Classified ad

For Sale: camcorder, used only once, good as new

 

'Finally', Jenny had been waiting nearly a week for the camcorder to turn up and at last the postman was walking down the path with a parcel under his arm. Jenny opened the door before he had chance to ring the bell and Ffion was behind her like a shot.

'Mummy, is it here?' Ffion was tugging at her mother’s trousers desperate to see the parcel.

'Yes sweetie. Let me just sign this and then we can go and try it out.'

Jenny thanked the postman and pushing the door shut with her bum, ushered her overly excited daughter into the living room. Ffion had a dance recital the next day and her father was away on business. He hadn't wanted to miss the dance so had ordered a second hand camcorder from a classified in the local paper. It should have been here days ago and just as Jenny was starting to think it was another one of John's money saving ventures gone awry, it had turned up.

Jenny opened the parcel and was surprised to see there was already a tape in the device. Well the advert had said it had been used. She threw the used tape onto the coffee table and inserted one of the new ones she had bought and pressed record. As she pointed the camcorder at Ffion, the little girl lit up and started dancing around the living room. After a few minutes Jenny stopped recording and pressed playback. After a few seconds she could see Ffion on the little screen and by adjusting a few controls she could hear her too. Looked like John had fluked it this time.

 

"Play it again,' Ffion called. This was the fourth time the little girl had watched the tape of her dance recital.

'Okay but this is the last time and then it's off to bed.' Jenny smiled.

After Ffion had finally settled Jenny poured herself a glass of wine and settled down in front of the TV. She had really missed John this time and she was looking forward to having him back tomorrow. Ten minutes and fifty channel flicks later she started looking round at the DVDs on the shelf to find something to watch. She noticed the tape on the coffee table and smiling to herself popped it into the camcorder. You never know what sort of things people video themselves doing, it might be worth a look, she thought.

Jenny pressed the play button and the first five seconds where black, then it looked as if the lens cap had been removed. In front of her on the screen she saw the image of her husband, strapped to a chair and badly beaten.

'Jenny. You have to help me. They want money. Call my company. Whatever you do don't call the police. Please Jenny do as they say and then I can come home.'

The screen went blank and the phone rang.