12 year old Daniel pedalled frantically, trying to get the maximum speed out of his bicycle. He was late. His dad had ordered him to be home by 6 p. m. but he had forgotten the time until one of his friends had remarked that it was nearly 6.30. Daniel knew the consequences of disobeying his father. The cane. His father was an extremely strict man who punished Daniel and his two younger brothers, 10 year old Simon and 8 year old Gavin for any disobedience or misbehaviour. The boys didn't realise it but their father enjoyed the sessions in the study. He enjoyed seeing his sons' eyes fill with tears as he lectured them before administering the inevitable beating. He enjoyed their pleas for forgiveness. He particularly enjoyed their discomfort when they brought home schoolwork which was below standard. Their body language always told him that, when he inspected their school books that night, a session in the study would follow.
Daniel wasn't thinking of these things, however. He was just concerned with getting home. He hoped that maybe his dad was busy and hadn't missed him yet. There was no hope of that. Dad was actually hoping, as he always did, that his eldest son would be late. He had not had a discipline session with Daniel for about 4 weeks and as soon as he realised 6 o'clock had been and gone he began to relish the coming meeting between father and son.
Daniel arrived home and put his bike away. He was quite an attractive boy and was wearing a white sleeveless vest and very short cut off jeans which showed off his thighs. Unknown to Daniel his father had watched his sons arrival from the study window and had begun to experience the familiar feeling that always preceded a beating. He heard Daniel enter the house and pause to remove his shoes, as all the children were ordered to do. Daniel had decided he would go straight to his room and hope his dad hadn't heard him come in. No such luck! As he passed the door of his dad's study the booming, stern voice of his father called out "Daniel, in here NOW!!"
Daniel knocked on the door, as was his father's rule, and was told to come in. He knew the procedure and approached his dad's desk and stood facing his dad who was seated behind it. Daniel knew better than to speak, he waited for his father to begin the conversation. The man simply glared at his son for a few seconds and noticed that Daniel was unable to look him in the eye. He also noticed the boy had started to cry slightly, all of which was part of the enjoyment for him. "What time were you told to be home Daniel?" his father had eventually asked and Daniel quietly mumbled that he should have been in by 6. "And what time is it now boy" his father had continued. It was 6.40 and Daniel timidly read the time display on his dad's digital clock. "How many minutes late is that Daniel?" pressed his father and Daniel, knowing full well what was coming, sniffed that he was 40 minutes late. "And what does that mean boy?" went on his father who was relishing every moment of this conversation. He enjoyed the sniffling of his son, his shuffling nervously in front of him. Daniel, now sobbing continuously and unable to meet his dad's steely gaze replied " 40 strokes of the cane, dad". Dad had heard the boy well enough, even though the remark was addressed in the direction of the boy's feet and so he told his son he didn't hear and ordered him to look him in the eye and say it again. "40 strokes of the cane" replied the boy.
Without further words father rose to his feet and strode to the cupboard behind him. With a flourish he pulled open the door and produced one of his bamboo canes. It was approximately 30 inches long with a curved handle. It was thin and whippy. Daniel had felt it's bite on many occasions before today.
Still without speaking dad grasped the wooden hard backed chair whose sole purpose was for disciplinary use and placed it squarely in the middle of the study. He faced his son. "Take off your shorts" he ordered. Dad enjoyed this part. Daniel tearfully undid his fly zip the unclasped the top of his cut offs and allowed them to fall to his ankles. He stepped out of the cut offs, picked them up and placed them on the hard backed chair. He was wearing a tiny pair of red briefs and his father stared at them for a few seconds before ordering Daniel to remove them. Dad was still standing by the hard backed chair enjoying his son's distress. "Over the chair boy" he ordered and Daniel bent forward over the hard back of the chair and stretched down to grasp the front legs. He knew his father would draw out this beating for a long while. He also knew he had to stay down throughout his ordeal or his dad would increase the severity of his thrashing. Dad had decided to prolong the anticipation however. "I think you had better visit the toilet" he said. He didn't want any accidents on his carpet after all and boys were known to lose control of their bladders when being severely disciplined. Daniel obediently left the study and went to the lavatory before returning to the study and resuming his position over the chair.
No further words were spoken as dad lined up the cane behind his son. Without warning he then laid on the first stroke. Then the second. Then a third. After each stroke dad paused and listened to the satisfying sobs coming from Daniel. As each stroke landed Daniel ,understandably, made more and more noise as his discomfort increased. Dad waited between strokes to allow his son to regain his composure. Consequently the session lasted in excess of 30 minutes as the intervals between strokes, particularly towards the end often exceeded a minute. Eventually however Daniel's ordeal was over and his father, panting slightly with his efforts, replaced the cane in the cupboard and dismissed his now sobbing son from his study.