Warning: This story features non-consensual bondage.

Context: This is a short story written for Day 9 of Kinktober 2025 using the prompt words Desperate and Public.

It was a pleasant summer’s day. The kind that invites lazing outdoors, passing the time with company and conversation. Which was exactly what I and a few of my friends were doing on the grass of a local park. Although our philosophical discussion had gradually shifted from idle conversation to heated debate.

“Empathy is not just learned Mel. It’s innate. Numerous studies have shown this.”

“You’re too naive Nina. If civilization collapsed tomorrow so would our whole system of ethics. Everything that everyone does is ultimately driven by some selfish expectation of reward.”

“Nonsense! People perform small altruistic acts all the time. They help others even when there’s zero expectation of it benefiting them.”

“Would you depend on complete strangers to help you out of trouble?”

“Of course I would!”

“Prove it then.”

That caught me off guard. But Mel’s confident pessimism was getting under my skin. I had to prove her wrong.

“Alright I will! Uhh, how exactly?”

“A wager. Right here in the park. I’ll put you in ‘peril’ and we’ll see if anyone goes the extra mile to help you out. Loser of the bet has to be the winner’s assistant for a month, doing all her chores and stuff.”

“Deal! Wait, what kind of peril? I don’t want to actually be hurt here.”

“Oh nothing crazy. You’ll just be stuck and need someone to release you. A damsel in distress of sorts. Time to put your money where your mouth is.”

She stood up and brushed the grass off her legs.

“I’ll need to grab stuff from my apartment. I’ll be back here in 20.”

She hurried off. The rest of our group were barely paying attention, having tuned us out long ago. My own place was only 5 minutes away. If I was going to be waiting anyway...

A short time later Mel and I met back up in the park, now standing at an intersection of paths beside a lamppost.

“Well doesn’t someone look awfully cute all of a sudden. Trying to tip the scales?”

I’d changed into tight denim booty-shorts and a snug midriff-baring pink T-shirt. It wasn't my fault if looking attractive was more likely to get unsolicited help from strangers.

“You never said there's any rule against it.”

“Whatever. Stand by the pole please.”

I rested my back against the tall black lamppost, bringing my arms behind me.

“Wait, you’re not going to handcuff me or something are you? I need to be rescuable without power tools!”

“Relax you worrywart. Just a bit of rope around your hands. Anyone will be able to untie it. Although I'll have to make sure it’s tight enough that you can’t get out on your own.”

She pulled my arms farther back, until my hands met on the other side of the pole. It was a bit more of a stretch than I’d expected. My back pressed quite firmly against the solid structure.

I felt the cords winding around my wrists, many more times than the one or two loops I’d expected. She cinched a final loop closed around them, squeezing the loops in tight. Her goal was definitely achieved: I would not be able to untie or wriggle out of it alone.

She rooted around in her large bag a bit more while I was shifting my arms to test the rope’s tightness.

“What are you getting now? You said it’d be just my hands!"

“For the rope yeah, it’s just your hands. But there can’t be any expectation of reward remember? So I need to ensure you don’t go simpering while shaking your big boobs and implying you’d be ‘oh so grateful’ if they just helped you out.”

Mel held up a roll of black tape, unwinding it in front of my face.

“Ughhh. You're the worst.”

“Hush now little damsel!”

She popped a balled-up white cloth into my mouth, then pressed the tape firmly against my closed lips. She wound it round my head, until my lips were fully covered by several layers.

“Nearly ready. I don’t want you giving puppy-dog eyes for sympathy either.”

“Mmmh?”

I couldn’t move or protest as Mel slipped a blindfold down over my eyes. I kicked out in mild annoyance at the unwanted addition, but she'd already jumped back out of range. I was starting to regret agreeing to this. The sooner I got rescued the better. I consoled myself with the mental image of Mel doing my laundry.

I heard more shuffling about nearby. Something scraped against the ground briefly. I kept expecting Mel to get close again and add something else, but thankfully she didn’t.

“Okay time to get this test started. I’ll be watching from a distance. Let’s see who’s right about humanity!”

There was that smug tone again. I was looking forward to throwing her arrogant attitude back in her face.

Mel’s footsteps faded. I really wished I could see. I had no idea if anyone was approaching or merely standing in the distance and staring. It was a quieter corner of the park, away from the main thoroughfare, but there would still be a decent number of pedestrians passing by.

It was about 5 minutes before I heard someone approaching.

“Hmmmmph!”

The mystery person stopped, then slowly stepped closer. I remembered Mel’s words about soliciting help and decided to take her advice. I leaned forward what little I could, sticking my chest out, hopefully showing some decent cleavage. I rocked my shoulders and made as sultry a moan as I could through the tape gag.

“Mmmmhhh~~”

What guy could resist saving such a helpless bound and gagged girl like me?

I heard an amused giggle. It was a girl? So much for that pitch. Even so, surely she’d help out a sister in need.

“Mmh?”

A hand gently cupped my cheek. Another one rested against my side. Why wasn’t she helping? My next whine was less enticing, and more genuine distress.

The not-so-helpful woman stepped back. I heard another odd scraping sound nearby, and then she walked away. Leaving me still helplessly bound. I was astounded. That was just one person though. Someone would eventually help surely.

Another 5 minutes or so, and I heard more footsteps. Two people this time. Good! More likely one would do the right thing with someone else observing them. They stopped in front of me, aweing at my predicament.

“This is wild.”

“Is she actually stuck?”

One of them circled around the pole. Her hands touched mine, prodding at the ropes.

“Yeah she’s tied up for real.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine being left like this.”

The girl behind fiddled with the knot. There we go. This challenge wasn't so bad in the end. All things considered it was pretty quic- Wait... She just retied the knot tighter?

“Good luck lady!”

They’re leaving? What’s wrong with the people in this park!

When another group came over, I was less hopeful than the previous visits, more apprehensive. Surely someone would be decent and see I’m in trouble? I heard laughing and my hopes dropped.

“Should I...?”

“Yeah! It’s the right thing to do.”

Two hands grazed my belly, grasped the bottom of the shirt and fwhip! It was pulled all the way up, bunching up over my shoulders and leaving my red bra fully exposed.

“MMMPH?!”

I kicked out furiously, almost connecting with the guy that partially stripped me. He backed away to safety, chortling and high-fiving others.

“Did you just see that? She’s not that subjugated from the looks of it.”

“Let’s do something about that.”

More shuffling nearby. I couldn’t tell how close they were or which angle they were coming from. A strap suddenly pulled in harshly against my lower legs, drawing them in until they slammed against the pole. They pulled and buckled the strap, leaving my ankles bound tightly to the pole.

“Much better.”

“Did you have to use my belt? My trousers are falling down!”

“That hardly seems fair. How about this...”

Someone stomped up to me boldly, no longer creeping now that I couldn’t retaliate. Two fingers hooked in beneath the top of my booty-shorts.

“Mmh? NNHH!”

Down the shorts went, sliding against my legs. He pulled them right to the ground, where they crumpled up around my feet. My matching red panties joined my bra on public display. With a light slap against the side of my butt, he joined his mocking friends. I heard jeering and phones snapping pictures.

I wasn’t concerned about winning the bet anymore. I just wanted to be released and redressed, before any other members of the public got any more daring ideas. My internal pleading went unanswered as even more people stopped by, doing everything but helping.

“Hey can I use your ribbons to...?”

“Go for it! It’s all about taking part. Actually if you’re doing the knees, I wanna do her elbows.”

More binds were fastened onto me, pulling my limbs together and to the pole.

“We’re all with you girl. Keep it up!”

I don’t understand. Please please just let me out!

“What’s under that tape on her mouth? We’re allowed to do something there too right?”

“Mmmph?”

Hours later, the sun had set. The activated lamppost lit me up with a radiant spotlight. My underwear eventually suffered the same fate as my other clothes, yanked down and off, leaving me totally naked under the many added restraints.

The worst part however was a jogger who’d just done several intensive laps around the park, who contributed both of her sweaty socks for a new and improved gag stuffing. A scarf acting as a cleave gag held them deep in my mouth, to my utter disgust.

Mel waited for the current group to leave the intersection before strolling up to the pole. She pulled the blindfold off, letting me see for the first time since the bet began. She had the biggest ‘told you so’ look I’d ever seen on her face.

“Ready to admit that I was right?”

“Mhh-hhm!! Mmmh!!”

“Sweet, I win!”

I had no shame left. I just wanted out. I noticed something odd on the ground beside me. A standing sandwich-board.

“Ah that? Just a little something I set up before we started.”

Mel grabbed the top of the triangular stand and turned it around so I could see the text written on the front.

[This is a demonstration protesting the degrading dehumanising subjugation of the common people by the elite ruling class]

[Do not release me!]

“Mgh...?”

“Just a fun little addition to your peril. How did you phrase it earlier... ‘You never said there's any rule against it.’”

“MMMPH!”

She chuckled and brandished the blindfold, showing off a white label on the front saying “Please read sign ↓”, guaranteeing that any potential good Samaritans would read the board before trying to help me.

And yet, there was more. At the bottom of the board under the first two lines, someone had added a little extra. These letters had a subtly different thickness and style, the only hints that it was a forgery.

[Show support to the cause by adding to my restraints and humiliation]

“One of your kind visitors added that part. So much for empathy eh?”

“MMMMGHH!”

“Hey it wasn’t my fault! You’re the one who put your trust in people. This is your just reward.”

“Mmmmphh...”

“Of course I’d help you out, but then I'd be proving you right.”

“WHPH?!”

“Someone will save you eventually right? Have faith! In the meantime I’m going to have fun planning what you’ll be doing as my assistant for a month. This whole event has given me many ideas~. Oop! Better leave this on.”

She lifted the blindfold back up to my face. I was still shaking and yelling and desperately begging for mercy as she pulled it down over my eyes.