The Pickup Van
A Portrait of Servitude
By: Randall Austin
(© 2013 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

 

Place: Brooklyn, New York

Background: States regularly promote the benefits of their indenturement programs through advertising. To increase the number of the indentured in their states, a good portion of each state's advertising budget goes towards promoting the idea that indenturing one's children is a safe, sane, sensible, and wise investment, both for the parents and the children. As a result of these campaigns, many parents now think nothing of having their children, or some of their children, indentured for a temporary term of service. And it is not uncommon for some parents, who in the past would have shunned the idea, to now commit at least one of their children to a lifetime of servitude.

It is interesting to note that the states that have the most liberal and enlightened policies regarding the welfare of slaves are also the states that tend to have the highest rates of parents indenturing their children. It is because that in these states indenturement is seen by many parents as simply a benign way of offering permanent job security to children who are not excelling academically, or who have exhibited slight behavioral problems.

Situation: Novis Butterfield, loving father of three sons (Frank, 20 years old - Melvin, 16 - and Terrence, 15), assessed his financial situation with his advisors, and determined that he would be able to afford college for only two of his children. When it was determined that a lifetime service of indenturement for one his children would put his family back on the road towards financial stability, the obvious candidate for indenturement was Melvin. Melvin, a junior at Lattimore High School, had never, in his entire academic career, received a grade higher than a "C" (and that was in art!). His scholastic failings, coupled with a stubborn streak, convinced his father that indenturement would have a wholly salutary effect on Melvin.

***

When Novis had arranged a sturdy desk chair next to the recliner in his office, and had locked the wheels of the desk chair, he called upstairs to his son Melvin and told him to come down to his office. Novis took a seat in his recliner, and as he waited for the arrival of Melvin he checked his pockets to make sure he had what he needed.

Melvin entered, smiling, wearing only pajama bottoms and t-shirt, "Hey, good morning, pops!"

"Come here son. Give me a kiss and have a seat next to me!"

Melvin gave his dad a smooch, and as he sat down he asked, "What's up, Dad? Are we still going hiking today, like we planned?"

Novis put his left arm around Melvin's shoulder, a sign of love, but also a way of holding his son in place. "No, son. Something has come up." As Novis spoke he put his right hand again in his right pocket, and felt to make sure that the handcuffs were in an open position. They were, and in one lightening-like move he brought the cuffs out, snapped one cuff on Melvin's right arm, and the other he locked to the arm of the chair.

Melvin laughed, "Hey Dad, what's going on?"

Before Melvin finished the question Novis had made his way to Melvin's left side and with the same speed took out another pair of handcuffs and cuffed Melvin's left arm to the left arm of the chair. When both arms were cuffed, Novis could relax. "Whew, that was tough on me, Melvin. I want you to know, son, I love you more than I ever have."

Novis again sat down in his recliner, and spoke the speech he had planned in a calm and effortless way. "Son, I hated to have to cuff you. But Social Services told me it would be a wise thing for me to do to you because you might initially be upset and not comprehend all of the good things that are in store for you."

"Son, I have decided to have you indentured. As you know, it's a good thing for boys like you, with school problems."

Social Services was correct; Melvin screamed and tried to tear himself away from the chair in a fury. "Dad, how could you? Let me go, Dad. I'll move out. I won't be any trouble."

"Son, you aren't any trouble. Do you think I would ever be able to sleep if you were out on your own?" Novis patted Melvin on the head. "No, I'm only doing this because I love you so much, and want only the best for you."

Novis stood up, "Son, I know this day is going to be difficult for you, because it's all happening so fast. But if I had done it any other way you would have done something foolish, like run away. This way I can know that you are safe and well cared for."

Novis walked to the door of his study and called out, "Frank, Terrence, you can come in now!" Novis walked back towards Melvin, who was still struggling to get out of his chair. "Calm down son. Here come your brothers to help you."

When Melvin saw Frank and Terrence enter the room carrying a washbasin, scissors, clippers, razors, and a towel, he felt betrayed. "Frank, Terry, what's going on guys?"

Both Terry and Frank felt sorry for Melvin, but because of the positive way in which their father had earlier explained indenturement, both brothers were convinced it would be a good thing for Melvin.

As Frank said, "Everything's cool, bro!" He took a large pair of scissors and started cutting off Melvin's t-shirt. Melvin howled and his father explained, "Melvin, Melvin! Calm down. For heaven's sake! All that your brothers are going to do is get you ready for the Social Service's pick-up van. They're going to be here in just twenty minutes and we have to have you ready! We need to get you all clipped and shaved."

Melvin started crying, "Why Dad?"

"Son, it's far better that we do it this way. This way you won't have too much time to fuss, and once they get you in the van with all the other new service boys, you'll see how much fun service boys have, and you'll feel right at home."

Terry stood in back of Melvin with the portable clippers, turned them on, and immediately began buzzing Melvin's hair off. Melvin bucked and howled, "Terry, how can you do this, man?"

Terry tenderly touched Melvin on the cheek, "Dad said you would be upset when we clipped you. He was right about that, bro. But I'm also sure dad is right about all the other stuff he said, as well; like how much fun you service boys have; and how this way you will always have a good job and a roof over your head; and we'll still spend holidays together. So we will still be a family."

As Terry finished clipping off all of Melvin's hair, Novis pulled Melvin's pajama bottoms off, as Melvin kicked and struggled to hide himself. Frank went in back of Melvin's head, wet it, and then applied shaving cream all over. As Frank started shaving Melvin's head, Terry got between his older brother's legs and started to clip off his pubic hair. Terry explained, "Dad says they want you nice and smooth for your training. It makes it easier for your trainers to keep all of you new service boys neat and clean."

After Melvin's clipping and shaving, and as Frank was rinsing and drying Melvin's freshly shaved genitals, Melvin's penis erected and he turned red with embarrassment. Novis tried to put everyone at ease, "There, there, that's okay! Melvin's a service boy now, and he doesn't have to worry any more about other people seeing stuff like this. It's okay now if free people see him naked and erect."

Almost as soon as the three free Butterfields had finished getting Melvin clipped and shaved, the doorbell rang. Novis was glad, "Ah, the pickup van is here!" The large Social Services pickup van was on schedule, and at the door were three well-built slave handlers from the state's social services agency.

All three handlers were fit and smart looking in their uniforms: Ed, 24; Rowen, 29; and Marty, 35. Terry was embarrassed at how excited he was being in the presence of three such handsome men in state handler uniforms.

Novis led the handlers to his office, gave the handcuff keys to Marty, and said, "I guess I don't have to tell you which one of my three boys is the one up for indenturement." All three handlers laughed good-naturedly as they surrounded Melvin, cuffed to the chair. Melvin swallowed in fear. Marty unlocked both of the cuffs on Melvin's wrists, and calmly handed the keys back to Novis. All three handlers kept their eyes on Melvin, as if they were expecting him to make a dash for the door. But Melvin only shrunk more in his chair, terrified of the three strong-looking men in uniforms.

When, after a bit, the handlers realized that Melvin was frozen in fear, Rowen grabbed Melvin by a shoulder and pulled him into a standing position. Terrence thought his freshly head-and-pubic shaved older brother looked sexy without any hair. All of the Butterfields were very surprised when Rowen hoisted Melvin up against his body and then flipped him over, so that he was holding the naked, upside down, Melvin tight against his body, with Melvin's face at about Rowen's crotch level, and Melvin's feet were flailing about at Rowen's head level. As soon as Rowen got Melvin in this position, Ed and Marty came up behind Melvin, each grabbed a leg, and folded it back, bending each leg at the knee, and bringing each heel all the way back so it touched Melvin's buttock. Ed and Marty then took special straps from their service belt and secured the straps around each thigh and leg, so Melvin's legs were bound into a kneeling position.

With Rowen still holding the upside down Melvin, Ed took out a four-foot pole from his satchel, and worked it between the thigh and lower leg of both of Melvin's legs, just in back of his bent knees. When the pole was in position, Ed grabbed one end of the pole, Rowen grabbed the other end of the pole, and both handlers hoisted the pole up on their shoulders for ease in carrying. Melvin was now hanging on the pole upside down by his knees, looking like a naked and skinned animal being carried to the stewing pot.

It was only when the trussing was finished and Melvin realized in what manner he was being transported, that he started bawling in earnest. "Dad, I love you. Don't let them do this to me."

Novis, along with his two free sons, was too dumbstruck by the sight of his son trussed and hanging upside down from the handlers' pole to answer immediately. His voice was somewhat feeble when he did respond, "The gentlemen are just doing their jobs, honey."

Marty answered, "That's right Mr. Butterfield. This method of transport is the proven safest way for delivering freshly enslaved lifer service boys!"

When Melvin heard the word 'lifer', he started bucking with all of his might, hoping his handlers would drop him. It only made Marty continue, "See what I mean! They buck like that when they realize that they are lifer service boys. If we didn't keep them strung up in the delivery van, they could hurt each other."

Marty invited the Butterfields out to the pickup van so they could see how lifer boys are transported to the training camp. "It should put your mind at ease to see the kind of good care we take of the boys. It's impressive. In fact you may want to bring a camera and snap a few photos as mementos." Novis nodded at Frank, who fetched a digital camera.

The Butterfields walked behind the two handlers carrying the trussed Melvin as they made their way outside to the large, dark colored, pickup van with the discreet lettering and logo of the "New York State Department of Social Services". As Melvin sobbed, Marty, walking in back of all of them, assured the Butterfields, "I can guarantee you that the little guy will be okay. Now, you can't visit him, as I'm sure you know, during the first two weeks of his training. But after that you are free to visit him in the evenings between 5:30 and 7:30 PM, as often as you would like. No visitors are allowed for the first two weeks because it's during that time that we 'break' them."

Frank ran ahead and took a few shots of Ed and Rowen carrying the hogtied Melvin. He wanted to get Melvin's face, so he called out, "Hey Melvin, look here!" Melvin, upside down and teary eyed, looked at Frank, who said, "Smile!", and snapped a photo.

Two guards were seated in the front of the pickup van, and one of them came out to check on the new indentee. As the guard checked Melvin's physical traits against his indenturement order, Novis asked Marty how they 'break' the newly indentured. Marty enjoyed answering questions about the technical aspects of his job. "Our job out at the state facility is to get the newly indentured back to an infant-like status. We want them behaving like babies, where they are totally dependent, trusting, pliable, uninhibited, and obedient. And we do that by basically treating them just like babies. We keep them naked, talk down to them, diaper them at night, and keep them alert and quick-stepping with plenty of spankings and strappings along the way. "You can't punish the freshly indentured enough", is what my professor in social studies used to always say. Once we get these teen servants out to the training facility, give them their shots and enemas, lock up their cocks, and administer their welcoming paddling, they'll begin to accept their new roles and will start settling down."

When the guard gave the okay, Ed opened the giant doors at the rear of the pickup van, and the sight of eighteen other freshly indentured naked lifers hanging by their knees from the fortified ceiling of the pickup van rendered all three of the free Butterfields speechless. The crying and moaning of the hanging indentured affected Melvin, who started wailing in despair.

Mr. Butterfield and Frank immediately noticed that about four of the indentured were female, and Frank took his camera, and with his mouth wide open in astonishment, began snapping photos of the naked lifers. Ed and Rowen, still carrying Melvin, grabbed on to the special boarding rod with one of their hands and boarded the van. They were followed by Marty who went to one of the few remaining hanging cords and unhitched it. Ed and Rowen brought Melvin over, then Marty worked the ceiling cord between Melvin's folded legs, and hitched the free end back to the ceiling of the van. Ed pulled out the carrying pole, and Melvin was now just another slab of meat hanging upside down in the back of the pickup van. Ed, Marty, and Rowen quickly made their way off the van, and joined Mr. Butterfield, Frank, and Terrence, standing at the rear of the truck.

Just as the handlers rejoined the Butterfields, Melvin, who was crying uncontrollably, started pissing. Hanging upside down, much of his piss landed on him and sloshed him in the face. Marty commented, "I think you can see why we made haste to get out of there!"

Rowen laughed and explained, "Freshly indentured lifers are usually pretty traumatized, so it's usual for them to piss and shit all over themselves. But it's nothing to be concerned about though. They won't hurt the truck because it's specially designed for slave transport and is easily hosed out."

Almost all of the slaves were crying or moaning, and little Melvin, who was sobbing as well, finally broke down and screamed out, "Daddy, Daddy, please take me home." Marty shook his head and looked at Mr. Butterfield, "Don't let that bother you, Mr. Butterfield. That kind of behavior is common. Nothing unusual. Sobbing lifers are easily pacified."

Mr. Butterfield wondered, "How can you calm someone who's going through what they're going through?"

As Marty bounded back up on board the van, he said, "Let me show you!" Marty went over to Melvin, grabbed Melvin's cock, gave it a few waggles and started stroking and pumping it. In no time Melvin's sobbing fit stopped. As Marty kept pumping he explained, "See, what did I tell you? Look at your son now. He's as quiet as a lamb." As he kept stroking Melvin's prick he continued, "This is what a slave's cock is for; control!" Marty let go of Melvin's hardened cock, rejoined the men at the back of the pickup van, and continued his explanation. "All of the servants on board this van are teenagers. Teenagers are the easiest group to train and control. When you tell randy male teenagers that if they're bad they can't so much as touch their cocks, but if they behave they can fuck any female servant of their choice, controlling them then becomes a pretty easy affair."

Marty nodded his head towards the hanging, freshly shaved, female servants. "If we give Melvin a hard labor order, and tell him that if he does a good job he can have his pick of anyone of these girls to fuck, do you think we're going to have any difficulty getting him to obey our orders?"

Novis had a slight problem with the morality of the issue and wondered, "But is that the right thing to do?"

Marty touched Novis's shoulder, "Look, Mr. Butterfield, Melvin is a slave now. Slaves are under a whole different set of ethics than we free people. Of course it would be wrong if I were to coerce your free sons to do something with the promise of sexual favors, but Melvin is not free. Slaves are fully sentient and sexual beings, just like us free folk, and it would be wrong to deny them the same pleasures we enjoy. It is right and proper to employ any means at our disposal to help ensure that slaves lead happy lives."

As Frank used his zoom lens to get some good shots of the trussed females, Terrence continued to eye the naked hanging male servants. Marty called to the guards at the front of the truck, "Okay, we got Butterfield trussed and slung. One more pickup to go, on the corner of 44th Ave North and Henderson Boulevard."

As Ed started to close and lock the doors of the van on the bawling servants, Melvin called out one more time in desperation, "Daddy, don't go, please!" Mr. Butterfield tried to comfort Melvin, "Now you hang in there Melvin, and do whatever these nice gentlemen ask you do." Once Ed had the doors closed and locked, Marty shook hands with Mr. Butterfield, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Terrence quickly made his way back into the house, ahead of his father and brother, went into his father's office where they had clipped and prepared Melvin for transport, and scooped up Melvin's buzzed pubic hair from the floor. As he put Melvin's pubic hair into a white business envelope his father walked in on him, "What are you doing son?"

Terrence was shocked, embarrassed, and, having just witnessed what happened to Melvin, was afraid to tell the truth. "I was just cleaning up, Dad."

"What have you got there, son?"

"Nothing Dad, I was just picking up the mess. This envelope was on the floor and I was just using it to hold the debris from Melvin's haircut."

"Come here, son!"

In great fear Terrence made his way to his father. He swallowed hard as he stood in front of his father, who had just had one his older brothers indentured for life.

Novis reached out with both arms and pulled his youngest son towards him in an intense embrace, "I love you son. If any of what you just witnessed bothers you too much, just realize that the first day in servitude is always the hardest on servants. Melvin will be just fine. You'll see!"

As Terrence stood, frozen in cold fear while held in a tight embrace by his father, he clasped the white business envelope tightly. It was all he had left of his brother, Melvin, on whom, in recent weeks, he had developed an intense crush. Terrence wanted to cry, but now he was afraid to show any weakness in front of his father. Melvin was not the only Butterfield whose life was profoundly changed by the arrival of the 'pickup van'.

The End

Posted: 08/09/13