Robbie Wilson, New school- New rules - New prefects.
Robbie dashed out of the autumn rain into the boarding house and squelched up the stairs. He had run less than 400m from the music school to the boarding house and you would not believe how wet he had become, he was soaked to the skin- even his underwear was soggy. Upstairs he entered the room which had been his home for the past five weeks. He shared it with three other new boys, each of whom was rapidly approaching his fourteenth birthday. The names on the door read - Douggie KENNEDY, Alistair REID, Timothy SHEPHERD-- and of course his own (the Hon) Robert COLLINGWOOD-WILSON.
It was 9-40 p. m., and if he had thought about it - which he did not- he would probably have been surprised that the place was empty of all his roommates. At this time of the evening they were normally gathering together, making hot drinking chocolate, bragging about the day's events and generally delaying the whole process of getting ready for bed. Robbie (for that was how he preferred to be known, stripped off his wet school clothes and began to towel himself dry. Aged 13 years and 9 months, he was 1.8 m tall, weighed 72 kg, was blue eyed and had blond shiny hair which every prefect and master told him was a bit too long- instead off being "off the collar" his was half way down it. He had lots of freckles and an impertinent grin-, which tended to cause him trouble. Also (but normally partly hidden from view), he was enviously well hung and had a backside that schoolmasters would queue up to beat , it was certain that in the future both of these attributes would lead him into trouble. You've heard of an accident waiting to happen well, Robbie was an open invitation for a spanking, in his last school there had been quite a few takers.
Whilst drying himself, Robbie pondered whether to put on his night clothes (a long T-shirt and boxer shorts) or dress in mufti - jeans and a sweater for the 45 minutes or so until official bedtime. That decision was never made, for a fifth former, Douglas JOHNSTONE entered the room and demanded
"Are you Wilson ? - sorry but they want you in the board room. Your brother is pretty evil with a cane " he had said rubbing his own backside
" Do you think he'll go easy on you ?"
" I shouldn't think so in fact he's probably looking forward to it " replied Robbie who started to look for some dry school clothes
" Oh I wouldn't do that " interrupted Johnstone -" you havent really got time , and any way you'll have to take off most of your clothes in a couple of minutes. "
Robbie slipped on some briefs and a dressing gown then headed for the door.
The boarding house was four stories tall, on the ground floor was the prep room. Library and TV/ games room, it also had the door which lead to the housemaster's residence. Sometimes junior boys were required to pass through this door, always they did so with great reluctance. Level 1 was home to thirty junior boys aged 13 and 14. They were housed in rooms of 4-5 boys. Level 2 housed the fifth formers and lower sixth. A small kitchen and large shower block was found on each level. The top floor provided solitary (if not splendid) accommodation for the upper sixth form students. Each had his own room, but they shared a common room, and the prefects had occupancy of what had become known as the "board room". Elsewhere in the school, there were five other boarding houses, which were broadly comparable.
The "board room" was probably 15m long by eight, wide. At one end was a large refectory table and half way along one of the longer sides was a lectern. At the end remote from the table, were perhaps ten chairs ranged against the wall- the number was indeterminate and no one ever sat on them. The prefects administered justice and discipline in this room - normally by beating the crap out of their charges.
Robbie had been at the Abbey school for just over a month, it was good. The pace of work was greater than at his last school, the music was brilliant and he was trying hard to be accepted as a rower (though he still had some work to do on his upper body strength). Despite all the warnings, prefects had not been a problem and to the best of his knowledge, none of the new boys had yet managed to upset the elite of the upper sixth.
He knocked on the door -there was no answer, he could hear voices within so he knocked again. Still there was no answer so he gently pushed the door, peered in and then entered. REID and SHEPHERD were standing by the chairs; they beckoned him to join them. Each was in full school uniform. Plain black jacket, white shirt with a wing collar, house tie and grey striped trousers. KENNEDY, minus his jacket was standing by the lectern and paying great attention to the house captain - Martin JOSLING- who was reading out the litany of KENNEDY'S offences against humanity and the school. Grouped behind JOSLING were the other prefects, BARNES, FORWARD and (The Hon) James COLLINGWOOD-WILSON - Robbie's elder brother.
After some verbal tennis, sentence was passed and KENNEDY was told that he was to be beaten- the process was explained and he duly removed his trousers and boxershorts, went to the table and bent over it. BARNES folded the shirttails out of the way and Douggie KENNEDY'S arse was suitably exposed for the prefects' best efforts. By way of punishment each of the four prefects would, inturn deliver one stroke for each of Douggie's heinous offences of being idle and having an untidy bed space. Two matters, four prefects, equalled eight blows , which were duly laid into Douggie and ultimately his white cheeks were burned with red stripes. The fire in his backside was matched - but not quenched by the tears which silently streamed from his eyes. Suitably chastened, Douggie was allowed to revert to the role of spectator- but his clothes stayed on the table. In turn REID and then SHEPHERD had piled their trousers and underpants on top of those discarded by KENNEDY. Both had received eight cuts, Alistair REID, the smallest and youngest had started to cry as soon as his briefs had come off. He had tried to mask the fact that he had no pubic hair and was not very developed, but after the fourth lash from a fiery cane, he had squirmed so much that his secret was spilt. Tim SHEPHERD had taken his eight very well and shown no sign of distress. In fact, when it was over,- always the comedian- he had polished his spectacles on his shirt flaps before joining his compatriots. And in so doing had given to those who were so minded, an interesting and prolonged view of those parts of his anatomy which were normally regarded as "private".
Without waiting to be summonsed Robbie had gone to the lectern and had arrived before JOSLING had read his notes.
"Why are you dressed like that? And why are you wet?"
"I got wet coming back from music school, I was changing when JOHNSTONE came for me- he said I was not to keep you waiting and that there was little point in getting dressed."
"Mmmm I see- well anyway you have 2 matters to account for. - Firstly not raising your boater to the wife of a master,-"
...Robbie was so new to the school that he did not recognise all the masters far less their wives so he could have no answer
" and secondly, proceeding the wrong way in the Abbey's precincts-"
It was a school rule that junior boys went only in a clockwise direction about the Abbey's grounds - Robbie like everyone else had breached this requirement, but that was no defence. Nanoseconds before the standard sentence of eight strokes would have been pronounced, James C-W had passed a note to his house captain. JOSLING read the note, looked at James and then at Robbie.
"It says here that you have been disrespectful to a prefect, can you explain?"
Robbie had no ideas, but his elder brother helped out
"Yesterday, I admonished him and he told me to Piss Off"
"Gee Jamie you're my brother, what do you expect me to say? Especially when you are being such a pillock . Any way you are much ruder to me."
Robbie had the sympathy vote -and might yet have won the point , but James had pointed out that some fifth formers had heard the riposte and that it would be impossible to maintain discipline if juniors were not punished for public displays of insubordination. A point had to be made, and it was Robbie's behind upon which it would be made. No argument 3 offences, twelve strokes.
Robbie fished off his white CK briefs and headed for the table.
"And the dressing gown, take off your gown" hissed his bigger brother.
Robbie flushed with rage and embarrassment then having gained everyone's attention he dramatically shed the dressing gown so leaving him completely naked. For a very long ten seconds he stood stock still so ensuring that everyone had a good chance to inspect every part of him, then very slowly took his place bent over the table and spread his legs - a position with which he was far too familiar.
" Hey Jamie. Your brother isn't so little is he. He puts you to shame."
Was the unhelpful comment from BARNES. It had not broken the tension in the room , whilst Robbie liked the sentiment, he was apprehensive that James would make him pay for those words. He was right.
He had been caned many times and knew what to expect. This session was not easy, but the first nine cuts were no worse than he had received elsewhere , they had been spaced equally about the equator of his rump. And although his backside was painful and burning he felt sure he could cope with another three strokes without showing too much discomfort.
There was a long pause when BARNES passed the cane to James. It was at that moment that Robbie realised how bad it was going to be -and it was. Each of the final three strokes was evil and low, exactly in the crease where his cheeks joined the back of his thighs, and precisely where the pressure would be greatest when he sat at a hard school chair. James had repaid some old debts, but Robbie knew that this was only the beginning of a few very difficult and painful terms. In this school, having an older brother who was a prefect was not a recipe for comfort.
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