Ring

White… Cool virginal white… She lies spread-eagled on the soft, silken sheets. The wedding dress is fanned out around her, the lace whispering promises of angelic delight. Blonde hair surrounds her porcelain doll facial features with a golden halo. Dreams are flitting behind closed eyes, the mouth slightly open. She breathes rhythmically, soundly asleep, her blood red lips softly kissing the dust motes playing in the curtain-filtered sunbeams.

An impudent floorboard squeaks an ominous alarm.

Eyes flutter open like two twitchy birds, confusion evident in the creases on her brow. Realisation slowly settles as she struggles in vain to raise her dainty hand to wipe the sleep from those denim blue eyes. Her perfect toes wiggle in the silver high heeled sandals, the toe-ring glinting mischievously.

But she cannot gain freedom; brutal ropes have been expertly tied and are restraining her movements, grinding, cutting into her rosy flesh, turning her French manicured nails a shade of lavender purple…