning. I had to call mom and dad to come get me loose.
Oh my goodness. What a good belly laugh they had. They were slapping the table and high-fiving each other. This went on for ten minutes.
I let them continue their laughter and comments about me missing the party cause I was tied up with something. This continued throughout dining on our pizzas. On our way back home, I told the guys that mom and dad were a lot more upset about the incident than I was because they called the cops. The police were able to get some good fingerprints off of the front door, my bedroom door and bed. They said they would be making some arrests next week. You could have heard a pin drop then. The laughter was now replaced with solemn pale faces looking at each other. Before I got out the truck at my house, I asked if anyone videoed the karaoke rock stars last night cause that would be something to watch.
Still stony-faced, the guys mumbled that they had not taped it. Hayden said some of the girls taped some of it.
Good, I replied. I’ll talk around and see who caught some of it. Okay, guys, see ya around.
Mom and dad grabbed my arm as soon as I was inside. Tell us how it went as they lead me to the couch.
Dad, you were right on the money! They had guilt written all over them when I told them the police got some great prints and will be making arrests this week. I thought for sure those pizzas were going to be puked up. It was all I could do to keep a straight face!
We all laughed and laughed.
Dad said, “It’s not over yet. I’m going to talk to my old buddy at the police station, Lieutenant John Mathern. He’s going to help me polish this off with style.”
The next week at school, my buds were quiet and solemn. When we passed in the hallways, they just gave me these sheepish grins. (Yeah, they were guilty, alright).
At lunch, they were asking about those fingerprints.
Yep, they should be making arrests tomorrow or Wednesday to bring the guilty in for questioning, I responded.
Wednesday morning, they announced on the loud speaker for Jake Spencer, D.J. Sims, Hayden Morrison, and Tim Letcher to report to the Principal’s office immediately. As they entered the Principal’s office, Officer Matt Teems greeted them. The officer lead them to a side conference room and told them he was investigating an incident that occurred Saturday night to Hunter Morals…seems like somebody thought it would be a fun thing to do to tie him to his bed. Fingerprints have proven that you four were there. Which one of you wants to talk first?
All four lowered their heads.
“Fine”, the officer said. Guess I have no choice but to bring all four of you down to the police station and call your parents.
“NO”, Tim shouted. “I am not getting in trouble because of your stupid idea. Jake thought it would be a good joke to pull on Hunter cause Hunter didn’t go to Jake’s party.”
“You are all equally guilty and therefore under arrest”, Officer Teems explained. “I need all four of you to stand up and put your hands behind your backs.”
Officer Teems put handcuffs on each while they protested the arrests without their parents present.
At that moment, Hunter and his parents emerged from a side closet laughing their behinds off.
What you told ‘em Jake, Hunter said, “Hunter couldn’t make the party cause he was tied up with something!” That was good; dude…and now y’all are missing class cause y’all are tied up with something.
They all laughed.
Officer Teems removed the cuffs from the boys and told Hunter’s parents that this was a life lesson that the boys will never ever forget!