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Nov 21, 2023Liked by Beth Spencer

Beautiful piece! I used to play kidnappers too, in the 1980s, with my brothers and sisters. My younger sisters were usually the kidnapped ones, as the youngest. The scenario was usually they’d be playing outside and then a van would pull up and bundle them into it and tie them up. My sisters would beg to play kidnappers! I guess it’s that idea of inhabiting your deepest fears? There were a lot of stories about kidnapped kids in the air in those days, or so if felt.

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Thank Jo! (Sorry, only seeing this today - I’ve got a lot to learn about navigating substack!) ... Glad to know I wasn’t the only twisted kid who loved the attention and excitement of playing Kidnap. I guess as a youngest you’re used to just trailing along, so maybe the thrill was also in being essential to the game.

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