Frank Benson is deep in thought: the fate of Peter Dickenss small pert bottom hangs in the balance. Should I give him a hell of a slippering and warn him its the cane next time, or reach for the cane now, he muses?
Peter is a lively, mischievous, impulsive, high-spirited youngster and Frank is very fond of him. The boy is always in trouble though – not for big things, but for a succession of minor crimes. Climbing out of a window to take a short cut, flicking peas in the Dining Hall, running down a corridor and nearly assassinating Matron (not that that would be any great loss, silly old biddy, thinks Frank)....
Its September 1975 and Peter is at the beginning of his second year in Franks house. Frank almost never uses the cane on a boy in his first year, though he has spanked, slippered and belted the naughty child innumerable times – occasionally twice in a single day. The boy has spent an inordinate amount of time across Franks knee.
Frank reaches a decision: the boy is incapable of thinking about the future so a warning is pointless – its the cane! His little bottom needs to make the acquaintance of that which it must fear: the rattan. He needs to realize there are realms of bottom pain he has not yet dreamt of.
Frank buys his canes from a stockist in Clerkenwell – originally they come from Burma, he believes. (Strange to think of some peasant toiling over his crops by the Irrawaddy, quite unaware of the torments they will later inflict on the tender buttocks of young English schoolboys 5000 miles away!) He goes to the cane drawer and rummages inside: yes, a Stinger will do nicely for an 11-year-olds first caning. Its a thin very flexible instrument and will have an excruciating bite without leaving too much bruising.
He then takes his fountain pen and opens the Ledger which he started decades ago after he delivered his first spanking (the boy is now a Conservative MP!).
Number: 2531 Date: 20 Sept 1975 Name: Peter Dickens (33) – the number in brackets indicates the number of times the child has been beaten Age: 11 years 9 months Offence: Climbing out of a window to take a short cut, flicking peas in the Dining Hall, running down a corridor. Strokes: 4 on the bare buttocks Position: on bed Implement: Stinger cane* (the asterisk indicates a first caning)
He looks at the timetable and sees that young Peter has a PE lesson before lunch. Ill get him sent out of that – not too many clothes to take off before I thrash him, he thinks. Itll give the other boys something to look at in the showers afterwards, too!
So it is that two hours later Bully Hartstone the PE teacher (and himself a veteran beater of small boys bottoms) starts the lesson by roaring Peter Dickens report to Mr Benson immediately! Theres a titter – every boy in the Gym knows the sequence of events that will unfold, and if they do not know the word schadenfreude they certainly understand the sentiment. Peter hams it up by clutching his backside and crying Boo-hoo. Tell Mr Benson to give you an extra couple for me, Bully shouts at the retreating child.
Frank drains his sherry glass and picks up the cane. Well make a bit of a show, he thinks.
Peter enters dressed only in short white shorts and plimsolls. He is very alarmed to see Frankie flexing a cane, a frightening and unexpected development, and he gulps nervously. He barely hears the recital his recent crimes as he watches with fascination his housemaster bend the slender instrument till its two ends almost meet. (Frank avoids handles on his canes – he cant see the point.) Its time you made the acquaintance of the cane, Peter. For emphasis he smacks the cane on the nearby sofa and sees the child flinch at the hiss and the thud of impact. Shorts off, boy.
Peter pulls off his shorts, heart beating wildly. He feels a hand on his neck guide him over towards the bed. Kneel on the edge of the bed. Head down.
Frank stands behind the nude boy, eying the small, muscular little bottom he is about to cane. Legs a bit further apart. Push your bottom nice and high for me. He watches the play of muscle in the lads thighs as he endeavours to the thrust his rear as high as possible – the boy has no desire to antagonize the man who will decide exactly how much pain to inflict on him. Frank runs his hands over the childs smooth young buttocks: its been two months since he last disciplined them (6 on the bare bottom with the slipper for going out of bounds, just before the summer holiday).
The man lays the tip of the cane on the pale skin that will take the punishment, and notes the almost involuntary contraction of muscle this induces. He feels a surge of sympathy for the little boy – he still vividly remembers his own first caning at the hands of Maniac MacPherson when he was nine years old!
The cane is very painful, Peter. Please try to control yourself. You will receive four strokes.
Yes, Sir. The voice is shaky.
Frank brings the cane down hard and quite high – theres no point in caning gently in his view. The reaction is electric: although Peter is a tough little fellow with plenty of experience of sore bottoms, he squeals and flies up from his position, hands furiously rubbing his bottom.
Down again. Ill forgive you that, but if it happens again Ill have to give you an extra stroke. Hold onto this. He gives the boy a boy a cushion to clutch.
The cane whistles down again. It leaves a parallel mark about an inch below the first weal. This time the boy again cries out, but keeps his position.
Good boy, only two more to go, murmurs Frank encouragingly. He has decided to ignore the squealing.
He aims the third stroke just below the centre of Peters bottom. The 11-year-old is slowly getting the measure of what is happening to him and takes it well, with only a gasp and a slight movement. The final stroke is low, just an inch above the crease in the skin that separates buttocks and thighs. Frank can imagine how painful it must be, and is not surprised when the boy falls forward, lying on his tummy, small hands desperately seeking to soothe small bottom.
I dont remember giving permission to rub yourself, Peter. The hands fly away – the boy is terrified of giving any reason for the cane to cut into his bottom a fifth time. Frank sits down on the bed and gently massages the buttocks he has just caned. Next time you have one of your madcap ideas, remember that this is where it leads to. Youre nearly twelve now, and you can say goodbye to hand-spankings and slipperings – its the cane you have to fear now. Get up and put your shorts on.
Clumsily the boy climbs into his shorts – the bending and twisting this involves must exacerbate the pain. Frank notes with amusement the great lengths to which the little boy goes to avoid the elastic waistband grazing against his recently punished bottom skin.
Therell be fun in showers when Peter strips off thinks Frank. He imagines the white tiled shower-room full of naked boys of eleven, little fingers excitedly tracing the weals on their friends backside. Peter the Hero! I might just go and take a look myself, thinks Frank.