A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

“They say a stitch in time saves nine. Come around and we shall dine, show you how one stich saves nine. Will you be the one? Will you still be standing when we are done? Will you once again see the sun? So come around and we’ll have a great time, play a game of mime or even rhyme.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jack muttered to himself as he read the note that had been left in his letter box. A date, time and address had been written at the bottom as well, along with the names, Edgar and Deirdre Winnifred. That it was a dinner invitation was all he could discern. It was from the new neighbors who had moved in next door about a month ago and this was probably a way for them to get to know everybody. Jack shuddered. He hadn’t seen or heard much from them, but they were weird; weird and creepy. Jack had seen the woman of the house staring out their front window on numerous occasions, just watching the street. If you were unlucky enough to catch her eye, she would give you this smile that reminded Jack of an evil clown. Something told him they were up to no good, but he didn’t have enough proof to warrant calling the cops. For reasons he couldn’t explain or understand, part of him was curious about what they were hiding. The logical part of him flashed a thousand warning signs, cautioning him to stay away. If I go, maybe I can get some clues, he thought. Maybe I can get some solid evidence to show the police, get them arrested and out of our street.

See, Jack had a wife, Audrey, and two children; a boy named Benny and girl named Lilly. It was the perfect family. They had family vacations, family dinners, family movie nights, family game nights; everything was wonderfully cozy in their little world, however, while these people were living next door, he couldn’t help worrying about their safety. The perfect little world they had built for themselves was under threat. He knew he wasn’t the only one concerned either. I wonder if anyone else was invited. Audrey and the kids had gone over to Audrey’s parents’ place and wouldn’t be back till the following day. Jack would have gone himself if he didn’t have to go to work. Anyway, it was good that they were gone. He would never have taken them to this dinner. It was time he stepped up as husband, father and man to protect his people. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to protect his family, and if that meant going to some creepy couple’s house for dinner, then that was exactly what he would do. Glancing at his watch, he realized he’d better start getting ready. It was 5:30pm and the dinner invitations said to be there by 6:00pm.

Despite rushing, he was still late. Great way to draw attention to yourself, idiot. He pressed the doorbell and heard it echo through the house like the tolling of a giant bell. The bell of death. The thought startled him and he shook his head, trying to clear the sudden and intense fear that had come creeping up to catch him unawares. His heart raced and he could feel his palms growing sweaty. This was a bad idea. He wanted to run as far away from this house as he could, but the thought of his family kept him there, standing on the front doorstep, bottle of wine in hand, waiting to be invited into whatever hell lay within.

The lady of the house answered, smiling broadly when she saw him. “Ah, our final guest has arrived. You must be Jack. I am Deidre. Please, do come in,” she said warmly and perhaps a little too eagerly.

Jack blinked in mild surprise. Deidre was an older woman, possibly in her sixties, though it was hard to determine through her immaculate make-up. Her white hair was styled just right beneath a cream hat, and her brocaded cream skirt with matching jacket were the perfect fit. The only colours in her outfit were the ruby-red court shoes and a red rose broach on her right lapel. She was certainly not what Jack had been expecting.

“Ah, thank you,” he replied hesitantly as he stepped across the threshold. “Ah, this is for you.”

“Why, how kind!” Deidre exclaimed as she took the offered bottle of wine. “This will go nicely with dinner. Thank you.” She took his arm and ushered him further into the house. “Everyone is in the dining room.”

“Everyone?” Jack queried. He wasn’t left wondering long for, as they turned a corner, he found himself facing a table filled with nine of his other neighbours.

“Hey, Jack,” greeted Sullivan – Sully for short – with his easy smile. He lived on the other side of Jack with his wife and youngest daughter, but he was there alone tonight too. In fact, he noted, all of them were there on their own. Clara, the young mother, was there without husband and newborn; Brandon, the flamboyantly energetic homosexual, was without his partner; Gracie, recently retired from nursing, had come without her husband; Rachel, the always over-worked mother of four was there without her children and husband – a rare occurrence; Travis, the laid back, middle aged, single dad to a teenage son and daughter, also there alone; Jacinta, the blonde newlywed, without her handsome groom; Scott, the fitness freak, there without his girlfriend and finally, Natasha, a clever university student who still lived at home. As Jack studied them, he realized something else. In their own unique way, every, single one of them was attractive. Okay. This is weird. Just what are you walking into Jackie Boy. Jackie Boy was his wife’s pet name for him. Audrey had started calling him that from the moment they’d met and he had adopted the habit; at least in his own head anyway. Thinking of her gave him strength. With determination, he took one of the last empty chairs next to Jacinta and took a deep breath. He was committed now, resolved to see this through.

Deidre moved to stand beside another empty chair to the right of the chair at the head of the table. “Wonderful!” she beamed. “We’re all here. Edgar? Would you like to join us?”

Everyone stood as a robust elderly gentleman entered. “Oh, please, there’s no need to stand on my account,” Edgar said with a wave and a smile. Like his wife, his appearance was impeccable, not a thing out of place. He wore a neatly ironed, brown pin-striped suit with crisp creases down the centre of each leg, a plain brown waist coat and a gold pocket watch. His thick, silver hair was combed as was the moustache covering his top lip. Stereotypical eccentric, rich old couple, Jack couldn’t help thinking. They were like something out of a movie.

At the ring of a bell, entrees were served swiftly and silently by a couple of meek wait staff. One was a young man and the other a young woman. Both were stunning to look at. Neither spoke. They kept their eyes downcast the entire time and once everything was in place on the mahogany table, they disappeared as quietly and quickly as they had come. Jack watched them with suspicion. Something definitely smells fishy here, and it isn’t the salmon. Although, he added as he scrutinized the entrée, it really does look good. He waited until the hosts invited them to eat, picked up his sterling silver knife and fork and took a bite. It was indeed delicious.

The rest of dinner was served in the same fashion and the elderly couple proved to be entertaining hosts. Of course, they are, Jack said snidely to himself. Deidre had everyone talking about their families while Edgar enquired about their jobs. For all intents and purposes, it was just a normal, get to know you, formal dinner. But Jack couldn’t shake his uneasiness and he could tell everyone else was feeling the same way by their furtive glances and seemingly constant itches. Despite this, they all made short work of the three-course meal and by the end, everyone seemed much more at ease. Except for Jack. When the last dishes had been cleared away, Deidre and Edgar announced that they had taken the liberty of organizing a little game for them.

“I’m sure the invitation we left you raised many questions,” Deidre said with an elegant chuckle.

“We wanted to add to the fun,” Edgar explained with a shrug, seemingly apologetic about their attempt at mischief.

“What’s the game?” Scott inquired, never missing an opportunity to compete.

“Glad you asked, lad,” replied Edgar, pleased with Scott’s enthusiasm. “Come with us and we will show you.”

The group followed them through the house to a door in the laundry room. Edgar opened it to reveal a set of steps leading down into opaque darkness.

“Um,” Jacinta piped up with a toss of her blond mane, “I don’t really like games and I should be getting back. My husband will be home now. Thank you for the lovely dinner. I’m sure…”

“Nonsense!” Deidre exclaimed. “I’ve been so looking forward to playing with you.” She brushed Jacinta’s hair back, stroking it almost lovingly. “You must stay. It would be such a shame to miss this opportunity. Wouldn’t it, Edgar?” There was sinister gleam in her eyes as she turned to look at her husband.

“Why, absolutely!” he agreed, drawing Jacinta to his side. “Come, come. It will be fun, I promise.” A sly tone had crept into his voice.

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. This was it. He was about to find out just what these freaks were all about.

“We’re collectors, you see,” Deidre informed them all. “We like to collect things of great beauty, things that appeal to the eye in a most delicious way and we thought, well, we hoped, that our beautiful neighbours would be able to help us.”

They all glanced at each other, some of the anxiety and restlessness returning.

“We won’t take no for an answer,” insisted Edgar. “It took a lot of planning and organizing and we would hate for it to go to waste, so please, indulge us old folk for a couple more hours.”

Not wanting to upset their hosts after they had, after all, given them such a wonderful dinner, everyone agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Deidre clapped her hands in excitement. “Excellent. Now, come and see what we have so far.” She started the decent down the dark and narrow stairs and one by one, the others followed suit with Edgar bringing up the rear. There was a dim glow coming from the room at the bottom. Rachel, who was just in front of Edgar, swallowed back a squeal when she heard the door being closed and locked behind them. She reached out to Travis, catching his sleeve and leant close to whisper, “He locked the door.”

Travis patted her hand. “I’m sure it’s all part of the game,” he whispered back, trying to sound reassuring.

The room they came down into was surprising. It wasn’t the dingy basement they had all been expecting. Instead, they saw a quaint little sitting room with large objects positioned against the walls at various points; large objects hidden behind curtains hanging from a wrack attached to the ceiling. Jack wanted to ask what they were but refrained. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Judging from the size, they could easily be big enough to hold a human.

“Please, make yourselves comfortable,” Deidre invited, turning the lights up. “Help yourselves to tea or coffee,” she offered, indicating a tray on the coffee table.

Edgar took something from a shelf along the back wall, next to another door. Jack noted the door as another possible escape route.

When Edgar rejoined them, he was holding a small box. “Here are your instructions,” he said, placing the box on the coffee table. “Now, we shall leave you to it but, we will be watching.” It sounded like a warning. “So, have fun!”

“Wait,” Jacinta said, annoyed. “You aren’t even going to play?”

“Oh, not just yet, dear. We will watch the first few rounds and then we will be back at the end,” Deidre told her. “Enjoy!”

With a wave and two, creepy-clown smiles, they took their leave. As soon as he heard the door close, Jack raced back up the stairs. As he had suspected, the door was locked. Everyone was waiting for him as he made his way back down and nine sets of eyes questioned him.

“Locked,” he told them. Immediate panic followed.

“What the hell is going on?”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”

“I knew I should never have come!”

Clara started crying. Gracie patted her hand, trying to console her. They all looked like they wanted to vomit.

“Calm down, guys,” Jack said, trying to appear calm himself. “Let’s just see what this game is. Once we finish it, I’m sure we will be able to leave.”

Brandon was fidgeting with a ring on his left hand, showing his agitation. “And what if we can’t?” He spoke softly, but everyone heard.

Scott picked up the box. On the lid was the phrase, “A stitch in time saves nine.” He glanced up at everyone, almost waiting for permission to open it. Gracie gave him a nod and, hesitantly, he opened it. The first thing he pulled out was a card with the same riddle on it that had been on their invitations. “What does this stupid riddle mean, anyway?”

“I think that’s what we’re meant to find out,” Sully guessed. “What else is in there.”

Scott pursed his lips as he studied the contents. “It looks like some sort of trivia game.” He took out a pile of cards with questions written on them and a blank score card. It didn’t look like a game that had been bought. “They must have made it,” Scott surmised. Underneath all the cards were ten straws; all the same length except for one. “What do we need straws for?”

Sully shrugged. “Guess we’ll find that out as well.”

“So how are we supposed to play,” asked Natasha, surprisingly unruffled. Jack couldn’t help but admire her strength. She had babysat his kids a few times over the years for a bit of extra cash. He knew she was studying psychology so maybe that explained her ability to keep her composure.

Scott studied another card. “Okay, well, it looks like we go around and each take a turn asking a question to the person next to us. If they can’t answer it, it moves on to the next person and so on until someone gets it right. If no one gets it right we go on to the next question. We keep score using the score card here and keep playing till we’ve gone through all the cards. The answers are on the back of the cards but they have a sticker over them. We can’t peel it off until someone has attempted to answer it and only the person asking the question can see it, but if no one knows then the answer can be revealed.”

“Sounds easy enough,” commented Travis.

“Should we get started, then?” suggested Gracie, who still had hold of Clara’s hand.

“We don’t really have a choice,” sighed Jack. “Go ahead, Scott. You have the cards so you may as well ask the first question.

Scott cleared his throat. “Um, alright. It moves clockwise so, Rachel, this question is for you.”

The questions started out simple enough and everyone started to relax a little bit. About half way through, the questions changed, some even requiring physical actions using objects around the room. Then, they became downright disturbing.

“At what temperature does water burn skin?” Clara turned pale as she read out the question. Her eyes went wide as she turned to Jack.

Jack frowned. “I have no idea.”

“There’s more,” Clara said, barely above a whisper.

“What does it say?”

“I… I can’t… it’s… I can’t,” she stammered.

Jack’s frown deepened as he took the card gently from her hand. What he read set his heart racing.

“If no one knows, use stove and saucepan provided to determine answer. The question must be answered. If you refuse, gas will slowly be leaked into the room until you comply.”

He stared at it for several seconds, unable to comprehend it.

“Well,” prompted Sully, “what does it say?”

Suddenly, they heard a low hissing sound coming from vents high up on the walls.

“Wh… What is that noise?” Jacinta demanded.

Wasting no more time, Jack quickly read out the instructions.

“They can’t be serious,” Brandon screeched.

“They are. That’s definitely gas coming through those vents,” Travis said grimly. “Does anyone know the answer? Gracie, ever learn anything about it in nursing?”

“We may have but,” she put her hands to her head in frustration, “I can’t remember.”

“Does anybody know?” inquired Natasha.

No one spoke. No one knew. Clara started crying again and this time, Jacinta joined her.

“I’ll do it,” volunteered Sully. “I’m a welder. Burns happen all the time.”

“Sully…” Rachel began but Sully cut her off.

“I’ll be fine. Jack? Give me a hand?”

Jack drew in a steadying breath. “Are you sure?”

“Yeh, it’s just a burn. Nothing to worry about.”

They set to and got a pot of water heating on the stove. Jack held a thermometer, the tip dipping into the liquid. As they worked, the hissing stopped. Sully glanced meaningfully at Jack. They both knew the seriousness of the situation but by unspoken agreement, they knew they had to play it cool so as not to frighten everyone else.

“Okay, attempt number one.” Sully plunged his hand into the water. “It’s hot, but not enough to burn yet.” They waited until the temperature rose a few more degrees and Sully tried again. “Almost but not quite.” The third time he tried he yelped. “Son of a bitch!”

Gracie came running over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeh, yeh. Got me that time. What was the temperature?”

Jack checked the thermometer. “Seventy degrees. Rachel? Is that right?”

They looked back at Rachel who had asked the question. She was staring blankly, chewing rapidly on her bottom lip. Her face was pale and her eyes glistened as though she were about to cry. She jumped when they said her name. “Huh?”

“Is the answer seventy degrees?”

“Oh, right.” Her hands shook as she tried to peel the sticker. No body rushed her. Finally, she managed to get it off and breathed a sigh of relief. “It says between sixty and seventy degrees.”

“We need to keep going,” said Sully. “How many cards are left?”

“Not too many,” replied Travis.

With that, they moved on, hoping the questions would take a better turn. They didn’t. In fact, they became much, much worse and more and more disturbing.

“How long does it take someone to pass out from lack of oxygen?”

“How much blood do you need to fill a film canister?”

“How much semen will fill the iconic red plastic party cup?”

As each question went by, the next was always worse. Sully, Travis and Jack tried to volunteer for most of them. They felt that, as the older men in the group, it was their duty to protect the rest and so they had the most injuries.

Then, they came to the last question, read out between sobs by Natasha.

“Which of you will be the ultimate hero and save the rest? One must stay and receive their fate, while the other nine can walk away. Now has come the time to see, to learn how a stitch in time saves nine. Look behind the curtains to see where your duty lies, then play the final game of straws; winner draws the short.”

By this time, everyone was in a state of terrified resignation and tears stained nearly every cheek. They all knew there was no way out until they completed the game. Now, they’ve realized a terrible truth; one of them probably wouldn’t be leaving at all; and it would all be decided on who drew the shortest straw. They all stared at the curtains. No one wanted to know what was behind them. The low hissing from the vents started up again.

“FUCKS SAKE!” Jack roared. He jumped up, raced to one of the sets of curtains and threw them back. When he did, he almost vomited. Gracie, Brandon, Natasha and Rachel screamed. Clara and Jacinta passed out. Scott, Travis and Sully stared in horror.

Behind the curtains was a tall, glass case. Inside the glass case was a chair. On the chair was a woman. She was completely naked. Her mouth and eyes had been sewn shut and her arms were tied behind the back of the chair while her legs were each tied to a leg of the chair. This was the fate of whoever chose the short straw. Each set of curtains hid the same. There were eight all up. Four men and four women, sitting behind glass like some grotesque display. Their heads were slumped slightly forward, prevented from falling completely by a collar attached to a metal ring in the wall behind.

“We’re collectors, you see…” Jack recalled Deidre saying. This was what she meant. They collected pretty humans and displayed them like dolls. Living dolls. Living dolls that they kept drugged and tied up so they could admire them whenever they wanted.

“NO!” cried Travis. “ENOUGH! We’re not playing your game anymore!”

A voice crackled to life from a hidden speaker. “Either one stays or you all die so, best hurry up, darlings, or you will force our hand… and it would be such a waste to lose you all.”

“Fuck you!” yelled Scott, spurred on by Travis’ outrage.

The hissing increased as more gas was flooded into the room.

“We have to do this. We have no choice. If we work together maybe we can all still get out of this. They will probably come down once we finish the game. There is ten of us and two of them. We can take them out.” Sully somehow kept his voice steady as he laid out his plan. He grabbed the straws, mixed them around and held them out. Jack could see sense in what Sully was saying so he was the first to take a straw, praying – while wracked with guilt – it would not be short. It wasn’t.

Around they went until it came to Natasha. Her brave demeanor had cracked and she was trembling uncontrollably. When her hand drew out the short straw, she blinked, refusing to believe it. Everyone was staring her. They didn’t even notice that the gas had stopped. As she stared at the straw, the reality slowly dawned on her and she heaved, throwing up all over the table.

“It’s alright, love,” reassured Sully. “We won’t let them do this. We have a plan, remember.”

Natasha nodded weakly.

They heard the door open and braced themselves, ready to put their plan into action, except, they were greeted by two guns. Travis, fueled by fear and anger, dove for them. Edgar’s gun fired and Travis was disabled, the bullet lodging into his leg.

“Dear me,” tutted Deidre. “Is that any way to act? We don’t want to kill anyone, but we will if we must. Now, quick as a rabbit, everyone hop into a line.”

Edgar held the gun on them as they formed a hasty line. Deidre walked over to Natasha and stroked her face. “Our little winner,” she crooned. “Oh yes, I shall enjoy looking at you.”

Scott, Travis and Jack tried to lunge at their kidnappers again. Once more, Edgar’s gun fired, hitting Scott in the leg this time. They fell back. It was hopeless. There was nothing they could do. One at a time, Deidre walked them up the stairs and to the front door, sending them home with a threat. “If you tell anyone what happened here tonight, someone you love will die. You don’t want that now, do you?” she said, smiling sweetly.

Each of them knew the old couple were completely capable of carrying out their threat. And so, no one ever spoke of it. They each went their separate ways, some of them moving away, while others stayed, rarely leaving their houses. But it didn’t matter where they were, the face of Natasha haunted them wherever they went.

Jack was never the same after that. He grew distant from his family yet became overbearingly protective. When Audrey would ask him what happened that night, he would just stare out the window. He had nightmares where he was chased by a stitched-up Natasha and took to mumbling the phrase, “a stitch in time saves nine,” while sitting in a chair by the window, watching the street like a hawk. His wife grew so concerned she ended up calling the mental home. Men in white coats came to take him away, but he fought them.

“No!” He screamed. “I have to stay here! I have to keep watch! You don’t understand! I’m not crazy. A stitch in time saves nine! Don’t you see?”

The men injected him with a sedative and he slumped back onto the stretcher. Audrey watched them take away the man she loved, having no idea just what he had been trying to protect them from. She sighed. All she could do was hope the doctors were able to cure him. The next day, Audrey checked the mail box and found a strange note. It was a dinner invitation. It read;

“They say a stitch in time saves nine. Come around and we shall dine, show you how one stich saves nine. Will you be the one? Will you still be standing when we are done? Will you once again see the sun? So come around and we’ll have a great time, play a game of mime or even rhyme.

Sincerely,

E & D Winnifred”