"Mark, I want you to go up to your room. You will wait there until 20:00, at which time you will come down to my study and receive your punishment, and believe me boy when I tell you that this is going to be a caning that you shall never forget."
"Yes sir"
Mark was caught fighting in school. In addition to being suspended the principal also informed that he gave Paul six strokes of the cane. One of the rules of the house was that any punishment received at school would be repeated at home although my canings were far more severe. In addition, this time Mark would also be given additional strokes for fighting. I considered fighting a most reprehensible act and one which immediately merited 6 of the very best. Thus Mark was going to be punished extremely severely today, an experience that he would certainly remember for the rest of his life. It reminded me of the time I was sent to my fathers study after the school authorities informed him that I was caught fighting. I was given 6 with the paddle but since my father was of British descent the cane was the implement used in the house. thus I was going to get 6 with the cane as part of the thrashing received at school and another 6 for fighting and 6 for getting suspended making a total of 18 strokes although I did not know how many I would get until my father informed me in the study. I grew up in a very strict household with the cane being used severely on almost a weekly basis. Since having a family of my own I implemented the exact same disciplinary methods as the ones I was brought up under, right down to the same number of strokes delivered during a punishment with the same amount of force. I remember that as I was standing outside my fathers study I had butterflies in my stomach. I knocked on the door and heard
"Enter"
As I walked in my, father was sitting comfortably in his chair. I was naked standing in the middle of the room. He looked at me with a stern face and said
"James, your behavior was absolutely disgraceful today. I know you were simply responding to the arrogant statements made by your class mate but the way in which you went about it was unacceptable. Fighting is never the right answer. You are to inform the school authorities of the incident in question and let them handle it. That is why they are there. Now you are going to be punished severely for this incident. I intend to thoroughly enjoy myself by blistering your buttocks to the fullest and making sure that you suffer immensely for this act. You are going to learn a new meaning to the phrase very slow and extremely painful agony as I intend to prolong your caning for as long as possible. As each strokes mercilessly bites into your defenseless bare flesh, I want you to think about the error of your ways. The throbbing red welts will serve you as a good reminder that this type of behavior will result in pain and suffering on your part."
Tears were beginning to slowly form in my eyes as I realized the thrashing I was in for.
"James I am going to give you six strokes as part of the punishment in school, another six for getting suspended and six more as part of my own way of punishing you for fighting. How many is that in total boy?"
I stood there in terror. My god 18 strokes. I remember not knowing how my buttocks would stand such a brutal whipping.
"That is a total of 18 strokes sir"
"That is correct. 18 strokes. I guarantee that your buttocks are going to suffer quite a bit of damage today my boy. Now go and fetch the cane"
Getting the cane was almost as bad as the punishment itself. I walked over towards the cupboard and took out a long, very thin and flexible cane with a handle at the end. I handed it over to my father and watched as he bent it in half with sheer terror.
"Kiss it boy"
I kissed the tip of the punishment instrument as a sign of proper respect.
Then came the dreaded statement that I feared the most
"Assume the punishment position"
I bent across my dads desk with my hands grasping the ends of the furniture. Now I awaited for the pain to begin. My father came around behind me and began to gently tap the cane on my bare buttocks. I felt goosebumps appearing on my skin as he proceeded. This was all part of a psychological ploy to make the punishment as bad as possible and it was working.
"James before we begin I am going to remind you of the rules. You are to count each stroke out loud in a proper ritualistic manner of which you are aware. If you miscount, wait too long to count, count in an improper fashion or do not maintain the proper punishment position, then an extra 2 strokes will follow for each mistake in addition to you repeating the last stroke. Is that clear boy?"
"Yes sir"
The worst thing about getting additional cuts was the fact that dad had a rule regarding additional punishment. That was the fact that any additional cuts must result in blood being drawn at all times without any exception whatsoever. His belief was that a boy who displays signs of disobedience during a thrashing should suffer even greater agony, as this is the time that he should display exceptional behavior. Thus failure to do so must result in greater pain. Since the additional cuts were left until the end, then that made the thrashing even worse, as one had to live with the knowledge that the worse is still to come. I laid there bent over and felt that the tapping had stopped and suddenly heard a
Swish
Crack
AAAA
As the first cut made contact with my skin, I felt nothing for about a second and then suddenly the pain appeared. It was as if a hot rod was placed upon my flesh. The pain was searing through my buttocks and I felt a throbbing red welt forming on my skin.
"Thank you for the first stroke sir. Please sir. May I have the second stroke sir"
The second one made contact with the lower part of my buttocks and again the pain was unbearable. I had no idea how I was going to take the rest. The worst thing about a caning is that no matter how many times one gets punished, each experience is equally dreadful as the first and nobody can actually get use to the pain. The next five were aimed just towards the upper fleshy parts of my thighs. As the cane bit into my flesh over and over again, I was beginning to cry quite heavily. By number 11 I did not give out the required response.
"Thank you for the eleventh stroke sir. Aaaah. May I have the twelfth stroke sir?"
'I'm sorry boy but I expect you to count in an orderly fashion. That means clearly, loudly and with a proper sign of respect. You failed to say please when asking for the next cut and now it will cost you dearly my boy. You shall repeat that last stroke and I am adding another two to the sentence, and as you know the extra two will result in breaking of the skin."
Now I was really crying with tears flowing down my face as the next strokes kept coming with great force and without any mercy.
Swish
Crack
AAAA
"Thank you for the thirteenth stroke sir. Please sir. May I have the fourteenth stroke sir"
Swish
Crack
AAAA
"Thank you for the fourteenth stroke sir. Please sir. May I have the fifteenth stroke sir?"
After the fourteenth stroke my father informed me that he was unable to fit any more cuts without striking some of the previous welts thus resulting in blood being drawn. I was informed that I will receive the rest of the whipping with the same amount of force and that each subsequent stroke would result in breaking of the skin in addition to the extra cuts that I have accumulated. My father warned me to remain in the proper position and maintain the count.
Swish
Crack
AAAA
"Thank you for the fifteenth stroke sir. Please sir. May I have the sixteenth stroke sir?"
As the strokes kept coming, my buttocks were bleeding in an increasing manner. By number 17 I was unable to hold my position and gripped my buttocks whilst crying uncontrollably. Realizing what I had done, I resumed my position but it was too late.
"Please sir. I'm so sorry sir. It won't happen again, I promise Please sir no more extra cuts. Pleeaaase"
'I'm sorry but you have only yourself to blame. If you cannot maintain the proper position, then the result is simply additional suffering and pain on your part. Now I don't care if you are here all day and I have to break every blister on your arse. You will suffer the full punishment and not one stroke less. Now you will repeat the last stroke and two extra of course which will be delivered extra hard."
Each of the next strokes kept drawing blood and by the end of the whipping my buttocks were cut up badly, yet I somehow managed to maintain the proper position and count. As the whipping was concluded I rose up with extreme difficulty.
"Your punishment is concluded. Let this be a lesson that certain behavior will not be tolerated by me and the consequences will be severe."
I thought back to that time, knowing that Mark would soon suffer the exact same fate as me 20 years ago. For the next two weeks I found it extremely difficult to sit down as Mark would soon find out. I sat back in my chair and awaited his arrival knowing how much pain and suffering I was going to inflict upon the boy this day. At 20:00 the knock came to my door and I responded
"Enter"
Yet this story will be told next time.