Hemmings Descent Pt. 02

When Jo finished her 10 strokes he was actually a bit disappointed. Although he was relieved that the beating had stopped, he was looking forward to it starting again. Jo and Susie inspected his injuries again. There was the prodding and poking again and a few indrawn breaths. "Good job! That's starting to look a bit sore now."

"A bit sore!" thought Tom. "I am in agony here. Someone is going to have to explain this at A&E. Surely there can't be any skin left on my bum. At least there must be some blood."

" You're halfway through now slave-boy, only another 20 to go!"

They both laughed. Tom found himself actually welcoming each vicious lash and stuck his arse cheeks out to meet them even though it felt that each stroke was cutting him in half. When they finally stopped he felt a void. He realised that he actually wanted them to keep going. He wanted more.

Tom hung over the back of the chair, so.bbing and gasping for breath

"What a pathetic wimp you are." said Susie sternly. "Just stand up and be a man. I don't want to hear your snivelling."

"Now listen carefully! I have decided that I am going to chain you up in the cellar for the night. Don't look at me like that. I don't believe that I owe you an explanation but I am going to tell you why.

I intend to go out dancing this evening and I may or may not meet a gentleman who I wish to bring back home with me. I don't want to upset him by having a stray husband about the place and I don't want to go through the bother of explaining our relationship every time I want a bit of fun.

I also want to keep you in suspense so you will never know if I have found a new friend or not, until I decide to introduce you, so you will be spending the night down there every time that I am out enjoying myself

So get your arse down those stairs. You still haven't earned a blanket, never mind a mattress."

So that was how Tom found himself in a very murky corner of the basement behind a pile of junk. It was pitch black. The darkness was oppressive. The floor was damp and dirty and covered with hard sharp edges of broken bits of furniture and he was sure that there was broken glass or china in there as well. His head was jammed into the corner against the stone wall and held immobile by a chain round his neck fastened to a ring on the floor. He was freezing cold and had been there for what seemed like days. If he stayed still hard little corners dug into his flesh. If he tried to move more hard corners and sharp edges attacked him. And there were the noises. Scratches and squeaks and scrabbling claws. All night. He was not alone in there but he wished he was.

He was startled by a sudden blaze of light followed by boots clumping across the floor. He heard his youngest daughter's voice. "I've never been down here for years. We used to play down here when it was raining. Its really gross now though. I'm sure I saw a rat or something running away when I turned the light.

Mum said I should be mean to you because you need to get used to it, but I thought I would be nice. I've come down to talk to you while I have my breakfast. I made myself a bacon sandwich. Doesn't that just smell heavenly. And fresh brewed coffee. Nothing like it in the morning is there?

I don't know what you get to eat these days. I don't think Mum has got round to thinking about that yet."

Now where can I sit? There's nowhere comfortable down here at all is there? I guess I'll just sit on you then. Go on get up on your knees. I'm not getting down there."

She sat down on Toms back with a thud. "That's better. Can you smell that bacon down there. It is delicious." Tom groaned. He hadn't eaten anything for two days and he was starving after working hard all day Saturday and that bacon did smell fantastic.

"Just regard this as a metaphor of your life now." Jo advised him. "There's me up here with my face full of this delicious bacon and you down there with your face full of stuff that, quite frankly, is so disgusting that I'm not really happy about standing on it, even in these boots."