Miss Elizabeth's Captive

As the real world opened to me, it was interesting to hear and observe men interact. Teenaged girls in Islamic countries are sheltered, to say the least, and I think in realizing this, that is why Mother had me attending the floggings at an early age. A young girl’s perception of the aura of male superiority dissipates quickly when a tough man screams like a girl and begs for mercy under the whip. And as I mentioned, the whimpering I heard as testicles are snipped away can completely modify a girl’s esteem for all things male.

At my birthday party two weeks before, after I opened many lavish gifts, Mother handed me an envelope and whispered in my ear.

“Say nothing to your father about this, Elizabeth. It’s in preparation for your sojourn in America. People there are open minded and my gift will not be a problem. And I think you’ll know how to handle this when it comes time to return.”

Inside was a letter of introduction to the clinic in Sweden. I read it quickly at the time and my eyes riveted on the section referring to the acquisition of a boy and his subsequent training as my servant. I looked up at Mother with pleasant surprise. We had many servants in the Palace, but such were for the entire family, which was large. Personal servants for teenaged girls were unusual.

But it was a practical gift. I did not cook, clean, or wash and I did not care to learn.

“The women at the clinic will train a boy to serve all your needs, Elizabeth. So take your time in Sweden and choose wisely.”

In emphasizing ‘all’, there was no doubt concerning the nature of Mother’s advice. Yes, Sam, women too have sex drives, and many times such are stronger than those in the male beast. But society discourages overt displays and even in conversing, women use coded phrases.

That night I lay in bed thinking about males, and contemplating the joys of controlling one. After the years of watching the floggings and assisting with those condemned for alteration. The prospects were exciting.

So months before beginning academic pursuits at Brown, I flew to Stockholm where a limousine took me to the clinic. The guest quarters there are lavish, more like a four star hotel than an orphanage. The school and medical facilities are first rate. The boys receive the best care and education and all are happy... at least those in the main body.

But beneath one of the buildings, deeply dug out as a bomb shelter during the war, is a different clinic. Term it a clinic within a clinic. And there is where I spent most of my time in the ensuing two months. In a way, I too was in training.

Running an orphanage requires money. And though there was much support by way of donations, government grants, etc., it was explained to me that there always seemed to be a shortfall. Until one day, one of the more creative counselors developed a concept. She was interviewing a boy at the time, and noticed in both his social interaction and his various psychological testing that he not only possessed a deep need to serve, but he was most deferential to women. Subsequent brainstorming with her peers and the clinic’s director resulted in the development of a special program and facility where such propensities could be put to use.

Servants for sale. Initially the goal was that simple... transforming young boys into servile but well-trained domestics. And it worked. The clinic annually produced dozens of boys who at a reasonably young age demonstrated skills and the abject aptitude required to be valuable servants.

But demand quickly outstripped the supply of naturals. There were not enough innately submissive young males to train. And while the revenue from th

e endeavor became material, there also developed a desire amongst the staff to do more. Controlling boys seemed to interest many of the counselors, and stints in the deep chamber were popular amongst the staff.

So, there was revenue and the need for more. There was demand; there was the facility. What was needed was more raw supply.

And that’s when the program began in earnest... ‘the psychological and physical transformation of boys into servile objects for the enjoyment of Dominant women’. I am quoting from the clinic brochure, one that is obviously not publicly disseminated.

Upon arrival at the living quarters, I was ushered into a reception area with some dozen other potential ‘clients’, as the clinic personnel referred to us. These were amazing women...some wealthy, some famous, some politically prominent. All desiring a boy, a young male whose only role in life would be to serve...in all aspects of the term.

The clinic director spoke as each of us was handed a packet of information.

I remember the talk almost word for word...

“Good afternoon, ladies, you are about to embark on a very interesting endeavor... selecting... modifying... and training a subservient male.

“Whereas many of you are quite experienced at similar undertakings please take the time to read the information in your packet. There is much data, pictures included, about the available candidates, and an outline of our procedures, to which you must strictly adhere for proper results. There is also a rather singular key-like device which you should carry with you at all times. Should you find it impracticable, the packet includes a simple necklace which can be worn and hooked to the key to keep it handy.

“Tomorrow morning, the selection process will begin.”

That was it. Off to my room with the thick packet, I gave much thought to what I wanted. Cost was no object. Thorough subjugation was.

In reading the material I found the procedures to be fascinating. I was planning to major in psychology and learned much from the clinic before even stepping foot on the Brown University campus. Basically the clinic developed a protocol paralleling the widely discussed phenomenon known as the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. The moniker came from an event in 1973 when two ruthless criminals attempted to rob a major bank in Stockholm and ended up taking hostages and being surrounded by authorities for 5 days. After surrender, the captives, 2 men and 4 women were found to greatly empathize with their captors despite the fact that they were, during the ordeal, threatened with death and violence if they resisted and tried to escape.

The empathy and devotion was such that while in jail, both criminals became engaged to a former captive, and even the males were found to be reluctant to testify against the vicious men who threatened to kill them.

And so the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ was coined to describe the empathy/sympathy and unlikely devotion developed by a captive for his/her captor. The phenomenon has been vastly studied ever since by psychologists and the principles were found to apply in many situations where the following conditions exist...

- there is a perceived threat to survival and the belief that a captor will act on that threat

- the captive perceives small kindnesses from the captor within the context of terror

- there is isolation from all but the captors

- there is the perceived inability to escape