Saddle Sore - Chapter 5: Evidence of Guilt

 Saddle Sore 

Chapter 5: Evidence of Guilt

By Yu May

A knock at the door shook Jayme out of her trance, and Mamma entered without warning. “Jayme, it’s almost time for supper. I’d like some help with–”

Jayme twisted on her bed, trying to look casual, and saw the quizzical look on Mamma’s face. Jayme silently reminded herself that she was fully dressed. There was nothing in the room that could prove her secret sin.

Mamma nodded toward the walkman. “Let me guess, Adventures in Odyssey? Such a wonderful program. I may disagree with Dr. James Dobson on spanking, but the man knows how to put together an excellent radio drama.”

Jayme tensed as she heard the magical, omnipresent word: “spanking,” glancing at the walkman, which was currently paused at the precise moment where her favorite character was bemoaning her “butt-hurt.” What if Mamma picked it up and started listening? Wouldn’t she find that a peculiar coincidence? Jayme tapped her bed. “I thought Dr. Dobson agreed with Biblical spanking? Dare to Discipline?”

Mamma pursed her lips. “Hmm, parts of that book are okay. His argument in favor of spanking itself is solid. Though if you ask me, he overemphasizes everything. Wants parents to go through this long, multi-step process: establish guilt, talk about the need for discipline, explain every little step of the spanking, read the Bible, pray, never spank in anger, hugs and kisses, la-dee-da-dee-dah! You can tell he’s not a mother. Sometimes, you just gotta spank and be done with it, or before you know it, every spanking’s taking up the entire day. You’ll find that out for yourself when you’re a mother. Come along, Jayme, I don’t want to serve a cold meal.”

As Jayme weighed her mother’s argument, she felt like every little “reminder spanking” she’d ever gotten over the years suddenly made way more sense. As she followed Mamma to the kitchen, Jayme easily recalled the passages from Dare to Discipline on the subject of spanking. She’d memorized them. “Doesn’t he argue spanking should stop around age 10?”

“Did he? Yes, now I remember. No Biblical basis for that notion, of course. The Bible clearly endorses, and requires, corporal punishment, with no qualifications for age. Deuteronomy limits the number to no more than 40 stripes with a whip.”

Mamma went right to work finalizing supper, beef and vegetable stew with dumplings. Jayme found herself helping on autopilot. “Well…don’t you give us more than 40 whacks sometimes?” 

Mamma brought the heat on the stove down to a simmer, shaking her head.  “Not with a whip I don’t…You’re talking about a hand spanking?”

Jayme folded her hands behind her back. What on earth had possessed her to bring this topic up? “Yeah, hand spankings…I guess that’s not really comparable to a whip.”

“See? It’s all a matter of reasoning from first principles. The Bible gives us a specific rule: we’re not to deliver more than forty strokes with a whip. Okay, so what’s a ‘whip’? I was just reading a fascinating blog on the subject, by Dr. Wilson. In the Mishna–that’s an ancient collection of Jewish oral tradition–they used a scourge with three soft leather tongs. Just like our tawse, but worse. Then they delivered 13 strokes on the bare chest, 13 strokes on the left shoulder, and 13 strokes on the right shoulder. The total came to 39 strokes, to avoid going over 40 by accidentally miscounting. Now, that’s not the Bible, but it gives you a sense of how God’s people applied that verse, at the time in which it was written.”

Jayme vividly remembered watching The Passion of the Christ in theaters with her older siblings and Poppa. It was her first R-rated movie. Jayme had overcome Poppa’s initial hesitation through a long campaign of gently arguing she was mature enough to handle it. But, at her father’s suggestion, Jayme had closed her eyes for the entirety of the flagellation scene. “I thought they attached bits of glass and seashells to the whips for scourging, like the Romans did to Jesus?”

Mamma gasped with horror, remembering the exact same scene from the movie. “Yes, the Romans did that, because the Romans were a pagan empire. They didn’t care more than they had to about the laws of a strange, monotheistic people under their dominion. If you were a foreigner, they’d happily flog you to death or crucify you, and if you were a Roman citizen, they preferred more civilized methods, like beheading or strangulation. My point is, the Bible gives us a limiting principle. 39 to 40 strokes max, with a whip of three tongs. That comes to about 120 raised welts. When you read about Peter, Paul, and the early apostles being scourged for the Gospel of Christ, that’s the punishment they’re talking about. Now, let’s see you apply some logic. What’s an ‘unfair spanking’ according to the Bible?”

At that moment, Jayme was vividly imagining herself receiving 13 strokes on her naked breast and each of her bare shoulders, while tied to a public flogging post. “...Oh! That’d be anything more than 40 strokes with a whip, with three tongs of leather…so I guess that’s like getting 120 whacks with a belt, right?”

“And have we ever spanked you like that?”

Nearly two years had passed since her last trip to the woodshed, and Jayme vividly remembered the feeling of the hefty leather strap, and heavy wooden paddle, across her bare backside. It had been slightly worse than the belting she’d gotten for playing with guns, two years before that. But Jayme knew the answer. “No, you’ve never spanked me like that.”

Mamma beamed. “Exactly. Because you’re young, we lessen the degree of severity. 40 slaps with my hand certainly isn’t going above the Biblical limit, but it’s far more than what’s needed for a small child. I never have to give Juniper any more than 20 swats to remind her to behave. Really, 10 is plenty most of the time. But if she’s being especially difficult, 6 spanks with a spatula or the hairbrush acts as a wake up call. That’s the last warning shot Juniper gets before I have to send her to her room, for deliberate disobedience, defiance, or disrespect. Then it’s 12 whacks on the bare butt, plus a hand spanking for a warm up. But I almost never have to do that, because Juniper knows what the rules are, and she knows what the warning shot means. That’s the beauty of spanking. It scales!”

Jayme nodded, still terrified by the memory of those “baby-spankings,” even as she considered how laughably light those punishments would be for her now, at age 16. “As opposed to, like, grounding, for other kids? If you grounded me for a day, I just wouldn’t care. You’d have to scale to, like, a week, a month, a year?”

Mamma held up her hands in a hallelujah. “See, this is how I know you’re my daughter. You got Poppa’s looks and brains, but you got my common sense. These ‘gentle parenting’ types think they’re so wonderful, and all it is is disguising abuse by pretending that, as long as it’s not spanking, it’s not abuse…” 

Mamma put on a mock-sophisticated accent, which she used to imitate “NPR listeners.” “Ooh! Look at me! I never hit my children! I just verbally abuse them! I just emotionally isolate them! I just use solitary confinement! Are your children old enough to use reason? Just use reason! Huh? What’s the consequence for willfully refusing to listen to reason? I don’t know!” 

Jayme snickered, and imitated a stereotypical, stoner hippie voice. “Hey, man, I’m into free-range parenting. You can’t just spank a kid for playing in the street, after you told them not too. That’s like, totally uncivilized. I just let my children roam free and experience natural consequences, like letting them get run over by a car!”

Mamma paused in the middle of serving the first two bowls of beef stew to double over in fits of giggles. “Ha, ha! Oh, gosh! Please, not the hippie accent! *Wheeze* You’re gonna make me spill hot soup on myself!”

Jayme beamed as she swooped in to finish serving the first two bowls herself. “If I do, do I get spanked?”

Mamma finally caught her breath, wiping away tears of mirth. “...Don’t try to find out.”

Jayme tightened her grip on the bowls. “So…I know age ten isn’t too old for a spanking…but will I ever be too old for a spanking?”

As she helped Jayme set the table, Mamma became suddenly serious. “No, Jayme, you will never be too old for a spanking…so long as you need one. It’s not a matter of birthdays. It’s a matter of attitude. Technically, Joseph’s not too old for a spanking. But he just doesn’t need spankings anymore. He could move out on his own, if he really needed to, but we like having him around. He’s always helping. The day you’re too big to go across my knee is the day you start acting like it…Who knows? Maybe today’s that day. I must say, you’ve made an incredible effort to help out since this morning. You’re on a roll!”

As the rest of the family gathered at the table to answer Mamma’s shrill whistle, Jayme glanced up from the table, and spotted Jessica, still sitting in timeout in the living room, easily within ear shot. 

Sure, Jayme expected to be spanked all through high school, just like Jessica had been. But there was her big sister, the Prom Queen, the high-school graduate, sitting on a soundly spanked, bare bottom. Looking forward to a bedtime spanking in just a few hours. Looking forward to her first year of college, and if she didn’t improve her study habits, at least another four years of spankings, on grade report days. And if she didn’t fix her attitude, Jessica was looking forward to many, many more spankings, for many, many more years. And they both knew it. 

Jayme looked at Jessica, and saw her future. Jayme would never be too old for a good spanking. And the worst part was…that’s exactly what she wanted.

…

 

Before Pops could seat himself, Mamma nudged his shoulder and gestured to Jessica, still sitting in the corner of the living room. Pops nodded. “Jessica, please come to the table.”

The whole family got a quick peek at Jessica’s bare behind before she quickly spun around and marched to the dining room, holding her Bible flat against her stomach. Pops waited until she stood behind her usual chair. There were 8 bowls of steaming stew, one for every member of the family, with the notable exception of Jessica, whose placemat was as bare as her backside. 

Pops looked Jessica in the eye. “Everyone, I’m afraid Jessica earned a spanking earlier today, first for laziness, and second for defiance. Mamma and I talked to Jessica, and we all agreed that Jessica deserves to get another spanking tonight, before bedtime. I want you all to know that we’re not angry at Jessica, and we’ve already forgiven her. Jessica was very brave, and asked for this spanking herself…but it’s still got to be a real spanking. Jessica, you know the rule in this house. Part of a bedtime spanking means being sent to bed without supper. Before you’re excused, do you have anything you’d like to say to your brothers and sisters?”

Jessica held up her Bible. “I…I’ve been reading Proverbs. I remember this one: ‘Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.’ I thought about that one a lot, because…it’s what happened to me. I was lazy. I didn’t pay attention. It was like I was asleep. Then, in the same chapter, I read this one: ‘Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.’ It reminded me that Poppa has to chasten me…to spank me, until I cry. And it’s not enough for me to just cry, no matter how much I want the spanking to end…I have to be chastened. I have to remember what I did wrong. So that means the spanking has to last long enough…to be a lasting reminder…Daddy? I trust you…and I’m ready for my spanking.” As Jessica uttered the last words, she didn’t sound like she was quite convinced.

Pops nodded. “Let us pray.”

Pops began by offering a prayer of gratitude for his daughter Jessica, thanking God for giving her the gift of a repentant heart. Mamma echoed the sentiments in her own words, asking God to guide Jessica into wisdom; to help her become a “Proverbs 31 Woman.” Pops invited Jessica to pray, and Jessica offered up a simple, faltering prayer of repentance, sniffing back tears. Poppa invited the rest of the family to pray for Jessica. Juniper volunteered a precocious prayer. “Dear Jesus, thank you for Mommy and Daddy. Help Jessica do better, and help the spanking not hurt too much. Amen!”

The preemptive “Amen!” earned a soft chuckle. Joseph prayed to ask God to give Jessica courage. Joanne, Jack, and Jill all shook their heads, not sure what they wanted to say, leaving Jayme last.

Jayme hesitated, wanting to pray for Jessica, but wondering what else there was to say. She was never good at smoothly speaking her thoughts in prayer, like her parents could, but they’d always encouraged her to pray from the heart. As the seconds dragged on, Jayme knew it was now or never. “God…thank you for Jessica. Thank you for putting me in this family. Help…help Jessica be strong. Help me…not need spankings anymore.”

Jessica remembered her secret, and censored the last sentence. In her heart, she completed the thought: “Help me not want spankings anymore.”

Poppa finished the prayer. “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen…All right, Jessica. You may be excused. Go wash up and get ready for bed.”

Jessica hesitated, before she answered politely, and turned to march away, keenly aware of her younger siblings’ eyes on her bottom. Jayme couldn’t tear her eyes off it, even when she noticed Mamma, Poppa, and Joseph all politely averting their gaze away from Jessica’s backside.

Jack broke the silence. “Is Jessica going to get spanked a lot now?”

Mamma and Pops shared a knowing look. Of course, what else was going to be the topic of discussion for the night? Poppa leaned close to Jack. “If you mean, ‘Is Jessica getting a trip to the woodshed, or a week’s worth of bedtime spankings?’ then no, tonight is it. We never add extra spankings unless someone is asking for it. Bit if you mean, ‘Will Jessica ever get spanked again?’ then I don’t know. If she doesn’t learn her lesson, then, yes, Jessica will get more spankings. But if she makes an effort to improve her attitude, then no, Jessica won’t get another spanking, unless she asks for one.”

Jill stared at her steaming bowl. “But, didn’t you say Jessica asked for the bedtime spanking?” 

Pops sighed as he noticed the confusion caused by his own choice of words, looking to Mamma for assistance. Mamma nodded, and addressed Jill. “Not in a bad way. Jessica asked for tonight’s spanking, politely, because she’s really a mature and responsible young woman, who just needs a little extra guidance. But when someone like…” Mamma glanced at Jayme before carefully choosing her next words. “Well, when we say one of you kids is ‘just asking for a spanking,’ we mean you’re being rude. Back talk. Rolling your eyes. Those are impolite ways of asking for a spanking.”

Jill glanced at Jayme. “That’s why Jayme gets spanked all the time?”

Jayme swallowed a full spoonful of stew, burning the roof of her mouth. The family paused to make sure she wasn’t choking. “Yes, Jill…that’s why I get spanked so much…but I am working on that.”

Jack blew on his spoonful of stew to cool it. “I don’t think I’m brave enough to ask for a spanking the polite way. Wish I didn’t ever have to ask for a spanking the rude way, by accident.”

Pops patted Jack on the back. “That is a goal you can achieve, son. It’s all a matter of mindset.”

…

Having given up on getting past the second paragraph of Crime and Punishment today, Jayme lay on her bed. She heard the door of the bathroom open, and glimpsed Jessica passing by her door wrapped in two towels. Jayme glanced at her clock. Jessica was cutting it short. A Schmidt child sentenced to a bedtime spanking was expected to wait patiently in their room, with “heart fully prepared, and bottom fully bared,” before Mamma and Pops arrived. 

Maybe Jessica wanted a long, relaxing soak to take her mind off the coming trial. Jayme understood the feeling. Bathtime, very naturally, had been made an essential aspect of the preparation ritual. After all, you came out squeaky clean, and ready to change into fresh pajamas. Jayme wondered if Jessica had decided to reuse her favorite, hand-me-down pajamas. Sure, footie pajamas felt a bit childish, but it beat kicking off your pajama pants by accident in the middle of an extra-long bedtime spanking.

Jayme saw two shadows pass by her door, and recognized Poppa’s heavy footsteps. “...Show time!”

Jayme went to close her door, and glimpsed her parents knocking on Jessica’s bedroom door. She heard Jessica’s musical voice, inviting them to come in. Jayme pulled the door shut, not wanting to attract any attention to herself at the moment. In Jayme’s early childhood, until age 6, she had witnessed numerous bare-bottom spankings being administered to her siblings, especially Jessica. But after the disastrous results of Jayme and Joanne’s bare knuckle brawl, instigated by Joanne teasing Jayme for getting spanked on her bare butt, a family meeting had been called, and bare-bottom spankings were forever delivered in the privacy of a bedroom, or the woodshed. It suddenly occurred to Jayme that she hadn’t actually seen Jessica’s bare-bottom suffering under the effects of a spanking in over 10 years. She’d seen Jessica get plenty of spankings over a clothed bottom. She’d seen Jessica’s bare bottom only today. But not both at once.

Jayme heard the door of Jessica’s room creak shut…without closing. Clearly, Mamma and Poppa were not concerned with Peeping Toms. Jayme remembered Joanne had been spanked a few times after being caught trying to violate her sibling’s privacy. In the past, Jayme had never understood the temptation. You could tell so much just by listening carefully to the sound of a spanking. The quality of the slaps themselves told you where the spanks were being landed, and how hard. The clapping rhythm provided a clear picture of the pace of the spanking. Some of the lecturing and pleas got muffled behind the thin walls, but if Jayme closed her eyes and concentrated…it was almost like she was there.

Holding her breath, Jayme stepped into the hallway, and heard Pop’s voice. “Jessica, it’s time.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Jayme knew the moment of decision had arrived. Like Mamma had explained, there came a point where there was no more need for lecturing or hugs or prayer, and all that was left was to get the spanking over with. Jayme approached Jessica’s door, craning her head. If they spotted Jayme in the hall, maybe she could pretend she was going to the bathroom? No, that wouldn’t work, the bathroom was the other way. If she was caught at all, she would be caught red-handed. Jayme glimpsed Pop’s knees as he seated himself at the end of Jessica’s bed, and then…Jessica’s bare bottom. The paddle marks from this morning had faded to a light, rosy pink. Sure enough, she was wearing her favorite pajamas, with the seat lowered. Mamma must have been standing in the opposite corner, waiting to take her own turn spanking Jessica.

As Jessica bent over Pop’s left thigh, with her footie-pajama-clad toes dangling just above the floor, Jayme felt a shiver travel from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. The angle was perfect. She would be able to see Jessica’s bottom, while Poppa was seated in profile. Jayme had stumbled across a perfect blindspot.

The precise moment Jayme found her hiding spot, she saw Pop’s mighty right hand clapping firmly across the center of Jessica’s plump bottom, covering plenty of meat on either side of the butt crack. Jessica howled, and twisted her hips, but Poppa’s arm was more than enough to hold her in place.

Jayme remembered her own bedtime spankings. That’s right, a strong first impression, leaving no doubt of what was in store. After about ten spanks, Jessica’s squirming became more pronounced. Mamma’s voice barked, terrifyingly close to Jayme’s ear. “Jessica, quit fidgeting. We already talked about this once, this morning.”

Jessica held down her legs, clearly trying to rest her weight on her feet to resist the urge to kick. “I’m trying! It hurts!”

Pops landed a spank across Jessicals left buttock, raising his hand to deliver an immediate follow-up. “It’s supposed to hurt, Jessica. You knew that.” 

A spank across the right buttock. A wail from Jessica. Cearly, her earlier vow to take her spanking well had been a way of convincing herself she could. But now Jayme saw just how quickly Jessica’s resolve was crumbling, with every resounding spank. “Slow down! I wanna’ hold still! Just slow down!”

Unmoved, Pops landed two quick smacks, with equal force, and Jessica kicked her feet wildly. Jessica whinnied, just like a horse. “Eee-hee-hee! Noooo!”

“Need a hand?” asked Mamma.

Hearing the bed springs creak, Jayme withdrew from the door as Poppa leaned forward to adjust his grip, pinning Jessica’s legs between his own. “No, I can wrangle this hass.”

Jayme willed herself to step forward, just in time to see Jessica switch from kicking to bucking, trying to lift herself up off of Poppa’s lap. “No, no, no! Too hard!”

Satisfied that he had Jessica securely taken in hand, Pops began to deliver spanks at a slow but steady pace. Jessica had just enough time to yelp and yip between each one. “Jessica, you asked for this punishment. What did you think you were going to get? A pat on the back?”

“Ow! Not this! Ah! N-not like this! Ahhoow!”

Poppa landed four of his best spanks, making each count, then paused to let Jessica finish mewling. “Let’s try this again. Why did you ask for this spanking, Jessica? What were you hoping to prove?”

“I wanted–I wanted to show you I was really sorry! I wanted to be brave!”

Poppa patted Jessica’s bottom, warning her that more spanks were incoming. “Are you really sorry, Jessica? Are you being brave, right now?”

“Noooo….” Jessica’s voice turned whiny, before a spank brought her back to plaintive. “Agh! No! I really am sorry! I’m just–I’m just not–YEOW! Oh, Daddy! Daddy, please!”

Two more spanks, then Poppa rested his hand on Jessica’s already reddening bottom.  “Remember your favorite verse, Jessica? Proverbs 19:15. Chasten thy son while there is hope…and?

As the spanking paused, Jessica fought for a trembling breath. “...and let not thy soul spare for his crying…”

“When does a proper spanking end, Jessica?”

“When…when I’m well and thoroughly chastened.”

“Very good. In that case, we’ll end the warm up here. Mamma? It’s your turn.”

Clutching her chest, Jayme pressed against the wall to get out of eyesight. This was stupid. This was wrong. Any stray movement, and she’d be spotted.

Jayme heard Jessica sniveling. “M-Mommy?”

“Do you remember what we talked about before? You have something to tell your Poppa.”

“P-please, don’t make me…you can spank me, but don’t make me tell–”

“No, Jessica. We’re not finishing this spanking until you keep your promise. Making a confession of sin is always part of true repentance.”

“He’ll think…he’ll be disappointed in me.”

Jayme could make out Pop’s unmistakable, gentle shushing, the kind she needed to hear every time she was in tears. “Shhh…There, there. I will never be disappointed in you for telling me the truth. What happened? Let’s hear it.”

Jayme heard shuffling, and knew that Mamma was gently guiding Jessica into a spanking position. Clearly, Jessica would be making her confession with plenty of extra encouragement should she hesitate or stretch the truth. “I just…I just wanted them to…I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Jayme heard Mamma deliver the first spank, out of her line of sight. “No excuses. Tell him the whole story, starting from the beginning.”

As Jessica started to stammer out the sordid tale of her flagrant disregard for her earlier timeout, Jayme considered her position. If they were seated at a slightly different angle than before, any movement could easily expose Jayme. Mamma was an ambidextrous spanker. What if Jessica’s face was pointed towards the door this time, for a left-handed spanking? 

Jayme made her decision. She was tired of “off-screen” spanking scenes. She wanted to see the real thing. 

 

As Jayme willed herself forward, she saw she had been half correct. Mamma had spun Jessica around to deliver a left-handed spanking, but she had also guided Jessica to lay down across her lap, letting the bed support most of Jessica’s plump frame. Now that Poppa had encouraged Jessica to be more compliant, Mamma was able to use a less forceful grip. This also meant that Jessica’s face was just barely covered by the edge of the door, where ordinarily she would have been looking Jayme right in the eyes. But Jayme could tell that Jessica was focused on Poppa, looking up at him imploringly as she continued giving her full confession. “...And then I dropped my seat to show them! I only–”

Mamma interrupted the coming excuse with a lightning-quick spank, before flicking her arm right back up to hover high in the air, all in a single, crisp motion. “No, ‘I only’s. Speak plainly.” 

Jessica roared, and took a few seconds to catch her breath. Jayme could just make out the curves of Jessica’s upturned bottom, unlike the earlier full moon shot. But, somehow, Jayme felt closer to Jessica than ever, almost as though the glimpse of Jessica’s face meant that she had been given tacit permission to be here. Who knew? Jessica had been eager to show off her bottom before. Maybe she wouldn’t have minded having Jayme as an audience, if she were asked. Jayme remembered all the little acts of kindness Jessica had shown her over the years: everybody’s favorite older sister.

With a hiss, Jessica struggled to find the right words. “I…I was showing off. I wanted them to think I could tough out a spanking!”

Mamma delivered another thunderclap. “You told me you wanted them to: ‘See what you got as your just desserts.’ You made it out like you were trying to enlighten them.”

Jessica groaned, as if feeling the spank on a delayed reaction. “That…that wasn’t a lie! I really did want them to learn from my example…I wanted them to know they didn’t have to be afraid of a spanking!”

“Suppose I bring them here? Would you like to repeat that to Jayme and Joanne? Would you like them to watch this spanking, and learn from your shining example? You can show them what a big, tough, mature young woman you are, and exactly how they should submit to a spanking.”

Jessica flopped her face down onto the mattress, kicking her toes meekly against the pillows. “Nooo, puh-leeze! Don’t let them watch! Don’t let them see me…like this!”

After Mamma landed the next smack, Jessica reared, arching her back as she screamed. Jayme had her answer. Jessica, most certainly, would not want Jayme witnessing this. But by now, Jayme was fully committed. A retreat back to her room was just as risky as staying. The only reason Mamma hadn’t spotted her already was the fact that Jayme was lurking in the shadows, combined with Mamma’s stern concentration on Jessica’s bottom. “Why not? Why don’t you want them to see you, Jess? What are you afraid of?”

Jessica snarled, her temper rising. “I’m afraid of spanking, okay? I’m afraid of them knowing…I can’t take it!”

Mamma landed three quick swats, then settled into her own rhythm, lecturing as she carried on. “Yes, you can. You’re taking it right now. Grit your teeth, and concentrate. Don’t concentrate on wanting the spanking to be over…” 

Mamma slowed the pace to emphasize each of her last three words. “Concentrate. On. Repenting.”

Jessica seethed, then pressed herself flat against the mattress, lifting up her bottom to provide a better target. Mamma patted her bottom with half her strength. “Much better, Jessica. Now, here was your critical mistake: pride. Spanking is not just about correcting external bad behavior. It’s about correcting the attitudes of the heart. You wanted your sisters to think you weren’t afraid of a spanking. Well, there’s a right way, and a wrong way to go about that. If you’re thinking about sinning, you most certainly should be afraid of a spanking. We don’t want you to do the right thing just because you want to avoid being spanked, but if you ever need help remembering…it certainly helps. Before, you were pretending you weren’t afraid of a spanking, for all the wrong reasons. But now that you’re lying across my lap, all that false bravado won’t help you. You need a better reason to not be afraid of a spanking…”

Jessica trembled. “...How? How do I do it?”

“Simple…with prayer. Ask the Lord to guide you, and he will…‘There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…’”

Poppa continued the quotation from memory. “...but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape…”

Jessica lifted her eyes to look at her father, remembering the verse from her Bible memorization homework. “...that ye may be able to bear it…1 Corinthians 10:13.”

Jessica’s eyes went wide as Mamma planted an almost playful swat. “Precisely! …And one more thing…”

As Mamma’s next spank landed, there was absolutely nothing playful about it. With a howl, Jessica strained her arms and legs, wobbling on her stomach atop Mamma’s lap. Mamma leaned low to whisper in Jessica’s ear. “...I don’t need your help to parent Jayme and Joanne. You worry about keeping your own backside out of trouble. Understood?”

Sensing she was approaching the finish line, Jessica nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Mamma patted Jessica’s bottom to signal her to stand up, ruffling Jessica’s hair with her other hand. “Well, I’m satisfied. The last thing to do is to stand and face your father. He’ll know best what to do with you!”

Jessica pouted as she sat back up to rest on her knees, rubbing her buttocks before remembering with a start to keep her hands away from her bottom. Jayme tried to pull away from the door, without breathing, without letting a stray hair fall out of place. This was madness. Any second, it would all be over. Mamma and Poppa would kiss Jessica, and tuck her into bed. Then they’d trip over Jayme in the hallway, and the whole house would soon hear the tell-tale sounds of yet another spanking in progress. Jessica would know that Jayme had violated her privacy. Everyone would finally know who Jayme really was.

As Jessica turned slowly to face their father, she faced away from the door, bringing her full bottom back into view. The effect was hypnotic. Two hand spankings had returned Jessica’s bottom to a cheery, cherry red, a few raised handprints clearly visible, glistening in the soft yellow light. Jayme could even make out goose pimples on Jessica’s fleshy hindquarters, as they were exposed to the cool air.

Jessica sniveled, while Pops pronounced judgment. “Jessica, I don’t believe your disobedience was done out of wilful defiance. You should thank Jayme later, for backing you up. But what you did was still disobedience, even if unintentional. The fact that you had just been paddled and put in time out for disrespect, only to disregard your instructions, suggests that you’re not taking your last spanking very seriously. Momma let you off without a quick spanking to act as a reminder, but I’d say a reminder spanking is both a fair and lenient consequence for ignoring your timeout…”

Pops sighed, the hurt clear in his voice. “What do you have to say for yourself, Chipmunk?”

Jayme knew from experience that this wasn’t a trick question. There was a difference between making empty excuses, and having a good reason, and for more serious spankings, Jayme had always been been given an opportunity to speak in her self defense (with the obvious exception of Momma’s countless rapid-fire reminder spankings, which maintained order amongst 7 squabbling siblings).

 

Jessica clenched her buttocks, then relaxed, hanging her head. “I have no excuse…I know I said I wasn’t trying to be wilful, but as I look back on it…I knew I was being flippant. Mamma let me off easy…oh, man!”

Jessica’s legs start to wobble. She saw Pops catch Jessica and guide her toward the bed. “Woah! You okay, Chipmunk?”

Jayme tensed as she saw Pappa cradling one arm around Jessica’s shoulder. Momma rushed to join them. If they looked carefully into the dark hallway, Jayme was directly within their line of sight. Jessica held her hands against her face, looking pale. “I…I think I’m all right…I was just so nervous, I felt light-headed…Phew, I’m sweating bullets!”

Momma pressed the back of her hand against Jessica’s head to feel for a temperature. “I don’t think you’re feverish. Do you need a glass of water? A restroom break?”

Jayme’s flight or fight response activated, and she chose a third option: she froze, crouching her back against the bedroom door behind her. As Momma stood to fetch a glass of water herself, Jessica held Momma’s hand to stop her. “No, it’s okay, Momma. It’s these old pajamas. Gramma always said she made them to keep me warm and toasty on winter nights. Please, stay with me. I have something to ask you…”

Ignoring Momma’s fussing, Jessica stood and turned to face them. In the hallway, Jayme found herself at eye-level with Jessica’s bare bottom, perfectly framed by the narrow gap in the doorway. Then, to Jayme’s horror, Jessica began to step out of her thick, knitted pajamas. “...Momma, Poppa, I asked for this spanking because I wanted to show you I’m serious about repenting…but I haven’t been doing a good job thus far. Before, I was just thinking of some way, any way I could get out of another spanking, even though I knew in my heart that I needed this. I want to become a wise, Godly woman…but I’ve been forgetful. I’ve been lazy. I’ve been disrespectful. I’ve been disobedient. I’ve been defiant…And I’ve been dishonest…Father, I need chastisement…and let not your soul spare, for my crying…”

Now fully naked, Jessica folded the pajamas neatly and stood at attention, her posture firm, despite her shivering. Now that Jessica was out of her childish pajamas, her mature, womanly curves now stood in sharp contrast. Jayme silently mouthed the words she wanted to say, as Jessica spoke the same words out loud. “Please, spank me, Daddy.”

Mamma and Poppa both stood to hug Jessica, her naked form framed between. Momma accepted the pajamas, clutching them tight like a cherished memory. “I’m so proud of you, Jess.”

Poppa gestured to the closet on the opposite side of Jessica’s room. “Very well, young lady. You will get exactly the spanking you have coming. Go fetch a pair of slippers from your closet. The nice leather ones Momma got you for Christmas.”

As Mamma and Poppa seated themselves back on the bed, Jessica disappeared from Jayme’s sight, then reappeared, kneeling on her knees to offer up the two slippers to each of them. After they accepted the slippers, Jessica settled her weight down, resting her plump, spanked bottom against her feet. Poppa patted his left thigh. “Jessica, the Bible teaches that a disobedient child, at your age, should be punished with no more than 40 lashes, with a whip of leather tongs. Therefore, you will get the full, Biblical 40 lashes, but only with a leather slipper. Think of this as a final warning, for both laziness and defiance. If we are ever forced to repeat this conversation, we will have it in the woodshed.”

Jayme could see Jessica curling and uncurling her toes in anticipation, before Jessica obediently crawled on her hands and knees towards Poppa’s knee, and up onto the bed to assume the position. Jayme knew what was coming: Jessica was about to straddle across Poppa’s knee. Unlike bending over a knee, or a lap, this meant Jessica would be spreading her legs, forcing her to relax her buttocks and submit herself fully to every stroke. This position would allow Poppa to hold his repentant daughter in an unbreakable hold, so that Momma and Poppa could both rain down spanks uninterrupted by struggling legs. The moment before Jessica would have unintentionally exposed herself, Jayme averted her gaze. She’d come this far, well past the point of no return, but Jayme couldn’t do it. Not to Jessica.

With her eyes shut tight, Jayme heard the claps of leather against bare buttock, each joined by a wail, and easily guessed the pattern. Pops and Mamma were taking turns, their coordination perfect. Willing herself away from the door, Jayme dared to risk opening her eyes, and now only saw Jessica’s feet, flailing uselessly. Jayme realized the pattern was even more sophisticated than she had initially guessed. Clearly, Mamma and Pops had discussed a strategy in advance, in case Jessica had been bold enough to ask for the full penalty. Dad aimed a stroke at Jessica’s left butt cheek…Mom aimed a stroke at Jessica’s left butt cheek…Dad aimed a stroke square at the center of Jessica’s buttocks…Mom aimed a stroke square at the center of Jessica’s buttocks…Dad aimed a stroke at Jessica’s right butt cheek…Mom aimed a stroke at Jessica’s right butt cheek…On and on it went, in steady sets of six. Jayme silently counted until the total reached 30, and her parents finally paused. 

Noticing the change of pace, Jayme finally risked opening her eyes. If Jessica had expected her spanking to result in real tears, she was not disappointed. Already, Jessica was bawling, but as Poppa lifted her off his knee and settled her hips back down onto the mattress, she felt a series of 3 love taps. Brushing the leather sole in soft circles against his target, Pops waited until Jessica had ceased mewling long enough to receive instruction. “Jessica, the last 10 will be on your sit spots.”

Rubbing her feet together, Jessica moaned as she realized it still wasn’t over. “Nooooo…”

Three more love taps from Pops. “Yes, Jessica. Will you obey?”

Jessica settled her feet on the floor, steadying herself against the matress. “Yeeesss…..”

Momma took over, falling naturally into her role as Pop’s backup. “Then listen carefully. I want you to reach back and hold your bottom with both hands…Good. Now, lift up your bottom, slightly, on both sides.”

Jessica struggled to lift her bottom to the correct angle at the edge of the mattress. The hidden area under her sit spots was still a mottled pink from this morning’s paddling, but Jayme was in awe at the color contrast between the sit spots and the rest of Jessica’s Nebraska-Cornhusker-red rear end. So, this is what a sit-spot spanking looked like from this angle. Jayme knew exactly how it felt, on the receiving end, but she had no idea that the folds of the lower buttock provided so much protection.

Pops patted Jessica’s bottom a final time to warn her it was time to begin. “Atta’ girl, Chipmunk. You’re nearly over the finish line…”

Jessica hummed weakly to answer yes, and stretched her buttocks taut to present an easy target. “Mm-hmmm…”

By the time all ten slow, agonizing whacks landed against the freshly exposed sit spots, Jessica had melted into soft weeping, too exhausted to scream. Dad set down the slipper, rubbing soft circles against Jessica’s back. “It’s all over, Chipmunk. You did it. You’ve been punished enough.”

Jessica cooed as she tried to straighten up, without releasing her firm hold on her buttocks. Jayme could make out the distinct shadows of 10 small impressions, left behind by Jessica pressing her fingernails deep into the flesh. Clearly, she’d been holding onto her ass for dear life. As Jessica looked into Pop’s eyes, he lifted her chin gently. “Now that we have that unpleasant business behind us, let’s review. You’re old enough to know that obedience alone, just following rules, is not enough. You need to be mindful of your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds. But you also took responsibility, and repented. You are forgiven.”

Jessica nodded, before glancing at her backside. With a start, she pulled her hands away from her bottom to rest on the bed, as she twisted to look at Mamma. “No rubbing?”

Mamma giggled. “Jess, it’s over. You can rub all you want, if you think it will help.” 

With a hiss of relief, Jessica clutched her buttocks with both hands, kneading them thoroughly like dough. “Thanks…Wow, I am not gunning for a trip to the woodshed any time soon!”

Jayme felt like she’d suddenly returned to her body, after being abducted by aliens. Of course! She was still here! And Mom was standing up! “I’ll get you some lotion. I think I have some aloe vera in the–” 

Just as Jayme turned, with no plan except to make a futile dash to her room, and hope she wasn’t seen…the door she was leaning against opened behind her, and her skull knocked against it with an audible bump.

Pop’s voice was like a guard dog’s bark. “Woah, what was that?” 

Jayme scampered into her room, her footsteps painfully loud, and as she turned to close the door behind her…she saw Joanne looking down the hallway in the opposite direction. Of course, Jayme had been leaning against Joanne’s bedroom door the whole time. Dad appeared at Jessica’s door, face to face with Joanne. As Jayme saw him looking Joanne up and down, she realized with a thrill exactly what he must be thinking: 

Premise A. There was just a strange thumping noise outside my oldest daughter’s bedroom, while we were in the midst of giving her a spanking.

Premise B. My third-oldest daughter, who I have had to spank several times for peeping on her siblings’ spankings, is standing right outside the door.

“Joanne. Were you just peeping on Jessica’s bedtime spanking?”

Joanne, who had been looking down the opposite end of the hall, away from Jayme’s room, snapped her head back to look at Pops. “Did I what?!?”

“She did what?!?” squeaked Jessica from inside her room, her voice cracking.

Pops turned to look back. “Jessica, you let me handle this. Get yourself dressed.”

“Yessir!” answered Jessica, with the perfect, sincere obedience that a freshly spanked bottom never fails to inspire.

Pops looked Jessica right in the eye. “Joanne, yes or no. Did you spy on Jessica?”

Joanne stood at attention. “No, sir. I did not.”

“Don’t lie, you little rat!” roared Jessica, before a sharp swat interrupted her. “Yow!”

Jayme heard Mamma’s voice. “Jessica, you mind your father. Last warning. Wait right here.”

There was just a hint of extra discomfort in Jessica’s voice as she answered. “…Yes, ma’am!”

Jayme swallowed. Sometimes, she and Joanne liked to joke that Jessica had an “angry squirrel mode.” Usually, a quick spank from Mamma was all it took to snap Jessica out of it. Mamma appeared at the door, behind Poppa.

As Jayme processed what was happening, it was as if she could feel the Devil sneaking up behind her with a contract ready to sign. All she had to do was say nothing, and Joanne would take the fall. Jayme imagined herself elbow slamming the Devil in the throat before he had a chance to explain the terms of his deal. There was no way in hell she was going to let Joanne take the fall for this. Jayme clutched her door knob, ready to burst it open and announce, “It was me! I am the Peeping Tom! Here am I! Spank me!” 

But before Jayme could do anything cool and dramatic, Dad spoke up. “Then why were you leaving your room?”

Joanne blushed. “I…I needed to pee. I was waiting for you guys to finish the spanking, and…it sounded like you were wrapping up.”

“And what was that loud bump I heard?”

Joanne swallowed. “I dunno…”

“You don’t know? You didn’t hear it?”

“I…I felt it! I opened my door, and…” Joanne bumped her knee against her own door. “It was like that. I thought it was a racoon or something.”

“A racoon? Inside the house?”

Joanne looked down the hallway again, and found no raccoons. “I mean, I guessed it was. I opened the door, and it bonked me, like there was a weight on it, and…”

Joanne took a deep breath, looking her father right in the eye. “Mom, Dad, I did not do that. I’m innocent.”

Jayme felt cold sweat on her door handle. Then she heard Pop’s voice. “Jayme, are you awake?”

Jayme strode out her door, still mentally rehearsing an epic confession speech. But all she could manage was, “Yes, sir.”

“I take it you overheard most of the bedtime spanking?”

The mental image of Jessica’s entire spanking, from beginning to end, flashed before Jayme’s eyes. “Yeah, I…couldn’t get to sleep until it was all over. So I waited by my door, in case…”

“You were waiting by your door? Why?”

Jayme’s mind raced. She couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. But she couldn’t bear to lie to her Poppa again. “I…I wanted to hear Jessica’s spanking…I just felt so sorry for her.”

Jayme almost cried. It was the truth. But it wasn’t the whole truth.

“So you were standing right there, the whole time this happened? Did you see or hear anything?”

Jayme’s stomach tied itself in a knot. She was a liar. “Joanne…Joanne didn’t peep Jessica. I didn’t see or hear her do anything!”

“When you say that, do you mean, you didn’t see or hear Joanne doing that? That you can’t confirm or deny if Joanne did anything? Or are you telling me you were standing right here, watching all this happen, and Joanne is innocent?”

When Jayme looked at Joanne, she saw her little sister’s lips form the silent word, “Please!”

Jayme looked her Pops in the eye. “Joanne could not have spied on Jessica. I am one-hundred percent certain. Joanne is innocent. ”

Pops nodded, then glanced over his shoulder at Joanne. “Wait a minute, you still need to use the bathroom?”

Joanne stammered, looking down at her trembling legs. She had unconsciously started doing the bathroom dance. “Yeah, I…I’m innocent?”

“You’re innocent! Go do your business! G’wan, get moving, Little Miss Sunshine!

Joanne became a blur as she raced past Jayme’s bedroom to reach the bathroom.

As Pops faced Jayme, Momma appeared at his side. Jayme imagined herself sitting in the witness stand on Matlock, being cross examined by her Pops, who had replaced Andy Griffith in the starring role. Just how many holes could be punched in her flimsy story, anyway? Then Pops surprised Jayme with a hug. “Thank you for telling me the truth, Firecracker.”

Jayme melted into her Poppa’s arms, before a flushing sound interrupted the moment. Joanne looked out from the bathroom furtively, wiping her hands with a towel. Pops strode to face Jayme, towering over her, before he kneeled down to reach her eye level. “I love you, Little Miss Sunshine. You’re a good kid…I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Joanne cracked a goofy smile. “...Oh, thanks! I was…kinda getting nervous there for a second. But I wasn’t scared of you…I knew you’d listen. Love you, Pops!”

Jessica popped her head out of her bedroom door, now dressed in her old pajamas again. “So, wait? Did anyone spy on my spanking?”

Pops held up his hands. “Nope. Everyone probably overheard it…but no one watched it. You can rest easy, Chipmunk.”

Jessica flashed her buck teeth in a big smile, before turning to Momma. “That’s a relief! …So, do I need another spanking for snapping at Joanne, or–”

Momma threw up her hands. “No! You’re spanked! You’re forgiven!” 

The twins both poked their heads out of their doors, on opposite sides of the hall. Jack raised his hand. “So, is Joanne getting a spanking?”

Jill shook her head. “No, no, Jessica was the one who got the bedtime spanking.”

Mamma clapped her hands. “No more spanking! If I have to give one more child a spanking tonight, I’m giving them another spanking for making me give them a spanking! Now, get to bed, before you wake up Juniper!”

The twins disappeared. Mamma sighed with relief. “Older girls, too.” 

She kissed Jessica, Joanne, and finally Jayme goodnight, giving them each a soft pat on the behind to goose them through the door. For the next two hours, Jayme lay in bed, rolling over and over. As she imagined herself, walking through every step of the spanking she had just witnessed, savoring every moment, Jayme was afraid of what awaited her, in the land of dreams.

[End of Chapter 5]