It was a tough choice, but I had to choose my sister. I knew that she would be suffering horribly with any non-consensual tickling, and she was close enough to my age that I felt I must act quickly. My mother and cousin were tougher, and I knew they could hold out longer. At least, that was my hope.
"Very good," laughed the sinister voice on the phone. "I must admit, she's been an excellent player in the game so far. It'll be a shame to lose her, but fair is fair."
I was growing weary of this speaker's nonchalance. "Just tell me what I need to do."
"Ah straight to the point. You were well chosen," said the voice, obviously relishing this sick little game. "The rules are as follows: you will given a single clue as to your dear sister's whereabouts. If you can decipher the answer, then you will be a step closer to freeing her. However, if you do not have an answer in one hour, then a severe... penalty... must be paid. For all the players."
A simple clue to solve. Seemed easy enough, even if it was only a step closer.
"And of course, you must not speak of the game to anyone. Particularly the authorities. The game will end immediately, and you will never see any of the players again. We guarantee this."
A knot formed in my stomach. Well, so much for bringing in help. "Alright, give me the clue."
I could sense the voice smiling on the other end. "Excellent. The clue is as follows:
'Where the sky has an artificial light, and the ground is as soft as skin.
This is where you can find rings of steel and orbs of leather.'
Good luck, little man."
The receiver clicked dead. Confused, I pondered the bizarre clue. Was it related to my sister somehow? Or was it just a random location?
In any case, I needed to get dressed, so I hurried up the stairs, thinking all the while.
"Must be indoors," I muttered, pulling on a pair of shorts. But what had a 'skin' for a floor? Grabbing the first t-shirt I could find, I quickly looked at the time. 55 minutes left before the penalty would be paid. I promised myself I wouldn't let my sister, Mom, or cousin down. But time was ticking, and I was still pondering the solution.
Suddenly, it hit me like a ton of bricks! It was so obvious! The answer was...
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
