Summer Camp

by Tabitha Black

  "Now, young lady, or you'll find yourself on the receiving end of my biggest paddle!"

  "Oh have a heart, Auntie!" Nancy piped up, in defense of her friend. "After all, she only said "damn" once! Oh."

  "Right! You too! Get over here, now!"

  "Well, crap," Nancy muttered as she stood up from her desk.

  "I heard that too, Nancy, and that one has just assured you extra! Now get over here right this minute or I'll be making a full report to Daddy once this is done."

  Knowing when she was beaten, Nancy shuffled slowly over to where the stout lady was standing, brandishing a bar of pink soap in Betty's face.

  "Naughty little girls who swear will have their mouths washed out!" she said emphatically, "so open wide and stick out your tongue. Now, Betty!"

  With extreme reluctance, Betty did as she was told, grimacing as Auntie placed the heavily lathered cake of soap on her tongue and began to rub it back and forth. "I told you things were changing around here," the woman scolded, rinsing the soap before doing the same thing to Nancy. "Betty, you hold those suds in your mouth until I tell you to spit it out. And don't swallow it, you do not want a belly full of soap, believe me!"

  "As for you, young lady, you will hold that bar in your mouth, turn around and bend over!"

  Another of the additional rules for the so-called 'naughty week', as their guardians had begun to call it, was that none of the women were allowed to wear panties for the remainder of their stay at camp – only those who were having their monthlies were exempt from the rule. Nancy, therefore, was naked from the waist down as soon as Auntie briskly tucked up the frilly skirt she was wearing.

  "Six good swats with the paddle, young lady. Oh yes! No more hand-spanking from any of us, didn't Daddy tell you? Keep your feet together, and remember the sooner this is over, the sooner both you and Betty can spit out that yucky soap! Normally I would make you ask for it and count the strokes but, all things considered, I shall make an exception this time."

  Without further delay, Auntie took a thick wooden paddle from the drawer in her desk, raised it and brought it cracking down across Nancy's bared backside with a resounding wallop.

  "Mnnnffffppphhhh!" Nancy, to her dismay, discovered that squealing with a bar of soap in her mouth was not a good idea.

  Auntie, fully aware of that fact, merely smirked and brought the paddle down again. And again.

  Half a dozen times the wood bounced off Nancy's bare nates. Their guardian knew full well how to get the maximum impact out of even a small number of strokes, and the rest of the women stared in fascination at the brightly mottled flesh of their classmate's backside as the stern woman laid the paddle back down on the desk.

  "There. That's the only way to handle such filthy language. Let this be a lesson to all of you! The next person caught using a dirty word will be receiving twelve strokes – and yes, she too will have her mouth washed out with soap! Girls, you may spit it out now."

  Nancy and Betty rushed to the basin, almost tripping over in their haste to rid their mouths of the awful taste of soap. Unfortunately, they both soon realized, the taste lingered long after the suds were gone.

  "Now go and sit back down, the pair of you! You've disrupted this lesson enough already!"

  * * * * *

  "Auntie tells me you had your mouth washed out with soap today," Joseph said, as Betty once again knelt on the rug in front of him.

  "Yes, Sir."

  "I've been meaning to ask you. Most of the other girls here call me "Daddy", as I requested. Yet you still call me 'Sir'."

  "I'm sorry... I just..."

  "No, no, I wasn't telling you off, little one. You were all given the choice upon your arrival for a reason. I was just wondering whether you've thought about why? Why you chose to refer to me as 'Sir'?"

  She stared at his open, square-jawed face, those kind eyes, the cropped silver hair and considered for a moment. "I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it. I respect you, Sir, absolutely. But 'Daddy" – I mean, no disrespect, but you're not, are you? You're not my father. So I don't think I ought to refer to you as such."

  "I see. And what about Jeremy?"

  "What about him?"

  "If he asked you to, would you be able to call him 'Daddy'?"

  "I honestly haven't thought about it," Betty said slowly.

  "Well, of course, it's up to you. But I would like to explain to you why 'Daddy' or 'Pa' are options we offer here when you first arrive. In addition to 'Sir', I mean."

  "Please do. I'm not sure I understand."

  "Consider this," Joseph began. "The first man in your life is your father. Unfortunately there are exceptions, but in ideal circumstances, he will love you, protect you, nurture you and yes, discipline you when necessary. And he will do all those things unconditionally. So calling a man 'Daddy' or 'Pa' or any other variation is, therefore, a symbol of how unconditionally he loves you and how unconditionally you love him in return. And again, exceptions aside, it is – or at least it should be – the deepest bond you will forge with a man. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

  "I do," Betty said slowly. "So you mean that 'Daddy' is a term of endearment and respect, rather than a description of familial status?"

  "Exactly, little one. I'd just like you to bear that in mind in case your husband ever asks you to refer to him that way. However, please remember that that, at least, is optional. Other changes he might choose to make to your marriage may not be." Joseph chortled.

  "Thank you, Sir, for explaining that so well to me."

  "You're most welcome, girl. Now, was there anything else you wanted to discuss while you were here?"

  "I don't think so, Sir."

  "You understand, now, why we do the things we do and how some people use our way as a guideline to conducting a happier relationship? You understood all the lessons and so on?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "Very well. Then it's time for your last discipline session with me before you leave."

  "But Sir! I've been good!"

  "Betty, for one thing, had you been good, you would never have been sent here. For another, all of you are currently in 'naughty week' because one or some of you couldn't keep your lustful hands to yourselves at night. I don't suppose you were one of the culprits? I do recall our conversation at our last meeting."

  The sudden heat creeping through Betty's face said more than any confessions of guilt ever could. Expecting a scolding, she was surprised when instead he chuckled.

  "I thought as much. Well then, let's see what happens to naughty little girls who masturbate like wanton sluts when they're alone in bed, shall we? I think we ought to have you bent over the desk for this one," Joseph announced, reaching for the ruler.

  * * * * *

  "I can't believe camp is almost over! Finally!" Betty was almost beside herself with excitement at the prospect of going home and seeing her husband again.

  "This past week has felt especially long, thanks to all the extra regulations. The only one who doesn't seem to have suffered as much as the rest of us is, I still believe, also the reason for our strict treatment. Such a coincidence!" Nancy inclined her head in Lucille's direction and frowned. "I wish there was a way to find proof, then we could do something about it. I'd like to see her get her just desserts!"

  "Well I wasn't going to say anything," Lauren said quietly, "because I'm not a nasty sneak and don't want to stoop down to her level. But you're right, Nancy. It was Lucille."

  Betty, Nancy, Lauren and Sandy were sitting far enough away from Lucille in the canteen that they could discuss her quietly without fear of being overheard.

  "How do you know?" Nancy breathed.

  "I had forgotten my journal in the morning. So I rushed back up to the dorm to get it before class. I stopped when I saw Lucille talking to Auntie. That rotten little cow was obviously relishing what she was saying and Auntie was looking decidedly thunderous."

  There was a pause as the other three women digested that information.


  "I'll admit it looks bad," Sandy said, "but it's still not concrete proof."

  "Well I think it's too much of a coincidence that it was that very morning, and Auntie announced 'naughty week' not an hour later." Lauren sipped her milk. "God, I would give anything for some coffee. Once I get out of here, I'm never touching milk again, I swear."

  "Right. Let's get her." Nancy sounded livid.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean – if there's one thing I cannot abide, it's tattletales. I vote we give her a dose of her own medicine."

  "How?" Betty was fascinated.

  "We tell on her. See how she likes it."

  "But she's such a goody-two-shoes! She never steps out of line! We don't have anything to tell on her about!"

  "Isn't this just a little childish?" Lauren was amused.

  "Maybe, but if they insist on treating us this way, I think we have a right to act accordingly. I'm sure between the four of us, we'll come up with a way to frame her somehow. And besides, wouldn't you all like to see her get what she deserves for making us suffer for an entire week? I can still taste that disgusting soap!"

  Betty knew her friend was exaggerating slightly, but she did have a point. Having her mouth washed out had been singularly unpleasant, as had every spanking she had endured that week, thanks to Lucille's inability to shut the heck up. She could still feel the welts from Sir's ruler whenever she sat. "Yes. I would love to see her punished."

  "Me too," Sandy whispered.

  Lauren was the last to agree. "Oh, fine. I do detest having my hands tied to the headboard every night. So what's the plan?"

  * * * * *

  Auntie's roar of disapproval the following morning was enough to send the nesting birds outside flapping from the trees. "Nancy! Why are your hands free? I'm sure I secured them last night!"

  Nancy was the picture of doe-eyed innocence. "I'd love to tell you, Auntie, but I'd hate to get anyone else in trouble." She shot a meaningful glance in Lucille's direction.

  Auntie followed her gaze and gave another shout. "Lucille! You, too! Is anyone else in this dorm a sudden and miraculous escape artist, or is it just the two of you?"

  Her question was met with a sea of silent stares as she checked on the remaining women – whose wrists were all still securely fastened to their headboards.

  "Very well then. Would either of you two like to tell me what this is all about?"

  Lucille seemed genuinely distraught. "I don't know, Auntie. Really I don't. I woke up this way. It must have happened in my sleep!"

  "Liar!" Nancy burst out. "Auntie, may I speak to you in private?"

  "I don't see why you should, Nancy. I think everyone here has the right to know what is going on."

  "Well, you see, I'd hate to get anyone into trouble." Nancy shot another meaningful look in Lucille's direction as Betty watched her friend's performance with proud awe.

  "Don't you worry about that. I'd like the truth. Now, please, or you'll all be sorry."

  Taking a deep breath, Nancy began her tale. She told Auntie how she had been awoken in the night by one of the other girls... how that girl had whispered 'indecent things in my ear, Auntie, and asked me to..." she lowered her voice even further, "to... pleasure her."

  "I did no such thing!" Lucille cried out, sitting bolt upright in her bed. "Nancy, why would you say something like—"

  "Silence!" Auntie rounded on her. "You will have your turn shortly. First, let Nancy continue."

  "Naturally, I refused. It was dark, and I just wanted to sleep. Like a good girl. She then went on to untie me and grabbed me between the legs, Auntie! I was horrified, so I slapped her, and she finally went back to her own bed. I didn't even know who it was until this morning, but as Lucille is the only other girl untied..." Nancy trailed off, her eyes cast down demurely.

  She ought to win an Oscar for that, Betty thought in admiration.

  "And Lucille? What do you have to say for yourself?"

  "It's all a lie, Auntie! You know me; you know that I'm a good girl. I would never do such a thing! And besides, how do you suppose I untied myself?"

  "That one of you was dexterous enough to loosen your bonds is obvious," Auntie snapped, crossly. "Besides, the knots are designed to be undone quickly in case of an emergency. The only question here is who untied whom? As it's a case of one girl's side versus the other, I'd be very interested to know whether there were any witnesses. Did anyone hear anything? Lauren? Betty? You're both on either side of Nancy. Did you catch what was going on?"

  "Well, Auntie, far be it from me to pry, but I did hear a resounding slap at some stage, and someone in Nancy's bed said "get away from me you disgusting creature!" — it did sound like Nancy," Lauren said gravely. "The slap woke me up, I wondered what it was."

  "And you, Betty?"

  "I heard some sort of scuffle, too," Betty admitted. "And we all know that Lucille is very fond of Nancy. She's always remarking on her pretty curls and shapely legs..."

  "I have never in my life heard such absolute—" Lucille began, but once again, Auntie cut her short.

  "It would seem, then, that these girls are telling the truth. You are extremely fortunate, Lucille, that you only have one full day of camp left before you return home tomorrow. Do not think, however, that you will escape punishment. Lying to a guardian, breaking a rule you are already all being disciplined for and then going so far as to attempt to get another girl into trouble! You will be lucky if I don't recommend you stay here for another month!"

  The other girls were having trouble concealing their delight as Lucille promptly burst into tears.

  Auntie bustled around the room, untying everyone else before continuing. "Well, all of you get ready and I shall see you downstairs for breakfast shortly. Lucille, you will find out what happens to girls who are really, really naughty this afternoon. I have a feeling Mr. Turbott might even want to deal with you himself!"

  * * * * *

  Mr. Turbott, as it turned out, was more than happy to let Joseph administer Lucille's punishment, although he was in attendance that afternoon — as were all the other women, including the second group of six and their guardians. Betty hadn't seen much of them over the course of her stay at camp but brief whispers in the dormitory at night had confirmed that they, too, were being treated in a very similar fashion by their own 'Auntie' and 'Pa'.

  The classroom was packed so full of people that some of the girls had been asked to kneel on the carpet in order to let their tutors have a seat.

  "Ladies and gentlemen! Girls," Auntie said, drawing forth a frantically blushing, terrified-looking Lucille. "Please, be quiet now. It's a shame we have to do this on the last full day of camp, and believe me, no one could have been more surprised than I was to discover what Lucille here has done. However, as some of you know, Group B are already being punished for lewd and wanton behavior, which makes a repeat offence of this nature twice as grave. Until now, Lucille here has been one of our best students – unfortunately, she was foolish enough to break several of our rules at once. And now, her bottom will pay the price. Mr. Hughes, if you please?"

  "Certainly." Joseph stepped forward, and what he was holding made all the girls gasp: a cane. Betty didn't think she'd ever even seen a real one; all she knew of them was that they were used to great effect on schoolchildren in England, where her grandparents had grown up.

  "Please... Please, Sir! Please! I didn't do anything, I swear it!" Lucille's eyes were wide and even from her place halfway down the back of the classroom, Betty could almost smell her fear.

  "Hush up, Lucille. You broke the rules and, as always, there will be consequences. Now, I have consulted with the other adults as to what constitutes a fair punishment for what you have done, and no amount of pleading or begging will change my mind. So if you want my advice, you will do as you are told and take this like a big girl."

  "Yes, Sir." She sounded meek, scared even, quite unlike her usual obnoxious self.

  Betty almost felt
sorry for her. Almost. Then she remembered the soap, the ruler, the bound wrists, the lack of sweets at mealtimes and the threat of having to wear a diaper.

  "As you chose to break the rules by behaving like a common little harlot, we have agreed that you shall be punished as such," Joseph went on, tapping the cane lightly against his right thigh. "So you will remove your clothing. All of it, save for your shoes."

  The room was so silent that Betty thought she could hear Lucille's own pounding heart as she began to unbutton her frock with trembling fingers.

  "Hurry up, girl, we don't have all day. I, for one, do not enjoy having to do this, and would like to get it over with."

  Without the additional task of removing undergarments, it took barely a moment for Lucille to remove her dress. She stared at the floor, her face a deep shade of crimson.

  "Turn around and put your elbows on the desk there. Your feet should be well apart. I do hope this was worth it, young lady."

  "I didn't—"

  "I said, SILENCE!" Joseph cut off her protests with a sharp slap to her hip. "You will receive a dozen strokes with the cane – provided you manage to remain in position. Every time you straighten up, stamp those little feet of yours or shout anything unfavorable, you will receive extra. Have I made myself clear?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "Very well. Then let us begin."

  Taking his position to one side of her, Joseph lined it up, then raised the cane. WHOOSH—CRACK!

  There was the briefest pause, then Lucille leapt to a standing position and howled. "Owwww, ow ow ow!" Clutching her bottom, she stamped her feet and glared at Joseph, her audience – and nudity – apparently completely forgotten.

  "I would suggest you bend right back over the desk, Lucille," Joseph said quietly. "One more outburst like that and I will ask Mr. Turbott to restrain you."

  "But Sir, it hurts!"

  "That is the point, my dear. We must ensure that you take our rules seriously."

  As Lucille once more took her exposed position, Nancy looked over and caught Betty's eye, a subtle look of satisfaction on her face.

  "I would also like to remind you that we can see absolutely everything when you jump up and dance about," Joseph went on. "So I would suggest that you exercise some restraint."