Sebastian Finds Himself

I had, over a period of several months become increasingly disturbed by what I considered the brutal, sadistic use of corporal punishment by the headmaster, Mr Woodderowffe -Pryce, the Prick as you the boys called him, and the way Mr Simmons was allowed to hit boys during gym classes with the leather strap which seemed to be a permanently in his hand.

I came across the first indication that there was widespread corporal abuse in the school when, quite by chance, I entered, one Friday night at lights out, one of the dorms to find the boys all examining the buttocks of one of their classmates, Toby Pennington Smith, who had been given twenty-four cuts of the cane across his naked buttocks by the headmaster. You must surely remember the incident, Sebastian, as you were still at Sheldon at that time. I was totally appalled by what I saw, for this poor boy's buttocks were criss-crossed with dark welts from the cane, which were already turning black and blue. So, for the record I fetched my camera and took a photograph of the boy's backside. Talking to the other boys, I learned that Toby's experience was typical of any visit to the headmaster, who was clearly a believer in hard caning.

I then asked Toby what had been his offence to merit such a severe beating, to learn that he had been overheard by Mr. Simmons referring to the headmaster as the Prick as a result of which Toby had been humiliated in front of the entire school and given 24 cuts of the cane across his naked arse. I was amazed that such a minor offence, if one could even call it an offence at all, had given rise to such a severe beating. So, my suspicions became aroused and I took to visiting the dorms regularly on Friday evenings after the headmaster had carried out his weekly beating exercise and I rapidly became appalled at the brutality with which the cane was being regularly used on the naked buttocks of the boys.

So, from then on, over several weeks, I built up a photographic record of boys who had been beaten and the nature of the offence. Very occasionally, a boy merited a good beating, but not in the sadistic way that I was seeing corporal punishment being administered at Sheldon. More often than not boys were being punished for piffling misdemeanours, which in no way merited the severe beatings being inflicted on them.

Then by chance, one day in the shower room, I came across a boy who had just taken six or so whacks across his buttocks from the strap which Mr. Simmons always had in his hand in the gym. His buttocks were an angry red and I learned that this was a regular occurrence during gym classes. Mr Simmons lashed out at any boy whom he thought was slacking, so that after every class there were always a few boys with sore posteriors. Again I was seriously disturbed by what I saw was a totally sadistic abuse of the system, for the school rules stated specifically that only the headmaster was authorized to administer corporal punishment, and here was Simmons lashing out at boys.

The matter became even more sinister, when I analyzed the punishment book prepared each Thursday evening by the school secretary, Miss Pimlott, listing the boys who had to attend the Friday afternoon Parade. I discovered, to my amazement and utter disgust, that 85% of all the entries had been made at the behest of Mr. Simmons. It was now as plain as a pikestaff that he and the headmaster were colluding to see that there was always a good Friday afternoon attendance at the Punishment Parade, so that the headmaster could satisfy his sadistic bent to the full. All this was made even more flagrantly obvious, when I learned that Mr. Simmons was always present in the headmaster's study when the Friday beatings took place; they were a pair of sadist who enjoyed punishing the boys with the cane.

For a while, in spite of a large photo dossier documenting case after case of excessive use of the cane, I had no clear idea of what to do. I wanted to do something to change things, but what? Well, the matter came to a head and enabled me to resolve the situation in a totally unexpected way.

Chapter 6

It was late one Saturday afternoon and I just happened to be passing the door to the shower room, when I heard, through the closed door a muffled cry.

"Please sir, don't! please sir, don't.! please sir don't I don't like what you are trying to do to me"

It was obvious that the speaker was in considerable distress and so I opened the door to see what was happening. To my amazement, I found Mr Simmons, with his trouser's fly open and his cock sticking out in process of trying to bugger one of the junior pupils, a boy called John O'Brian. For a brief moment as I watched, I saw Mr. Simmons trying in vain to overcome resistance of O'Brian, who clearly did not want or welcome the attention he was getting from the sports master. But, in that brief moment, as I watched, Simmons succeeded in shafting the the boy; he managed to thrust is cock deep into O'Brian's arse, which act was accompanied by a cry of anguish from the poor boy himself. He would surely have then gone on to fuck the boy hard had it not been for my intervention.

"Mr Simmons," I roared, "what on earth do you think you are doing to this boy? You are in the process of sexually molesting a minor, a boy in your care as a master of this school and for whom you stand and are supposed to act in loco parentis, if you know what that means. You sir are nothing more than a pederast and you are in process buggering O'Brian. Stop what you are doing at once and get out of here. Believe me. Simmons, you are an absolute disgrace both to the school and to our profession. This is an end of your career in this school and as a school master in general. If O'Brian decides to press criminal charges against you, then I shall be very willing to act as a witness and testify to what I have just seen. If the police hear about this, you will certainly be prosecuted for our actions and let me tell you, you will most likely finish up with a gaol sentence: sexually abusing a minor is a very serious offence indeed! To compound matters, some time ago, you sent two boys, Tennant and Watson, to the headmaster for a thrashing; and why? Well let me remind you; you came upon them having mutually consensual sex in this very shower room, where you were, a moment ago, intent, but for my intervention, on buggering O'Brian. You, sir, are not only a pederast, but you are a monumental hypocrite!"

Simmons started to bluster and to say that it was all a misunderstanding and that he was only trying to help O'Brian over a difficult period in his development etc. etc. ad nauseam.

"Simmons, shut up and get out of here. You are a pederast caught molesting a minor and you will be judged as such. Now, for the third time get out!"

When Simmons had left, I asked O'Brian what had happened. I learned that he had been taking a shower, after having been working out alone that afternoon in the gym, when Simmons had entered and had literally grabbed him and forced himself upon him. I further learned that O'Brian had never had any sexual contact with anyone until that moment and that he had, as I had just seen for myself, resisted the unwanted attack by Simmons. I realised that I had arrived just in the nick of time, otherwise Simmons would have clearly succeeded in his desire to bugger the boy thoroughly. I told O'Brian to get dressed and find his class mates in the common room, while I decided what I was now going to do."

It was this incident which gave me the final ammunition to tackle the headmaster and try to change the way the school was run. So, without waiting, I collected the dossier on the beatings I had prepared and went to the headmaster's study, which I entered without knocking and sat down in front to Woodderrowffe- Pryce without any invitation, for had decided that the best way forward was by a vigorous attack, as I was so sure of my facts.

The headmaster was sitting behind his desk writing a letter as I burst into his study. He raised his head and said, "Mr Crowther, what on earth is the reason for this unwarranted intrusion? Have you lost your senses, man? You are a junior master in this establishment and as such you do not simply storm into my study uninvited and without a prior appointment and sit down in front of me without so much as by your leave. Kindly get up out of that chair and leave this place immediately, as I have no intention of receiving you now, for as you can see I am very busy. If you wish to see me, then make an appointment via Miss Pimlott, who manages my engagement's diary. I have to tell you that your outrageous behaviour will not be overlooked. Now kindly leave my study forthwith!' And with that he turned back to his letter writing as a gesture of dismissal."

I listened impassively and then told the headmaster to shut up and listen. "I am not leaving this room until a very, very serious matter is settled. Do I make myself clear? I have the very disagreeable duty to tell you that just an hour or so ago, I found Mr Simmons, in the shower room, attempting to engage in a act of gross sexual indecency with the boy, David O'Brian, who was clearly deeply distressed by what Mr Simmons was trying to do to him. Simmons was, in fact, intent on committing an act of buggery on O'Brian and it is only thanks to chance that I came upon the scene before any true damage was done. Even so, I was just too late to prevent Simmons from actually penetrating the boy's anus, but that was just as far as it had gone."

By now, as I could tell from his face, the headmaster was beginning to feel vaguely uneasy and he said more gently, "Surely, Mr. Crowther, you must be mistaken. I cannot believe that Mr. Simmons would ever attempt commit such an act; you are surely mistaken. Come, come, Mr. Crowther, this is a very serious allegation you are making against a colleague. Think again. Surely you are mistaken."

"Headmaster, let me spell this out to you in the most graphic detail once again. I saw Simmons, with my own eyes, not an hour ago, thrust his penis into O'Brain's anus, totally against the boy's will. Simmons was intent on committing a criminal act of buggery on a minor, moreover, a minor in his care. Simmons has got to go, and to go from this school immediately, or I call the police. And I might add that O'Brian has agreed that he will testify to the police exactly what happened."

The headmaster was now quite clearly feeling more than a little uneasy, for he finally realized that I meant business.

"If things are as you say, and I have to repeat the word, if, then perhaps we should get Mr. Simmons to make a formal apology to O'Brian and promise never to allow such a lapse of judgement to occur ever again. After all, Mr Simmons is a long established and valued member of my staff and I would hate to see his career ruined because of one unfortunate incident."

"Headmaster, be realistic; Mr. Simmons is not the kind of person who should be allowed contact with adolescent boys. But let us be quite clear; Mr Simmons, like it or not, is a bugger and he has to go. Mr Simmons is your right-hand man and panders to your every whim. and he is clearly a psychopathic sadist. He belts the boys across their buttocks in the gym with a heavy leather strap, an act which is strictly forbidden by the school rules. Moreover, you and he work as a team to ensure that your Friday evening Punishment Parade as you call it is always well supplied with boys to thrash."

The headmaster started to bluster at this and to deny any liaison or collusion with Simmons, but I just pressed on."

"Headmaster, I have done an analysis of the punishment book compiled by Miss Pimlott over the last year. I was staggered to see that nearly 85%, yes, that is the correct figure, 85% of all entries were from punishment slips made out by Mr. Simmons. Additionally, headmaster, you are excessively brutal in the way you beat the boys. Just take a look at these photos of the buttocks of boys whom you have caned excessively in the last year, for truly piffling offences, none of which even merited a caning, let alone the thrashing you inflicted on their naked buttocks. Frankly, if the police were to see these photographs, then you would most certainly be prosecuted for bodily assault on minors under your care."

"As of today, headmaster, things have got to change. Mr Simmons has to go immediately and you have to stop your excessive brutality when administering the cane. I am not at all against the use of the cane, for I think a good sharp dose can stop many boys in their tracks, but not in the excessively brutal way in which you use it: You are just too brutal: and you clearly enjoy what you are doing, which frankly, is not the object of the exercise, headmaster."

By this stage I could see that the headmaster was really beginning to feel very uncomfortable as he realized that I had truly got the bit between my teeth and had the evidence to make life both for Simmons and himself really difficult. He tried, nevertheless, to salvage what he could of the situation: a vain hope as I was now more than ever determined to see the thing through to the end.

"Mr. Crowther," he said, with more conviction than he clearly felt, "you really seem to be very sure of yourself. Are you certain about Mr. Simmons's actions with O'Brian? And as for the use of the cane and so on, that it is just part of parcel of the life in a school such as this. Surely we should give Mr. Simmons the benefit of the doubt and allow him to excuse himself, if things are as you say they are. And as for the beatings I give the boys, well I am always trying to set them on the path to moral rectitude."

"Headmaster, the situation is as simple as this. Either Simmons goes immediately or I go today, this very evening with O'Brian, my photos and the punishment book to the police."

The headmaster, now totally flustered, said, "Well, if you are so sure, let us get Simmons in here and give him a chance to explain the situation and then, if things are as you suspect, we can agree with Simmons that he will leave at the end of the term. After all, we do not wish to ruin his career over one lapse of judgement, do we?"

"Headmaster, things are not as I suspect; suspicion does not enter into the matter. The facts are exactly as I have just presented them to you. Mr Simmons is a pederast, a bugger, a bully and a sadist, and either he goes today or I go to the police, in which case, your position in the school will be totally jeopardized and frankly, the pair of you will probably be prosecuted and jailed for your actions. What I have just exposed to you is, whether you admit it or not, the tip of an iceberg of abuse, which has been going on here for years and who knows where a more searching investigation might lead. Both Simmons and you could finish up in prison, which may well be where you both belong. As for his career, well as far as being a school master is concerned, that is over as of now. This man must never be allowed anywhere near any boys ever again: he is a menace and must be stopped. So, headmaster, decide; it is in your own hands; either Simmons goes today or I go straight to the police today. And do not even think about giving him a 'whitewash' reference. That is totally out of the question Simmons must never again work as a schoolmaster anywhere. Do I make myself clear?"

The headmaster, as you might well imagine, was now in a near blind panic. What could he do? I could see the thoughts flashing through is mind as I sat there in front of him. Either Simmons went, or the police became involved and god only knows where that might lead. So, in one last attempt to salvage something from this shipwreck which I had brought upon him, and before, in sheer desperation to save his own skin and throwing Simmons to the dogs, he made one last attempt and said,

"Mr Crowther, please try to be reasonable. It is now late afternoon and Mr. Simmons cannot leave today. Surely we can sort something out so that the leaves, say, at the end of the month and that way the whole thing can be allowed gently to fade away."

He was about to go on but I cut him short. "Headmaster, I have given you what, in modern parlance, is called the deal. As it is late in the day, Simmons may stay in his rooms tonight, but tomorrow morning he leaves before noon. That will give him time to put together a few essentials to take with him, and the rest of his belonging will have to be packed up by the faithful Mr. Hickman, the school janitor and general factotum, and sent on to him. That is the deal: you get rid of Simmons today and have a chance to save your own skin."

I was really being very brutal with the headmaster at this stage, but I thought that as I had already burned my own boat, I may as well go on to the bitter end."

"But where is he going to go? Tomorrow is Sunday and there are no buses or trains. How is he going to get anywhere?"

"Headmaster, it is a matter of supreme indifference to me where Mr. Simmons goes or how he gets there. He can hire a taxi and check himself into some hotel to give himself time to collect his thoughts and let me tell you, he has a hell of a lot to think about. So headmaster, the choice is yours. Decide! Either Simmons goes tomorrow morning with no references or I go straight to the police right now!."

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr Crowther. I will inform Mr Simmons of my decision. He leaves tomorrow."

"A wise decision, headmaster! Things have needed straightening out in this school for a long time. Believe me when I say that there will be many a dry eye among the boys when they learn that Mr Simmons is no longer with us. Frankly, headmaster, his nickname, Slimy, was very apt and we shall all, my fellow masters and the boys, be glad to see the back of him: Simmons is an utter disgrace to our profession, which will be better off without him."

Having got he bit firmly between my teeth, I then went on. "On another matter, I now expect to see the Punishment Parade greatly diminished. As a start, I suggest you pardon all boys on next Friday's parade, who were put on report by the late lamented Mr. Simmons and that as you administer the cane to those boys remaining, who do truly merit a short sharp shock, you remember that you are correcting them and not, in fact, indulging your own sadistic nature on their buttocks. Is it really necessary, headmaster, that you apply the cane to their naked buttocks? Surely that is not necessary. Enough pain can certainly be administered through the boys' trousers to make them mend their ways. In fact, I suggest you start bringing the school into the twenty-first century, and abolish the parade completely. Good afternoon, headmaster, and I trust you will have a pleasant Sunday."

And with that, I left the headmaster to his thoughts. I had surprised myself that I had managed to stick to my guns. I had, in fact, been inwardly very sure of my ground, but had had to steel myself and pull all my courage together to address the headmaster in such an authoritative way. At the end of the day, I felt proud of what I had achieved although no-one would ever know my part in the demise of Mr. Simmons. I felt totally vindicated in what I had done by the fact that during this long and difficult meeting with the headmaster, Mr. Simmons had never been invited to join us and, at the end of the day, Woodderowffe-Pryce, to save his own skin, was willing to throw his right- hand man to the dogs, without even allowing him to defend himself. I was sure that my analysis of the collusion between the pair of them was correct.

"So there, Sebastian, you have the whole story of what happened to Mr Simmons. Apart from myself and the headmaster, you are the first person to know the full facts, as I have never spoken of it to anyone until today. The school in general, masters and boys included, never knew why Simmons had suddenly disappeared from the scene. The Headmaster announced at the Monday morning assembly to the staff and boys together, that Mr Simmons had been taken seriously ill and had had to be rushed to hospital. No one thought to ask where or how he was and no-one ever questioned the headmaster on his explanation of his sudden disappearance. Also, as you must remember, on that same occasion, the headmaster announced the abolition of the Punishment Parade so that things changed for the better immediately."