Wilhelmina Dreams

I am back, with a new look, and as promised here is a story. Not quite my usual but it just seemed to come out.

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The floor, she could see, polished wood and felt cold where her fingertips touched it. Knickers around her thighs, an exposed bottom high in the air, thunderous applause after every Thwack of the strap and through the burning sensation and tears she wondered how life had come to this…

Camp Crystal Lake, that’s what the sign read and it was a lovely place indeed. They had been there three days and Joanna’s box of goodies was almost ready to unleash on some unsuspecting teacher. Joanna and five other seniors were there to assist the teachers and help make everything run smoothly. Drama camp was a highlight of the year but known for too much frivolity and, well, drama. The first two days had been the usual with everyone getting to know one another and breaking into groups that would work together for the five days of the camp. Play readings, music rehearsals, improvisations and a few comedians had the place buzzing by day three.

Joanna knew that some of the teachers enjoyed a few quiet glasses of wine in one of the cabins most nights whilst the children played various games through the woods. The favourite was a variation of bullrush a game played on a large field with the aim being to get from one end of the field to the other without being tagged. The players started in an open clearing that was a short distance from the camp site. Forest and dusty pathways lead back to the camp and the plan was to get from the clearing to the camp without being tagged. If you were seen and tagged you joined the hunters, and so it went until last man standing was the winner. The seniors helped look out for the children and the teachers got a break. Joanna decided to liven the place up a bit.

“Come on Stacey it will be a great laugh to see the teachers hopping about in their pyjamas or nighties in the middle of the night, please help me.” Joanna was working very hard to convince her friend to join her in a small practical joke.

“No, I can’t stand those things and I’m not touching them.”

“You won’t have to,” said Joanna holding up her box of goodies, “I’ll just shake the box and they”ll all hop out.”

“No, I really can’t they’re disgusting, you do it.” Stacey turned tail and ran back to keep an eye on the kids.

Joanna crept up to the cabin that had most of the teachers inside. She could hear their laughter and knew they wouldn’t figure a thing until it was too late. She found what she was looking for, a small vent near the back of the cabin. Using a screw driver she tried to undo the vent but it wouldn’t budge so she used it as a lever instead and worked it back an forth until the louvers bent to make a hole big enough for the crickets she had collected to fit through. Making a similar sized hole in the box she was able to line them up and tap on the box so all of the crickets would leap out. She managed to get all forty of the crickets she had collected over the last three days into the cabin and then went to the forest to wait for the commotion.

Nothing happened, no noise, no screaming and certainly no hopping, jumping, pyjama clad teachers. And then…

“OH MY….”

Voices chorused together into screams and wails. Joanna heard stamping and furniture being moved then the door burst open. Teachers poured out like a river breaking its banks, a flood of fear and confusion with the head teacher, Mr Stearn, coming out last.

Another scream, a loud thump and soft yellow glow from within the cabin. Mr Stearn raced back inside and came out again slowly this time assisting another teacher who could barely walk. As Mr Stearn and his rescued party joined the other teachers the crackling flames could be heard from within the cabin and in very short order like some demonic cartoon the flames leapt into the sky and jumped happily from one cabin to another until they were all aflame.

Mr Stearn quickly organised teachers to do a head count and another called the fire brigade. Joanna, extremely pale and shaken assisted throughout but could not help to notice the glare from Stacey whenever she looked her way. No time for that now and with all souls accounted for and the blaze put out they were all herded onto buses and taken back to school.

“Why are we going back to school? Shouldn’t we be going home now?” Joanna asked Stacey when they were on the bus.

“They want to know exactly what happened, but here is what I heard.” Stacey replied with a haughtiness heretofore unknown. “Apparently Miss Anderson was reciting poetry when she noticed some critters jumping about near the back of the cabin. When she went to inspect them she saw a mouse who was also interested in the critters and it was the mouse that caused the panic. All of the ladies realised mice were about and tried to evacuate the cabin trampling the men in the process. The men having no idea what the commotion was followed the ladies leaving Miss Anderson inside. She was so freaked out she tripped over a lantern that spilled across one of the rugs and set it alight. Well you know the rest. And, for your information, the critters in question were crickets!”

“Oh” was all Joanna said.

“’Oh’! You might very well ‘Oh’, Mr Stearn wants to know all the details to see if there was any mischief involved.”

“You won’t say anything will you?”

“Somebody might have gotten seriously hurt you know,” said Stacey and flounced off to sit elsewhere.

Once back at school everyone was taken to the gymnasium and the enquiry began. All of the seniors were taken to the front and questioned. Just how had all of those crickets gotten into that cabin? Then it was Joanna’s turn.

“Joanna, what can you tell us about this incident?”

“Nothing Sir, I don’t know how it happened. All I saw were all the teachers running out of that cabin.”

“And how did you come to be so close to the cabin at that particular time?”

“I was just watching out for the children and happened to be heading in that direction.”

Mr Stearn sighed. “I will ask you one more time Joanna. What can you tell us about this incident? If you have something to say spit it out girl.”

“I did see someone near the cabin Sir, but I couldn’t tell who it was.”

“Outrage! Shame! I gave you a chance to be honest Joanna and see it was of no use. We know it was you, this was merely to give you a chance to own up. Your lying has doubled your punishment.”

“Me Sir!! But, but…it was meant to be a joke…I had no idea what would happen.”

“Fortunately for you no one was seriously hurt or else this would be a matter for the police. No, instead this will be dealt with in house. Right here, right now!”

A wooden horse was quickly assembled in the middle of the large room just high enough so fingers and toes could touch the floor once Joanna was placed over it. Miss Anderson stepped up and unceremoniously pushed Joanna’s skirt up and pulled her knickers down to her thighs.

Mr Stearn raised his voice so all could hear. “Joanna Marvel, for the heinous crime of burning down Camp Crystal Lake, for terrifying and singeing Miss Anderson, for not owning up to your mischief and for ruining our drama camp you shall be punished with two hundred stripes with the strap…”

“Two hundred!?” Squealed Joanne.

“QUIET! Two hundred stripes, one hundred delivered by me and one hundred delivered by Miss Anderson. Furthermore you shall receive six stripes with the cane to drive the point home. Any questions?”

“No Sir,” Joanna snivelled.

“Then let us begin.” And without further words the leather strap was brought down on Joanna’s exposed rump. Joanna let out a yelp, the first of many and the crowd erupted into applause.

Tears burned her eyes as the strap burned her bottom. The shame, the humiliation, the terrible pain all of which she had to bear because deep in her heart she knew she deserved every smack.

Somehow Joanna held up through the first hundred as Mr Stearn had given her time to catch her breath after every twenty or so. Her bottom was already red and bruising imminent when Miss Anderson stepped up and took hold of the strap. The first one hurt worse than any of Mr Stearn’s and by the fifth Joanna was blubbing in earnest.

“I’m truly sorry…OWW…Miss Anderson…OOOHH.”

“You will repeat after me,” said Miss Anderson imperiously. “I will never play practical jokes again.” Each word was punctuated by the strap falling and then it stopped as Joanna repeated Miss Anderson’s words. This went on throughout the proceedings and Joanna was a contrite blubbing mess by the end with a bright red bottom mottled with bruises. She would not soon forget this lesson.

Mr Stearn returned to the position this time a short cane in hand. The crowd fell silent.

“You will count these out girl,” he stated.

A woosh and then a crack like a gunshot rebounded off the walls of the gymnasium.

Joanna screamed. “ONE!”

A murmur ran through the crowd then stilled again as Mr Stearn raised his arm.

Another woosh-crack, another scream, “TWO.”

The third landed square across both of her cheeks, “THREE” and the welts were clearly visible even from the back of the room.

“Catch your breath girl, only three to go.”

“I won’t do it again Sir, I promise.”

“I know you won’t Joanna, but there are still three to go. Ready?”

“No Sir.”

“Good.”

The fourth caught her across the top of the thighs and the pain bloomed in her mind like a big red chrysanthemum. The crowd gasped as “FOUR” rang out.

Mr Stearn had had enough and delivered the last two as hard as he dared in quick succession. Joanna did not count the last two but hung limply over the horse.

“It is done, the punishment given and taken. Joanna you are forgiven your crimes, go in peace but mind you do not fall back into these wicked ways or you will get more of the same.”

“Yes Sir, thank you Sir,” Joanna mumbled as she stood shakily and righted her clothing. Miss Anderson was the first to assist her and suggested a nice cup of tea and some special cream to help heal the bruising.

Joanna began to feel strangely calm and for the first time in her life that after something terrible the slate had truly been wiped clean. A new beginning and a myriad of possibilities swirled in her mind. A chain reaction had begun with the crickets but where it would end she did not know.