Hi folks! I'm a little pushed for the time at the moment as I'm struggling to get the new work out there and finished by Christmas and it may well end up published as two distinct volumes, with all the extra work that will entail (three, if one counts the planned illustrated version of one of the books). The rational behind spliting the tale into two distinct books is twofold: One: the total number of pages if presented in one book as it is at the moment would be colossal. Two: the storyline follows two distinct characters, both of whom you have met before, along two very distinct and very separate pathways. These paths only overlap to any extent to a very small degree. .....
On the other hand it may be possible to pare away certain areas where the commonality between the two timelines threatens to introduce too much repetitiveness. After all there is a limit to how many times even the most ardent uniform discipline aficionado, for example, would want to read a detailed description of an ultra strict, ultra restrictive, school uniform imposed on a petulant teenager (or is there? you tell me!).
The reason I would like to finish by Christmas is because - to put it bluntly - money is getting a little short this end; I get very little return financially from book sales and the amount that I've taken from my savings this year to support myself has already exceeded that which I had scheduled and is already threatening to eat into the funds that I had earmarked for next year for various projects. In short I shall need to set aside a little time to seek some form of supplementary income: vis-à-vis a job! You can get an idea of how serious the situation has become by the fact that I plan to forego my usual visits to the pub throughout the month of October and to limit my enjoyment to only two or three visits, at the very most, in the month of November (timed to catch the end of the Wetherspoon's beer festival with any luck).
.....
As a change of subject: The above chatter over the imposition of strict, restrictive uniforms on recalcitrant young ladies brings to mind the notion that in the domestic or private institution scenario the dividing line between such dress discipline and what might be described as punishment dress can easily become blurred - a thought that came to mind when reading through a couple of the scanned reader's letters pages taken from that marvelous publication of the 1980s and early 90s: 'Blushes' in preperation for today's post. So without further ado here's a couple more of the pages sent in courtesy of our kind contributor 'Alan' (I just had to cut out and zoom in on that natty little drawing!). Needless to add that to read, just click on each page to enlarge. See Y'all!
Isn't beer a lot cheaper when you drink it at home...where moreover you don't have voyeurs breathing down your neck?
ReplyDelete"After all there is a limit to how many times even the most ardent uniform discipline aficionado, for example, would want to read a detailed description of an ultra strict, ultra restrictive, school uniform imposed on a petulant teenager (or is there? you tell me!)"
ReplyDeleteYes, I think there is!
"After all there is a limit to how many times even the most ardent uniform discipline aficionado, for example, would want to read a detailed description of an ultra strict, ultra restrictive, school uniform...or is there?"
ReplyDeleteThe point is not the description of the uniform itself, but rather the young woman's reaction to it.
Consider the case of Miss Wilson, who until a few weeks ago was the newest instructor of the reformatory for young women, until a disagreement with the headmaster led to her demotion from teacher to student. Miss Wilson, or "Willy" as she's now know, is acutely conscious of her new uniform, and its meaning, and how much the other students and her fellow teachers enjoy seeing her in it. Miss Wilson had been quite the prissy little martinet during her brief tenure, and the delight of all when she was brought out at assembly for the first time in her adorable uniform with her makeup scrubbed off and her hair in pigtails was felt by one and all. All except little Willy, that is...
Consider how different then is the case of Natalie, the lovely young American actress who voluntarily entered the academy for "a few weeks, or so" to prepare for her role. Always a proponent of "the method" she was nonetheless shocked at the way the uniform made her feel the part, and how she soon began to see herself as others saw her, as a naughty delinquent badly in need of discipline. She cannot explain, even to herself, why she took that stink of gum from her teacher’s desk, or why she blew a bubble where she knew the Headmaster would see her. Nor could she explain that strange tingle she felt when he ordered her to raise her skirt, lower her knickers, and touch her toes for her first ever caning. Is it any wonder she offered no objection when the Headmaster informed Natalie during her humiliating bare bottom corner time that her release would have to be "indefinitely delayed, until she had shown proper progress," and that her "parole" would be dumped into the pile with countless other delinquents for a perfunctory bienial review?
Or consider the case of Lady Ellsworth, who owned a large estate adjacent to the reformatory, until a dispute over a rather ugly barb wired security fence transformed her from annoying neighbor to obedient inmate. The fence separating the properties has been removed, as her estates were confiscated and added to the school grounds to pay her court costs and her ladyship's tuition. Unfortunately, in her case "tuition" includes punishment night, where the saucy stable lads who had once cleaned the muck from her boots now have the pleasure of stripping her ladyship out of her uniform and tying her down over the punishment horse, with her legs spread wide and her bottom raised high for the punishment strap. She is gagged, of course, with a leather bit between her teeth, but the look on her face as she looks over her shoulder at her neighbors, her smiling staff, and the groomsman holding the small whip that will be used to teach her ladyship the meaning of obedience.
I could continue with any of these tales, and many more...but I shall not. After all, how much tedium can any reader be expected to bear?
Orage: True beer is a lot cheaper when you drink it at home – but it is the beginning of a slippery slope. The pub is social to some degree; people there talk to me and as long as I have got enough written to not feel as though my life is passing without aim, then I am happy to turn off the laptop or netbook for the day and chat, chat, chat. Home here - wherein I am self-restricted for a period, other than for a bit of cycling or my trips to the gym – the danger is that I would become more and more introspective and self analytical; the outcome would likely be an ever increasing intake of drink to compensate (especially when it is so cheap at Tesco’s et al) and a spiraling crash into alcoholic oblivion. While it is limited to sporadic pub visits, then I am still in control, if somewhat socially isolated.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: What a great piece. But Don’t I recognize your style from somewhere? The way in which you phrase things reminds me of certain pieces from the letters pages of Janus magazine, back in the day – were you ever a correspondent, I wonder?
I have to say that phrases such as “…her release would have to be "indefinitely delayed, until she had shown proper progress," and that her "parole" would be dumped into the pile with countless other delinquents for a perfunctory biennial review” really hit the ‘spot’ for me. And if you have read any of my previous stuff you will know that the psychological impact of all this on the young ladies concerned is a major part of what I tend to focus on - that, and the mental processes going on in the heads of the other protagonists.
You end by saying: “After all, how much tedium can any reader be expected to bear?” to which I would reply: “Lots more, please!”.
Actually, I think this is too good to languish here as a comment and will post it up as a blog entry next time so a lot more folk get to read it (not everyone reads the comments sections of blog entries).
The irony is that although Natalie had committed no crime, and was there merely to research an acting role, once admitted she was subject to the same rules and regulations as the other delinquents.
ReplyDeleteThis meant that in order to gain release our intrepid heroine was forced to submit a lengthy and detailed "appeal for clemency" to a kangaroo court that took a dim view of such petulant petitions. Unfortunately, the process was tilted entirely against her, and was not without risk, for the judges had nearly limitless power over their charges. The reformatory’s code of conduct was strict and was filled with references to numerous intangibles such as “diligence” and “attitude.” The vagueness of the standards meant the judges could on the slightest of pretexts adjudicate Natalie’s "visit" into a binding legal sentence with the mere flick of a pen!
And what role did her uniform play? Do you think the image of Natalie in her school uniform, nervously tugging on her excruciatingly short skirt and biting her lip and she anxiously awaited justice, influenced their decision? I leave the matter to your consideration. But with dozens of such cases to consider, and poor Natalie lumped in with countless other delinquents having their sentences lengthened, looking so very much like a naughty delinquent in need of a good hiding did nothing to improve her already slim chances.
Give me a proper blog entry, then, including this and my previous post, and I'll tell you the full story of the “careful review” her lengthy appeal was given…and the sentence that was handed down.
For God's sake! Too many "Anonymous" in here! How annoying! Is the first one the same as the second one? Why can't you find yourself a name?
ReplyDelete"You end by saying: “After all, how much tedium can any reader be expected to bear?” to which I would reply: “Lots more, please!”.
I do agree with Toyntanen!
As to "not everyone reads the comments sections of blog entries", well it's their funeral! Why should you care?
Orage: I'm just a caring sort!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I sort of agree with 'Orage' about the potential confusion between all you 'anon' types but I recognize you from your writing style in this case.
I'm definitely going to put the two parts together in one post. Maybe tomorrow or Friday. I have been writing non-stop all today and don't think I can do much more for tonight.
I love all such phraseology such as "...numerous intangibles such as “diligence” and “attitude.” " and "...binding legal sentence with the mere flick of a pen".
My style is my signature. :-) Part One:
ReplyDeleteAt the conclusion of her sentence, each girl in the reformatory was required to submit a written “Petition for Clemency.” These petitions were batched together and considered by the Board of Governors on an evening popularly known as Mercy Night. The name was deeply ironic, as mercy was seldom on the menu.
Natalie, the young American actress who had entered the reformatory “for a few days” to research an upcoming movie role, was astonished to learn that her release, which she had assumed would be automatic, would have to be submitted as a written request to be formally considered by the Board of Governors!
Natalie knew that Mercy Night itself was not without considerable risk, as the girl’s appeals frequently resulted in longer sentences and bare bottom thrashings. However after the initial shock wore off she heartily agreed that her release should be subjected to the standard review process and insisted that she should be treated “the same as all the other girls.”
As an avid reader of the “Blue Moon” books, Natalie had long fantasized of being confined in such a reformatory. The need for a formal review had given her the perfect excuse to extend her brief stay over the summer until the next Mercy night could be scheduled. This added confinement, plus the thought of preparing a formal petition for the Reformatory’s strict Board of Governor’s, gave Natalie a deliciously naughty thrill!
Of course even if she had wanted to object there was little that Natalie could do. Embarrassed by her shameful desires, Natalie had told no one where she was going, and had asked the Headmaster to enroll her under an assumed name. She had told her family, friends, and manager that she would be gone for several months, or longer, and left strict instructions that no one should look for her. Unfortunately for Natalie, that meant if and when a search did begin the trail would be ice cold, and there would be no breadcrumbs left to find.
Natalie’s cell phone and identification had been confiscated during “Reception.” Inmates were not allowed to use the telephone or write letters. This meant Natalie’s fate was now squarely in the hands of the Reformatory’s notoriously harsh Board of Governors, and Natalie was determined to leave nothing to chance.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteNatalie spent the next three months laboring diligently on her “Petition for Clemency.” She filled out dozens of questionnaires, some quite intimate, documenting her character, her past actions, and her complete sexual history, including how many men she had been with, which sexual acts she had performed, and (most embarrassingly) how often she masturbated.
The Headmistress had repeatedly told Natalie that the men reviewing her case prized honesty above all. Natalie had tried to comply, even though she had blushed when she read the questions, blushed when she answered them, and blushed most of all when she thought of the old men who sat on the board reading her sexual confessions.
Despite her embarrassment, Natalie was quite proud of her petition, and felt quite certain it was the finest that had graced the Governor’s table on Mercy Night. Natalie’s vanity peaked as she proudly presented her carefully bound opus to the school secretary, and she had been shocked when the old bitty casually tossed her masterpiece into a large bin containing dozens of other such petitions without even bothering to glance at the cover.
In her hubris Natalie had failed to consider that by submitting herself to the standard review she had inadvertently lumped herself in with all the other delinquents, and her carefully worded request was now buried in an gigantic stack of petitions far less worthy than her own. Her panic grew when she learned that no matter how many cases were too be adjudicated, the Board of Governors took perverse pride in always finishing the entire review process in less than an hour!
As was the custom, on Mercy Night a very anxious Natalie lined up with the other supplicants and literally “toed-the-line” as she waited for the Reformatory’s Board of Governors to parade past her and into the officious chamber to begin the formal review that would decide her fate.
Like the other girls, Natalie would not be allowed to attend the hearing itself. There were dozens of cases to be reviewed, and there was no time for girlish tears or special pleadings that would slow the swift dispensation of justice. Natalie, her heart racing, would stare helplessly at the locked door as her carefully prepared petition was hurried through its perfunctory formal review.
And so Natalie stood, in uniform and at attention, mixed in like her petition amongst the petty thieves, public drunkards, and morally suspect young women whose questionable conduct had earned them a harsh dose of reformatory discipline.
Natalie felt quite distinct from the other girls, for she had never committed an offense that would warrant her incarceration. But she did not LOOK different, and most of the Board Members who toddled past her into the room took no special notice of her. The few who did look at her always started by looking first at her lovely legs, and finished by giving her a knowing smile that made her feel like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Natalie knew she had done nothing wrong. Why, then, did she feel so guilty?
Part Three:
ReplyDeleteNatalie had enrolled herself into the reformatory as “Natalie Cox” as a sly and impish tribute to the Elaine Cox, the reformatory delinquent of the Blue Moon books whose tight bottom and rebellious attitude always inspired the strictest of discipline. It had seemed deliciously witty and clever at the time, but now the choice seemed bitterly ironic. Natalie knew that in her short uniform skirt, blazer and striped tie, she looked very much like Elaine’s impudent American cousin. And that, she feared, is precisely how the Board of Governors would view her, too.
Natalie watched nervously as the final member of the board entered the ornate chamber and closed the door that would separate Natalie from the decision making of her betters.
Natalie shuddered as the bolt locking the door slid into the place with a THUD so heavy that Natalie could feel the vibration in the wooden floorboards beneath her feet. To Natalie, the bolt felt like a trap door opening beneath her, and for a brief instant Natalie’s school tie felt like a coarse rope tightening around her slender throat.
Natalie steadied herself. She was the penultimate good girl. Her petition for clemency had been perfectly prepared. She had committed no crime that would justify confining her further. She had nothing to fear.
Why then was Natalie so desperately afraid?
***
Suggestions (other than including my name!) are welcome!
How about a description of the uniform itself? Perhaps also a bit about how the uniform she now wears compares to what she normally wears. Details make the story seem so much more real to the reader.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MadMonkey! I will try to work a description contrasting the clothes into a future chapter.
ReplyDeleteI wrote quite a bit more, but I’m not sure if there’s any interest in this or not. Here’s a sample from the Mercy Night section. The girls are not allowed to speak at their hearings, but are made to wait in the long hallway outside of the Board of Governor’s ornate conference room as the Governor’s decide their fate behind closed doors. The girls think they are alone, and do not realize that as each of their cases are discussed the Board members are watching them through a hidden camera.
**
By the time Natalie’s image flashed onto the screen in the Governor’s conference room she was a nervous wreck, having spent the better part of forty-five minutes staring at the door while trying to imagine what was being said inside.
Surely the Governor’s would realize that she was not a delinquent, and order her immediately release! If they would just look at her Plea for Clemency… Oh, if only she had some way of appearing before them!
Unbeknownst to Natalie she was appearing before them at this very moment on the gigantic television screen in the front of the room.
The clerk read the charges…or lack thereof: “Natalie Cox, 27, American movie actress, here under an alias. Says she’s research a role, but the Headmaster thinks she slumming.”
“Why hasn’t she been thrashed?” one of the Governor’s asked, reading Natalie’s history over his spectacles.
“She hasn’t done anything,” the clerk explained. “Plus technically she’s a visitor and not an inmate, and the Headmaster was scared to punish her without just cause.”
“I see his point,” Judge Miles said. “Without an original crime, we can’t simply double her sentence.” “Hmmm…her papers are in order, and she has committed no offense.”
“Yes,” one of the other lawyers in the room agreed. “Best to let her go.”
Justice Harding looked at the image on the monitor. On the Hollywood movie screen Natalie was always glamorous, beautiful, and in control. But Natalie Cox, the reformatory inmate was quite the opposite. Nervously biting her lip and shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, she looked precisely like a naughty girl waiting outside of the Principal’s office.
“Who else knows she’s here?” Judge Harding asked.
“No one, sir,” the clerk replied, slightly confused by the seeming irrelevance of the question. “She asked us to keep it a secret.”
Justice Harding ordered a close up on Natalie’s fretful face.
Natalie’s pixie cut was so short that didn’t even cover her ears, which in Judge Harding’s stern, disapproving eyes pegged her an impudent little hoyden in need of a good thrashing. He studied her features closely, watching as eyes darted back and forth from the Governor’s door, and then down to her shoes (a clear mark of shame, the Judge thought), and then back to the door. The image was large enough for him to see the tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and her lovely white teeth as she chewed her lower lip in fearful trepidation. In her nervousness over her hearing Natalie had succumbed to a full blown anxiety attack, which the Judge mistook as incontrovertible evidence of her guilt.
Natalie was innocent, of course, but the image she projected sealed her fate.
“Let’s give her an indeterminate detention,” Justice Harding declared. “That will allow us to reclassify her as a delinquent and give her a proper punishment without the fuss and feathers of a formal trial.”
The other lawyers in the room smiled knowingly. In this context an “indeterminate detention” was a legal loophole designed to keep dangerous suspects in custody until a trial could be arranged or bail could be arranged. Natalie might be freed by a writ... if she had any way of filing one.
Suddenly the wily old Judge’s question made perfect sense. If no one knew she was here, there would be no one to file on her behalf. Practically speaking Natalie’s “indeterminate detention” would become a de facto life sentence....
COMMENTS WELCOME!
Thank you, MadMonkey! I will try to work a description contrasting the clothes into a future chapter.
ReplyDeleteI wrote quite a bit more, but I’m not sure if there’s any interest in this or not. Here’s a sample from the Mercy Night section. The girls are not allowed to speak at their hearings, but are made to wait in the long hallway outside of the Board of Governor’s ornate conference room as the Governor’s decide their fate behind closed doors. The girls think they are alone, and do not realize that as each of their cases are discussed the Board members are watching them through a hidden camera.
**
By the time Natalie’s image flashed onto the screen in the Governor’s conference room she was a nervous wreck, having spent the better part of forty-five minutes staring at the door while trying to imagine what was being said inside.
Surely the Governor’s would realize that she was not a delinquent, and order her immediately release! If they would just look at her Plea for Clemency… Oh, if only she had some way of appearing before them!
Unbeknownst to Natalie she was appearing before them at this very moment on the gigantic television screen in the front of the room.
The clerk read the charges…or lack thereof: “Natalie Cox, 27, American movie actress, here under an alias. Says she’s research a role, but the Headmaster thinks she slumming.”
“Why hasn’t she been thrashed?” one of the Governor’s asked, reading Natalie’s history over his spectacles.
“She hasn’t done anything,” the clerk explained. “Plus technically she’s a visitor and not an inmate, and the Headmaster was scared to punish her without just cause.”
“I see his point,” Judge Miles said. “Without an original crime, we can’t simply double her sentence.” “Hmmm…her papers are in order, and she has committed no offense.”
“Yes,” one of the other lawyers in the room agreed. “Best to let her go.”
Justice Harding looked at the image on the monitor. On the Hollywood movie screen Natalie was always glamorous, beautiful, and in control. But Natalie Cox, the reformatory inmate was quite the opposite. Nervously biting her lip and shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, she looked precisely like a naughty girl waiting outside of the Principal’s office.
“Who else knows she’s here?” Judge Harding asked.
“No one, sir,” the clerk replied, slightly confused by the seeming irrelevance of the question. “She asked us to keep it a secret.”
Justice Harding ordered a close up on Natalie’s fretful face.
Natalie’s pixie cut was so short that didn’t even cover her ears, which in Judge Harding’s stern, disapproving eyes pegged her an impudent little hoyden in need of a good thrashing. He studied her features closely, watching as eyes darted back and forth from the Governor’s door, and then down to her shoes (a clear mark of shame, the Judge thought), and then back to the door. The image was large enough for him to see the tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and her lovely white teeth as she chewed her lower lip in fearful trepidation. In her nervousness over her hearing Natalie had succumbed to a full blown anxiety attack, which the Judge mistook as incontrovertible evidence of her guilt.
Natalie was innocent, of course, but the image she projected sealed her fate.
“Let’s give her an indeterminate detention,” Justice Harding declared. “That will allow us to reclassify her as a delinquent and give her a proper punishment without the fuss and feathers of a formal trial.”
The other lawyers in the room smiled knowingly. In this context an “indeterminate detention” was a legal loophole designed to keep dangerous suspects in custody until a trial could be arranged or bail could be arranged. Natalie might be freed by a writ... if she had any way of filing one.
Suddenly the wily old Judge’s question made perfect sense. If no one knew she was here, there would be no one to file on her behalf. Practically speaking Natalie’s “indeterminate detention” would become a de facto life sentence....
COMMENTS WELCOME!
Thank you, MadMonkey! I will try to work a description contrasting the clothes into a future chapter.
ReplyDeleteI wrote quite a bit more, but I’m not sure if there’s any interest in this or not. Here’s a sample from the Mercy Night section. The girls are not allowed to speak at their hearings, but are made to wait in the long hallway outside of the Board of Governor’s ornate conference room as the Governor’s decide their fate behind closed doors. The girls think they are alone, and do not realize that as each of their cases are discussed the Board members are watching them through a hidden camera.
**
By the time Natalie’s image flashed onto the screen in the Governor’s conference room she was a nervous wreck, having spent the better part of forty-five minutes staring at the door while trying to imagine what was being said inside.
Surely the Governor’s would realize that she was not a delinquent, and order her immediately release! If they would just look at her Plea for Clemency… Oh, if only she had some way of appearing before them!
Unbeknownst to Natalie she was appearing before them at this very moment on the gigantic television screen in the front of the room.
The clerk read the charges…or lack thereof: “Natalie Cox, 27, American movie actress, here under an alias. Says she’s research a role, but the Headmaster thinks she slumming.”
“Why hasn’t she been thrashed?” one of the Governor’s asked, reading Natalie’s history over his spectacles.
“She hasn’t done anything,” the clerk explained. “Plus technically she’s a visitor and not an inmate, and the Headmaster was scared to punish her without just cause.”
“I see his point,” Judge Miles said. “Without an original crime, we can’t simply double her sentence.” “Hmmm…her papers are in order, and she has committed no offense.”
“Yes,” one of the other lawyers in the room agreed. “Best to let her go.”
Justice Harding looked at the image on the monitor. On the Hollywood movie screen Natalie was always glamorous, beautiful, and in control. But Natalie Cox, the reformatory inmate was quite the opposite. Nervously biting her lip and shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, she looked precisely like a naughty girl waiting outside of the Principal’s office.
“Who else knows she’s here?” Judge Harding asked.
“No one, sir,” the clerk replied, slightly confused by the seeming irrelevance of the question. “She asked us to keep it a secret.”
Justice Harding ordered a close up on Natalie’s fretful face.
Natalie’s pixie cut was so short that didn’t even cover her ears, which in Judge Harding’s stern, disapproving eyes pegged her an impudent little hoyden in need of a good thrashing. He studied her features closely, watching as eyes darted back and forth from the Governor’s door, and then down to her shoes (a clear mark of shame, the Judge thought), and then back to the door. The image was large enough for him to see the tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and her lovely white teeth as she chewed her lower lip in fearful trepidation. In her nervousness over her hearing Natalie had succumbed to a full blown anxiety attack, which the Judge mistook as incontrovertible evidence of her guilt.
Natalie was innocent, of course, but the image she projected sealed her fate.
“Let’s give her an indeterminate detention,” Justice Harding declared. “That will allow us to reclassify her as a delinquent and give her a proper punishment without the fuss and feathers of a formal trial.”
The other lawyers in the room smiled knowingly. In this context an “indeterminate detention” was a legal loophole designed to keep dangerous suspects in custody until a trial could be arranged or bail could be arranged. Natalie might be freed by a writ... if she had any way of filing one.
Suddenly the wily old Judge’s question made perfect sense. If no one knew she was here, there would be no one to file on her behalf. Practically speaking Natalie’s “indeterminate detention” would become a de facto life sentence....
COMMENTS WELCOME!
Thank you, MadMonkey! I will try to work a description contrasting the clothes into a future chapter.
ReplyDeleteI wrote quite a bit more, but I’m not sure if there’s any interest in this or not. Here’s a sample from the Mercy Night section. The girls are not allowed to speak at their hearings, but are made to wait in the long hallway outside of the Board of Governor’s ornate conference room as the Governor’s decide their fate behind closed doors. The girls think they are alone, and do not realize that as each of their cases are discussed the Board members are watching them through a hidden camera.
**
By the time Natalie’s image flashed onto the screen in the Governor’s conference room she was a nervous wreck, having spent the better part of forty-five minutes staring at the door while trying to imagine what was being said inside.
Surely the Governor’s would realize that she was not a delinquent, and order her immediately release! If they would just look at her Plea for Clemency… Oh, if only she had some way of appearing before them!
Unbeknownst to Natalie she was appearing before them at this very moment on the gigantic television screen in the front of the room.
The clerk read the charges…or lack thereof: “Natalie Cox, 27, American movie actress, here under an alias. Says she’s research a role, but the Headmaster thinks she slumming.”
“Why hasn’t she been thrashed?” one of the Governor’s asked, reading Natalie’s history over his spectacles.
“She hasn’t done anything,” the clerk explained. “Plus technically she’s a visitor and not an inmate, and the Headmaster was scared to punish her without just cause.”
“I see his point,” Judge Miles said. “Without an original crime, we can’t simply double her sentence.” “Hmmm…her papers are in order, and she has committed no offense.”
“Yes,” one of the other lawyers in the room agreed. “Best to let her go.”
Justice Harding looked at the image on the monitor. On the Hollywood movie screen Natalie was always glamorous, beautiful, and in control. But Natalie Cox, the reformatory inmate was quite the opposite. Nervously biting her lip and shifting her weight from foot-to-foot, she looked precisely like a naughty girl waiting outside of the Principal’s office.
“Who else knows she’s here?” Judge Harding asked.
“No one, sir,” the clerk replied, slightly confused by the seeming irrelevance of the question. “She asked us to keep it a secret.”
Justice Harding ordered a close up on Natalie’s fretful face.
Natalie’s pixie cut was so short that didn’t even cover her ears, which in Judge Harding’s stern, disapproving eyes pegged her an impudent little hoyden in need of a good thrashing. He studied her features closely, watching as eyes darted back and forth from the Governor’s door, and then down to her shoes (a clear mark of shame, the Judge thought), and then back to the door. The image was large enough for him to see the tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead and her lovely white teeth as she chewed her lower lip in fearful trepidation. In her nervousness over her hearing Natalie had succumbed to a full blown anxiety attack, which the Judge mistook as incontrovertible evidence of her guilt.
Natalie was innocent, of course, but the image she projected sealed her fate.
“Let’s give her an indeterminate detention,” Justice Harding declared. “That will allow us to reclassify her as a delinquent and give her a proper punishment without the fuss and feathers of a formal trial.”
The other lawyers in the room smiled knowingly. In this context an “indeterminate detention” was a legal loophole designed to keep dangerous suspects in custody until a trial could be arranged or bail could be arranged. Natalie might be freed by a writ... if she had any way of filing one.
Suddenly the wily old Judge’s question made perfect sense. If no one knew she was here, there would be no one to file on her behalf. Practically speaking Natalie’s “indeterminate detention” would become a de facto life sentence....
COMMENTS WELCOME!
My apologies for the dupes. I got errors when saving, and didn't realize I was posting, so I tried again. Apologies!!
ReplyDeleteCan I second the request for more details of the girls uniform, I was quite distressed to see the details of Miss Wilson's uniform were not given!
ReplyDeleteEddy
I am interested in the questions on masturbation. Do they mean how often she self-abused in her former life or at the reformatory? Is masturbation something that is allowed and perhaps even encouraged at the school, or (seeing the extreme moral laxity among the students) something which is forbidden and controlled as much as possible? Are uniform knickers regularly examined for evidence of staining? Do matrons conduct surprise inspections of the dormitories at night, with sheets pulled down, nighties pulled up, and fingers sniffed?
ReplyDeleteI would also be interested to learn of Natalie's interactions with her fellow inmates. Is she popular? Shunned? Pursued as either potential friend or potential something else? Do any of the other young women there know of her identity as a famous Hollywood starlet, and if so, how does that influence their behavior toward her?
Thank you, kind sir. The nature of your questions suggest you to be a man of sophistication and taste. Come, let me entreat you to join me for a snifter of brandy by the fire, where I will endeavor to respond to your most interesting queries.
ReplyDeleteNatalie’s case is a curious one. Although she enrolled in the reformatory as an inmate, she is not, at least as of yet, a delinquent. If she should leave the reformatory, she would once again be a famous and powerful person, well capable of making trouble for anyone who crossed her. This renders the Headmaster reluctant to punish her, and her fellow students afraid to interact with her in anything but a friendly and respectful way.
Privately, the girls think Natalie is stuck-up, partially because she is an American, partially because she is a Hollywood star, but mostly because she believes herself to be far removed from the “riff-raff” she is imprisoned with. Although she is aware that many of the girls have been convicted on minor (or perhaps even invented) charges, she persists in seeing herself as superior to “hooligans and tarts” she is incarcerated with. Perhaps she is…at least for the moment.
In many ways this is fortunate, for as you perhaps were hinting a number of the girls have established unnatural relationships, and have made some of the more vulnerable girls their “pals,” as it is euphemistically known. With her lovely features and boyish haircut Natalie might quickly become some tomboy’s “pal” if her status as a mere visitor were to be stripped from her.
Such unnatural acts are, of course, strictly forbidden, and girls caught disgracing themselves with their “pals” are severely thrashed. In order to make shame a part of the punishment, the girls are usually required to repeat their disgusting acts in front of the Board of Governors, often on a central table or dais, so the Governor’s can witness their depravity, and set their sentences accordingly.
Much the same, girls caught abusing themselves are often made to perform the act in front of their masters or mistresses, before being thrashed for their actions. Frequent nighttime inspections and “knicker checks” are used to catch culprits in the act. A sound practice, for even good girls can have naughty dreams.
As an additional “treatment” some of Governors will give the girls a good buggering, or require them to satisfy them orally, either before or after their whippings, in order to cure them of their unnatural desires. A tiresome duty, to be sure, but one the Governors are willing to perform, for the sake of the girls, and the morality of the nation.