It was about 3pm in the afternoon when the van finally rolled to a complete stop and they were ordered out. The guards now sported whips which served to make them look even more menacing. They shuffled quickly in single file, their shackles rattling profusely, into the receiving area where they were lined up to wait for the Governess’ address.
The Governess was surprisingly attractive, blonde hair pulled tightly back in a bun. She asked them their names and read out each sentence, studying and questioning each of them until she reached her.
“One year and 240 lashes?” the Governess inquired.
“Yes Maam” she was flustered and awkward under the Governess' gaze.
“That’s a lot of lashes. It will be difficult for you to complete them inside 12 months.” It was only as the other girls sentences were read that she realized that her sentence was quite harsh…the other girls were receiving between 60 and 180 lashes…and the 180 lashes was the redhead here as a repeat offender. “And a suspended sentence for the same again. Plus transfer to a Labor facility. Do you understand the terms of your suspended sentence?”
“Yes Maam.” She remembered her lover’s instructions.
“And they are?” the Governess inquired.
“I am to take full responsibility for my actions Maam.” She said, avoiding a direct acceptance of her guilt.
“And do you take full responsibility for your actions?” the Governess enquired, her curiosity peaked by the carefully constructed reply.
“Yes…I do Maam.” She sensed that now was not the time to waiver and met the Governess’ gaze directly.
“What was your crime?” The Governess asked, forcing her to say the words.
“Shoplifting Maam.” She felt embarrassed just saying the words, knowing them not to be true. She was concerned that the Governess had singled her out for this line of questioning.
“Really? You’re a shoplifter? You come from a good background. A good education, good career. You would appear to enjoy the finer things in life. Not enough for you? You have to steal things from people working to make a living?” the sarcasm clearly evident in the Governess’ questions and she wanted to answer in kind. She made eye contact with the Governess again, and paused for a few moments to think. She looked away…and then looked into her eyes.
“Yes Maam.” She answered, but her body language and tone clearly said otherwise and she felt regret as soon as she had crossed the line. An awkward silence followed, with everybody waiting to see the response as the Governess sized her up. She wished she could replay the moment and fix the situation and she grew more uncomfortable and anxious as the seconds ticked by before the Governess spoke.
“Very good. Clearly your lawyer has prepared you well…” and the Governess paused with a smirk “…and as much as you may find your time here difficult, the conditions inside a labor camp would not be to your liking. I can assure you of that.” She sensed that the Governess had taken a special interest in her….and she was unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing…but it was clearly a thing. Why had she referenced her lawyer? Did the Governess know her lover? Then the Governess broke her gaze and moved back to address the whole group.
“As you are no doubt aware, in addition to your time here you will receive a prescribed number of lashes which we call your “sentence”. Your sentence will be carried out in sets of 12 lashes. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to book each of your whippings and you will not be eligible for release until your sentence is complete. The sentences are administered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week and limited to 5 girls in each session. The “Sentence Roster” for the following 2 weeks is displayed in the food hall.
“There must be at least 1 week between sets so, if you’re whipped on Monday, you are not eligible to be whipped again until the following Monday. The number that you see on your uniform denotes the number of sets of lashes you have received, and with that comes status. That way, the girls with the most lashes have priority so that they can finish up their sentences. We find it’s very bad for a girl’s morale to have served her time but not received all her lashes.” And the Governess addressed her final comment directly to her.
“It is also important to note” and the Governess looked directly at her again as she continued “that we enforce a very strict code of conduct. Behavior deemed not befitting that of an inmate…will be dealt with severely. Inmates brought before me because of poor behavior will be sentenced to additional corporal punishment, over and above your sentence. These disciplinary matters are dealt with on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Again, there must be at least 1 week between whippings so, if you’re disciplined on Tuesday, you are not eligible to be whipped again as part of your sentence until the following Wednesday. So you can see, poor behavior may result in your stay here being extended, and we don’t want that, do we?” again the Governess made eye contact with her…and she broke away from her gaze and stared at the floor.
The Governess clearly enjoyed these sessions, perhaps a little too much. The Governess continued.
“Saturdays are reserved for new girls, such as yourselves, to receive your first set of lashes without the need to book in advance.”
She was quickly trying to remember what day it was…Friday…and felt immediately sick in the stomach at the thought of being whipped in the morning. She had not given up hope of her lover organizing some last minute reprieve…but morning would be fast approaching. Until now the whipping had been grouped into the whole tragedy that this miscarriage of justice had dealt her. She had never truly contemplated the execution of her sentence and she felt the blood draining away from her limbs as the Governess continued.
“Now I can see some concerned faces…” the Governess mocked, again looking directly at her “…but you need not worry. Tomorrow you’ll get to see the new girls that arrived last week receive their first set of lashes. You won’t be whipped until the following Saturday and there are no sentences or disciplinary whippings carried out on Sundays.”
“Are there any questions?” the Governess looked directly at her and asked in a manor that certainly did not encourage questions and it was met with silence.
“Good! Because there’s one last matter.”
The Governess came back over as if to speak to her solely but continued to address the group.
“The staff members of this prison have full and absolute authority over you until your release and you will always treat them with full respect. Is that understood?” The Governess’ tone had now moved from mocking to strictly authoritative and she had no doubt this was targeted at her.
“Yes Maam…” they all mumbled.
“Because the last thing I would want is somebody crossing the line accidentally and finding themselves in trouble.” The Governess was clearly talking to her. “I think it may be helpful to demonstrate what happens to troublemakers. Remove your tops!”
The girls looked at each other in shock. The Governess’ eyes were fixed on her so she crossed over her arms, fumbled briefly with the hem of her prison shirt, removed it over her head, and dropped it on the floor, and stood there topless under the Governess’ stare. She instinctively covered her breasts with her arms before dropping them, leaving her breasts exposed and the Governess smiled at her in appreciation of her interpretation of the response to her modesty.
The Governess now addressed the red headed girl.
“Face the wall!”
The redhead looked at the Governess in shock. The redhead shot and angry look at her…she wasn’t entirely sure what was about to happen but knew it wasn’t good. The redhead knew exactly what was in store, and they both knew that it was the Governess’ response to her impertinence earlier that was going to result in the redhead being punished. The redhead walked to the wall and looked back at her again…accusingly…clearly angered, before facing the wall and placing her hands high against it, her palms flush.
She was sick with a heady mix of guilt and disbelief as to what was happening. She was taken by how beautiful the redhead was…very pale skin…freckles…beautiful breasts with pale pink nipples…and wondered how many times she had done this on her previous sentence. She felt sorry for her…and tried to imagine what she must be thinking…especially since her ex-lover had put her here…and felt a sense of fear that it could have been her facing the wall. She struggled with the idea of confessing…attempting to change places with her…but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. What if it wasn’t about her? Would it mean that they would both be there naked and exposed?
“As I mentioned earlier, major indiscretions will result in a disciplinary hearing. But you may also be subject to a discretionary punishment if, in the discretion of a member of staff, you have committed a minor indiscretion. In that instance, you will be instructed to “face the wall” as this girl has done. Now this girl is a repeat offender, so clearly she has no respect for us, and therefore, we have no respect for her. She can be punished at will…and so…we will have her demonstrate what happens when an inmate is disrespectful. Begin!”
The 2 guards had taken up positions on each side of her, each now sporting a cat-o-nine tails whip, and at the command the first guard drew her whip back over her shoulder a delivered a sound lash across her bare back with a startling “Crack!”
Everybody was surprised by the force of the stroke, but none more so than the redhead, who buckled and gasped…all the time keeping her hands against the wall. Another lash followed soon after from the other guard, and then another, and soon the deep red welts began to criss-cross her very pale skin, as they fell into a rhythm, the muscles in her back and extended arms bristling under each lash.
The Governess continued to address them, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this beautiful girl was being systematically traumatized behind her.
“This is not her first time under the lash and it certainly won’t be her last. The important thing is that she complies with the guards during her punishment…” the guards suspended the whipping so one could move forward and pull the redheads pants down to her knees, an added humiliation…exposing her bare bottom to the whips “…because if you do not comply you will automatically be brought before a disciplinary hearing…”
The guards landed hard, cracking blows across the redhead’s buttocks. She was taken by the athletic stance that the guards had adopted and their almost angry facial expressions. This was very personal to them.
“…and if you are brought before me on a disciplinary matter…I will show you no mercy.” Again, the Governess looked directly at her. “Removing the palm of your hand from the wall is non-compliance and it will be dealt with severely.”
“Now, before being brought in to this room you had studs placed in your pierced ears. They are not so you look good! These studs have proximity devices embedded in them. You will also notice cameras in every room and hallway…” and the Governess pointed to the cameras in the corners of the room. “They allow me, the prison staff, members of the judiciary, and the victims of your crimes to track your rehabilitation on the internet in real time or in play back mode. Your behavior is being monitored and scrutinized continuously while you are here…so rest assured…if you commit an indiscretion…you will be brought to account.”
The guards sensed the end of her monologue and suspended the flogging. The redhead was shivering profusely…especially her bottom…now badly marked. Impressively, she kept her palms against the wall for the entire ordeal.
“Mmm…nice work!” the Governess complimented her assistants and then addressed the prisoners in mock deference. “Excuse me while I welcome this girl back home.”
The Governess removed her jacket and took one of the whips. She stood directly behind the redhead, pulled the whip back, and delivered a big roundhouse stroke that caught the redhead under the right arm, the multiple fronds of the whip exploding across her unprotected right breast.
The redhead groaned…and then groaned deeper…twisting against the pain… but not breaking her grip on the wall. The Governess landed another lash across the same breast…and then another…pausing for almost a minute between each lash to allow the pain to work its way through…the redhead breathing heavily…struggling to regain her breath between the lashes.
The Governess changed her footing…and then repeated the treatment across her left breast…3 more excruciating lashes….before swinging the whip over the redheads shoulder and letting go of the handle…leaving it dangling in front of the girls whipped back.
“OK ladies…” she said addressing the guards “let’s show them their new home! You can put your tops back on.” and again the Governess watched her as she dressed. She was aware of the Governesses eyes on her and imagined that they were still on her as she was led from the room…shuffling…their chains rattling just as they had on their way in.