CANED IN FRONT OF WITNESSES by Alex Birch Back in the early fifties, the missus, now departed God rest her soul, and I used to go and play bridge twice a week at the home of a school master and his wife named Gordon and Barbara Miller (names changed slightly by the author) and they lived in a big house on the posh side of Newcastle. He was a typical schoolteacher, a bit stiff and stand offish, but a nice enough bloke once you got past that officious manner but Barbara was really nice. She always made you welcome whenever you went round for bridge and always had a cup of tea and some biscuits for us and the two other couples who made up the bridge 'circle'. Gordon and Barbara had one child, a daughter named Stephanie who was just about sixteen at the time. She was a really pretty kid with fair curly hair like her mother and a mischievous smile. We always got the impression that she was slightly frightened of her dad and he did seem to order her about with schoolmasterly authority. I admit we felt a bit sorry for the kid. She was usually off upstairs doing her homework most of the time we were there but she always seemed to be the one who opened the door to let us in and took our overcoats and jackets into the cloakroom. Stephanie always seemed to do this with a willing smile and the wife and I thought what a well brought up kid she was. Just once or twice, when the missus and I had got on the bus to come home, I'd feel in my jacket pocket and say "I could swear I had some loose change when I came out" but the wife would just grin and shake her head before opening her purse and paying for the bus, thus we never thought any more of it. Well, this one Wednesday, the missus and I arrived at Gordon and Barbara's house, as usual, and on this occasion Gordon himself opened the door for us. It was immediately apparent that something was wrong, for his face was like thunder, his lips grimly pursed but he attempted a smile and ushered us into the hall. As soon as we entered the hall, we could hear the sounds from upstairs and the missus gripped my hand with a sudden nervous tension. We had young kids of our own then and we were quite familiar with the noises coming from above, yet slightly shocked and embarrassed to walk in on what was obviously an extremely painful and intimate punishment session. As we walked through the hall towards the bottom of the staircase, the sounds became clearer. "Oooooh, mummy, no please no more, please mummy!" SMACK! as a hand descended on obviously bare flesh. "No more, young lady? There'll be lots more of these and you know whats coming after, don't you! This is nothing compared to what you're going to get downstairs!" "Oooooh, mummy, no please I beg you ....SMACK! ...aaaaah, no, mummy...SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! ....oooooh, boohoohoo! I'll be good, mummy, I'll never do it ...SMACK! ...aaaaah ...SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Gordon, grim faced, whispered "I'll explain all that inside. Please go into the living room" and in we went, to find our fellow bridge players already there, their faces also coloured with embarrassment as they listened to the squeals and smacks coming from upstairs. We noticed immediately that the furniture arrangement had been changed,the armchairs normally in an intimate circle surrounding the bridge table having been moved, as had the sofa, to form one row of seating. In the space vacated, thus in full view of all seated, were two dining chairs placed back to back. Our host closed the door, reducing the volume of shrieks and spanks coming from upstairs, yet the performance was still loud enough to be disturbing. "I'm sorry about that everyone ..." Gordon began " ...but I need to explain the background to you and also what is going to happen in about five or ten minutes time. I am ashamed and embarrassed to inform you all that my daughter Stephanie has, over quite a few weeks, been stealing money from all of you!" The gasps around the room spoke volumes as Gordon waved his hand in apology and continued. "I'm sorry to shock you in this way and I'm sure you realise how this revelation has disgusted and embarrassed my wife and I but Barbara happened to walk into the spare room just as Stephanie was hanging up Clive's jacket ..." pointing to one of our fellow players " ... and saw her taking change out of the pockets. Under severe pressure from my wife, Stephanie broke down and admitted to stealing loose change from all of you over a period of two months or so. Not enough pocket money to go out was her lame excuse but of course that didn't wash with either Barbara or me and we were furious and embarrassed that our own daughter should steal at all but particularly from our dear friends." Everyone, of course, hastily reassured Gordon that he was not to blame and that no one would think worse of him or Barbara for the naughty actions of their child. "Maybe not ..." he said grimly "...but Barbara and I feel it deeply and the need to make some recompense. A financial one is difficult because neither Stephanie or we know how much she stole and I suspect that as it was loose change, you don't either. That is why the recompense will be practical and will achieve a number of things. You cannot have failed to hear what is happening upstairs, namely that my daughter is getting her bare bottom very soundly spanked by her mother. I am sorry if that embarrasses you all but I'm afraid I have a further and greater demand of you all and I beg you to indulge me in this. It will offer ample compensation for the thefts and, I trust, humiliate Stephanie so profoundly that she will never steal again. I intend to have my wife bring her down here in a few minutes time once she has had her bottom adequately reddened and I then intend to cane Stephanie's bare bottom here in this room in front of all of you." There were some gasps at this point from a couple of the wives and a shuffling of feet but certainly no outraged protests as this shock information was absorbed. Indeed the feelings I had, shared by the other two males if flushed expressions are a guide, was a mixture of shame and pleasure at the prospect of seeing the naked bottom of a nubile little sixteen year old getting what she undoubtedly deserved while bent over the two dining chairs. Gordon obviously took the silence as an endorsement of his parental stance and nodded his gratitude. As the room fell silent so we could hear that the pattern of noise upstairs had changed from smacks and squeals to the sound of heavy feet on the landing floor, like someone being dragged along, the sound of almost hysterical sobbing a constant accompaniment. Gordon opened the door so that the sounds became crystal clear once more. I actually think Barbara was raising her voice slightly so that we would definitely hear but Stephanie was simply yelling in blind panic. "Noooooo, mummy, please don't make me, please. I'm so sorry. Please. Oooooh don't pull my hair please mummy!! Oh mummy please tell daddy to do it in my room if I have to get the cane." "I'l pull your hair young lady if you don't come willingly. You're going down those stairs for a public caning and you might as well accept it. Daddy says, and I agree with him, that you stole from all those people so you should be punished in front of them. Come on, Stephanie, the more trouble you give me the worse it will be for you. I'll ask Daddy to give you more strokes!" The resistance seemed to stop but the hysterical sobbing got worse. I must admit I was getting quite excited by now but ashamed of my own feelings. What was happening and about to happen was an exercise in gross humiliation, not to mention the pain involved. I listened once more. "Right young lady, at least we're understanding each other and you're going to get the cane on your bare botty whether you like it or not ... and you won't like it one bit. Now we've got this far, get into that toilet and do a wee. I'm going to stand in the loo with you until I can hear the sound of your water. You better do one, my girl, because if you disgrace yourself downstairs in front of all those people...." the reminder of an invited audience to her shame sent Stephanie into fresh fits of hysteria " ...then you really will catch out, I can tell you. In fact you're probably so churned up with nerves you better sit on that toilet and do a 'proper job' as well." "Mommy please let me put my knickers on, please" accompanied by more fierce sobbing. "Just get in that toilet and don't be so stupid. I'm going to tell you one last time, Stephanie and that will be the end of it or else your punishment will be worse. I'm well aware that you're nearly sick with shame at having to parade yourself in front of all our friends without your knickers on but that's part of your punishment. You should have thought of that before you stole money from them. No more arguing, you're going into that lounge without either your skirt or knickers on and there you are going to get a very embarrassing and very painful caning bent over two chairs with your bare bottom displayed to everybody. Now you don't need your knickers in the toilet and you certainly are not going to have them on downstairs so you might as well get used to the idea. Now get in there!" More violent sobbing resulted and then the sound of a door opening and closing, the sobs then becoming more muffled as presumably Stephanie sat on the loo and did as she was told. Everyone in the lounge was looking strained by this time, each couple holding hands and swallowing hard. My wife looked tense and strained but there was no conversation for what could we say? We just hoped the show would soon start and we could then get back to normal. Soon there was the sound of a toilet chain being pulled and a door opening and closing again then the sound of feet on the stairs. To my surprise and relief, the loo visit seemed to have calmed the girl down for the trip downstairs sounded relatively uneventful but for the heavy, shamed sobbing which was now getting louder as mother and errant daughter reached the bottom of the stairs. Gordon reached down behind the settee and, when he straightened up, was holding a fearsome looking 3ft length of what I recognised from my own school days to be a thick rattan cane. He swished it experimentally in front of us and even I flinched as the brown knobbled cane swished down. God, the poor kid was going to feel that alright! As approaching sounds got louder so Stephanie began to obviously panic again, weeping and resisting her mother. Gordon, his lips set in a grim line, opened the lounge door fully and went outside. There were a few shrieks and cries then suddenly to our surprise, accompanied by a loud wail of humiliation, a pretty fair haired girl completely naked from the waist down was almost catapaulted into the room, followed swiftly by her mother and father. Before we had time to assess her appearance, the poor child doubled over in a crouch, both hands desperately clutching between her legs trying to make herself invisible, head lowered and desperate muffled weeping coming from the head buried in her chest. Very swiftly, her father swung her round, displaying her bare bottom to us for the first time and delivered an almighty smack with all the power in his arm to Stephanie's bare buttocks which were already glowing bright crimson from the treatment she'd received upstairs. She howled with pain and shot upright, her modesty forgotten as hands rushed to her punished bottom. "Now stand up straight and face our guests ..." Gordon snarled angrily " ...or you'll get worse. Stand up and face them with your hands by your sides. You can forget any stupid ideas about modesty for the next few minutes, my girl. When you're bent over that chair for a caning, you'll be showing everything you've got down there so you may well get used to it!" The effect on Stephanie was electric. With eyes pouring tears, her chest convulsed in sobs, she turned slowly and faced everyone in the room, hands dropped submissively by her sides. She wore only her school blouse and tie, the blouse just reaching the start of the hips leaving the entire genital area completely exposed. Although her legs were hugged tightly together, the wispy curls of fair pubic hair hardly covered anything, the pink indentation of her young slit clearly visible as she stood to attention, her legs trembling. She forced herself to look at us as her father had commanded through eyes that were swollen with tears and bright with shock that her humiliation could be so complete. Huge tears rolled down her face as she waited her instructions. I was ashamed to feel my penis beginning to stiffen and crossed my legs in embarrassment. "Much better ..." Gordon said sternly "...now, Stephanie you know why you are down here in this embarrassing position, don't you?" There was a clearing of the throat and a choking "Yes daddy. Oh I'm sorry daddy!" "No point in apologising to me..." Gordon told her " ...you must, here and now, ask the forgiveness of the people in this room, tell them how sorry you are for stealing from them and tell them that you fully deserve the severe caning I am about to give you on your bare bottom. Go on do it now!" There was a short pause as Stephanie sobbed, whimpered, cleared her throat and then in a pathetic, faltering voice made her public apology, swearing that she would never do it again and that she fully deserved to be caned on her bare bottom. I think most of us muttered some words of acknowledgment that all would be forgiven once her punishment had taken place. To my shame and disgust, my penis was very stiff by now and I couldn't take my eyes away from the young pink slit of which there was just a hint as Stephanie hugged her thighs together. "Right, child ..." Gordon said as he stood in front of his trembling daughter and flexed the whippy cane in front of her face "...you have never been caned before ...and when you have had twelve strokes of this you will never, never want to be caned again. This will be a lesson you will remember for a very long time! Now kneel up on the chair!" The ominous warning sparked a new burst of crying but Stephanie turned obediently, bottom towards us and knelt up on the dining chair. I remember so well how beautiful was her young backside, her skin a pale ivory and the buttock cheeks rich and full, a young woman's bottom rather than a child's. The swelling cheeks were divided by such an entrancing dark passageway, curls of dark hair gracing the channel which led to her private entrances. Her father then brusquely ordered her to lean her upper body right over the two chair backs and to grip the edge of the further seat. Weeping bitterly Stephanie bent right over and grabbed at the further seat as her mother, face set in a grim scowl, stood in front of the further chair and gently pressed down on her daughter's shoulders in case she made any attempt to rise. I stifled a gasp at the view revealed to us as the young girl bent right over the chairs, her father's earlier observations on the female anatomy being spot on. As the shapely young bottom was elevated and the torso further inclined so the bottom cheeks parted slightly and the entire lower abdominal area was pushed back between her thighs. Although Stephanie's knees were together, the bottom was now so inclined and pulled open that the well fleshed labia and the thin seam of her sexual entrance were now clearly on display in addition to the dark and entrancing little anus. The whole effect was breathtaking as the trembling crimson bottom, so lewdly exhibited, awaited its introduction to the cane. We did not have to wait long. With no further comment but on receiving a nod from Barbara that she had Stephanie firmly restrained, Gordon stepped back a pace, raised the whippy ratten to his shoulders and whipped it down with a solid thwaaack on his daughter's bare backside. There was a split second pause before Barbara needed all her strength to hold Stephanie in position, a disbelieving scream splitting the room which alternately rose, fell gurgled and choked as the poor girl tried to come to terms with a degree of pain she had obviously never anticipated. My throat went dry as I stared in amazement at the glowing red stripe which now decorated the already crimson backside. Gordon said nothing but waited dispassionately for his daughter's screaming to die down a little before raising the cane high again then whipping it down to deliver the second, very accurately indeed, about half an inch below the first. Barbara was pushing down with all her strength now as Stephanie screamed anew, every inch of her body now trembling in spontaneous nervous reaction to the worst pain she had ever known. Her bottom now bore two red stripes and was writhing delightfully, her fleshy little pussy very nicely exhibited as her tormented bum cheeks opened and closed. One constant shriek now came from the anguished girl as strokes three, four, five and six followed in rapid and clinically accurate succession. Stephanie's bottom was now looking like the Stars and Stripes with six bright red lines neatly placed one beneath the other on the glowing crimson buttocks, the first strokes already turning slightly purplish as the whole bottom glowed with pain. Her mother was having trouble keeping Stephanie down now and it was obvious from Barbara's worried expression that perhaps the caning was too severe. Two more strokes followed, delivered now diagonally across previous weals, and Stephanie's anguish took on a new dimension. She screamed like a stuck pig and nearly fell off the chair as she writhed in torment. Now she began to appeal in a frenzy. "No more, daddy, please no more. I can't stand any more, daddy, please I'm in agony. Oh daddy, I'm going to be sick. Please daddy, I'm sorry for everything. Please don't cane me any more!" Barbara would never have argued with her husband, it was not that sort of marriage and certainly would never have undermined his authority in a situation like this, but she looked up at her husband, her face set in mute maternal appeal and they exchanged glances for a few seconds before Gordon spoke. "Very well, Stephanie, on this occasion I will relent on my original sentence because I think you have taken a very hard caning for the first time and I believe you have learned your lesson. Therefore instead of the four strokes promised, you will get one more very hard one and that will be the end of your punishment, do you understand? There will be nothing further said and no recriminations, so its up to you now to prove what a good girl you really can be with no more disgraceful acts like this one." The sob of relief was clear as Stephanie cried "Oh thank you daddy. I'll never do it again, I swear." then as her mother whispered in her ear she tensed and settled for the last stroke. Gordon brought the cane right back to his shoulder and with all the strength in his arm brought it slicing in to land, not on Stephanie's bottom, but right across the meaty part of her thighs. The ensuing scream was almost inhuman as Stephanie's entire body shook and writhed, the screaming continuing for some seconds as Barbara stroked her daughter's head and, at last, showed some compassion by kissing her gently on the forehead. The back of Stephanie's thighs now displayed a massive strawberry stripe, the skin obviously even more tender than the skin of her bottom, the girl weeping in pain still as her body shook and writhed. "Right, now get up and go to bed ..." Gordon said to his daughter, his voice softer now "...and I'll be up to see you in a few minutes. We'll have a little talk about all that and then you can get some rest!" Stephanie painfully climbed off the chair, unable even to rub her bottom for any contact merely added to the agony so merely writhed and swayed in a highly arousing half naked choreograph as everyone looked on unable to speak or breathe. Eventually she turned to her father who extended his arms to her. Gratefully she fell into them sobbing with relief as he kissed her cheek then said "I'm so sorry daddy" before rushing off to bed, her face scarlet and her head lowered. Nobody was in the mood for bridge after that and we all had a much needed drink to steady down before leaving for home. The bridge sessions continued the next week and the incident was never spoken of again. Stephanie appeared to accept, if not forget, her humiliation reasonably quickly and within a few weeks was back to the lovely kid she'd always been, though she blushed deeply for months on seeing any of us at the door. She certainly never forgot her lesson, though, and thats the important thing. She never stole again to my knowledge and after getting to University and passing her exams with flying colours, took up a career at the Bar. It left me with an interesting set of conflicting views. Many people might say that, in few of the fact that it was Stephanie's first offence, the punishment and the accompanying degree of humiliation was excessive and that is a reasonable stance to take. However Gordon took the opposite view and made a calculated gamble. Because it was her first offence and because it was so out of character, he decided on an exemplary and never to be forgotten punishment that would shock, humiliate and pain his daughter so much that she would never be tempted to fall into bad ways ever again. It seems to have worked!!