Wale of a Tail Ch. 02

Copyright 2009 by Basil Basset

All characters in this story are at least 18 years of age, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

*

A CHOICE

It was well past curfew as we left Portal Rd and hurried down secluded Chastity Lane. Slipping through the wrought iron main gate we entered the very private grounds of St. Gwen's College, nestled in a small forest. Redemption Hall, the women's residence, was an old two story brownstone which was secured after 10 pm each night. I kissed Dylan goodnight, warning him that he wasn't allowed to be on the grounds and that he needed to leave quickly to avoid being caught. I crept around to the back of the building and was climbing through a low open window which the girls had left open for me, head and shoulders over the sill, my bottom way up in the air when I felt hands on my very bare cheeks and a deep voice asked, 'Can I help you Miss?'

Startled, I screamed and felt myself being pulled back by my hips as I wildly kicked. 'No, no, let me go! What are you doing?' With a rattle the window slid down to land with a thud onto the small of my back and I kicked backwards straight out, hard as I could.

'Ugh! Ah, ah! You little Wench!' He was leaning into me now so that my legs were safely spread wide around his hips, my bum high up, so high up in the cold air and I could feel a firm lump in his trousers pressing between my bare cheeks. 'Stop kicking Miss and I'll help you down! Stop I say!' Panicking, I kept struggling as I felt my skirt being flipped up so that I was completely bare, my thighs spragged open around his hips and my big white bottom exposed in the bright moonlight for all to see. Smack! 'I said stop Miss!' Smack! Smack!

In surprise I shouted 'Ow! Ow, ow!' and slumped down as he raised the window and pulled me into his arms. It was Big Ben, the college watchman.

Matron Taylor was not at all happy to be woken up at two in the morning. She stood there at her door in her tan bathrobe, hair askew and very irritably said 'What's going on, Ben?'

'Well, it seems Miss Jennifer here stayed out well past her curfew again and has been drinking as well. I just caught her as she was trying to crawl through a dorm window.'

I felt the heat rising in my face as Agnes Taylor stared intently at me, her eyes taking in my hair, dropping to my chin, then down to my stained blouse and wrinkled skirt. I lowered my head in embarrassment as she exclaimed, 'What ever have you been up to Jennifer Plum! And why are there bits of moss in your hair? And those stains on your blouse? What do you have to say for yourself! What have you to say!'

I felt absolutely anguished as I stammered, 'We were just having a little fun after the rugby match. I didn't realize it was so late, I'm so sorry, so sorry Miss!'

'Sorry is what you'll be in the morning! Jennifer Plum you are such a tart! And drinking too! You should be ashamed of yourself! Do you realize we have code of conduct at St. Gwenda's?' She replied angrily. Turning to Ben, Agnes went on; 'Jenny will be staying in the common room at the end of the hall till morning and then she'll be seeing Headmaster-Rector Jones. Please escort her there and lock the door so she can't leave.'

Turning to me she said, 'Jenny, you can sleep on the couch till then. Good night!' It didn't really hit me until after Ben locked the door and I fell onto the couch. The sobs came quietly at first and then I just couldn't hold back and I gave in completely, great sobs racking my body, my tears running down my face. I felt so utterly ashamed and I knew that I might going back home, where I didn't want to be. Being caught, then cheered on by the whole team and the other women was bad enough, but as we walked down the path from the ruins did Owen have to sing so beautifully the very crude ditty:

'When I was a young woman,
I had a little thing,
And if I tried I could get,
My little finger in.

Finger in, finger in, finger in,
Finger in, finger in, finger in,
My little finger in!

I've grown into a woman now,
My thing has lost its charm,
And I can get five fingers in,
And half my fucking arm...'

Those weren't the only verses of course, the rest were much, much worse. How, how could Owen with his lovely voice, misuse his gift to sing of such terrible, wicked things? It wasn't the first time I'd broken the rules at St. Gwen's. I'd already had three warnings for skipping class, breaking curfew and drinking with the boys. This would be the last straw and I couldn't even wash myself or change into clean clothes before meeting Headmaster Jones! I woke to Ben unlocking the door after a miserable few hours sleep. Kindly, he let me use the washroom to quickly clean myself up as well as I could on the way to the Headmaster's residence. When Matron Taylor opened the heavy oak door, my knees went weak and I could feel my palms starting to sweat. 'Well then Miss Plum, do come in. Headmaster Jones has been expecting you,' she tersely said. Head hung low, I gingerly walked into the study where Nigel Jones sat behind his desk reading a ledger. For a long moment there was complete silence except for the tick-tock of the pendulum clock in the corner and the snoring of his Basset hound, Basil. I was starting to fidget uncomfortably when he finally looked up. 'Ah, yes. You are Miss Jennifer Plum?' Then going on rather sternly, 'What do you have you to say for yourself Miss?'

'Please Sir, please don't send me home. I promise to behave myself; I really do Sir, with all my heart!' I pleaded.

'Miss, do you mean to say that you will change your wanton ways after all the warnings you have been given since the beginning of school in September? You have been missing classes without permission, staying out past curfew, drinking and have been seen in the company of men without supervision!' He exclaimed angrily, the colour rising in his face. 'Now you stand there with stains on your blouse and in your hair! For all we know you could be with a child while yet barely a woman yourself!'

Basil raised his head and yowled soulfully. With that I lost all composure and started sobbing, holding my burning face in my hands. It was only after some minutes I was able to calm down and wipe the tears from my eyes. Matron coughed quietly and in firm tone said, 'Miss Jennifer, what you have done is inexcusable and violates the moral ethics upheld by St. Gwenda's Trinity College. You know very well the words from the Old Girls Prayer:

'Grant them thy grace that may remember the lessons that they have here been taught, and may never fall away from thy service, but bravely fighting against sin, the world and the devil...'

'Yes Miss,' I answered, still snivelling, 'I do understand. It's just that I am weak, like soft clay. How, how can I know the hand of a man and not feel his warm touch? How can I feel his love and not love him in return? I do love him, I really do Miss and I'm not a child, I'm twenty years old!'

'Because you should be courting, Miss Jennifer and not engaging in sin. By courting I mean that you should get to know a man's character, his heart and his faith before joining in marriage and becoming physically intimate,' Agnes went on, 'for to do otherwise will surely lead to the degradation of your soul and the weakening of your vows.'

Nigel leaned back in his chair and thoughtfully regarded me. 'Life is full of choices, often difficult choices. Jennifer, what we are prepared to do is to offer you a choice. You can choose to go back home, or stay to accept the schools discipline, to redeem yourself, to purify your body. You need to redeem yourself Jennifer and hold yourself to St. Gwenda's ideals. Do you understand?'

I slowly nodded in agreement and thought of how mother and father had insisted on sending me to St. Gwen's with the excuse that I could take the necessary courses there that I needed for university. The real reason of course, was that St. Gwenda's Trinity College had a reputation for bringing troublesome young women who had lost their way, back onto the path of righteousness and into the light. What no one spoke openly of though, were the unusual and secretive methods that the college used...

Nigel continued, 'To do so you will first be bathed by Brother Colin and Sister Bronwyn, so that they may wash away your stains and your sin. They will also test your resolve to resist the temptations of the flesh. Should you fail in this, they will carefully shave all the hair from your body, with the exception of the hair on your head, so that your body, if not your soul, will be clean and pure. This will be followed by your punishment. You, Jennifer Plum will lay yourself across my lap and accept fifty spanks by my open hand,that is fifty spanks to each cheek of your bottom or you may choose to have Matron give you twelve of her best with the cane. I want you to seriously consider your choice before answering as we do not take your situation lightly.'

Stunned, I stood in silence for a moment, running all that he had just said through my mind. If I went home I would lose any chance of being with Dylan. It would be back to Hereford, to the monotony of the farm with its extensive apple orchards and the loneliness of living in the country, miles away from town. Back to mother and father's overly strict rules and religious devotion. If I stayed I had the companionship of my friends, my courses to finish, the excitement of the rugby matches and then there was Dylan. Dylan who I couldn't stop thinking of and whose strong arms I so much wanted to be in.