Quality Time

DISCLAIMER: This story contains absolutely no sexual content whatsoever. If that is what you seek, please seek help instead. This story was not written by me, but by my friend Starwarrior. I am posting these stories here on his behalf.

"It's time for the game!"  Sarah called.  Immediately four little boys rocketed from the lawn chairs that they had been curled up in and came running into the house.  Each boy shivered slightly as his damp skin found hot bright sun replaced by cool air conditioning.  But they were too excited to notice.  It was time for their special game.  They all raced each other upstairs and plunged into the bedroom.  Inside they found a bunk bed festooned by cartoon sheets and a television sitting on a nightstand with a PS4 hooked up to it.  But it wasn't the video game system that they were running to.

 

The four boys were Ryan, a blonde headed ten year old wearing orange swim trunks and a medallion about his neck, nine year old dark haired Ty who wore a charm necklace, bracelets, and multi colored swim trunks, Colin, the youngest at eight years old with two missing front teeth, who wore a blue two piece swim suit, and Jay, Ty's twin cousin who possessed the same long brown hair and wore a pair of ankle bracelets and green swimming trunks.  The room belonged to Ty and Jay and the four boys were avid fans of tie up games.  Their favorite activity was to get tied up on the bed and test the limits of how long they could bear to be there before the boyish urge to wiggle and run drove them mad.

 

"Who wants the bottom bunk?"  Sarah, the mother of Ty and Jay, asked.

 

"Dibs!"  Ryan shouted and dove onto the bed.  He stretched his arms and legs out to the four corners.  Sarah took out some rope and began tying the boy's hands to the frame.  Ryan wiggled his toes absent mindedly as he watched her work.  It took her about a minute to tie the boy's hands firmly above his head.  Next came the feet.  She wrapped rope around each of his ankles and bound his feet, one to each corner of the bed.  Ryan tested his bonds and found that they were solid.  He wasn't going anywhere.

 

"I get top bunk!"  Jay shouted, clambering up the ladder and plopping down on his preferred sleeping space.  While Jay was being tied up to the last bunk spot the two remaining boys worked out who would be hogtied on the floor and who would be tied standing up to the bed.  Ty and Colin squared off and pumped their fists at each other.

 

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"  Ty threw scissors but Colin threw rock.

 

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"  Ty won by playing paper to Colin's rock.  Now came the moment of truth.

 

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!"  Ty threw paper again but this time Colin switched to scissors.

 

"Your call."  Ty conceded.

 

"I call hogtie."

 

With Jay tied up Colin now dropped down upon his belly with his hands behind his back.  Sarah crossed his arms and trussed them up then cinched them up with Colin's crossed ankles, leaving the boy snugly tied up upon the floor.  This left only one other place for a kid to be tied up.  Ty stood at the foot of the bunk bed.  He raised his arms above his head and his mother tied his wrists to the same corners of the bed where Jay's feet had been tied.  Next his ankles were bound to the same post where Ryan's feet were tied.  This left Jay standing and stretched for the duration.  Not that he minded.  The standing position wasn't the most comfortable but it made for a fun challenge.

 

"How long am I going to have you boys trussed up?"  Sarah asked.

 

"Three hours!"  Ryan called.

 

"Four!"  Colin called with a laugh.

 

"Hey, you know the rules."  Sarah said with a laugh of her own.  "The kid who's standing gets to choose."

 

"Hour and a half."  Ty said.

 

"Okay, see you boys then."  Sarah flipped on a fan, and started some music on their PS4.  Then she walked out of the room and closed the door.  When the boys were alone, Ty spoke.

 

"Okay guys.  Let's give Mom a surprise.  Let's everyone escape from these ropes and then we can scare her when she walks in!"  The boys all giggled.

 

"Sounds like fun."  Jay said.

 

"Yeah we should totally do it."  Ryan declared.

 

"That would be aweshome."  Colin called, his speech slightly slurred from having one cheek pressed to the floor.

 

The four boys started wiggling around in their bonds but it was a futile gesture.  Every time they were tied up they always made big talk about getting loose but none of them yet had the skill to slip a knot.  They were stuck for the long haul.  Still, it gave them something to do.

 

……….

 

Sarah was sitting on the couch reading a book when the door clicked open and several teenaged girls walked into the room.  The first was her sixteen year old daughter, Kelly.  The others were her friends.  The girls had bags and had obviously come back from a successful shopping spree.  Sarah hoped that that put them in the mood to hang around.

 

"Kelly, could you do a favor for me?"  She asked as her daughter took a seat on the couch.

 

"What's the favor?"  The girl responded.

 

"I've been needing to run some errands but your brothers have their little buddies over.  Could you watch them while I'm out?"

 

"Sure Mom.  We were gonna hang out here anyway."

 

"Oh good."

 

Sarah grabbed her purse and headed to the door.

 

"Bye, honey."

 

"Bye, Mom."

 

Sarah departed and Kelly was left in charge of the house.  While her friends headed to the kitchen to raid the fridge, she headed upstairs to see what her baby brothers were doing.  She walked up to their bedroom and swung the door open.  As she did she saw the spectacle of four boys securely tied up in the bedroom.  She gave them a blank stare.

 

"Do you mind?"  Jay called.  Kelly shut the door and burst into giggles.  Her goofy little siblings were something else.  She walked back down the stairs and saw her friend, Carol, munching on a granola bar.

 

"So what are the rugrats up to?"  She asked out of curiosity.  Kelly laughed.

 

"They're playing this silly tie up game they always do."

 

"Tie up game?"  Another asked.

 

"Yeah.  They play this game where they get tied up for awhile and then you have to let them out."

 

"Little brothers who want to be tied up?  That's a dream.  I bet it's easy to keep them out of your hair."

 

"You got it."  Kelly said with a laugh.

 

"You ever do anything to them while they're helpless?"

 

"Ehhh, not usually.  They're good little guys.  They don't get on my nerves much."

 

"Even if they're nice why waste the opportunity?"  There was more laughter.

 

"Hey, we totally should do something to them.  Just to mess with them a little."  Another girl offered.  "It doesn't have to be mean.  Just something for fun."

 

"I suppose we could."  Kelly said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.

 

……….

 

The boys were chatting with each other as they engaged in the heroic feat of not escaping when the bedroom door swung open again.  This time instead of just Kelly, a whole gaggle of girls came swarming into the small bedroom.

 

"Hey!"  Jay shouted.  "What are you doing here?  We're not bothering you!"  Kelly smiled apologetically.

 

"I know you aren't, squirt.  But my friends and I decided we wanted to spend some quality time with you guys."

 

"Quality time?"  Ryan asked.

 

"Yep.  We never spend enough time together and I just think that's wrong.  My best little baby brothers will be grown up soon and we need to treasure the time we have together.  So…..who wants their toenails painted?"

 

Soon the boys found themselves the object of quality time that they'd rather do without.  Jay squirmed helplessly as two teen girls perched on his bunk and proceeded to paint his toenails a bright blue color.

 

"You look cute with your little ankle bracelets."  One of the girls offered.  Jay wrinkled his nose at the noxious word.  The girl noticed and added playfully "You've got cute little toes too."

 

"I hope this stuff comes off."  Jay whined.

 

"It will in a couple of days."

 

"But school's tomorrow!  I can't go with blue toenails!  I've only got sandals!  They'll laugh at me."

 

"Ohhh, you'll be okay, kiddo."  The girl chided.

 

"At least you're lucky enough to get blue."  Ryan grouched who watched as girls were painting his toenails pink.

 

Suddenly a loud bubbly giggle broke through the air.  Everyone turned to see who had made the noise.  It wound up coming from Colin.  The nature of his tie up had put his feet at an awkward angle and the girls were having trouble painting his toenails.  At one point the nail polish brush had glided over the tips of his toes and the giggle burst from his lips.  Colin noticed that the room had gone quiet as the girls were looking at him.

 

"Sorry."  He said.  "That tickled."  The silence continued.

 

"Hey."  One girl said.  "You know what we COULD do….."

 

"We'll never get another opportunity like this as long as we live."  Said another.

 

Understanding dawned on Jay first and with that understanding came a pang of absolute horror.

 

"Oh no!.....OH NO!"

 

"What?!  What oh no?!"  Ryan called from the bottom bunk.

 

"Guys!  They're gonna tickle us!  We have to get out of here!"

 

Immediately the three other boys panicked and the bed rocked as they all wiggled desperately to free themselves.  The girls laughed at the spectacle.

 

"Ohhh, we've got some live ones.  We definitely need to tickle them."

 

"But who do we get first?"

 

"JAY!  Get Jay first!"  Ryan called.

 

"NOOO!  Get Ryan!"  Jay retorted.

 

"Get Ty!"

 

"Get Colin!"

 

"I think we need to do a little bro first."  Kelly said, climbing up the ladder.

 

"NOOOO!  NOOOOO!"  Jay began to thrash about in a panic as he saw teenagers climbing up the bed from all around him.  But no matter how much he wiggled he was hopelessly trapped.  "Kelly!  Don't do this!  I love you Kelly.  You're my favorite sister!"

 

"I'm your only sister."  She said with a chuckle.

 

"Come on.  You wouldn't do this to your favorite little brother!"  He said, desperately playing his best puppydog eyes.

 

"Awwww."  Kelly cooed when she saw his face.  "You're so adorable when you do that."  She said.

 

"That's right."  Jay said, talking fast.  "I'm adorable.  I have cute ankle bracelets.  And…and cute toes!  You don't want to be mean to me.  I'm too cute to tickle!"  As he spoke, Kelly gave an angelic, compassionate smile.

 
"Awww, sweetie.  You're absolutely right.  But the truth is…"  Her smile turned playfully evil.  "You're too cute NOT to tickle."  Jay was now frantic.  He had one last hope of escaping from the ticklish nightmare taking shape.

 

‘MOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!"  He shouted.  Surely his mother would hear and come to free him and scold Kelly for picking on him.

 

"Mom's out on an errand.  I'm in charge."

 

And in that moment, Jay knew he was doomed.

 

Kelly turned and began to drag her fingernails slowly and torturously up and down Jay's bare soles.  The little boy's feet were soft and sensitive from his time spent playing barefoot in water and grass.  Explosive giggles began catapulting from his small frame just from that little tickling.  And it would only get worse from there.  Other teenagers moved in for the kill.  Ten fingers plunged into his belly and Jay cackled with laughter.  He was wiggling plaintively when two hands moved to squeeze his knees and drive him once more into panicked thrashing.  Jay still had his eyes open as he laughed and as he watched he could see a pair of hands descending toward his helpless armpits.  He shook his head no and tugged frantically at his wrists but there was nothing he could do to stop the incoming fingers.  They scribbled into his hollows and he gave a high pitched squeal.  Then his sister went from gentle whisks of her nails to deep rapid scribbling upon the bottoms of his feet.  Jay howled.

 

Underneath, Ryan watched helplessly.  He could hear the screams of laughter and felt the bed rocking from the thrashing of the little boy above.  The wood creaked and squeaked in protest.  He wondered how much the poor kid could take.  Ryan could hear him going berserk.  And he felt a ball of dread forming in the pit of his stomach from the knowledge that soon it would be his turn and he would be the one screaming with laughter.  Ryan was a very ticklish boy and he feared his turn under the nails.  He pulled at his hands and feet, desperate for escape.  But Sarah was an expert at tying up the boys.  Not once had they ever been able to get loose.  And Sarah's skill had now unwittingly doomed them.  He cringed as Jay gave another ticklish scream.

 

Ty was situated close to the action.  Trussed up at the foot of the bed he could see his sister's tickling fingers and the agonized wiggling of Jay's tickle tortured bare feet out of the corner of his eye.  He could hear the panicked laughter of his sibling.  He called down to his friends.

 

"We gotta do something!  They're killing him up there!"

 

"What do you want us to do?  We're tied up!"  Ryan responded.

 

"I don't know.  Something!"  Ty yelled.

 

"Hey!"  Colin hissed to Ryan in a whisper.  Ryan looked in his direction.  He watched as Colin rolled awkwardly over to the side of the bed.

 

"Try and get my feet loose."  He whispered.  He positioned himself where Ryan's fingers could just reach the knot.

 

Jay could no longer muster the will to speak.  His energy was devoted to laughter.  He screeched as Kelly flickered her nails through his bubble toes.  A finger dug deep into his navel, as if it were probing for his spine.  It was as if his whole body was submerged in a vat of tickling.  His mind reeled to process the overwhelming sensations that captivated his body.  His feet were on fire.  His stomach was being devoured by spiders, at least that's how it felt.  His poor armpits itched and tingled from the relentless irritation.  He felt sure that he would die at any second.  He had given up any hope of wiggling out of the rope.  For now he merely held on for dear life.

 

Ryan was just able to reach the knot that cinched Colin with his bound hand.  He fingered at the knot desperately, trying to loosen it and find the sweet spot that would cause the whole contraption to come apart.  He whispered to Colin to try his best not to squirm.  Any false move might retighten the knot just as he was loosening it.  He fiddled with the rope and his heart soared when he found a spot where his finger wormed its way in.  There was hope.  He worked his finger around and felt the knot loosening.

 

The boys were suddenly aware of the fact that Jay had stopped laughing.  Unbeknownst to them he had fainted from laughter.

 

"Awww, poor little guy."  Kelly said, stroking his hair.

 

"What happened?"  Ryan asked.

 

Kelly almost told the truth, but a moment of adolescent evilness crept into her sense of humor.

 

"Looks like we tickled him to death."

 

Three jaws dropped.

 

"To death?"  Colin squeaked.  "Like, really dead?"

 

"Yep.  I guess the tickling was too much for him."

 

"You know what that means?"  One girl asked.

 

"What?"  Ty responded.

 

"Well…we can't leave any witnesses.  So I guess we'll have to tickle all four of you to death!"  The girls started coming down from the top bunk.  Colin quickly rolled onto his back to hide where the rope had been loosened.  The boys struggled to wrap their heads around where this was going.  Did they really tickle Jay to death?  Was that even possible?  Were they really going to tickle three more boys to death just for knowing this?

 

"So, who do we tickle into the great beyond next?"  Kelly asked.  "We need a squealer."

 

"How about these ticklish widdle toes?"  One teen said, gesturing to Colin.  "They were quite receptive."

 

"Yes, we do need to try these toes out."  Said another.

 

Ryan panicked.  Colin was the only one with any hope of getting untied at the moment.  If they turned their ticklish torture upon him he would be out of action and they might even discover that the boys were trying to beak out.  Without thinking, Ryan blurted out.

 

"How about me?  No one can tickle me to death.  Certainly not some flaky girls."

 

"That sounds like a challenge."  One girl stated.

 

"Indeed it does.  I think this rugrat needs to be taught a lesson."

 

"I think we are perfectly capable of tickling him to death."

 

Ryan's pulse began to quicken as the girls turned their attention on him.  He realized that if they were really tickling boys to death, then he was done for.  But at least Colin would have a fighting chance at getting free.  As the gaggle of girls climbed upon his bed, wielding their long, articulate tickling fingers, Ryan's life began to pass before his eyes.  Then it passed a second time because he was only ten and there wasn't much on the reel.

 

Kelly took the spot reserved for foot tickling.  Ryan curled his toes, his blood curdling at  the thought of those wickedly manicured nails tickling his soft pink soles.  Ryan was an indoor boy and the most tender footed of the bunch.  With his feet sensitized by the warm damp grass, he knew the tickling would be awful.  His feet were so very ticklish too.  Even massages could make him laugh.

 

The plight of Ryan's tootsies was then pushed to the back of his mind when he saw a girl uncurl her talons and slowly lower them to his bare belly.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Colin rolling his way toward the foot of the bed.  He leaned back upon his pillow and looked skyward.  Only instead of sky he saw only the bulk of the top bunk.  He hoped his sacrifice would be worth it.  The fingers pushed into his tummy and began to wiggle.  Ryan began to laugh.

 

Colin could hear the laughter starting.  He didn't know how long he had until Ryan died of laughter but Jay had lasted a fair amount of time.  He felt at the loosened knots with his fingers.  He was confident he could wiggle his way out.  And with all the attention focused on tickle torturing Ryan, no one was watching him.  He twisted around and worked quickly to unspool the mess he was in.  As he squirmed about he watched Kelly begin the torment of Ryan's poor soles.  The toes curled down desperately as Ryan cackled.  Kelly pried the toes back and scribbled hard on the bottoms of his feet.  Faint white lines marked the path of her fingernails and Ryan squealed.

 

Ty felt his knees aching a little as he maintained his forced standing position.  He couldn't see what was happening to Ryan but it sure sounded like they were killing him.  He craned his neck around to try and see Jay.  He could just see his feet and they were still.  Given that he was a relative of Kelly, he was pretty sure he was next.  He wondered if there was tickling in the afterlife.  But he knew the only way to avoid finding out was lying in front of him, wiggling in a hogtie.  Colin was fighting for their lives.  He wanted to encourage the boy but also didn't want to do anything to draw attention to him.  He heard a scream come from behind him.  They must have found a weak spot on Ryan.  The poor kid was falling apart.  But if he could keep the evil teenagers distracted, then the other boys might have a chance.

 

Ryan twisted violently on the bed as a finger probed deep into his bellybutton but he was bound too tightly to evade the finger.  He could feel ticklishness exploding within his midriff and pulsing outward to send his entire body into a panic.  He squealed with laughter.  The medallion on his chest bounced about as he laughed and thrashed.  And worse still was coming.  He could feel Kelly slithering her fingers between his delicate little toes and cold chills rippled through his body.  She began to wiggle her fingers side to side.  Ryan screeched as the tickling on his feet reached a new level of unbearability.  In that moment he went from fearing he would die of laughter to wondering if that was the preferable alternative to the endless maddening tickling he was being subjected to now.  As it was he felt as though he dwelled in a universe constructed purely of tickling and he was there for that universe's amusement.

 

In one swift motion Colin realized that he had very suddenly popped his hands and feet free.  Resisting the urge to let his weary limbs flop to the floor, he continued to shape himself as if he were still tied up.  He spent an extra measure of time making absolutely sure no one was watching before easing his limbs to the floor.  He took a few deep breaths before getting to his feet on achy knees.

 

Colin had a moment of weakness.  The girls were utterly distracted.  He has been set free from his prison.  If he moved now, he could tiptoe right on out of the room and they would be none the wiser.  He would be outside and on his way home away from this predicament before they finished off Ryan.  But then he heard another laughing scream from Ryan.  He remembered how Ryan had helped loosen his knots and had called the ticklers onto his own body so that Colin could get free.  Colin looked into the pleading face of Ty who was still bound and awaiting his turn at tickle torture.  He knew he couldn't leave his fellow boys.

 

Taking a risk, Colin climbed up onto the top bunk.  He took great care not to rock the bunk or cause a squeak.  Fortunately the girls had tunnel vision and were utterly focused on the tickle torture of poor pleading Ryan.  Colin made it to the top undiscovered.  He looked Jay over and was glad to see his tummy rising and falling.

 

"Don't worry, he's alive."  He whispered to Ty.  Colin busied himself with untying the unconscious boy's hands and feet.  Everyone would have to be ready to run when they made their break and there was no honor in leaving Jay behind, possibly to be tickled again.  That time they might actually achieve death by tickling.  He would untie Jay and revive him then untie Ty.  He figured the boys could get the girls attention then run.  The boys could effectively outrun the girls and this would draw them off of Ryan.  He was still working out how to double back and get Ryan loose when he realized Ryan had stopped laughing.  Ryan had succumbed to the overwhelming tickling and had swooned.  He was now lying quietly on the bed.

 

And the girls were looking up at him.

 

"Well…..hi….."  He said hopefully.

 

"We got an escapee!"  One of the girls called and they surrounded the top bunk.  Hands reached from all sides to grab at Colin's wrists and ankles and they grabbed him and dragged him off of the bunk.  He was plunked belly down upon the floor and one of the girls sat on him.

 

"This one needs a special lesson!"

 

"I know he has a weakness for hairbrushes!"

 

"NOOOO!"  Colin cried out.  He did have a weakness for hairbrushes.  The sensation of prickly bristles on the bottoms of his bare feet drove him mad and he could scarcely bear to think about it.  Unfortunately for him, the girls were rifling through their purses, racing to see who could produce the deadliest brush.  Face down and facing the wall, Colin couldn't see what malevolent hair styling implements were being considered for his tootsie torture.  Perhaps that was a good thing.

 

"Here's a couple!"

 

There were many different kinds of brushes in the world.  Colin had become quite an expert on the various styles, thanks in no small part to regular bouts of tickle torture from his parents.  When he felt the set of brushes touch his skin he knew what he was dealing with and a rod of ice went down his back.  These were massaging brushes.  The worst kind.  They contained flexible plastic tines for scalp massage and also contained bristles for hair brushing.  When Colin felt the plastic tines touch his soles, he closed his eyes and prepared himself for the explosion.

 

Ty had watched as Colin was dragged off of the bed.  Ty had initially felt annoyed when he noticed Colin was spending his precious allotment of time freeing his slumbering brother instead of a boy who was awake and alert.  It especially bothered him when Ryan zoned out and Colin had gotten himself caught.  It seemed a waste of time now.  But as he watched Colin cringing on the floor as the brushes were lowered to his feet he felt a pang of sympathy.  The brushes began to whirl back and forth and Colin's shriek was earsplitting.  Ty watched as his little bubble toes slammed down in response to the stimulus.  But the girls pried his toes back and forced his soles taut.  Another scream rattled the window panes.  As the brushes were rubbed over the pads of Colin's toes the boy almost popped.  Ty could see the shudder going through his body.

 

It didn't take many girls to tickle a pair of feet and Ty felt an icy ball in his stomach as the girls with free hands noticed him.  They started walked toward him, forming a semi circle around his bound form.  Ty wiggled plaintively, his necklace clacking as he twisted his head, but he likely had the most restrictive tie up of all.  There was no escaping those fingers.  He swallowed as the girls revealed their tickling talons.  All the other boys had fallen under the tickles.  It was inevitable that it would eventually be his turn.  He took a deep breath.  His one advantage would be that his tender soles weren't easily accessible as he was standing on them.  So there was that one small favor.  Tickling fingers plunged into his belly and he began to laugh.

 

Colin squealed and screamed with laughter.  Each purl of the brushes was agonizingly ticklish.  It felt like millions of tiny fingernails scraping up and down his soles.  He arched his back and thrashed about desperately but the girl sitting on him kept him easily under control.  As Colin laughed he realized that the only way this would end was by the arrival of Ty and Jay's mother.  The girls were absorbed in their tickling task.  They saw a once in a lifetime opportunity and were making the absolute most of it.  None of the boys had been spared.  He hoped she would finish with her errands soon.  Bristles swirled between his toes and Colin screeched again.

 

Ty's knees buckled as fingers probed into his sensitive armpits.  The tie really didn't allow him to fall though so he continued to hang from his arms.  He was positioned so that wouldn't hurt, but it still wasn't a picnic.  His voice cracked to an infantile pitch as a slender fingertip poked into his tummybutton and found that touchy little knot at the bottom.  Ty laughed like a six year old, his voice now screechy and high.  The finger wiggled in a circle, sending ticklish jolts arcing through his abs.  He squealed in protest and struggled against the torment.

 

"Look, he's doing a belly dance for us!  Dance, Ty!  You're a champ!"  The girls teased.  The insidious tickling of his navel had prompted a frantic swaying of the hips in a vain attempt to evade the offending finger and the result resembled a ticklish parody of a hula dance.  The girls laughed at his swaying hips and the finger was drilled deeper into his bellybutton, making his gyrations all the more desperate.

 

"We should have a contest to see who can make their kid wiggle the most!"  Kelly proposed.  The challenge was eagerly taken up.  Even more gusto was put into the torture of Colin's tootsies and as the brushes sawed back and forth the little boy howled like a tiny werewolf.  Not to be outdone, Team Tickle Ty unleashed a flurry of fingers on the little boy's spasming midriff, causing his poor tummy muscles to ripple like waves rolling ashore.  One girl worked a few fingers under his bare soles and found some pressure tickle spots to wiggle against, prompting Ty to jolt on his toes as his body tried to bounce into the air.  Now the ropes that kept his feet safely pressed into the floor trapped them against their tormentor.  He strained to pull his feet up from the probing tickles but he just couldn't escape.  Ty leaned his head back and squealed like a girl as he was utterly devoured by tickles.

 

As Jay slowly awoke, it took some time for him to realize what had happened and what was going on.  He was initially confused as he awoke to hear the squeals of little boy laughter but soon memory came flooding back and he recalled how his sister and her friends had attacked them while they were helpless thanks to their tie up game.  As he blinked his eyes and turned his head to the side it was evident that this tickle attack was still ongoing.  He could see his brother and his youngest friends screeching and begging for mercy.  Not wanting to advertise himself as a target ready to be revisited, he laid still and pretended to be asleep.

 

But as the tickling was going on he realized that somewhere along the line, someone had untied him from the bed.  He wasn't sure who, he wondered if it might have been one of the girls.  Either way, he was free.  As he peered over the edge of the bed he saw that Colin and Ty were being tickled to insanity.  Ryan's eyes were shut and he was dead to the world.  Jay caught one of the girl's eyes, but she made no move to come after him.  Jay swung his legs over the side of the bed and got down to the floor.  The girls continued the tickling of their chosen victims.  Jay decided to make a run for it.

 

Although perhaps "making a stagger for it" would be a better choice of words.

 

As Jay descended the stairs he heard the sounds of a key being turned in a lock.  The front door opened and to his relief he saw Sarah stepping into the living room.

 

"Mommy!"  He called, rushing over to her.  She looked at her bedraggled son, puzzled as he wobbled his way over.  "You've got to help us.  Kelly is torturing us in there!"

 

She followed her son upstairs.  She could hear the screaming laughter long before they reached the doorway.  As she peeked inside her eyes widened.  She saw two boys tied to the bed, her little Ty sagging in the ropes as he was relentlessly tickle tortured on the belly.  He looked ready to collapse.  His friend Colin was flat on the floor.  His voice was going hoarse from screaming as hairbrushes were being dragged over his bare feet; his soles and the pads of his little bubble toes a bright shade of pink from the brushing.  Ryan had evidently already been worked over and was in a deep sleep still tied to the bed.

 

Sarah cleared her throat loudly and the teens looked up.  Playful grins turned into sheepish ones as they saw the momma bear staring down at them.

 

"Play time is over.  Let the little guys go."

 

Colin lay limp on the floor after being let up.  Ryan didn't stir as his hands and feet were untied.  Ty nearly crumpled when he was released and they eased him down into a sitting position.

 

"Sorry, Mom."  Kelly said.  "We just couldn't resist."  Like all teenagers, Kelly operated under the "better to ask for forgiveness than permission" mentality.

 

"Are you boys okay?"  Sarah asked.  The three that were awake managed to nod.

 

"Kelly, I think you and your friends got a little carried away."  Sarah said.  "Consider yourself grounded for a week."  Kelly buzzed her lips in annoyance but when she saw the flushed faces of her tickle tortured siblings she knew that things had gotten out of hand.

 

"Sorry little dude."  She offered to Jay.  "Hug?"  Jay smiled and gave her the hug.  She gave the weary Ty a big squeeze as well.  "I love you guys even if I do get a little crazy sometimes."

 

Kelly went to her room and her friends departed.  The four boys stretched out on the floor and recovered their strength.

 

"You know what?"  Ty offered.  "This is the first time anybody got out of the tie up.  Two kids got loose."

 

"Yeah."  Colin piped up.  "When we worked together we got kids out.  Ryan helped me get out and I got Jay out.  I could've gotten everyone out if I didn't get caught."

 

"Yeah, and you know what?"  Jay said.  "That tickling thing was actually kinda cool.  I mean they did too much but if it was just a little bit it would make the game more exciting.

 

"Yeah.  You could let your sister do that to us for the next game."  Ryan said.

 

"But no friends!"  The boys all declared at once.  Then they burst into giggles over their shared sentiment.

 

The End