Our story began here:
Flanked by the guards, and with her heart in her throat, Nancy stepped onto the sunlit platform. At her appearance, a roar went up from the crowd. Lightheaded with overwhelming embarrassment, she looked out to see what looked like the largest crowd that had gathered for a public punishment since Middleburg instituted the practice. The lovely spring weather had indeed brought out the town nearly in full. Nancy’s stomach dropped and her face flared red: she couldn’t believe this was really happening!
Seated to one side was a small group of first time offenders, there to watch her punishment up close and (it was hoped) be deterred from engaging in crime again. Close to the edge of the platform on an armless chair sat the warden, a fit, attractive man in his mid-thirties; to his right sat his young female assistant. Between them stood a microphone stand. Over to the right sat the young, progressive Mayor Wilkins, dressed in shirtsleeves on this fine May morning. It struck Nancy (not for the first time) that, not only was she about to go over the warden’s knee with her bare behind sticking up in his face, but a woman younger than she and the Mayor would be watching her humiliation from a mere several feet away!
The guards brought her to the edge of the platform, so that she was standing between the warden and his assistant. Nancy looked down and was dismayed to see Bobby, the young man she and Kyra had made a point of humiliating on his public punishment day. Her heart sank as she momentarily locked eyes with him and registered his own “sweet revenge” grin. Not far away stood the manager of the store from which Nancy had attempted to steal.
“Hands on your head!” barked the young man who had escorted her to the edge of the platform. She obeyed, closing her eyes against the horror of looking into the faces of any of her appreciative crowd. She was painfully aware of the complete openness of the back of the shift she wore; the fact that her bare bubble butt was on display to the warden, his assistant, and the Mayor was certainly not lost on her. The young man tapped the microphone and pulled a typed statement from the breast pocket of his uniform.
“Mayor Wilkins, Warden Maxwell, Assistant Warden Peabody, ladies and gentlemen of Middleburg.
“You see before you Miss Nancy Ellen Charles, who has been found guilty of petty larceny for the second time. Pursuant to our penal code, she has been sentenced to be publicly spanked and to stand in disgrace for a period of one hour.”
The capacity crowd registered its approval of this announcement with an enthusiastic round of applause. This was, after all, what they had come out to witness.
“Before the sentence is carried out, Mayor Wilkins will say a few words.”
The good-looking 38-year-old politician stood and took the guard’s place at the microphone.
“Good morning, Middleburg!” he called out in a booming voice. The citizens erupted in spontaneous applause for the popular young statesman. He smiled and waited for the applause to die down.
“My fellow citizens, our neighboring towns and cities continue to deal with petty offenders with prison sentences that cost their taxpayers an inordinate amount of money. These sentences often put these individuals in contact with violent offenders and career criminals. As a result, many petty criminals become hardened offenders who commit more serious crimes upon their release.
“Now, in spit of its effectiveness, our detractors in these towns call our penal code ‘archaic, barbaric, and cruel.’”
There was a chorus of “boos” at this statement.
“But what our critics fail to appreciate is that, since we instituted these changes, petty crime has dropped a full 50%. Meanwhile, overall crime is down 35%, making ours the most crime-free town in the state!”
The crowd roared its approval. Still standing with her hands on her head and facing the crowd, Nancy thought she might faint.
“Tell me,” the Mayor went on earnestly, “is it ‘cruel’ to temporarily deny a nonviolent offender a certain amount of modesty, rather than house them with hardened criminals?”
“NO!” shouted the crowd in unison.
“Is it ‘barbaric’ to subject a young man or lady an old-fashioned spanking rather than consign them to a life of crime?”
“NO!”
“I couldn’t agree more. And you, the people of Middleburg, have spoken. Your Town Council has passed with near-unanimity the new penal code, and its results speak for themselves. I say it’s anything but archaic; in fact, it's positively progressive!”
Mayor Wilkins really knew how to work a crowd. They erupted into a great chorus of cheers and self-congratulatory applause. Again, he waited for the noise to die down.
“Then without further ado, I commend Ms. Charles into the very capable hands of our own Warden Maxwell. Warden?”
The Mayor stepped away from the microphone, and the young guard barked, “Nancy Ellen Charles, you may take your place over Warden Maxwell’s lap!”
Nancy turned around, her hands flying instinctively to protect her bare rear, which resulted in chuckles and guffaws from the crowd behind her. The warden beckoned her with one finger. Her stomach was doing aerial maneuvers, and her face flared hotter than ever. Oh my God, she thought, this is really happening...and in front of the whole town!
[END PART TWO]
Copyright Ⓒ 2013 by Aunt Carla
All rights reserved
http://auntcarlascorner.blogspot.com/2013/02/in-front-of-whole-town_6.html
Flanked by the guards, and with her heart in her throat, Nancy stepped onto the sunlit platform. At her appearance, a roar went up from the crowd. Lightheaded with overwhelming embarrassment, she looked out to see what looked like the largest crowd that had gathered for a public punishment since Middleburg instituted the practice. The lovely spring weather had indeed brought out the town nearly in full. Nancy’s stomach dropped and her face flared red: she couldn’t believe this was really happening!
Seated to one side was a small group of first time offenders, there to watch her punishment up close and (it was hoped) be deterred from engaging in crime again. Close to the edge of the platform on an armless chair sat the warden, a fit, attractive man in his mid-thirties; to his right sat his young female assistant. Between them stood a microphone stand. Over to the right sat the young, progressive Mayor Wilkins, dressed in shirtsleeves on this fine May morning. It struck Nancy (not for the first time) that, not only was she about to go over the warden’s knee with her bare behind sticking up in his face, but a woman younger than she and the Mayor would be watching her humiliation from a mere several feet away!
The guards brought her to the edge of the platform, so that she was standing between the warden and his assistant. Nancy looked down and was dismayed to see Bobby, the young man she and Kyra had made a point of humiliating on his public punishment day. Her heart sank as she momentarily locked eyes with him and registered his own “sweet revenge” grin. Not far away stood the manager of the store from which Nancy had attempted to steal.
“Hands on your head!” barked the young man who had escorted her to the edge of the platform. She obeyed, closing her eyes against the horror of looking into the faces of any of her appreciative crowd. She was painfully aware of the complete openness of the back of the shift she wore; the fact that her bare bubble butt was on display to the warden, his assistant, and the Mayor was certainly not lost on her. The young man tapped the microphone and pulled a typed statement from the breast pocket of his uniform.
“Mayor Wilkins, Warden Maxwell, Assistant Warden Peabody, ladies and gentlemen of Middleburg.
“You see before you Miss Nancy Ellen Charles, who has been found guilty of petty larceny for the second time. Pursuant to our penal code, she has been sentenced to be publicly spanked and to stand in disgrace for a period of one hour.”
The capacity crowd registered its approval of this announcement with an enthusiastic round of applause. This was, after all, what they had come out to witness.
“Before the sentence is carried out, Mayor Wilkins will say a few words.”
The good-looking 38-year-old politician stood and took the guard’s place at the microphone.
“Good morning, Middleburg!” he called out in a booming voice. The citizens erupted in spontaneous applause for the popular young statesman. He smiled and waited for the applause to die down.
“My fellow citizens, our neighboring towns and cities continue to deal with petty offenders with prison sentences that cost their taxpayers an inordinate amount of money. These sentences often put these individuals in contact with violent offenders and career criminals. As a result, many petty criminals become hardened offenders who commit more serious crimes upon their release.
“Now, in spit of its effectiveness, our detractors in these towns call our penal code ‘archaic, barbaric, and cruel.’”
There was a chorus of “boos” at this statement.
“But what our critics fail to appreciate is that, since we instituted these changes, petty crime has dropped a full 50%. Meanwhile, overall crime is down 35%, making ours the most crime-free town in the state!”
The crowd roared its approval. Still standing with her hands on her head and facing the crowd, Nancy thought she might faint.
“Tell me,” the Mayor went on earnestly, “is it ‘cruel’ to temporarily deny a nonviolent offender a certain amount of modesty, rather than house them with hardened criminals?”
“NO!” shouted the crowd in unison.
“Is it ‘barbaric’ to subject a young man or lady an old-fashioned spanking rather than consign them to a life of crime?”
“NO!”
“I couldn’t agree more. And you, the people of Middleburg, have spoken. Your Town Council has passed with near-unanimity the new penal code, and its results speak for themselves. I say it’s anything but archaic; in fact, it's positively progressive!”
Mayor Wilkins really knew how to work a crowd. They erupted into a great chorus of cheers and self-congratulatory applause. Again, he waited for the noise to die down.
“Then without further ado, I commend Ms. Charles into the very capable hands of our own Warden Maxwell. Warden?”
The Mayor stepped away from the microphone, and the young guard barked, “Nancy Ellen Charles, you may take your place over Warden Maxwell’s lap!”
Nancy turned around, her hands flying instinctively to protect her bare rear, which resulted in chuckles and guffaws from the crowd behind her. The warden beckoned her with one finger. Her stomach was doing aerial maneuvers, and her face flared hotter than ever. Oh my God, she thought, this is really happening...and in front of the whole town!
[END PART TWO]
Copyright Ⓒ 2013 by Aunt Carla
All rights reserved
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