(With apologies to Edgar Allan Poe)

INTRODUCTION: This story features the characters of Geoffrey Holmes and Su-Lin who previously appeared in the stories: "Drip, Drip" and "Stop Yer Tickling!"

1.

Geoffrey Holmes was laid out naked on a table and secured firmly to it by a broad metal band that covered his middle and pressed his arms against his sides. The room he was in was thirty feet in height and fifty feet in width. The walls were painted a light yellow and on them were painted representations of unthreatening imps and demons. He looked up at the ceiling on which was painted a large black cat. It was sat looking down at him with one eye which Geoffrey felt was winking at him. The cat had a rictus grin and hanging from it's "mouth" and directly over him, Geoffrey saw a large steel crescent with upward horns on either side. It was broad and solid at the top and tapered to a blade at the bottom. Geoffrey knew what it was.

"Now I know how the bacon feels going underneath the slicer," he thought.

His eyes were covered by a pair of hands that came from behind him and a voice sang: "It's just a thriller, thriller night..."

"Either Michael Jackson's made his long awaited come-back or it's the lovely little sadist Su-Lin", Geoffrey said.

He heard Su-Lin giggle. "You're right. You get two points and what do points mean?"

"Prizes?" Geoffrey asked. The hands were taken away from his eyes and he saw a Chinese girl standing over him, smiling. She had a heart-shaped face, brown eyes and brown, shoulder-length hair that she wore in a fringe. Her slim, smooth body was shown off by the red bikini she was she was wearing. Geoffrey noticed the bikini bottoms had frills around the waist and she was also wearing a pair of devil's horns on her head. She bent down and kissed him on the mouth. Geoffrey responded; his lips moving with hers. He felt his penis swell against the metal band enclosing him and moaned. It was not hard to be aroused by her even though she was torturing him.

Their mouths parted. Su-Lin stood up and asked: "Do you know what's happening now?"

"Er - no. You do lose track of time when you're tied up and locked in a dungeon," Geoffrey said.

Su-Lin giggled. "It's Hallowe'en," She moved back so Geoffrey could see her in her bikini. "Do you like it?" she asked and spun round; revealing the briefs had a short, forked tail attached to the back. "What do you think of the tail?" she asked, twirling it round in her hand.

"Nice, as long as you don't step on it," Geoffrey replied.

Su-Lin came up to the table and swatted Geoffrey's face with her tail. "You do not appreciate good fashion", she said.

"Well fashion, unlike history, is bunk!" Geoffrey retorted.

"Which is why you are naked all the time!"

"Only because you take my clothes off."

"I like to see a strong man naked and helpless." Su-Lin said. "Anyway, what were we talking about?"

"Sex?" Geoffrey asked.

"No, it was about Hallowe'en," Su-Lin answered. She used her tail to stroke Geoffrey's face. "What do you now about Poe?" she asked.

"It's a little pot that used to be kept under the bed in case you wanted a wee in the night", Geoffrey answered.

"No you naughty boy," Su-Lin laughed and gave him a gentle swipe on the cheek with her tail. "I mean't Poe the writer".

"Edgar Allan Poe: American writer," Geoffrey recited. "Born 1809. Died 1849. Best known for stories such as "The Fall of the House of Usher;" "The Pit and The Pendulum"; "The Black Cat", The Masque of the Red Death"; The Cask of Amontillado". Several of them were filmed by Roger Corman in the nineteen-sixties with Vincent

Price... "

Su-Li stopped him by placing her finger on his lips. "Ssh, that's enough Mr. Wkipedia". She knelt down so her face was level with his. "What do you think of the decor?", she asked.

"Hell courtesy of Walt Disney", Geoffrey answered. "And your imps look more like garden gnomes. I'm sure that one over there is sitting on a toadstool fishing!"

"Oooh, an art critic as well as a prisoner!" exclaimed Su-Lin. "She gestured to the ceiling. "Do you know what the cat's supposed to be?"

"It's Poe's one-eyed Black Cat," Geoffrey said. "Thing is it's more like the one-eyed black cat that comes into my garden and uses it as a public toilet. Do I get points again?"

"No because you were disgusting," Su Lin said. She nodded towards the ceiling again. "You know what's hanging from the cat's mouth don't you?"

" Yes I do," Geoffrey replied. He looked at Su-Lin and saw her smiling at him. She stood up and leaned over him, making sure that he was looking up at her clevage. "So you know about "The Pit and The Pendulum" then?".

"A prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition is strapped into a cell and tortured by a blade swinging down towards him," Geoffrey said. "The whole idea of the pendulum was to force a confession from the victim."

"Or kill them; just like in the film: "The Raven", Su-Lin added. "The whole idea of the Inquisition was to educate people to behave well and work hard."

"Just like school," Geoffrey said.

Su-Lin stroked his face again. "You're a clever boy as well as a naughty one." she told him. "I should have put you under this instead of using the water and tickle tortures on you."

"Well if you're going to use it on me get on with it!" Geoffrey said.

"Do you want a last request?" Su-Lin asked.

"How about "The Birdie Song" by "The Tweets?" Geoffrey asked.

Su-Lin frowned. "Sorry, don't know that one. What about "This Kiss?"

She kissed him then stood up and went over to the far wall where several rectangular weights lay on the floor. Geoffrey saw they were connected to a wheel and pulley system which ran up to the opening where the blade was. The weights were in an enclosed stand that enabled them to rise and fall similar to a pec scale in a gym. A long length of chain ran from the weights at the other end. Geoffrey watched Su-Lin take a metal pin out of the bottom weight and place it in the second one from the top. He watched as the weights began to move slowly upwards. He looked up at the ceiling and saw pendulum start to sway in the opening.

It's movements were gentle and it started knocking the sides of the opening. Geoffrey knew it wouldn't appear to move at first but it's momentum would increase. He looked back at the weights and saw they were continuing to move slowly upwards. He let out a shuddering breath. "Be strong," he told himself. "This may be the worst but you got through the others."

He saw Su-Lin come and stand over him. "It's going to swing all the way down until it gets to your tummy," she told him. "And then it'll cut just along here," she added, tracing her finger back and forth across his stomach; causing Geoffrey to gasp.

2.

Geoffrey watched as the rod that the blade was attached to start to appear. The pendulum's swing began to gain velocity until with a length of the rod exposed it began to sweep from side to side of the room. It was also strangely relaxing. He stretched within the restrants of the band and felt Su-Lin's hand come own on his chest and stroke it. Geoffrey bent his head back so he was looking up at the girl. She bent her head down and kissed him on the lips. He wanted to make love to her.

Su-Lin sat on the table next to him and ran her finger up and down his front, sending a tingling sensation through him. "Does it excit you?" she asked. She leaned over and began to rub her hands on Geoffrey's chest, causing him to writhe. "You're naked: you're tied up: you can't do anything; and all the time that blade is getting closer and closer towards you," she said softly. "It's like sex. It's going to come down and into you. It's scary but it's also exciting," She leaned forward and whispered in his ear: "I bet you've got a hard-on. Go on, tell me."

Geoffrey felt his penis pressed against his crotch and as well as being erect it was also moist. He turned to look at the girl whose face was close to his. "Yes - I have," he said softly. "And it's you I want. Let me go."

Su-Li tilted his head back up so he was facing the pendulum again. He felt her nibble his ear and whisper: "No, I won't let a naughty boy like you go. I'll punish you. I'll scare you, and I'll cut you up and have you in a salad. I'd rub tomatoes and onions into you and pour salad cream all over you."You'd be very nice."

Geoffrey looked back at her. What if there are any left-overs?"

"I'll have you in a sandwich," Su-Lin said. I'll put you between two slices of buttered bread: bite you and chew you in my mouth very, very slowly. And as I eat you I'll think about you're whole body: neatly sliced up. She looked up at the swinging pendulum. She moved behind Geoffrey, leaving him to look up at the swinging blade again. As it swung it sounded like a skateboard being run back and forth on a wooden floor and Geoffrey could also hear the acompanying creaks and clatter of the mechanism powering it.

He twisted his head round to look up at Su-Lin. She was leaning forward behind and looking down at him.

"How long do you think I can hold out for," he asked. "How much are you willing to bet?"

Su-Lin laughed "How about 50p?" .

"I thought I was worth more!" Geoffrey exclaimed.

Geoffrey turned to look up the swinging blade again. He could feel the air from it's passage against his bare skin and now he could smell the blade's sharp steel. He licked his lips, realising his mouth was dry. He moved his legs and writhed against the metal band again, moving his head from side to side. He felt his breathing increasing and he stopped moving and looked up at the pendulum. It was now ten feet away from him. Behind it the Black Cat grinned down at him from the ceiling.

He felt Su-Lin take his head in her hands and stroke his cheeks with her thumbs. He also felt she was pressing her breasts into the top of his head. "Look at it Geoffrey," she said softly. It's getting closer and closer and you can't stop it. I can. Just say so and I'll stop it."

"What do you want me to say?" Geoffrey asked as he stared up at the swinging blade.

He heard the girl giggle. "Many things. You could say you love me; you're sorry for all the nasty things you've said to me. That you'll do whatever I want." Geoffrey felt her hands move up to the top of his head and gently stroke his hair.

"If I told you all those, then what?" he asked.

Su-Lin stopped stroking his hair and coming round to face him, knelt down so her head was level with his. "I'd consider it," she said and smiled mockingly at him.

"Just that?"

She giggled and nibbled his ear again. "Just that", she repeated. "You really do taste well," she told him. "I'm sorry you won't get to fuck me." She looked up at the swinging pendulum again, got up and went behind Geoffrey again.

Geoffrey saw the pendulum's blade was coming closer: just five feet away. He felt beads of sweat on his forehead, chest and in the hollow of his neck. The blade swooped over him, leaving a gust of cold, metalllic air against his body, causing him to gasp. He twisted and writhed against the band that held him down to the table.

Then he heard Su-Lin recite against each swing of the pendulum: "Hickory ... dickory ... dock. The ... Mouse ...

ran ... up ... the ... clock. The ... clock ... struck ... one ... the ... mouse ... ran ... down. Hickory ... dickory ... dock ... "

The blade continued to descend.

3.

Geoffrey's breathing increased. He felt his chest rise and fall. He looked at the swinging blade. It was now three feet away.

"Oh God!" he breathed, "Oh God...!"

Geoffrey stretched again and tried to pull himself out of the band but he knew he was securly fastened to the table. He felt his penis now swollen and sticky with semen smear his crotch. He panted and felt the sweat on his brow.

It was exciting. He could feel the anticipation of the blade slicing into his bound, naked body and there was nothing he could. Geoffrey thought of Su-Lin standing near him, taunting him in her slim, bikini-clad body . He thought of her on top of him, thrusting herself into him and enjoying listening to his gasps and moans as he felt the orgasm coming.

He swallowed. "Yes," he breathed "Yes ...!"

His heart was thudding a warning alarm. He felt his whole face flushed with heat and his whole body was now covered in sweat.

The blade swept down towards him: fifteen inches away now.

Geoffrey twisted his head away, almost pushing it into the table. He moaned and writhed on the table before looking at the blade again.

Twelve inches.

His breathing increased. His heart pounded in his ears as well as against his chest.

Five inches.

"Yes ... come on!", Geoffrey panted.

Two inches.

"Geoffrey?" he heard Su-Lin call.

One inch away.

Geoffrey gasped as he felt the blade skim across his stomach. He turned his head and saw the blade swing back ready to cut into him.

Then he heard a rattle and his view was blocked by two steel partitions that sprang up either side of him from the sides of the table. He heard the blade thud into the partition on his left causing the table to shudder.

Geoffrey cried out from the force of the impact and let out several incoherent moans which subsided into gasps. His breathing eased and he felt his body go limp.

He heard a series of clicks which he guessed was Su-Lin putting the weights back in position. The chain rattled and then he heard the pendulum scrape against the partition. The blade swung out over him before being drawn back up into the ceiling into the Black Cat's "mouth". The partitions were folded back into the table and he saw Su-Lin come and sit on the table beside him.

"Geoffrey?" she asked softly and stroked his hair.

"Sorry," Geoffrey panted. "I ... I don't know what I did."

Su-Lin continued to stroke his hair, then his face. "I think you knew what you were doing,"she told him. "I've seen other men break long before the blade reaches them. You were very strong to take it to the end."

Geoffrey shuddered. "Strong as a plate of jelly beneath a sun-lamp", he said, adding: "You win."

He saw Su-Lin smile at him. She took off her devil's horns and put them on his head. "Let's call it a draw," she told him. "I still would have liked to have had you in a salad though."

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and The Pendulum" which inspired this story was originally published in 1843. It was filmed by Roger Corman in 1961 starring Vincent Price and with a script by the late Richard Matheson ("I Am Legend"; "Duel"). It also served as the basis for the 1983 short film: "The Pendulum, The Pit and Hope" by the Czech filmmaker-animator Jan Svankmajer. The version of "The Raven" that Su-Lin refers to is the 2011 film starring John Cusack as Poe pursuing a serial killer who murders his victims using the methods described in Poe's stories. One victim finds himself at the wrong end of a pendulum and dosen't have Geoffrey's luck. He does keep his clothes on though.