A Caning for Celia

Celia Sutcliffe was in her third year at Aylward's School.
Although high spirited she was generally well-behaved and had
kept out of serious trouble. Despite her petite stature the
fourteen year old Celia was one of the best girls in her year
at netball and she took the game seriously. That morning,
after coming back from the game, she had got into a fierce
argument with another girl in her team who, Celia considered,
had "let the side down" and while they were in the changing
room after the game, Celia had let her know how she felt about
it.

Wendy told Celia to "get lost" and to "keep your big mouth
shut", then as the other girl was about to leave the room,
Celia picked up a glass trophy from the window sill and flung
it hard at the floor. The trophy shattered, fragments
splattering in all directions. The other girls laughed and
jeered at Celia's childish behaviour but Wendy suddenly let
out a cry as blood ran down inside her school sock. For a
moment there was silence, then the injured girl gave a yell
and tried to throw herself at Celia threatening to "punch her
head in."

During the uproar and noise, the door of the changing room
opened, and Mrs James, the senior mistress, came in to enquire
what all the yelling was about.  Wendy told her angrily, tears
of shock and temper still trickling down her face. Mrs James
looked at Wendy's leg. A piece of glass had unfortunately
given it a cut. Though not deep it wouldn't stop bleeding, so
she was sent off to the school medical room. The senior
mistress told the other girls not to touch the glass fragments
and sent one of them to fetch the caretaker to clear the mess
up. Celia was taken to Mrs James' office to explain her
actions.

As the door of the senior mistress's office closed behind her
Celia had never felt more alone. Of all the teachers in the
school Mrs James was the very worst one to have caught her.
Only the headmaster and the senior mistress were allowed to
use corporal punishment and Mr Pearson hardly ever punished
girls. Celia had never been sent to Mrs James, but several of
her friends had and they all agreed that she had a heavy hand
with a slipper.

Standing with her hands clasped behind her back in front of
the senior mistress's large desk Celia explained what had
taken place. The senior mistress seemed quite sympathetic,
saying that she believed that it had been an accident, and
Celia gave a small sigh of relief at having got away with it.
She really did feel sorry for Wendy because she really hadn't
meant to hurt her - it was just temper that had caused the
accident, and Celia felt a little ashamed of herself.

The senior mistress stood up from behind her desk, and coming
round to where Celia stood she tilted the girl's chin up so
that she looked at her fully in the eyes. Then in a cold tone
of voice she said "Although the injury was an accident, young
lady, its cause wasn't, and any pupil in this school who acts
in a violent manner which causes injury must expect an
appropriate punishment, especially if, as in your case, school
property is wantonly destroyed."

Still with an icy look the senior mistress snapped "You are
banned from taking part in form or school netball matches for
the rest of the term, and you will write out 'I must not lose
my temper' one hundred times. You will hand the lines in
before school tomorrow. And finally, to impress upon you the
seriousness of this matter I am going to give you six strokes
with the cane across your bottom . . . you can either accept
this now or go home and tell your mother what is going to
happen tomorrow morning when you come to school, if you want
her to know . . .the decision is yours."

For a moment it didn't quite sink in, then suddenly Celia felt
her stomach turn over when the full force of what had just
been said to her registered. It was all so silly. She had
never meant to hurt Wendy and was truly sorry that she had
done so, but the manner in which the senior mistress spoke -
talking about violence - was foreign to Celia, because she had
never been that sort of girl, and to get a caning for
something that she hadn't meant to do seemed very unfair to
the trembling youngster.

Besides, surely the cane was only for boys or for those girls
who really deserved it - the continual trouble-makers or the
school bullies, but certainly not for girls like herself. A
few of her friends had had the slipper from Mrs James but none
had ever been caned. Only two or three of the really
naughtiest girls in her class had been, but she knew from
their comments afterwards that it hurt a lot more than the
slipper. It was all so unfair. As these thoughts ran through
the girl's mind suddenly she was brought back to reality as
the senior mistress snapped "Well, Celia, have you made up
your mind? I haven't got all day to waste on you."

Poor Celia had hardly ever had a smack in her entire young
life, and she was very frightened at the thought of being
caned. What could she tell her mother - she would never get
over it. The thought of telling her that she was going to be
caned for cutting another girl's leg open with glass was
shattering to Celia, as well as embarrassing, and she knew
that she couldn't do it.

Celia hesitated, looking down at the floor, then with a
trembling lip she said "Please don't tell my mum, ma'am,
she'll be very angry with me for what I did." The senior
mistress sighed, then in a more gentle tone of voice she said
"You're a very silly little girl Celia, you could be a very
nice girl but you tend to be precocious which can be very
irritating at times.  It is in your favour that you appear to
regret hurting your classmate. However, that's beside the
point and I must punish you as you deserve."

Pointing to the door that led off from her study the senior
mistress said "Go and wait inside there, I'll deal with you
right away." Celia walked through the door that had been
indicated to her. It was a small, comfortable room and looked
all the brighter for the sunshine that beamed into it. Outside
the window there was a walled, private garden that was backed
by fields which bordered on to a small wood, a view that girls
didn't see unless they were out of favour with the senior
mistress.

As the young offender went into the anteroom that adjoined her
study, the senior mistress went across the room and unlocked a
cupboard. Hanging on a rail inside the cupboard by their
curved handles were several school punishment canes of various
thicknesses, while on the upper shelf lay three large leather
slippers, which had all soundly beaten the small bottoms of
many naughty girls. Mrs James selected the thinnest cane, bent
it reflectively and then replaced it. She took her time in
deciding which rod to use. The deputy headmistress only used
the cane rarely, but when she did cane she caned to hurt.
Fourteen year old Celia was small for her age, but she was an
athlete and very fit. At last she decided upon the senior
schoolgirl cane.

Taking the cane from its rail in the cupboard, the senior
mistress bent it so that it sprang back fiercely, after which
she swished it through the air a few times so that it cut the
air with a loud hissing sound. This one would do very well.
The senior mistress waited. She wanted the girl to suffer
mentally as well as physically, so a few more minutes of
waiting wouldn't do any harm. Mrs James felt that Celia
Sutcliffe richly deserved a caning. Quite apart from this
latest escapade she had for a long time felt that the foolish
girl was rather vain and stuck up. Well this certainly would
bring her down a peg or two!

Celia looked up as the door of the ante-room opened.  The
senior mistress applied the latch to the door and for the
first time the unhappy girl's fear almost got the better of
her as she looked at the supple cane with which she was to be
beaten in the Mrs James' hand.  The senior mistress walked
over to the window and drew the venetian blinds almost
together so that the room was in semi-darkness, although at
the same time it prevented "seeing eyes" looking into the room
if a gardener was around. Then pulling a chair into the middle
of the room the senior mistress tapped Celia lightly on her
elbow with the end of the cane and snapped "All right girl,
let's get it over with . . .take your blazer off . . . .lift
up your skirt and bend right over the top of the chair with
your hands resting on the seat."

The pretty schoolgirl had never felt so scared. Tears of
frustration stung the back of her eyes - she swallowed, then
said impulsively "Please ma'am, don't cane me". The senior
mistress was used to girls' pleading when they were in trouble
and now that at long last she had the opportunity she
certainly wasn't going to allow this one to get "off the
hook".

"Don't waste time Celia. Do as I instructed", the senior
mistress snapped. Celia took off her school blazer and laid it
on a table in the room. As she walked over to the chair over
which she was to be caned, the senior mistress caught hold of
her by the arm and said briskly "let's have this up"..

Before the girl could move the senior mistress put her fingers
under Celia's green school skirt and carefully rolled it up.
Celia stood quite still, trembling slightly. The senior
mistress had taken over and she didn't want to upset her
further. Mrs James was used to this exercise. When the skirt
was fully rolled up she pinned it into position and glanced
downwards. The girl's young, smooth, soft thighs were on
display above the grey school socks that came up to her
knee-caps, her white cotton knickers clinging tightly against
her body. Putting her hand to the back of Celia's neck the
senior mistress said sternly "All right girl, bend over."
Celia did as she was told. As she leaned over the top of the
chair her knickers rode up just that little bit more. The
senior mistress looked down at the youngster whom she was
about to chastise then, pushing the top of the chair more
tightly into the wrongdoer's tummy so that it brought the girl
up on her toes, she took hold of the waistband of the girl's
cotton knickers and pulled them tightly. Celia remained quite
still. The roundness of her small bottom cheeks could be
clearly seen under their white cotton covering. "Keep your
knees tightly together" the senior mistress snapped, "I intend
this to hurt a great deal."

She moved away from the bending girl and after making several
preparatory swishes of the cane through the air, which sent
shivers of half fear and half expectancy through the waiting
Celia, she tapped her lightly on the bottom several times with
the rod. and then brought it down with a loud hiss and a
thwack across the girl's firm rounded bottom. Celia gave a
small scream and jumped hard as the cane bit into her.

THWIP - again the cane rose and fell landing with accuracy
across the now desperately wriggling teenage bottom that was
being made to suffer.

THWACK - again the cane slashed through the air to land with
even greater force across the now stinging, throbbing small
bottom of the young girl bent over the top of the chair. As
the third stroke of the punishment cane cut across her
buttocks Celia's lips began to tremble, hot tears forming at
the back of her eyes as she tried bravely to hold them back...
she mustn't cry.. only young kids did that, she was fourteen,
not eight, and if the beating that she was now getting hurt
like hell, well, she would try not to think of the pain and
discomfort - she was a big girl now and... and... Suddenly
Celia could endure the pain no longer. She gave a small
strangled sob, then as the hot, salty tears gushed down her
face the girl could no longer help herself, and sobbed as if
her heart would break.

But Mrs James had had a lot of experience of pupils who didn't
like their just deserts and who thought that a few tears would
save them from a well merited punishment, and if this little
minx was trying it on, then she would soon discover that the
senior mistress was not a woman to be fooled so easily. In a
glance the senior mistress took in the neat little bottom
looking up at her and the thighs and legs that led down to
Celia's small feet. The softly curved thighs, so smooth and
firm were more suited to a woman rather than a girl.

Mrs James had no doubt that Celia richly deserved a caning and
that it would have to be severe so as to convey the required
message. She raised the cane high and brought it down to
strike the bending girl with even more force straight across
the top of her thighs, below the meagre protection of her
knickers. Celia screeched and jumped up.

The naughty schoolgirl clutched her limbs hard with both
hands, and her tears fell hard, amidst small gasps of
"oh.....oh .....oh" . The senior mistress felt pleased with
herself.. She had long since discovered that not only did it
badly hurt if a girl was struck in that manner, but the weal
that would eventually show itself would often be visible under
her skirt, especially during netballl practice, as a reminder
that she had been a naughty girl and had been caned for it.

"Back over that chair right away, girl," ordered Mrs James,
harshly.  "Unless you want extra strokes!"  Still sobbing,
Celia twisted round to face her chastiser, her hands still
pressed to her outrageously stinging rear.  Tears pouring from
her eyes, she looked imploringly at the teacher, silently
beseeching mercy.  But none was forthcoming.

"I mean it, girl.  You've got another two strokes to come.  If
you don't get yourself back down again this minute, I'll call
Miss Thomsett in to hold you down and you'll get four strokes
and not two!"

For a moment Celia continued to face the teacher, then her
nerve broke and she turned and slowly lowered herself over the
chair.  The Senior Mistress waited until she was back in
position and then, placing one hand firmly on the small of the
girl's back, pulled her knickers up tight again.  She noted
approvingly the heat radiating from the naughty girl's bottom
and how she squirmed involuntarily as she adjusted her
knickers.

She took her time over the last two strokes, which she
intended to be the hardest of all.  Somehow Celia managed to
stay down, but her yells were audible over much of the school.

At last Celia had received her full punishment of "Six of the
Best", but she was careful not to get up right away.

From outside, the noise and bustle of the other pupils leaving
their lessons to go and get their lunch could be heard.
Tapping Celia lightly on her back with the end of the cane the
senior mistress snapped "All right, Celia, you can stand up
now."

The girl did as she had been told, rubbing her knuckles
against her eyes to help offset the tears that were still
flowing, while giving the occasional sniff of self pity.

"Now go and stand and face the wall....when you've stopped
crying you can go and wash your face in the washroom before
going in to lunch. I hope that that has taught you a lesson"
the senior mistress said sternly.

Celia had experienced her first beating with a stinger of a
cane, and it had only taught her one thing, that it hurt like
mad. She stumbled over to the wall, her skirt still pinned up.
Slowly the girl's tears stopped flowing, but oh, how her
bottom smarted, and where Celia had rubbed her knuckles into
her eyes, heavy black tear marks could be seen.

The senior mistress's study was silent, then Mrs James walked
over and unpinned the girl's skirt. She smoothed it down over
Celia's wealed bottom, causing the girl to gasp with pain.

"Right off you go, girl", said the teacher. Celia left the
room that she had entered such a short time before, and going
to the washroom on unsteady legs she rinsed her face under the
cold water tap so that her eyes wouldn't look so red when she
went into classes after lunch. As for eating Celia just didn't
fancy anything,and was not yet ready to even try to sit down.

Later when she had to sit down at her school desk ready for
lessons to commence, grins from some of the pupils who knew
"Celia had had the cane" didn't make her feel any happier. She
lowered herself very carefully onto her seat, but it stilll
took two attempts, provoking laughter from most of the boys in
her class and a delighted grin from Wendy.  Celia squirmed on
the hard wooden seat in intense discomfort for the rest of the
day's lessons.

At long last the school day finished and Celia made for home,
thinking of the lines she had yet to write and that she had to
report back to Mrs James next morning. As she closed the door
of her house her mother called out from the kitchen " Have you
had a good day at school, darling?" "Not too bad, mum" shouted
back Celia. If  her mother only knew!