Our story began here.

Julie had been excited for days about the strange ceremony she had taken part in. Not that for one moment she had really believed. Even so, it hadn’t hurt to wish for a lottery win.

Sure enough that Saturday several of her numbers had come up and she had won £100.

“Oh well, a win is a win,” she had chuckled on receipt of the cheque.

Then the dreams had begun.

First they had been strange but not too disturbing. She had been lost in an impossible forest where the trees seemed to thicken against her except in one direction. Occasionally through the mist that encroached among the trees, she saw a high ridge beyond a pool of water. On it, in the far distance stood a man in deerskins and antlers upon his head.

She had awoken with a start and might have forgotten all about it had the dream not returned a few nights later.

This time she was naked and fleeing something unseen in the forest behind her. Again the trunks of the oaks and silver birch were a wall against her and she could only run towards the pool and the man who had stood on the ridge now waited by the pool.

Each night it was the same, the forest, the chase and the antlered man silent and watching, coming ever nearer.

Finally Julie thought of Molly and had gone to see her.

*

“You had a lottery win, how nice,” Molly said as she led her friend into the front room.

“It was only a hundred quid, but… but I have been having these dreams,” Julie said impatiently.

“But I don’t see what this…” Molly began.

“It was your bloody magic,” Julie accused.

Molly held up her hand and looked urgently about her as if they were not alone.

“Don’t speak,” Molly hushed her.

“But…”

“Shush.” It was a short sharp interjection.

Julie fell silent and looked around at the Wiccan paraphernalia, the hanging corn dolls, an out of place dream catcher and all manner of hanging objects, each Molly had before explained had their own significance.

Julie held shook her head in a slow question and held up her arms expansively.

“You made a wish, to put it crudely, I can guess what it was, but do not speak of it.” Molly warned, and then after a pause added conversationally, “To change the subject Tell, what did you spend the money on? Or more to the point what did you want the money for?”

“What?” Julie frowned. “You can always use more dosh, what did you think?”

Molly closed her eyes and sighed.

“Tell me, again changing the subject, did I not warn you about material requests?”

“Oh so I am a greedy bitch and now the gods are punishing me?” Julie said scornfully.

Molly shrugged.

“Look I don’t believe in this stuff anyway, I don’t even know why I am here,” Julie said sullenly.

“Tea perhaps?” Molly offered.

“That’s all I need, rose hip or camomile, yuk,” Julie snorted.

“Oh, I was thinking more along the lines of Yorkshire Gold Blend,” Molly said lightly. “Did you think I was a communist?”

“A communist, what are you talking about?” Julie wondered if the bloody woman was insane after all.

“You know, the old joke, all proper tea is theft… oh never mind. I’ll go and put the kettle on,” Molly sighed.

*

With Julie unwilling to confront Molly’s truth she had gone home unsatisfied and that night she had dreamt.

The pool was wide and deep and behind her the beasts in the mist were gaining on her. The man in the antlers was close now. He leant on a tree watching her silently from the other side of the pool with his head bowed so that she could not see his face. From beside her Molly emerged naked from the trees. She was all pale curves and plaits and her face held a sad smile.

“Help me Molly,” Julie wailed.

Molly shrugged her usual shrug and from behind her back she brought out a small leather bag like a medieval purse. With an instinct provided only in dreams Julie knew it contained £100.

“They want back their gift,” Molly said with another shrug and tossed the purse into the pool.

Across the water the man looked up and Julie saw he had no eyes.

*

The sun was barely up when Julie arrived at Molly’s door.

“Molly, help me, let me in,” Julie called up as she hammered on the door.

After a few moments an upstairs window opened and Molly peered down at her.

“Molly, I have the cheque, I didn’t cash it, I’m so sorry, I’ll give it back,” Julie babbled.

“I’ll be right down,” Molly replied and closed the window.

Julie felt foolishly as she was admitted to the kitchen.

“I know I said…”

“You are a believer now?” Molly said accusingly.

Julie nodded dumbly.

“You won’t come to any harm,” Molly assured her, “I’ll lend you some books on Wicca and teach you some prayers and meditating techniques. If you have another faith, then go to your church and pray. The gods are not jealous gods. You and your hedonistic life have had a wake-up call that is all.”

Julie shook her head vigorously and whimpered a little.

“It’s not enough,” she whispered. “You must help me.”

“There are rites,” Molly tendered in genuine hesitation, “But you must do exactly what I say and it may take months. If we anger the gods again then things will get… more difficult.”

“Anything,” Julie insisted.

“I think I should explain…”

“Look, I was a know-all bitch and I didn’t listen, so if it is all right with you, I just want to cut to the chase and get rid of the bad mojo,” Julie growled in a more than demanding tone, the irony entirely lost on her.

“Just a minute, I have to get something,” Molly said in an unfriendly voice.

“Well hurry up, I haven’t slept properly for days,” Julie said irritably.

Molly went out into the hall and returned with a clothes brush.

“Come with me,” she said.

Julie frowned in puzzlement, “Sure, but…”

“Come with me,” Molly snapped, taking Julie by the arm.

The younger woman was led into the living room and over to the overstuffed sofa. There Molly sat down and dragged the bemused Julie over her lap.

“What the…”

“Be quiet,” Molly snapped.

Julie was still wearing a light raincoat that Molly could see was worn over her pyjamas. It was an easy matter to flip up the back of the beige coat and tug on the pin-striped cotton trousers at the waist.

“If I have to be naked again I can undress myself,” Julie said sullenly, beginning to struggle a little.

“A bared bottom will be sufficient for now,” Molly growled as she pulled the PJ bottoms down over Julie expansive and now bare behind.

“What are you doing?” Julie shrieked.

“I am going to give you the jolly sound spanking you have been asking for, for as long as I have known you,” Molly snarled, letting the full weight of the brush’s flat side drop hard with a bite.

“Jesus, what the fuck?” Julie wailed.

Moly replied by spanking her again.

“Ow, is this part of the rites?” Julie gasped.

“Not exactly,” Molly replied, “Not directly anyway. You’ll get worse later. This is just to teach you to mind me and shut up and listen.”

“Oh, ow, yeech,” Julie exclaimed in quick succession as Molly set to giving her the spanking from hell.

“You’re enjoying this,” Julie wailed, a stolen tear fleeing her left eye.

“Oh sure, it is important to the ritual that I do as a matter of fact, just as it is fairly useful if you don’t,” Molly explained as she continue to spank Julie’s by now very red bottom.

“But you said this would take months,” Julie panted angrily as she winced at each biting impact of the brush on her bottom.

“Yes,” Molly said, barely concealing her satisfaction, “There will be days and days of this and much, much worse.”

“I’ve changed my mind, shit, oh shit, ow, Molly, please,” Julie groaned, by now at the end of her tether.

“Too bad, I am nowhere near finished with you, but if you want to go it alone after I am done with you then by all means,” Molly said gleefully.

The spanking lasted a good while and Molly did not relent until she began to feel hungry. By which time Julie was lost in wild hiccoughing sobs.

“Now,” Molly said at last, “I’m ready for breakfast. You, you are on a fast, so get that coat off and go and stand with your nose in that corner. If you are still there when I get back, I will explain how this is going to work.”

Julie sniffed and nodded gratefully for the temporary reprieve. “Yes Ma’am.”

“And Julie, I want to see that cute red behind of yours when I get back so leave your PJs down and no rubbing,” Molly scolded.

“Why? Will it mess up the rites?” A wide-eyed Julie asked.

“No,” Molly laughed, “But I will spank you again if I catch you.”

*

A wood pigeon was urgently coo-calling from somewhere in the surrounding woods. No doubt alerting its fellows to the strange intruder in their midst.

“Oh shut up,” Julie moaned.

She gave out a long heavy sigh. She had been out since first light collecting taking damn cuttings from half the trees in the forest al because Molly had said so. It didn’t help that Julie had a pretty good idea what her friend wanted her rather odd harvest for.

Julie was completely confused by the whole situation. The dreams had stopped and yet she knew they would return unless she agreed to do each and everything Molly said. Well in fact she rather suspected that half of it was just embellishment made up by the cunning Wiccan to teach her a lesson, but given her own choices were take it or leave it she was forced to go along.

The spanking had been a shocking humiliation, but it had been a salutary one and Julie had connected with a part of herself that she had never previously suspected the existence of. She had taken a strange comfort from the discomfort and embarrassment of the whole thing and the overriding emotion had been one of excitement.

After standing in the corner for a good hour while Molly had cooked and then eaten bacon and eggs, Julie had been sent home to get the cheque from the lottery company.

“I could have been getting that while you had breakfast,” Julie had said sullenly.

“Yes but that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun and anyway it is important for me to know how cooperative you are going to be,” Molly had dismissed her.

Julie had opened her mouth to protest but Molly had cut her off.

“Do you want another spanking?”

“No Ma’am,” Julie had said hastily and then blushed.

Ma’am? Where had that come from?

After the threat of another spanking Julie had done each and everything she had been told. Including joining Molly in a prayer while she solemnly put the cheque in a glass pickle jar together with a silver chain belonging to Julie, a dock leaf, a piece of wood, a small amulet, a pebble and ten-pence taken from Julie’s purse. The whole ceremony had been completed by Molly burning an incense stick and dropping into the jar before closing it so that the contents were misted over by some eerie white smoke.

“What will that do?” Julie had asked.

“It will contain the… situation until we can appease the gods.” Unbeknown to Julie, Molly had thought better of saying curse. Julie hadn’t needed to be anymore disturbed than she already was.

That had been two days before. Molly had said that Julie needed a good night’s sleep before they began and anyway, if the dreams returned now, then they would know there was another cause.

Now Julie found herself in the woods behind Molly’s house collecting an eclectic mix of plant life more usually employed in a domestic flower display.

“God I hope no one sees me,” she muttered.

Then she finally saw the last of Molly’s required items.

*

“That is not straight enough, see?” Molly said holding up a length of birch twig that Julie had cut. “Get a straighter one next time. Now here is a book of forest flowers and herbs. You might as well learn this stuff so you know what to collect. I see no reason what I should do all the heavy lifting.”

Julie rolled her eyes up and muttered something under her breath. The whole matter-of-factness about the situation enabled her not to think about what might come next, although the day before Molly had given her a pretty good idea.

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll use these tomorrow. I have something I made while you were out just in case,” Moly explained as she picked up a yard long bundle of about 20 twigs. “Oh and by the way, I forgot. You really should have collected all this stuff while naked. Maybe tomorrow…”

“Wh-what’s that for?” Julie asked nervously not hearing what Moly was saying.

“Didn’t I explain yesterday? I am going to birch your bare bottom,” Molly said casually.

“Look about that… I mean… will it…?” Julie blustered. “Look I think…”

“Let’s have that bare bottom of yours draped over the back of my sofa there,” Molly said cheerfully ignoring Julie’s protests.

“Can’t you just… eh… sp-spank me again?” Julie blushed to her ears.

“Oh I expect I will and quite often I should think, but this morning I am going to use this.” Molly’s attention was on the birchen rod.

“Won’t it hurt?” Julie gulped.

“Oh yes,” Molly said emphatically and grinned.

*

At that moment Anita was in the Martin’s tool shed bending over a pile of old sacks with her jeans and knickers around her ankles. The Martins were on holiday and Xander had originally suggested breaking in and using their house.

Some things were beyond the pale even for the new Anita and this had been a compromise.

“I am really pissed off with your lack of a sense of adventure,” Xander growled. But there was humour in his tone.

Anita was breathing heavily and lost in trepidation about the imminent caning. She knew that had Xander really wanted to, she would have gone along with anything he had demanded of her.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you have a lovely bottom,” Xander said changing the subject as he tapped Anita on the bottom with the cane.

“You might have mentioned it once or twice,” Anita said bitterly through her teeth.

She remembered that Stephen used to tell her that all the time.

“Spare me the attitude young lady,” Xander scolded.

Anita was about to say that she wasn’t giving him attitude when the cane slice across her bottom and robbed her of the words.

She greeted the impact with a short sharp hiss through her nose.

Xander watched as the white line that now crossed the crowns of her bottom flooded with pink and then began to swell; a clean plum line on porcelain globes. A good caning had an aesthetic all of its own. He laid the cane with a sharp bite just below the first.

“Ah,” Anita wailed. The pain was sharp and clear.

“God I love this,” Xander said thickly.

There were six more slow biting strokes, each biting one laid beneath the previous until can clung searing to the point where her under-curves met the thighs.

“Xander please,” Anita gasped in desperation, tears now rolling from her eyes. “This is too much, really.”

“I think that is for me to decide,” Xander said sharply placing another stroke atop of the first set in preparation to descend again to her thigh tops.

She stifled frustrated angry growl in her throat and clawed at the sacking.

“Keep that bottom up,” he chided and caned in again hard.

“Xander please,” she bawled, but the words were slurred and strung together like the tears that now dripped off her chin.

For long minutes she rocked and sobbed on the pile of sacks too lost within herself to even know he was speaking to her.

“I said how many was that?” Xander said insistently.

“I don’t know,” Anita sobbed.

“Two dozen,” he sighed. “You didn’t count them so I get to give them again.”

Anita’s eyes flew open and she began to babble in desperate pleading.

“I mean later now,” Xander said soothingly.

She stole a glance at him, grateful beyond words; he was so good to her. The she saw his manhood thrusting from beneath his belly. Its angry purple head throbbed slightly.

“Do you want this?” He said.

She noticed he was smearing his member with some jelly. She thrilled, please yes, she thought.

“You’re so wet, did you know that, you are a pain slut,” he chuckled.

God he was right.

But her natural lubrication went to waste as he pressed his cock against her anus.

“I’ll take it slow,” he whispered.

Sometimes he reminded her of Stephen. I want it hard, she screamed in her head.

“Take me,” she gasped.

He did. At first there was just slow insistent pressure and then she slowly surrendered until he filled her.

“Oh God, oh God,” she breathed.

It didn’t hurt, not really and she was almost disappointed.

“Are you really going to cane me again,” she said in an excited hush.

“Oh yes,” he said easily, “That’s a done deal.”

To be concluded.