Through the window Mullion County beckoned and Susan Bonneville almost forgave herself and left in search of Mary-Lou. They could have a soda down in Baker, maybe even two and then talk about boys.

“Lucky you don’t have my Pa,” she would say when Sue told her troubles, “He would wale the tar out of me. I reckon I wouldn’t sit down for a week.”

But that was the trouble she didn’t have a Pa, let alone one who was as firm and strict as Mary-Lou’s, it wasn’t natural, not in Mullion County it wasn’t, not anywhere Sue reckoned. She sighed again and blew a strand of brown hair from her face.

She had often thought of going to Mary-Lou’s Pa, Jeb Taylor was a kind man when he wasn’t hefting his belt or a switch. He had a delightful paternal way about him. It was just that she didn’t have the courage. Not to face what he might do, but what she would do if he rejected her or thought her crazy. He might even stop her seeing his daughter.

Sue rolled back onto her tummy and released the pillow. If she stayed there any longer her mind and fingers might stray into more sin. Then she sat up and with full regard studied the book on the bedside table.

“The Sinner’s Guide to Redemption,” it said in big gold letters, and in smaller ones, “By Rev. Adam Seabrook.”

Sue had read it twice in a sort of wide-eyed amazement. It was better than a Mills & Boon or any of those pot boilers. For one thing this book had a spanking on almost every page as case study after case study outlined some bitching punishments. M&B and the other trash mostly had fade-out sex and barely one spanking per book. Sometimes not even that.

This Sinner’s Guide was something else, she thought, and then she remembered the section at the back. The back page had a telephone number, but before that was a section on ‘grading your sin,’ which amounted to the levels of punishment that might fit the readers own crimes.

Sue had pretty much decided that what she really deserved was a three star punishment as outlined, but what she couldn’t fathom was who, or more to the point why, would anyone come to Mullion County just to attend to her sins? There was nothing about a fee, which was just as well. She took a deep breath. She supposed she could make a phone call once Mrs Travers, her landlady, went shopping, after all the conversation might be somewhat awkward, assuming of course it wasn’t just a ploy to sell her another book. Damn it what did she have to lose?

*

The VCR camera stared at her with one cold accusatory eye and Louise blanched. Out of habit she adjusted her dark black-brown locks and adjusted her brassiere. Like this audience would even care. But even as she realised this she wriggled her ample bottom fetchingly on the bed and made a sexy pout.

Louise Brady had been through much the same soul searching as Sue Bonneville a month before, but if anything she was in a much worse situation. For one thing her sins were piling up and were rapidly becoming of the grievous sort. The adultery was so bad that she was beginning to forget all the names and places. Once one added petty theft and all the lies she had been telling to cover it all up… she felt sick.

The trouble was that at 36, twice divorced Louise was beyond fessing up and taking a licking from Pa, even if she had had a Pa still living, it gotten so that she couldn’t face going to church. She had no idea how Reverend Seabrook could help her, but she was ready to try anything.

“What makes you think you deserve a five star punishment?” the Reverend had said to her on the phone. He sounded kind but serious and firm.

“Well to be honest reverend, I think maybe you might have something a little stronger, you know, like a 10 star plan?” it was only a half joke and one Adam Seabrook didn’t find funny.

He had lectured her for an hour down the phone and then told her he would send a VCR and a form to fill out.

“You know the consequences are real don’t you?” he had said sharply.

“Yes Sir,” she had answered, suddenly realising that they were indeed.

“Make your confessions to the camera, and I’ll send five or six tapes, so leave nothing out,” he warned.

“Yes Sir,” she had whispered but he had gone.

Now she was on her third tape and was beginning to realise that she had been a very naughty girl indeed.

*

Adam Seabrook was tall and broad like a man who might have played football in his youth. He had a pleasingly handsome face with strong features and a firm jawline. Louise noticed that his eyes were piercingly blue, just as she liked them and she melted. She even liked that he had smile lines and patches of white at his temples, older men in good shape were her favourite dish of all.

Adam tugged his shirt sleeve where it peeked from under his sharp black suit to straighten it and then he frowned. “You’re respectfully enough dressed but I can see from your demeanour that you are ready to cat around,” he rasped in a voice that as a child Louise had imagined God might use.

Louise blushed and looked at her shoes. “Sorry, it’s a bad habit I know,” she sighed, “I can’t help it.”

“You can and you will,” the Reverend intoned, setting his head back as if he was about do battle with the devil.

“Yes Sir,” Louise said quickly, the words thrilling on her lips.

“What am I going to do with you?” he sighed.

“Well I was rather assuming you were going to… well you know… spank me?” her voice lifted in questioning lilt at the last words.

Adam snorted and then folded his arms.

“Mrs Brady, I most certainly am, but I think you are rather beyond just that don’t you?” he chuckled.

“Hmmm,” Louise squeaked as she made a face.

“Once you truly confront your guilt we are going to explore the paddle, a prison strap or two, and a whole parcel of switches of the kind that Mullion County is famous for…” Adam let the new hang and sink in.

Louise gulped. “But what if it doesn’t work?” she whispered to no one in particular.

“A noble concern, if I may say so, let me promise here and now I pledge to the Lord that I won’t give up on you. After all, five star sins require…”

“A five star punishment,” Louise gushed, almost forgetting the subject in hand. She was feeling better already.

*

There was a girl in the other room, which Louise found somewhat disconcerting. Adam had explained that it wasn’t part of the other young woman’s punishment that Louise now who she was, although he admitted he was less concerned about Louise’s privacy. However, given the lack of facilities in the small town the offices attached to the church would have to serve for both women.

“Does she know who I am?” Louise flushed, “Do I know her?” It was a very small town after all.

“She no doubt soon will, but her identity is not your concern,” Adam said sternly.

Louise made a pout and craned her neck through the open door. Now she was curious. She saw enough to make out a short brown-haired standing half-naked in the corner. Her bare bottom was unmistakable in profile.

“I said, never mind about her, get undressed and you can join her in her predicament,” Adam scolded, pointing at the wall in the room they were in, “there.”

Louise worked her mouth and contemplated the wall. Under any other circumstances she would have said she was too old for corner time, but this wasn’t the time to argue; she had seen the straps and the old school paddle Adam had brought with him. Then to her horror the Reverend stepped into the other room to retrieve two aluminium buckets. They were both full of freshly cut switches moistening gently in cold water.

“To save time, S… your compatriot has provided these for you. She has had quite a day of it over the back of Jenkins farm cutting these, especially as I insisted she leave off her lower garments and panties, as per Mullion County tradition as she did so,” Adam told her.

Louise heard the groan from the other room and could imagine the girl’s shame.

“Thank you,” Louise called out somewhat ruefully.

“You’re welcome ma’am,” came the rather muffled reply.

“Good girls,” Adam beamed, “Now if you wait there I’ll make a start with Miss… with your new friend,” the preacher sighed.

*

Completely naked now and she had been directed, Louise didn’t dare move away from the wall. Although she was dying to take a sneak peek at the spanking in the other room. It certainly sounded fulsome and from the very first spanks she could feel them from where she stood. The girl’s cries too were full blown, starting from muted grunts, through panting to pained yelps at each crack across her bottom.

Louise couldn’t tell what if anything the Reverend was using, but it was certainly hitting the spot and for a long, long while too.

Finally the young woman broke and the laboured wails gave way to open howling and sobbing. After that Louise could hear the Reverend muttering in a low stern voice, only to be answered by a “yes Sir,” before another round of resounding spanks and yelling began again.

The rest of the spanking lasted about as long as it had taken to break the girl and by the time the Reverend was done, the unseen girl was sobbing hard.

“Thank you Sir,” she said in a wet strained voice.

“Good girl,” Adam answered, “Now back to the corner.”

“Yes Sir,” the girl sniffed and Louise heard her moving off.

The older woman knew it was now her turn and she took a deep breath that set her nerves jangling.

“The opening spanking you are going to get is just to put you in your place, your real punishment comes later,” Adam said as he entered the room. Then taking her arm he pulled her away from the wall and say down in a sturdy kitchen chair so that Louise could be pulled down across his knee.

“It’s been a while,” Louise said breathlessly. Making light conversation helped to normalise the situation and assert some measure of control.

“I bet,” Adam growled and swatted her bare bottom hard.

Louise’s eyes flew open and she gasped. If that was the openers…. She hissed again as the second spank began to sting her more fiercely. “Ow,” she yelped.

“I think you know you deserve this,” Adam rumbled as he spanked her with a steady firm pace.

“Hmm-ah yes, but maybe… uh,” she was breathing quickly through a clamped jaw, this was already more than she bargained for. “Oh my gosh,” she groaned.

Adam snorted in light amusement and drove his hand down hard and through where the dome of Louise’s big bottom curved up to meet it. Louise yelled and made angry grunting sounds.

“Oh please, no oooh, mmh,” and other such utterances babbled amid muted tears as the spanking continued.

Something told her that Adam had only just got started.

*

Now back facing the wall Louise glanced nervously at the bucket out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t turn fully so she had no idea how many switches were in the bucket, but one was daunting enough and there were way more than that.

The other girl screamed from the other room and Louise winced in company.

Adam had been switching the girl for ages now and heaven knew how that must smart. Louise’s’ and no doubt the girl’s spanking had been hard enough, but the switching… the hidden girl gave a pained gasp and the swish-whisk of the switch paused. Adam was talking low now and every two or three sentences the young woman would answer, “yes sir,” her voice strained as she struggled to breath evenly.

Then after a bit there would be a scrape of a bucket on the floor as something was taken from it and the switching would begin over and Louise’s bottom tensed in sympathy.

*

“Now are you ready to get started?” Adam asked after seeing the sobbing girl out.

A wide-eyed Louise gaped and stole a rub of her still sore bottom.

“I told you that was just a warm up and to test your resolve,” the Reverend said as he reached for a mean looking school paddle. “Ever felt one of these?”

Louise fixed her fascinated gaze on the two dozen holes in the slightly springy board in the man’s hands and nodded dumbly.

“What did you get, four, six, eight maybe; on the seat of a pair of cute denims perhaps?” Adam asked as he beckoned her over to the back of a stuffed chair he had moved up for the purpose.

“I got 10 once,” Louise mumbled, “But mostly only three or four,” she added, her eyes not leaving the paddle.

“Ten is pretty bad,” Adam sounded almost sympathetically.

“I deserved it,” Louise admitted.

“I was thinking of starting off with 30, do you deserve that?” Adam said as he patted the paddle against his palm.

Louise made a circle with her mouth and visibly baulked. Then balling up her fists she closed her eyes and managed a small nod.

The chair was too low, so that Louise had to bend right over with her head down in the soft seat padding. This elevated her bare bottom to new heights and she felt the heat rise in her face. It was more embarrassing than she remembered. She picked a thread of cotton from the upholstery as she tried to pretend she wasn’t there. Her hair too was caught in her mouth and she half spat and half tugged it clear as she pondered her fate.

So lighting fast is the application that the first thing a girl knows about the paddle is that initial impact. The tang of it sent her cross-eyed and she crushed the seat padding with her hands. It took a while to process the pain and Louise managed this by emitting a single note in her throat that ended in a hiss of breath.

The second swat was less merciful and Louise screamed.

“Sir, oh Sir,” she spluttered as the tiny fires drilled into her bottom.

The swats came at slow four to five second bursts, each one a minor hell for her behind and each one leaving added fuel for the growing fire. Once upon a time she had been stoical during the paddle, but she was no longer a surly teenager giving it large to her friends awaiting their turn. This time she shared her misery with the world as she bucked and dance naked bent over the chair.

Adam paused midway to comfort her and allow her to cry unimpeded and cry she did, great barking sobs that made her shoulders heave. He waited an age for her to still her tears, her vocal ones anyway and then he set to again.

*

The rubber prison strap had been less fun on a paddled bare bottom, but all in all it was more tolerable than the paddle in full swing. The worst part was when he peeled back off her flesh after each stroke it tore away rather like sticking plaster and she had to indulge in a scream.

“Some hate this worse than the other, but it is all good medicine. This makes a girl sore where the other bruises somewhat. The combination is quite punitive,” Adam explained as he started the third and last set of her strapping.

“Yes Sir, I see,” Louise sniffed, no long since disregarding the tears streaming down her face. “You warned me I wouldn’t sit down for a week, I thought…”

“The Lord does not deal in euphemisms, He is a simple entity, here we are literal in all things,” Adam said piously.

“Praise be,” Louise sobbed, but as she said it she found truth and clarity.

“Is this… is this… is this…” Louise wailed as her bottom was lambasted yet again, “The last?” she howled, now struggling with simple conversation.

“The last I will chastise you today, but you have much to atone for, we will leave the rest in the hands of God, unless you…?” Adam frowned.

“Yes?” Louise said hopefully.

“You want to settle for a four star penance?” the preacher said seriously.

Louise shook her head, she couldn’t cheat God, besides she knew in a month she would be back to her old ways. That had to end.

*

Louise’s bottom felt like it had been scrubbed with an oven-heated cheese grater; and that was just the surface pain. The persistent ache went deeper and the generous curves complained every time the tortured flesh tugged across them as she walked.

“I am not sure I am ready for church yet,” she said sorrowfully as Adam led her still completely naked through the main doors of the chapel.

The Church was empty but just being there made Louise feel ashamed. The only comfort was the pillory that had been assembled on the stage. She knew it was for her and must be the last part of her punishment. The only thing was, Adam had said he had finished with her for the day, but why then two buckets of switches.

Her tummy wobbled as she remembered he hadn’t used any switches on her bottom yet.

The other thing that made her nervous was the large TV on a stand next to the wooden frame. She was still puzzling on this as Adam lifted the upper plank of the pillory and had her put her head and arms through so that she was made to stand stooped with her bare bottom to the congregation pews. Then the screen burst into life and all became clear.

“You made nine hours of confessions and admissions,” Adam said in wonder, “We edited out repetition and prevarication and got it down to 90 minutes on a loop,” he told her.

“But what if someone comes in?” Louise gasped.

Then the penny dropped and her face melted.

“Everyone?” she whispered in true misery.

“Your pastor and some of the church elders will arrive first, they can decide,” Adam shrugged, “Fair enough?”

“Yes Sir,” Louise said ruefully.

“…I didn’t mean to keep the 10 dollars, I meant to put it back but…” her voice started on another confession on the TV.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Adam said.

“Oh… oh well it has been… not nice, obviously, but… well thank you… I guess,” Louise said to the altar, not being able to turn.

The statue of Christ was turned with an outstretched arm as if beckoning, but his eyes were sad and accusatory.

“Sorry,” she said making a wince with her face.

“I know,” Adam said from the door, “I think you will emerge from this, goodbye.”

“Bye,” Louise said brightly, forgetting herself for a moment. Then it sunk in and she groaned.

*

Being pinned in a half-bent position with your bottom sticking out was not the most comfortable or dignified position Louise had ever found herself. In fact after more than an hour it was becoming something of a trial. It didn’t help that the eager version of herself droned on and on really rubbing it about what a screw up she had been. It was a master stroke on Adam’s part, just when she began to feel sorry for herself, the TV self would confess to yet another crime.

“I guess I deserve this,” she sighed, wondering when it was going to end.

Eventually the 90 minutes on TV got to the end, then after a rather cheesy burst of music someone had thought to include, it started over. Oh God, she thought, maybe I died and went to hell.

It was another 20 minutes before the door rattled and crashed open where the incomer hadn’t caught it before it swung against the holding hook.

“Darn it,” a woman’s voice cursed and then muttered some worse things while she struggled with the latch to secure it. “Who’s there?” she called as she continued with the door, “Is that you pastor? What’s the TV on for?”

Louise cringed and waited for the storm. One, two, three… she counted in her head. She got to seven before she heard the gasp.

“What in tarnation… I mean… oh my gosh,” Tammy Hildgarten spluttered. Louise recognised the woman’s voice.

Tammy Hildgarten was one of the town’s young fogies, absolutely full of herself and possibly the most boring of the women who tried to ingratiate themselves with the pastor. What was worse, was that her husband Sam was one of the men Louise had… she coughed.

“Hello Mrs Hildgarten,” Louise said sheepishly.

“What are you doing?” Tammy gasped, but the TV confessions were still running a commentary and she was beginning to get an idea.

“I’m waiting for Pastor John, I… I eh…” Louise voice sounded meek and small.

“Oh my God,” Tammy said, now forgetting where she was, “Someone has… I do declare, that is the sorest bottom I ever saw.”

“Yah,” Louise winced, “And I may not be done yet,” she added ruefully.

“Sam, now there’s a man, I guess he don’t get much from that wife of his. She always seems to have a stick up her ass…” TV Louise admitted cheerfully. “I guess I ought to tell you about him and me…”

The next five minutes were enlightening and Louise rolled her eyes above firmly gritted teeth as she waited for Tammy to say something.

“These switches you cut, I don’t suppose the pastor will need them all will he?” Tammy said at last.

“Actually I didn’t cut them, I…” Louise babbled.

“Louise Brady, you can shut right up now,” Tammy said icily as she helped herself to the first of the switches. “Pastor John will be here directly, no more than 20 minutes or so, long enough for you and me to get acquainted anyway.”

The switch made a sound like a dozen zips all being worked in quick succession. Not that Louise cared, it was hardtop tell the sound of one slash from the other amid the relentless lines of pain that now crisscrossed her already sore bottom. She never did like singing in church, but today Tammy was quite a choir-mistress and twice as demanding.

The shrill noises Pastor John heard as he approached the church were quite a puzzle and stopped to listen before he placed the sound. Some teen run afoul of a parent after prayers no doubt, wondering if he should have been there. Then he remembered and rolled his eyes to heaven; poor Louise, he sighed, wondering who had discovered her sin first.

He paused to take out some tobacco and roll a cigarette. No sense in hurrying, not today.

*

Louise’s bottom ached and it would be months before she would look anyone in the eye again, but at least she felt clean for the first time in years. Tammy Hildgarten hadn’t been the only enraged churchgoer to express their displeasure to Louise and the naked woman had endured it all. Now even if she didn’t sit down for a month she was grateful.

She was grateful too that Pastor John had invited her to stay at his house. His daughters were all grown and moved away and, as he explained, he had an open door policy for young women needing closer guidance and supervision.

“I’m kind of… well I’m 36, ain’t I a bit old…?” Louise had asked him shyly.

“I think sometimes one is never too old for a bit of strong guidance and my wife and I would be glad to have you,” he had beamed.

“But you don’t know what I am like,” Louise had protested.

“Oh I think I have a pretty good idea,” Pastor John chuckled as he nodded at the TV, “and you have a pretty good idea now what happens if you get out of line.”

Louise blushed and nodded. But that had been days ago. She was still no nearer sitting down, but now her light summer dress chafed less where it rubbed her bottom, which she had opted for unencumbering with panties under her skirts. It was the first day she had managed that much and had felt ready to brave the world and take up Pastor John’s offer.

“As you see we have quite a few young women lodging with us, we find that those women without family need a haven from temptation and here we provide it. Especially since Adam Seabrook had offered some financial help from the mother church,” Ann, the Pastor’s wife explained.

Louise smiled and leaned in shyly to take in the back porch from the corner at the side. There were five or six girls, all aged between 18 and 25, Louise would guess. Most of them were modestly dressed and engaged in various chores like sweeping the yard or weeding.

“What a nice place you have,” Louise said politely.

“Why thank you,” Ann smiled.

Then Louise noticed a young woman holding a broom and watching her.

“Hey Mrs Brady,” she said shyly.

Louise recognised her voice at once as the compatriot on the day they had been punished.

“My names Sue, Sue Bonneville,” Sue said nervously, “I guess we have something in common.”

“I guess we do?” Louise smiled.

“You coming to live here too?” Sue asked.

“I… I guess I am, is it good here?” Louise said feeling more confident.

“Oh yes,” Sue gushed, “’Cepting for the…” she let her hand stray to her bottom.

“I guess there is a lot of that…?” Louise frowned but added quickly, “But I expect it’s needful.”

“Not so much, but it’s needful alright,” Sue giggled, “But with seven, no eight women now…” she pointed at Louise, “Well someone is always nursing a sore bottom; if I get a spanking once a month I will count myself a good girl.” Then Sue paused, “I mean… I am sure that doesn’t include you… I mean you are… I mean…”

“Too old?” Louise finished for her, “I somehow don’t think so,” she said ruefully.