By Keith Steeclif
Kale laid in bed well into the morning. What else did he have to do. He wasn’t going anywhere today, or tomorrow, or the days after that. He wasn’t going anywhere for two months.
Kale was laying on his stomach, trying to muster the energy to get out of bed when his best friend, PJ, came into the room.
“So, Man, you got your jewelry?” He went to the end of the bed and lifted the covers to expose Kale’s feet. He had two metal bracelets around his ankles with tiny transmitter/receiver lights flashing on them. “They’re small. How was the setup?”
“Hell. But of course the good men of law enforcement were kind enough to burn the whole thing on DVD for my enjoyment. The disk is over there is you want to see it.”
PJ found the DVD and popped it into the TV. On the screen was a stark room with a single large cushioned reclining chair in the center. It was bolted to the floor and Kale was strapped into it. It was reclined back so the Kale’s legs were straight out and his bare soles were pointing toward the camera. His feet looked slick from some kind of oil or cream.
A man came into the room and took a seat on a wheeled stool.
“Okay, Kale, here comes the fun part,” he said as he snapped the two bracelets around Kale’s ankles. “The deterrent anklets are designed to tap into your nervous system. If you go beyond the perimeter of your home, then they will play back any sensory experiences that we program into them in a continuous loop until you are back inside your perimeter. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I understand. This is the part where you torture me.”
“No, I need to program the anklets. The salve that we put on your feet will have made them extremely sensitive by now. So if you are ready, or not, we will begin.”
Before Kale could make another snide remark, the man started to roll his fingers up and down Kale’s bare soles. Instantly, Kale was laughing hysterically and begging for the man to stop. His toes were wiggling like mad and his soles were wrinkling as he desperately tried to evade the tickling fingers. The man tickled his soles vigorously while Kale was reduced to screaming laughter.
“Turn it off,” Kale said, “It goes on like that for an hour.”
“An hour?” PJ said, turning off the DVD and taking it out of the player. When Kale wasn’t looking, he slipped it into his pocket. “That must have been killer.”
“You have no idea. That salve makes your feet supremely ticklish. But these things work on a loop,” he said, indicating the ankles, “So I don’t know why he had to tickle my feet for a full hour. If you ask me, I think he was really enjoying himself.”
“Who wouldn’t?” PJ said, diddling Kale’s upturned soles. PJ tickled Kale’s feet a lot, but normally Kale didn’t mind because he was only mildly ticklish and he enjoyed the tickly sensation that made him squirm and giggle when PJ tickled him, as he was doing now.
“That salve,” Kale repeated, “I’ve never experienced tickling like that before. I thought I was going to go insane.”
PJ was still tickling his feet, making Kale giggle, and said, “Where can I get me some of that stuff? I’d give your feet a real workout then.”
Although the attention to his bare soles was welcome, Kale got out of bed. “No thanks,” Kale said. “Once was enough. But I tell ya, those cyber-cops sure did come up with a good deterrent. No way I’m going outside the electronic perimeter.”
“What are you going to do today?”
“What can I do? Hang out by the pool, watch TV, play video games. You want to hang out?”
“I’d like to, but I’ve got to work. Hey, did you know you have a new neighbor? I just saw a guy moving his stuff in next door.”
“Really?” Kale said. He was a huge watcher and now that he was stuck at home for two months, he hoped the guy next door might offer another distraction. He’d have to get our his binoculars later and see what he’s up to.
PJ left and Kale spent most of the day by the pool or in front of the TV. In the afternoon he went up to his room and noticed that the new neighbor was in his bedroom unpacking. His blinds were raised, so Kale could easily see in.
The man was shirtless and although his back was to Kale he was obviously very well built. Behind the man was something covered with a white sheet. The man found what he was looking for, placed a leather case on a small table next to the sheet and then pulled a stool over. As the man turned around, Kale got a look at the man’s face. It was the corrections officer who had programmed his anklets the day before. Kale remembered his name to be Kurt.
Kurt pulled the sheet away. Kale suddenly the big piece of furniture underneath. It was the same kind of chair he’d been put in yesterday during the programming. And there was a very handsome, muscular man already strapped to it. Kurt reclined the chair and sat at the stool at the man’s feet.
The man was wearing sneakers and anklet socks, which Kurt started to remove. The man’s feet were pointed toward the window, so Kale got a look at the man’s bare soles as his socks came off. He had big, meaty feet with high arches.
Kurt looked positively ravenous as he opened up the leather pouch and took out a bottle. He squeeze some lotion into his hands and started massaging it onto the man’s feet. Kale knew it was the same salve, the Tickle Cream, as he called it, that he’d been subjected to the day before. After the cream was applied, Kurt unpacked the rest of his bag waiting for the cream to take effect.
After a couple minutes, Kurt picked up a long, stiff white feather and brought it to the man’s bare soles and started tickling. The man began laughing right away and was soon in hysterics. Kurt tickled his soles and wiggling toes vigorously. The man was pulling on the straps, laughing hard and saying something, probably begging Kurt to stop. But Kurt looked like he was truly enjoying every second of the man’s ticklish torment. Obviously tickling meant a lot more to him than bringing home a pay check.
Kale didn’t know what to do. He sat and watched as Kurt literally tickle tortured this man’s bare feet. He produced feathers and brushes that he used adeptly on the squirming feet, making the man positively red-faced with hysterical laughter. Only after several minutes did Kurt relent.
And when he did, he immediately looked up, out the window, and straight at Kale. Kale ducked down behind his desk, not sure if he was caught or not. He waited a couple minutes and, when he looked up, the blinds were down.
Kale wondered if he should do something. Kurt was probably still over there tickling that man’s feet. Was he a willing recipient? Or was he there against his will. Kale waiting, hoping that he might see something. Time ticked by slowly as about an hour later, just as Kale was about to call the police, the blinds came open. The man was sitting in the chair, panting hard, but no longer strapped in. Kurt was putting his tickling instruments away and saying something to the man. Kurt then helped the man stand and then led him away, beyond the view from the window.
Kale still wasn’t sure it that was a voluntary session or not, but at least the man seemed out of any real danger for now. Kale decided he’d better watch his new neighbor.
The next day, the man was in his yard tending to an overgrown bush. Kale was in his kitchen, wearing jeans and a t-shirt and barefoot when he saw the man out his window and decided to say hello.
Kale went out to his yard and introduced himself. The man said his name was Jay but seemed kind of anxious to be talking to Kale, looking around as if he was afraid someone would see.
After trying to chat up Jay unsuccessfully, Kale finally said, “Hey, I couldn’t help noticing last night because my bedroom window is across from yours. You seemed to be getting quite a tickling.”
“What?” the man sputtered, very nervous, “What did you see? Who did you tell? You can’t tell anyone.”
The man was very agitated and Kale moved to try to calm him down. As he approached Jay, Kale inadvertently stepped passed the electronic perimeter. Suddenly, he burst out in hysterical laughter as he felt a cruel tickling across his bare soles. It was as if Kurt was there and he was back in that chair. Laughing, Kale jumped back and fell to the ground.
Jay noticed the anklets around Kale’s ankles, “Oh, man, he’s got you too.” Jay lifted his jean leg and showed Kale his own anklet. “You’d better not say anything. If Kurt finds out you know, you’ll be real sorry.” The man rushed into his house.
Still giggling, Kale stood up. He couldn’t go after the man without crossing the perimeter again. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he decided to call his friend PJ.
When PJ arrived, Kale told him the whole story.
“You sure, man? You sure this isn’t mutual? The guy could just be playing you for a fool.”
“You should have seen the look on his face when I mentioned the tickling. The guy was scared. And he’s obviously a prisoner there. He’s wearing anklets.”
“I’m sure you’re making too much of this,” PJ said. “I’ll go next door and talk to the guy.”
“I don’t think you should. I think we should call the police.”
“And look stupid if it’s nothing? Looking, your cop isn’t home now. I’ll go next door and see if this other guy, Jay, will talk to me. If anything seems fishy, I’ll come back and we’ll call the police.”
“Okay,” Kale said, “but be careful.”
PJ flexed his muscles, that popped through his tight t-shirt. PJ spent a lot of time in the gym and had a great body. “I can take care of myself,” he said.
Kale watched from his bedroom window as PJ went next door. He rang the doorbell and Jay answered. They spoke, but Kale couldn’t hear them. After a minute, PJ went inside and Jay shut the door.
Kale waited anxiously. About ten minutes went by and PJ was still inside. Then, Kale saw a car drive into the driveway and Kurt got out.
Kale grabbed the phone and called PJ’s cell. It rang and rang, but he didn’t answer. Kurt was walking into the house.
Kale was in a panic. He kept trying to call PJ. Suddenly his cell phone went dead. He hadn’t charged the battery. He grabbed the land line. It was dead.
Then, across the way, the blinds to the bedroom opened. PJ was shirtless and barefoot and strapped into the chair. His arms were raised up over his head. PJ’s feet were glistening from something. Jay and Kurt were spreading the Tickle Cream all over PJ’s stomach, ribs, and armpits. Kale knew that PJ was already a very ticklish guy and just the rubbing of the cream was making him squirm.
Once the two men finished applying the cream to his body, they went to his feet, knelt on the floor beside them, and started scratching his bare soles. PJ went nuts. He was screaming with laughter in seconds, squirming like mad and begging the men stop.
Kale had to do something. He could call the police. He rushed downstairs and into his yard. He came to the perimeter and knew what would happen if he crossed it. Now outside, he could hear PJ’s crazed laughter from the upstairs bedroom.
Without hesitation, Kale rushed toward the neighbor’s house. His bare feet went berserk from the instant tickling sensation. Kale fell to his knees in a fit of laughter. The tickling was so intense, he grabbed the soles of his feet, trying to east the sensation. It didn’t help a bit. The anklets were reproducing the tickling feeling, Kale wasn’t really being tickled on his bare soles.
Somehow, he managed to struggle to his feet and get to the front door. Bursting through, he careened down the hallway, laughing like mad, and made his way up the stairs.
Hysterical, trying to get his bearings, Kale stumbled toward the bedroom door and burst through. Jay and Kurt were waiting for him, grabbing his by the arms.
They forced him over to the bed and removed his shirt. Throwing him down on his back, they raised his arms and secured his wrists and ankles to the bedposts. The tickling on his soles was driving Kale insane and made him too weak to resist.
Laughing uncontrollably, Kale thought he was about to lose his mind. Then suddenly the tickling stopped. He looked down. Kurt used a key device to remove Kale’s anklets. Kale was so grateful that the tickling had stopped, that he kept muttering thank you over and over.
Only when he recovered his senses a little, did he think of PJ. He looked toward the chair but it was empty. PJ was standing alongside Jay and Kurt.
“PJ, you okay?” Kale asked.
“I’m fine, Kale. A little tickling never hurt anyone, did it Kurt?”
“Certainly not. And a lot of tickling is even better.”
“Granted,” PJ said, “I was rather nervous about getting in the chair. You know how ticklish I am. And that body lotion made their fingers very slick.”
“Body lotion?” Kale said, confused, “That wasn’t the Tickle Cream.”
“Oh, no way,” PJ said. “I’d go insane. Jay and I are far too ticklish to mess with that stuff. Beside, we needed to save the Tickle Cream. We don’t have a lot of it and we are going to need it.”
“Need it?” Kale said, getting even more nervous.
“Those anklets are a wonder, Kale. And I have to admit that I’ve watched that DVD a dozen times since I swiped it from your house yesterday. But when it comes to tickling, there is no substitute for the real thing.
“I’ve always dreamed of tickle torturing you, but you’ve never been ticklish enough for that. But with this,” PJ said, showing Kale a tube of cream, “we are going to have some fun with your ticklish bod.”
“PJ, what are you doing? We’re friends.”
“We sure are, Kale. And what are friends for if not for a few laughs. I admit, I went to an awful lot of trouble to get you here. Luckily, I met Kurt and Jay online and they like tickling as much as I do. I did feel a little guilty about framing you for the vandalism to the school, but Kurt made sure you go house detainment. And Jay here agreed to play the tickle torture victim even though his feet are killer ticklish.
“And now, we get to claim our prize, a night full of nothing but non-stop tickling of you, Kale.” PJ squeezed some of the cream into Jay and Kurt’s palms, and then his own. They started to rub it all over Kale’s body and feet.