Coastal View

I had been in this northern town before and while looking out to sea from the rugged coastline, I had noticed large iron rings set in the stone. I had seen similar ones all along the coast but I had no idea who put them there or why.

Now I was hoping I could find a pair that stood out in my mind. I had some time off and not enough money to travel far, so I hooked my little camper to my truck and headed north. It was mid October, long after the tourist season had ended. I pulled into a park a short distance from the ocean and the entrance booth was not manned. I drove in and spotted a park ranger truck so I stopped and asked him about camping. He said that this late in the season there was no charge. Just take out your own trash because there were no services available but the water was still turned on.

I picked a nice secluded campsite near a bathroom building and unhooked the truck. I was glad to see there was no one else in the area. I had come with the hope of making my first outdoor SB excursion and I was excited but nervous. I had a quick lunch and walked to the beach. It was just as I remembered it and I could see the huge rocks jutting up less than a quarter mile south of the park. I walked to the area in the warm afternoon sun in just a few minutes. Following the well worn path I ascended to the top of the rocks. I was probably 30 feet or more above the waves and there was another rock farther south that might have been five feet higher. The rock I was on held the rings I was looking for. One was at the top and the second was about 20 feet closer to the water and slightly lower. This was my spot!

I was between giddy and panicked at the thought of what I was about to do as I walked back to the park. About 4:30 the ranger stopped and told me the town was essentially closed for the winter but five miles north there was a restaurant that opened at 5 AM for breakfast. I thanked him and watched him leave. I went in and started to lay out my ensemble for the night. This was going to be a first attempt so nothing too exotic but I was excited to try. I got a long straight dress with large alternating black and white panels. Almost a camouflage for night time wear. A long nylon slip, a nylon camisole and a lacey bra with mastectomy inserts. Tight black lace pantyhose and ankle boots with 3” heels.

I packed a purse the size of a gym bags with the B stuff I thought I wanted. I knew I was carrying extra weight but I didn't want to regret not having an essential item. I packed my 25 foot length of chain with a safety hook on one end and a large ring on the other. Leg irons, hand cuffs, collar, belt and a rope vest that laced in front, blindfold and veil. I left the ice locks in the freezer and waited.

I went to the bathroom and let my hair fall out of my man-bun and flow across my shoulders as I put on my make-up. My plan was to meet nobody, but I felt sexier and needed the practice. When I was done and had brushed out my hair, I thought I looked pretty good.

It was after dark when I was done so I dressed and walked outside the camper a little. The dress was very straight and without a walking slit so it restricted my stride. It wasn't a hobble skirt, but I wondered if I would need leg irons.

I got bolder and bolder and I walked out the park driveway to the road. Suddenly I could see headlights in the distance and I panicked and headed for the camper with short fast strides. As the car got closer, I pulled up the skirt and ran. I was flushed with excitement and out of breath when the car drove by without a glance.

It was still early so I practiced walking around the park until traffic went from occasional to none. I had a good stiff drink of courage while I waited and now it was time. One last trip to the bathroom, this time to the ladies room because I was dressed and felt better about it.

I put my ice locks in the bag. Three were small purchased ones and one was a piece of rope frozen into a Gatorade bottle. I intended to push the rope thru the ring on the rock and loop it thru itself. Once the hook was inserted, it could not be removed until the ice melted. I guessed at how fast the ice would melt and put an inch of water in the bottle. I grabbed the bag and I was on my way. I was so excited I had only to follow the tent in my skirt! I crossed the road with no cars in sight and headed up the path toward the rocks. The path seemed much longer in the skirt and heels and much steeper!

I finally made it to my rock. I looped the rope lock thru the ring and then threaded the hook thru the other ring and pulled the chain to the rope. The safety hook took two hands to twist open, but I got it hooked on the rope. I tugged it to make sure everything was secure. Now it was time to decide what I was going to wear. I decided to go light for my first experience, yet tight enough so I knew I was bound. I moved the bag back near some shrubbery and took out the rope vest. I attached a pair of handcuffs to the back and laced up the front with an ice lock set for 4 hours. The rope should release in two hours and I can get to the keys and release the handcuffs. The ice lock is my safety. I checked the keys in the cuffs and dropped the ring in a shallow hole near the rope lock. Then I closed one cuff on my ankle just above my boot and thread the other thru the ring on the end of the chain and closed the cuff on my ankle with a satisfying click.

I stood there for a few moments drinking in the scene looking up and down the coast for people. The moon was getting high and I could see a long way. I thought it might be more exciting to limit my vision so I headed for the bag to get a veil. I had just locked my ankles but I was surprised at how quickly I stopped and nearly fell when the chain came tight. I was still 15 feet from the rope lock and 25 feet from the bag. I had what I had and there was no getting more! I walked back to the anchor ring and tested the chain. I could walk about four feet in every direction. I scanned the rocks again for people and put my hands behind my back and closed the handcuffs. This felt like B!

My wrists were held about as high as my bra strap and my shoulders were pulled back hard. I walked around my circular plot and watched a ship pass offshore. I found the limits of my chain gently because if I fell now I would not be able to get up! The tent in my skirt was getting wet and I think I was secretly wishing for someone to go by! I gingerly walked my four feet down the rock toward the water and I was standing there with some tension on the leg irons. The slope of the rock made it seem like my heels were 8 inches high. The moon was high and the light was reflecting off the water. Suddenly the chain went slack and I nearly fell forward into the water. Luckily my instinctive reactions was to sit.

The rope must have thawed early! I inched my way back up the rock on my butt until it was level enough to stand. There was a loop of chain from me down the rock and back toward the top. When I started up to the top I heard the chain flowing down to the water from the free end. I braced myself for the inevitable snap. When it came, it hurt! Now my progress was slow as each step pulled the full 25 feet of chain up the rock behind me. If this gets caught in the rocks, I am in big trouble! Luck was with me and the chain slid up the rock behind me. Clouds were obscuring the moon intermittently and I had some trouble finding the ring. When I found the correct ring I could see the keys in the depression. Seeing and touching are not the same. With my hands cuffed at the middle of my back, picking the keys up presented a huge challenge! I could wait out the ice lock on my vest. I figured I had 2 or 3 hours to wait. I paced around for a while but I didn't dare go too far for fear of getting the chain caught on something. The waiting was killing me.

I finally sat down near the keys and lay on my back and grabbed the keys. I tried to unlock the cuffs while on my back but two of the three keys felt the same and I eventually dropped them. I felt around knowing that they must be right there somewhere but I couldn't feel them. I wiggled around enough so I could see them. By now my shoulders and wrists were killing me, but I got the keys again. And dropped them again! This time I could not see where they went. I lay there exhausted from my efforts. Then I thought I heard voices! Panic set in. I could be caught like this! I rolled over and pushed on the rock with my face to get to a kneeling position. I looked around and could not see anyone, but I heard distant voices and the crash of waves. I could not stand from this position. The tight dress and shackles made sure of that. I needed something to push on but there was nothing close. I could not even crawl on my knees wearing the dress. I laid back down and rolled. The chain made lots of noise as it wrapped around my legs. I rolled and rolled until I got where the rock drops steeply into the water. One false move here and I would drown wrapped in chain. This is where I was able to stand up before. I swung my legs over the edge and the weight of the chain actually made it easier to sit up. I was sitting there with my legs wrapped tightly in chain considering standing up on a steep slope in heels. Was I crazy?

I kicked and kicked until the chain dropped to my ankles and I let it slide down the rock and hoped it would not pull me off my precarious position when it came tight. It didn't but it was close. I stood up and carefully picked my way back up the rock dragging the chain. When I got back to the ring, I could not see the keys. I could see a number of people fishing in the surf on the beach . The voices seemed louder so I thought they must be moving this way as they fished. I had to go toward them to reach the camper and now I had lost the keys. Still tightly bound and towing 25 feet of chain I started to make my way down the path. I had not gone far when the chain stopped me. Did someone grab it? I cautiously walked back and found it caught on a rock. I freed it with my shoe and started again. Over and over again I had to go back and free the chain. I was sure the noise would attract the people on the beach but they never seemed to notice as I passed directly behind them.

The next challenge was crossing the road. There were cars parked on the edge and a few more cars were coming and slowing for the parked cars or parking in this line. The road was narrow, but I was slow. When I was confident there was no car coming I headed across at my top speed. Just as I reached the other side, the chain came tight. I nearly face-planted right there in the road! I went back and the end of the chain was stuck under a car tire. Really stuck! I poked it, I kicked it nothing worked. I finally walked 25 feet in the wrong direction and I was able to pull it out. I was kicking the chain into a pile between two cars so it couldn't happen again when I saw someone approaching from the beach. Throwing caution to the wind, I took off across the road and the chain followed.

I heard a voice yelling “Hey” at me a few times but I was nearly at the safety of the park entrance and he was not following me. I hurried to my truck where I kept the spare keys. They were in a little compartment built into the side of the bed. Unfortunately I couldn't reach it as I was restrained! I struggled with the tailgate latch and nearly got knocked over when the tailgate finally opened. I flopped in like a fish out of water and rolled around until I got the compartment open and retrieved the keys. Now I knew I could not afford to drop these. I carefully opened the cuffs and bent down to unlock the leg irons when the ice lock on the vest popped. If I had waited 5 minutes, my life would have been much easier!

Dawn was approaching and I needed to retrieve my bag. I grabbed a flashlight from the truck and headed back across the road slowed only by the tight hem on my dress. I pulled the skirt above my knees as I nearly sprinted up the path. I saw no one on my rock when I got there so I switched on the flashlight and started looking for my keys. Having no success, I turned to look for the bag. The bag was right where I left it, but it was zipped closed and the keys were on top of it! Someone had been in my bag! I turned the light off and looked around. I was both frightened and angry. I felt violated. I walked all over the top of the rock and looked into the shrubbery with my light but I didn't venture into the overgrown area. A wave of panic swept over me. I grabbed the bag and hurried down to the park.

I was exhausted after my long night, but I picked up all my cuffs and chains and locked the truck. I locked the camper door from the inside for the first time since I bought it. I layed down and tried to sleep but it was fitful sleep. I was haunted by the thought that someone may have been watching me the whole time. How close were they? Why were they there? Did they take my keys when I dropped them or find them after I left? I got up and opened my bag. Everything was there but things were neatly coiled, veils were folded and stacked. Was this a woman? Why? I had planned to stay here for two weeks, but now I was afraid to stay another night. Had they watched me leave? Did they follow me? Who was it yelling “Hey”? Do they know where I am camped?