Disclaimer: While this story does feature a time of my childhood, it does not have explicit or implicit references to sexual activity and any perceptions thereof are projected through your own interpretation of the events in the story. It is written as best as possible through the lens of how I experienced it then.
As a child, one of my neighbors was around my age and was my best friend. We often hung out and played together in our rural neighborhood and at my house, but seldom at his. That was mostly due to them being caretakers for a few family members that lived with them and I'm sure they didn't need the additional burden of more unruly kids running around their house. Anyway, he had a much older sister who I thought was cute. Because of our age difference and my visits to their house being few and far between, I saw her very infrequently, but always fantasized about tickling her. She had kind of a unique laugh and I had wondered what it must be like when she's tickled. Was she even ticklish? I was way too shy about tickling to attempt something like that, especially on her, and even more so because I usually only ever saw her in the company of several other people.
Well, one day, I was at their house for a special occasion. I think it was a birthday party or something. I remember sitting in the living room on their sofa, feeling slightly out of place since there was some of his extended family there that I didn't know very well and everyone else was connecting on that level that only close family usually can. In addition to his immediate family, There were a few grandparents, some cousins, an aunt, and the one crazy uncle everyone seems to have. At one point my friend had to help his dad with something for several minutes, so I just sat there listening to old people talk about old people things and eventually just kind of zoned out for a minute. I was snapped out of my haze by a shrill feminine scream followed by loud laughter on the living room floor right in front of me. I quickly turned my head from whatever space I was staring off into, and focused all my attention onto the floor. Wait, I know that sound, I thought to myself. Sure enough, there was crazy uncle on top of my friend's sister with her arms pinned above her head being tickled on the floor!
Now, when I say she was being tickled on the floor, I'm not talking about a 10 second playful tickle, or even a minute long you'll-pay-for-that kind of tickle. No. I'm talking about one of those the-only-way-I-can-summon-the-dark-lord-is-through-this-sinister-ritual kind of tickle that lasted several minutes. To this day, it is burned in my memory as one of the most brutal ticklings I've ever seen. He tickled her ribs, tummy, and underarms nearly without ceasing, and she bucked and howled with such forced laughter and screams that I thought she would pass out. I didn't say or do anything, in part because I was just so transfixed by this impossible thing that was happening in front of me, but also because I didn't want to jinx anything (not being superstitious be damned!).
When it was over, I was left so delighted at what I had witnessed, that I remember virtually nothing else from that day. However, I was left with several questions that still linger in my mind all these years later. What started all that? Does this happen often? How did it start so suddenly? I know I had zoned out a bit, but I thought I'd have at least picked up on something that lead to it. Why was everyone so absolutely cool with it to the point that they basically didn't even notice? And most importantly, WTF? I don't recall ever seeing her tickled again. Though I did try to find opportunities to tickle her myself, I never got the chance.
As a child, one of my neighbors was around my age and was my best friend. We often hung out and played together in our rural neighborhood and at my house, but seldom at his. That was mostly due to them being caretakers for a few family members that lived with them and I'm sure they didn't need the additional burden of more unruly kids running around their house. Anyway, he had a much older sister who I thought was cute. Because of our age difference and my visits to their house being few and far between, I saw her very infrequently, but always fantasized about tickling her. She had kind of a unique laugh and I had wondered what it must be like when she's tickled. Was she even ticklish? I was way too shy about tickling to attempt something like that, especially on her, and even more so because I usually only ever saw her in the company of several other people.
Well, one day, I was at their house for a special occasion. I think it was a birthday party or something. I remember sitting in the living room on their sofa, feeling slightly out of place since there was some of his extended family there that I didn't know very well and everyone else was connecting on that level that only close family usually can. In addition to his immediate family, There were a few grandparents, some cousins, an aunt, and the one crazy uncle everyone seems to have. At one point my friend had to help his dad with something for several minutes, so I just sat there listening to old people talk about old people things and eventually just kind of zoned out for a minute. I was snapped out of my haze by a shrill feminine scream followed by loud laughter on the living room floor right in front of me. I quickly turned my head from whatever space I was staring off into, and focused all my attention onto the floor. Wait, I know that sound, I thought to myself. Sure enough, there was crazy uncle on top of my friend's sister with her arms pinned above her head being tickled on the floor!
Now, when I say she was being tickled on the floor, I'm not talking about a 10 second playful tickle, or even a minute long you'll-pay-for-that kind of tickle. No. I'm talking about one of those the-only-way-I-can-summon-the-dark-lord-is-through-this-sinister-ritual kind of tickle that lasted several minutes. To this day, it is burned in my memory as one of the most brutal ticklings I've ever seen. He tickled her ribs, tummy, and underarms nearly without ceasing, and she bucked and howled with such forced laughter and screams that I thought she would pass out. I didn't say or do anything, in part because I was just so transfixed by this impossible thing that was happening in front of me, but also because I didn't want to jinx anything (not being superstitious be damned!).
When it was over, I was left so delighted at what I had witnessed, that I remember virtually nothing else from that day. However, I was left with several questions that still linger in my mind all these years later. What started all that? Does this happen often? How did it start so suddenly? I know I had zoned out a bit, but I thought I'd have at least picked up on something that lead to it. Why was everyone so absolutely cool with it to the point that they basically didn't even notice? And most importantly, WTF? I don't recall ever seeing her tickled again. Though I did try to find opportunities to tickle her myself, I never got the chance.
