Alright, back on track and on schedule. Here’s part 2 of poor Agatha’s plight.

o0o

Agatha did her best not to cry out as the heavy tawse fell across her knickers. Miss Ravenson was not holding back this time and she made all six strokes count. In reality only the first one fell across her knickers and the rest striped the tops of her thighs. Bruises were already blooming when she stood up, tears running down her other cheeks.

“Three on each. If you pull away, we’ll repeat them.”

Agatha’s skirt was still bunched up at the back when she lifted her right palm first and held it out. Unfortunately, she did flinch, and although the tawse almost completely hit its mark, the stroke was repeated and she took four across her right hand.

She was given no time to nurse the soreness before presenting her left. This time she didn’t flinch, but to her embarrassment, she cried out and begged the head mistress to stop.

“Please miss! I’m sorry!”

“I know Agatha. It has been eight weeks of this, though, and you will return after half term with a renewed attention to detail in your uniform. Is that clear?”

She cried out “Yes ma’am!” as the final stroke fell. She squeezed her hands together and hopped about on her feet while Miss Ravenson returned the belt to its resting place and placed paper and a pen on a small desk near her own.

“Good. You’ll take a seat at this desk and copy this line,” she told her, as she wrote, “until I am finished with my work for the day. I expect them to be neat and legible.”

Agatha sniffled and gingerly sat at the desk, her face flushing at the line before her.

It is important for a young woman, such as myself, to be strictly uniformed.

o0o

I had lots of ideas for that last line, but I wanted it to feel embarrassing for Agatha. My other top contender was “Defiant expression has no place in school uniform.”

What do you think?

—M