Master of Time

I'm scared.

I'm really scared!

Everything is dark – really, really dark!

I can't see anything through the thick blindfold tied around my head, covering both of my eyes.

I have tried squinting my eyes, but no matter how many times I had tried, I still can't see anything.

The only thing squinting did is getting the thick blindfold wetted. This is because of my tears. My eyes are still watery from my crying.

I can't take off the blindfold either.

My arms are bound tightly behind my back and not letting me to. I can barely move my fingers when my wrists are tied tightly together.

My legs are also bounded by a rope around the ankle. I have tried to move, but the rope won't budge even a little.

The binding is really tight.

My wrists and ankles are starting to really hurt, so I have stopped trying to move all together.

I don't think I can break free.

And I don't want to be here, wherever here is.

I want to go home. I want to be with mummy and daddy.

I sniffle. My eyes become watery again.

Mummy! Daddy! Mr. Maxwell!

Anyone?

Please come! Please! Please!

I'm scare. I'm really scare!

I want to scream for help, but I can't.

I can't even close my mouth. The ball of wet cloth won't let any sound out, and when I try to bite down on the ball, it just hurt my jaw and teeth.

It also makes me cough because a lot of water get squeezed out of the cloth when I bite it down. The liquid runs down my throat.

The water tastes a bit sweet, like the ball of cloth has been soaked in sugar water or something. When I am getting very thirsty, I try to squeeze out as much water as I can, but it is getting harder and harder since the cloth is becoming drier.

Maybe I can spit the ball of cloth out when it is dried enough?

Those bad men have come in the room and re-soak the ball of cloth a few times already. I don't think they will let me spit it out and scream for help.

What do they want with me?

Is it for money? My parents don't have any money.

Mum and dad spend it all on things like that flat television.

The new television is really nice. I like to watch tv on it. It doesn't hurt my eyes like the old tv does.

And the images are very clear and colourful.

It is just one of the new things mummy and daddy have brought, so they don't have any money left.

Mum even takes all the money I've earned babysitting Mr. Maxwell's daughter.

She said I am too young to use it wisely, so she will put it in the bank for me for safekeeping.

Mum will give the money back to me when I am older.

I'm not too young...

I'm twelve! I'm turning thirteen soon.

Hic... hic... anyone? Please come and save me.

Save us!

I wasn't the only one those bad people have taken. Those mean girls have also been kidnapped. They are also tied up and bounded, and I think they are in the same room as me.

Those girls have stopped crying after I did, but I can still hear their whimpering. They are trying to call for help like me, I think.

But their mouth is also gagged.

Aside from the whimpering, I could hear something else really faintly from the closed door.

I think those bad men are at it again – talking.

They really talk a lot, and they talk about things I don't have any idea about.

They are talking outside the room very loudly at the moment.

It is like they don't care if I can hear them.

I can't remember how many of those bad men there are. I think it was five when they grabbed me and the other girls and throws us into their black van.

"So, what should we do with this lots? Cut them and dump them in the river? Have we ever done that before? I mean for others, not them."

"I don't think we ever did. It will just create too much evidences for others to find. Also, feels kind of old school. This is not the 1960s anymore people. Get with the time. We should put them in a blender and make a bloody smoothie instead."

Some of bad men laugh as if they have done something like that before.

I'm scare.

I don't want to be turn into a smoothie. It will be really disgusting.

No one will want to drink it!

"Nah, I think we should sell them little girls overseas for some quick bucks. Some Japanese NEET – that stands for not in employment, education or training – want a loli sex doll to be keep locked up in their sex dungeon, also known as their mother's basement. I'm sure they will pay a handsome sum."

The bad men laugh again.

I don't understand what they are laughing about. Are they going to sell me overseas, in Japan?

And what is a loli sex doll?

I know what a doll is. I have many dolls at home, in my room.

My dad brought them for me.

Mr. Maxwell also brought me some dolls as gifts and presents for taking care of his daughter. The dolls he had brought for me are much nicer than what my dad had brought, but I still like them all.

The dolls Mr. Maxwell had brought for me are also very expensive. I have seen them on display in the stores a few times when I go with mummy.

I also know what sex is. I have learnt about it from my mum.

Mr. Maxwell laughs when I asked him about it first. He tells me I am too young to know about those kinds of things, but mummy thinks I am already old enough.

My mum tells me that when two older people – a boy and a girl – like each other very much, they will spend a lot of their time together alone in a room. And I should never tell anyone about that because it will make them hate each other.

That is sex.

Mummy likes a lot of my dad's friends. Those men usually come by the house when daddy is at work, and she spends a lot of time with them alone in a room together. I like them since they give me some candies and chocolates whenever they come by.

Mummy doesn't like Mr. Maxwell since she never invites him to a room with her.

I have asked Mr. Maxwell whether he likes my mummy, but he has said that he doesn't consider her as a friend, so he doesn't like her. That makes me sad.

However, he has said that he likes me a lot, so that cheer me up a lot. I like him a lot too, but I think I am too young have sex with him.

The only word I don't know is loli.

I will have to ask my mum or maybe Mr. Maxwell about that word later when I am free.

Are those bad men going to let me go?

It doesn't sound like they will.

Please. Please. Let me go.

My eyes become watery again.

I want to cry, but it will make the blindfold wetter.

It feels uncomfortable when it is wet.

"That is fucking stupid. And don't enable those idiots. Oh, by the way, I think we are done. The cameras are active in all the rooms and corridors, right? The boss wants to know everything happening here."

"Yeah. We are making sure there are no blind spot. The last time someone forget to check got himself cannoned to the moon. I think he will get there in a couple of decades. What speed is he moving at?"

"No idea. And don't really care. I never like him anyway. Always showing off. Oh, I heard that they are building a lunar base up there for all the wacky science stuffs that is too dangerous on the planet. Me thinks it is a good idea.

Don't want to blow up the planet, huh."

"Hey. Stick to the script. Shouldn't talk about those stuffs!"

I can hear that clearly. He sounds annoyed.

What is this script they are talking about? Is it something to do with movies?

Mr. Maxwell constantly talk about writing his script for his movies and shows.

"I think only one of them is ear-dropping. It is that very special one. The others are still crying, begging to be let go. I had thought they would be tired and doze off by now."

I think I shouldn't be listening on their conversation anymore.

They probably don't like me doing that.

"What do you expect? They are little kids after all. Their parents probably have called the cops already, so that is our cue to get out of here. You did leave some clues behind for them to track, right?"

"Yup. Anyway, I'm heading off first. I got a gaming session with those cheaters on level 2. Just because their rigs is more better than mine at home, they have this annoying smug on their face. You guys are free tonight? Want to join my team?"

"This is why I don't have kids. So annoying. Not dating anyone either. It is the bachelor life for me. Oh, I will join your team. Count me in."

Their voices getting fainter. I think they are moving away from the room.

I could hear their footsteps heading away until I could no longer hear it.

The other girls have stop whimpering as well.

There is total silence in the room now.

I try to move again, finding the rope loosen a little. My fingers can move more freely now, but my arms are still stuck together. The cloth rolled into a ball gagging my mouth has also dried out, allowing me to spit it out.

"Help –

I stop myself. If I shout, those bad men will come back. I heard spitting sounds. The other girls manage to free their mouth.

"Help! Help! Anyone is there!? We are in here! Please help!"

"Mummy! Daddy! Help me!"

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

Their screams and shoutings echo the room.

"Please stop yelling. They will come back."

I call out, but none of the other girls listen to me. They continue to shout and scream for help until all of them lost their voice.

Now they are crying again.

No one came despite the noises we made in the last hour.

Those bad men are really gone, leaving us here all alone, wherever here is.

I wish they come back.

I'm really scare.

I have tried to move again, finding the binding rope around my wrist and ankle has loosen more, but it is still not enough to slip my hands and legs out.

But it is loose enough for me to roll around the room without being hurt.

I have thought of an idea, so I move little by little until I bump into one of the girls. I don't know which one.

"Becky, Anna, Susan, Daisy?"

I call all their names since I don't know which of them that I have bumped into.

"Stephanie, you dope. You bump into me. Stop moving around if you can't see anything."

I recognize the low voice as Susan. She is the least meanie of the four. I think she only goes along with my bullying since if she doesn't, she will be bullied herself.

"I think I can get us out of here, Susan, but you have to help me. Can you move your hands?"

I whisper. Susan takes a moment before responding.

Without seeing a thing, I reposition myself and eventually found her hands touching mine. Our arms are still tied around our back, but we can free each other.

Susan mutters something, but I interrupt her.

"Can you pull against my rope. I think it is loose enough already."

Susan did, and the rope comes off with several tugs.

It is like it was designed to.

My hands are finally free. My blindfold comes up quickly, giving me a look around the room.

It is just an empty room with only me and the other four girls. I quickly pull off the rope to my ankles, freeing my leg.

After that, I ran towards the door, finding it is not locked at all.

I open the door and look outside, finding an empty hallway.

"Step? Step! Wait, don't leave us. Help us! Please!"

I look back into the room, blinkingly.

The four mean girls who have bullied me for so long are still tied up, unable to move. Their binding is a lot different than mine.

It won't come off with just a tug like mine. Mine bindings are special.

Why is that?

It is as if this scenario intentional.