Read Having It All for Free Online Page B

These were in full circle loops using master or repair links to complete the loop, not the slip through the ring arrangement that lets the loop tighten up. The repair or master links always seem to work best for connecting the rings at the ends, but I have tried other things, like small luggage locks and split rings that can be forced if you really pull on them. As you probably know, these repair links have a threaded closure like a karabiner and can be easily opened or secured just by turning the screw locks, as long as you keep them lubricated and don’t tighten them with a wrench or pliers.”
    “Sounds like you hauled a lot of stuff around,” Frank commented. “Didn’t your folks wonder why you had so much baggage?”
    “No, not really. It all fit in one medium duffle bag and the heavy stuff went into my rucksack. Besides, they, the parents, always traveled heavy too, no matter where they went, (and they traveled a lot). So no one was alarmed when I showed up with extra bags.”
    “Okay, sorry to interrupt. Please continue. It’s a good story,” Frank added.
    “Oh, it gets better. I tied my ankles with nice, soft but strong, quarter inch, three strand nylon rope, circling around both ankles several times to even out the strain, then cinching it tightly and looping it under the shoes so that they could not be kicked off. I figured that I had the entire day to play, so was in no hurry and did things up very carefully. To complement the ankle rope, I added a short length of chain and two locks. I wound it twice around my bound ankles and secured it with a combination padlock, then locked the other end to a tie down ring mounted in the wooden floor. There were lots of these rings around on the loft floor. They were used to secure tarps to cover bales of hay and straw when they were put up in the loft. I set that chain just tight enough so that when I stood up, the chain pulled tight and my high heels were really kind of riveted to that spot.
    “Next, I tied my legs below and just above the knees, again wrapping it several times to form a wide rope band and making sure that the rope was loose enough to allow for a good cinch and the possibility that I might want to kneel later on. I used another length around the tops of my thighs, just below the garters. This I wound several times around my legs and it formed a very tight band, digging into the skin and muscle so that it wouldn’t slip or slide down later. I cinched that one too, but carefully. You know how that works, I guess. If the legs are bound too tight, then when you bend your knees the binding gets too tight and is painful and dangerous.”
    “Good for you,” said Frank. “That’s very true and a lot of amateurs get into trouble that way.”
    “Right,” said Katy. “So I went to stand up and the camera remote dropped out of the garter belt and fell at my feet. I eased back to the floor, picked up the remote and tried to figure out where I might keep it. Then I thought of the duct tape and that was the solution. With a short piece of tape, I placed the remote, which was about the size of two nine volt batteries side by side, on my left wrist, like a watch, where, even with bound hands, I would be able to reach it easily. So then, once again, I stood up under this sturdy, low roof beam and checked to make sure it would hold my weight. I already had thrown a couple of long lengths of rope over the beam so that I wouldn’t have to bend down to pick them up later. It was almost impossible for me to reach the floor from this position with my feet anchored to the floor ring and legs tied so tightly in all four places, so I hung everything I thought I’d need from that low beam.
    “Then, always thinking about safety, I stuck the hunting knife in its sheath and put it under the garter belt at the center of my back. This was my only safety net and I didn’t want to lose it, but I also wanted it out of the way while I played. The sheath has a small Velcro