“Honey, no, please don’t!”
His grip was strong, and I couldn’t break free. He grabbed me by my arm and yanked me out of the house, and took me far out into the woods, beyond the farmhouse, so the neighbor wouldn’t hear me.
“Those sheep were roaming all over the yard, Margareth!” my master spanker yelled. “How many times have I told you not to leave the gate unlocked!”
“I did lock it Honey!” I said. “I swear, I don’t know how it got opened!”
“No more lies!” my master spanker shouted. “It’s time you took responsibility for yourself!”
my master spanker stopped, and let go of my arm. This was it. I knew what he was going to do next, because he had done it before.
“Find a stick,” he said.
I shook with fear.
“Please Honey, you have to believe me!” I said.
“I don’t,” he said. “Now pick up a stick. Don’t make me choose one.”
That got me looking. If he got his choice, it would be a thick one. Probably covered with a thorny pricker vine. I looked for a nice thin stick, and hoped that he wouldn’t swing too hard. As mad as he was, I knew that wasn’t going to happen, so choosing the stick was the only advantage I got.
“Hurry up, Margareth,” he said.
I looked at all the sticks scattered across the ground, and I finally found a nice thin one. I handed it to my master spanker. He took in with one hand and snapped it in two.
“Margareth, I should not be able to snap the stick into two pieces with one hand,” my master spanker said. “Pick a thicker one. One that will actually convey the message I’m trying to send you.”
I already got the message, but he didn’t seem to think so. I didn’t leave the gate open, but my master spanker was convinced that I did. It didn’t matter though. Once he got it in his mind to punish me, there was no getting out of it.
I found another stick on the ground, this one about the thickness of my thumb. I knew it would hurt, but at least it wouldn’t make him even madder when I gave it to him.
“That’s much better,” he said. “But I want a thorny vine on it.”
“Honey! That’s too much!”
I knew it was a mistake to say it the moment I said it.
“No, you leaving the fence open for the fifth time this week is too much!” he said. “It’s time I got through to you! Now find a thorny vine!”
It was no use. I looked around the ground until I found a suitable pricker bush. I reached into the bush, pricking my hands quite few times, before I grabbed hold of one of the vines and yanked on it.
It cut my hands up pretty badly, but I got it out, roots and all. my master spanker handed me the stick.
“Wrap the vine around the stick,” he said.
I took the vine and wrapped it all around the stick, and tied a knot on the end to keep it secure. I handed the stick back to my master spanker.
“Take off your dress,” he said.
I was almost twenty, but my master spanker still never failed to take opportunities like this to embarrass me and make me feel like a child. I did as he asked, and since I knew what his next request would be, I took off my underclothes without being asked. I stood before him, naked as a Velorian bride on her wedding day.
my master spanker looked me over, and seemed pleased.
“Get into position,” he said.
