Author's note
This is the first part of the final segment of these tales from Thistletop School. The segment is called "Undoing". In this segment Smith's oppression reaches its audacious peak and leads to terrible consequences.
I have tried Bell, Book and Candle but the apostrophes are still AWOL.
Oliver Pettigrew
Now back at school, Smith and Petreson looked at Dr S. B. Smith's Torpedo Magnetic Machine and decided it was time to give it a try. Melrose was dispatched to pinch copper sulphate solution from the chemistry lab. This was duly poured into the battery unit. According to the instructions the battery would produce a current propelled by a feeble 1.5 volts. However this devilishly cunning device use the electric current to spin up a primitive electric motor that in turn interrupted the current flowing through a horizontal coil which acted as a step-up transformer to produce a potentially painful, yet harmless, high voltage.
In the tradition of the more sensible, and thus likely to experience longevity, of experimental scientists Smith did not experiment on himself. Instead he attached the two clamp electrodes to the thumb and forefinger of Johann's left hand. Johann reported nothing beyond a slight, and not unpleasant, tingling sensation. Smith was disappointed.
Smith consulted the instruction leaflet and noticed something he had missed. Immediately, he examined the coil and located a sliding metal bar that was sticking a long way out along its central axis. He quickly pushed the bar all the way in: Johann let out a shout and scrabbled frantically with his right hand to detach one of the electrodes from his left. Smith produced one of his beatific smiles. Ideas poured through his mind. Melrose, who was watching, immediately caught on to the drift of Smith's thoughts, indeed he discerned some of the nastier details, and decided to keep a low profile until Smith tired of this fiendish apparatus. Melrose breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Smith closed the lid of the box and stowed the apparatus in his cupboard.
The second week of the Lent term led to a nasty experience for Smith. He and Dobson, the fifth former sub-prefect who had been appointed on Smith's elevation to full prefect and who had later been entrapped by Smith, were summoned by Wilkins, the Head Boy.
When they entered Wilkins' study it was clear that trouble was brewing.
Wilkins snapped, "Smith, Dobson – you know that despite your prefectorial positions you are subject to my discipline?"
Dobson and Smith, both looking puzzled, replied "Yes Wilkins."
"You two, along with Petreson, Drummond and Atkinson were seen last Saturday afternoon in a café that Dr de Ville has expressly forbidden Thistletop boys to visit. What do you have to say?"
The café in question was a notorious hang out of Rockers. By the mid- fifties the English economy had improved so that consumer goods such as motor bikes and motor scooters were gradually becoming affordable even to quite modestly well off families. Older teenage boys were taking advantage of the freedom that personal transport could offer. There was no way by which these youths could afford cars, a contrast with young Americans, but scooters and motor bikes which could be ridden at sixteen years of age were ideal. Of course, even by 1955, the economy was in dire need of further growth (sweet rationing had only just ended) and personal transport had reached few young men as yet. Nevertheless there was the beginning of the Mods and Rockers. Mods were mainly middle class, rode scooters and delighted in wearing smart fashionable clothes. Rockers were primarily working class, rode the most powerful types of motorbike they were permitted for their age, and affected scruffy, often dirty, leathers. Mods and Rockers loathed each others; why is not known, but presumably it was a case of finding any pretext for a good ruckus. There were skirmishes at which flick knives sometimes appeared. These running battles culminated in a notorious riot in Brighton in 1964.
Smith happened to have made friends of some rockers and thus was safe in their haven. Making friends like this was easy for him. He just adapted to their ways. He dropped all pretence at public school airs and almost imperceptibly altered his accent and grammar towards theirs. He went out of his way to admire their motorbikes. He did this in a manner such that they, not very bright that they were, could not assume that he was patronising them.
"Nothing to say, Wilkins, we were there" said Dobson before Smith could come up with a plausible reason. Smith was forced to nod.
"Atkinson, Drummond and Petreson are in your charge Smith and cannot be blamed for going where you take them. You, however, are a prefect and should know better. The same goes for you Dobson" said Wilkins.
"Sorry Wilkins", said Smith, "we won't do it again.".
"Not good enough", said Wilkins, "you are to be punished. I should report you to Dr de Ville. I think this matter, involving your charges Petreson, Drummond and Atkinson, ought to be put before him rather than the Deputy Head."
"Please Wilkins", said Dobson pleadingly, "can't you deal with this?"
"Yes, if it is the wish of both of you I will. But, I shall use extraordinary measures, you know what I mean?"
Both boys nodded and Smith said "We place ourselves in your hands Wilkins.". Smith felt sick whilst saying this. He didn't like being in anyone's hands. He preferred people to be in his.
"Very well, report in gym kit after end of prep bell this evening. Expect a sound thrashing. Smith you shall receive the greater as you are a full prefect and ought to know better"
Smith and Dobson left Wilkins' study stunned.
Smith had been beaten by Dr de Ville, several times by masters and prefects but the last time had been eighteen months ago. He felt too senior and grand for such humiliation. Nevertheless, he and Dobson, in gym kit, reported to Wilkins at end of prep.
It was unofficial tradition at Thistletop that if a sub-prefect, prefect or sixth former was caught doing wrong then, provided the crime was not too heinous, it would be dealt with by the Head Boy if the offender agreed. Even masters referred errant seniors to the Head Boy rather than to the Deputy Head or to Dr de Ville. Everyone knew that the Head Boy would administer a blistering thrashing and that the matter would end there. Boys who chose to be dealt with through official routes risked much more. For instance sub-prefects and prefects faced the prospect of being humiliatingly dismissed from their post. Other sixth formers risked not being considered for positions of responsibility. Moreover, all risked adverse character references when they applied for a place at university.
Even so Smith hated the prospect. Jut like his own victims he loathed the idea of being ordered to stand naked before others, to assume a humiliating stance, to endure whatever the person in the dominating position chose to administer. Like others too, he did not relish the pain.
Wilkins was a slightly taller than average slender looking lad. When viewed unclad his arms and legs appeared well formed but not especially muscular. However there was barely an ounce of fat on Wilkins' frame. Moreover, Wilkins was keen on gymnastics, running and swimming. Though he did not carry the meaty bulk and weight of the rugby players in the First Fifteen his unostentatious muscles belied surprising strength. Strength that had shocked many a boy reporting for the first time to him for a thrashing. It was known throughout the school that official slipperings he administered to trousered bottoms were agonising. Unofficial punishments administered how, and with what, Wilkins' chose were the stuff of fearful whispers. Yet, unlike Smith, Wilkins was no sadist. He did what was necessary but made no special provisions to make the experience more humiliating than it need be.
Wilkins didn't bother with a lecture. He got straight to the point and ordered Dobson to remove his kit. Shortly after Dobson was standing naked before him and deeply flushed. Wilkins retrieved an enormous slipper from his cupboard and then directed Dobson to bend over the back of a big leather arm chair with his legs positioned well to each side.
Dobson was one of Smith's entrapped. Smith was familiar with the sight of Dobson's naked body. The youth was slightly shorter than Smith but well muscled. His genitalia were almost adult in size. His bottom was large, muscular and rounded. The sight of Dobson bent over, his legs apart, his anus visible, and his testicles dangling between his legs excited Smith. To Smith's intense embarrassment he had a full erection. Fortunately, this source of embarrassment was still covered by Smith's shorts though there was an obvious bulge had anyone being paying attention. Smith hoped fervently that it would subside before he was forced to reveal his intimate organs. Naturally, dwelling on the subject did nothing to promote penile quiescence.
Wilkins laid very hard into Dobson with twenty four whacks of the slipper. By the end Dobson was howling and begging for no more. His buttocks were afire, glowing crimson.
Dobson straightened, sniffed and resumed his position next to Smith.
"Smith, now you. And something special befitting your exalted status and your dire dereliction of duty" said Wilkins.
Smith shuddered, took off his shirt and slowly divested himself of his shorts. He felt highly embarrassed doing the latter as he knew that his penis was out of control. Whats more, he, the expert on torment, knew just how humiliating total nakedness before another male, who had the power to do anything he liked with one, could be.
Before Wilkins stood a fairly tall for his age, slim, but moderately muscular youth with fair hair and pale unblemished skin. Smiths' body was free from visible hair apart from his head, under his arms and a moderate bush around his genitals. His most noticeable feature was a full hard-on. His penis was flat against his abdomen and his foreskin was fully retracted. There was a hint of dampness at the end of his penis.
Wilkins looked disgusted at the sight before him. Naked youths in general roused no erotic thoughts in Wilkins. Those who lacked self control in circumstances such as these were contemptible; he imagined that Smith, in some perverse manner, was enjoying the procedure; he determined to make sure that Smith gained no pleasure from the occasion. He bade Smith step before the chair. Then he said, "Smith the slipper is not sufficient for you. I have a cane, you shall have that too." He drew out a vicious looking senior cane from behind his cupboard.
"Bend over."
Smith bent and grasped the base of the chair. But all was not right. His penis was wedged uncomfortably against the back of the chair and would likely be bruised when the thrust of the slipper and cane slammed him further into the chair.
Smith heard Wilkins get into position to deliver the first stroke and shouted "Wait!".
"What?" said Wilkins.
"I need to reposition myself" said Smith, "Please."
"Very well."
Smith rose and then slowly bent again making sure that his penis and testicles were separated from his body by the back of the chair. Accomplishing this position necessitated rising on tip toe before bending.
Smith felt utterly exposed and didnt like the idea one bit. His brain was already imagining, anticipating, the soon to be fire in his buttock cheeks; that he liked even less.
"Ready?"
"Yes Wilkins" Smith mumbled. Smith was fearful. Smith hated every moment. Something was wrong in Smiths universe: he was a natural giver of pain, not a recipient.
Shortly after that Smith endured twelve agonising blows from the slipper. The enormous item of footwear, delivered by a deceptively powerful right arm, succeeded each time in delivering tremendous, stinging, force across both buttocks. By the ninth blow Smith was pleading with Wilkins to stop. Each buttock was ablaze and from the standpoint of an onlooker, rather than the recipient, vivid red. Smith didnt need to see the colour, he felt the colour.
After the twelfth blow Wilkins did stop. There was a pause for a about a minute while Wilkins allowed Smith to regain his composure. There was a slight involuntary rippling of the musculature of Smiths bottom as it adjusted to its unwelcome state of being tenderised rump ready for grilling. Smith's penis had resumed a flaccid state, because all corners of his brain had been given far more urgent matters to cogitate than erotic impulses, but he was barely aware of that.
The next stage, metaphorically, was the grilling of the rump steak.
The first blow from the cane swept down to cut Smith firmly across the centre of both buttocks; this induced a momentarily intense pain, a pain far worse than anything he remembered from his caning years ago by Dr de Ville. Eleven further blows followed. Four of these were aimed deliberately at the crease between buttocks and legs or at the upper legs themselves; Wilkins was not naturally cruel but he was disgusted by Smith: his betrayal of trust and his lewd display. These four blows generated utter agony and Smith screamed whereas he had merely howled for most of the strokes up to the first six. If Smith had opted to go before Dr de Ville it is likely that the physical part of his punishment would have been much less severe.
To be continued.