It was two full days before Deborah apologized and during their tearful reunion Deborah unveiled her plan.

"Please Debs don't do it," Nicola Jane begged her. "You'll catch hell if you're caught."

Deborah grinned, "I won't get caught, I've got it all worked out."

Nicola Jane shook her head, "It's too dangerous, but if you've made up your mind at least let me come along and run doggo for you."

"Don't be wet Rosie," Deborah said kindly, "I've made up my mind and that's that."

Nicola Jane pouted.

Deborah hugged her, "Wish me luck."

Chapter 3 - A Time to Confess.

Ms. Lawton's entrance to the assembly hall was quite formidable. The doors crashed closed behind her and she mounted the steps to the stage two at a time. No sooner had the assembled Gals begun to rise to their feet than they were curtly commanded to sit down. The Headmistress banged her hand down on the table.

"I want to know who was responsible for the despicable activities in the science block last night," she roared, "I don't care how long it takes but I will find out. Until the culprit comes forward all privileges and recreational activities are canceled for the whole school."

Her face was red with rage and she was visibly shaking as she faced the school.

>From towards the back of the hall a chair scraped on the wooden floor and the sound of footsteps caused every head in the hall to turn.

Calmly Deborah approached the stage. While the schoolgals gaped Deborah faced the Headmistress.

"I'm responsible ma'am," she said in a clear voice.

Ms. Lawton's chin dropped, she simply stared. Her face went from a ruddy flush to a pale haunted color. She was visibly shaken.

"You Deborah?" she asked incredulously.

Deborah nodded, "Yes ma'am" she said firmly.

The Headmistress breathed heavily, "Go and wait outside my study. I would like to proceed with assembly," she said quietly.

Standing outside the Headmistress's study Deborah complimented herself on her composure. When her plan had gone awry she had panicked badly and had sneaked back to bed in a cold sweat. She had hardly been able to sleep, her heart had pounded and her stomach had churned billiously, but as the lonely night had passed she had steadied her nerves and prepared herself to face the inevitable music.

Chapter 4 - Up before the Beak.

Ms. Lawton leaned back in her wing backed chair and stared thoughtfully at the Gal standing before her. Deborah had paid particular attention to her preparations that morning. Her uniform was perfectly pressed, her shoes shone, her face was scrubbed and gleaming, and her mane of blonde hair was brushed back from her face and gathered into a tidy pony tail. Standing smartly to attention, in the centre of the thick pile carpet, Deborah Morton looked a vision of angelic youthful innocence. Ms. Lawton wasn't fooled for a moment.

"It is difficult to know where to begin Morton," she said slowly. "There must be some explanation for an act of such indescribable vandalism."

Deborah returned the Headmistress's gimlet glare unflinchingly. "It was a prank ma'am."

"A prank Morton? You leave a terrified horse in the Science lab, expensive equipment has been damaged, the laboratory will be a health hazard for days, and you call it a prank?"

"I didn't mean to scare the horse ma'am."

"You take a horse into strange surroundings and you don't think that's cruel?"

"I brought it oats and hay ma'am."

The Headmistress let out a disgusted sigh. She suddenly stood up and leant forward across the desk.

"IT WAS THE MOST STUPID, CRUEL AND THOUGHTLESS ACT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF!" she bellowed. "I OUGHT TO RUN YOU OUT OF THIS SCHOOL THIS VERY MINUTE!"

Deborah didn't flinch, "I'm sorry I scared the horse and I'm sorry about the damage, but it was still a prank...ma'am," she said firmly.

The Headmistress slammed her hand on the desk. "I'M SURE YOU'RE SORRY NOW BUT NOT HALF AS SORRY AS YOU'RE GOING TO BE!" Unblinkingly Deborah continued to stare steadily back at Ms. Lawton. Their eyes held for a short moment, the Headmistress's filled with anger, Deborah's non-committal.

Finally the Headmistress sat down. Deborah's icy calm was beginning to disconcert her.

Ms. Lawton leant forward in her seat, placed her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on her the back of her hands. She breathed deeply. She waited for her fury to subside.

"This is a very difficult situation Morton, you have caused damage to school property, incapacitated a laboratory so badly the curriculum has been interrupted, you have caused untold harm to a defenseless horse, not to mention having the whole school up halfway through the night. Do you understand the seriousness of the trouble you're in?"

Deborah nodded, "Yes ma'am," she said firmly, "I know that it all looks bad but it was a prank and it all went frightfully wrong."

Getting the horse out of the stables had proved more difficult than expected. It had neighed and whinnied so loudly that Debs had almost abandoned the operation at its inception. The Gal had managed to pacify the animal with kind words and sugar treats and had eventually managed to get the mufflers onto its hooves.

Crossing the quadrangle had been nerve-racking, there were still lights in the windows of the floors of the main building occupied by the teachers and sixth formers. Deborah had gently sweet talked the mare across the grass, terrified that any second an innocent glance would expose her. Her luck held and she reached the dark safety of the entrance to the science lab. She opened the door and led the horse into the laboratory. She passed through the entrance lobby and went into the chemistry room. Gently she stroked the animal and whispered sweet nothings. She fed it sugar and then laid out some hay at the back of the room and hung a feeding bag around its neck.

She kissed the horse gently. "Be quiet now," she pleaded, "be a good horsy and go to sleep."

The horse appeared to be content to munch on its food. Deborah patted her again and slowly moved away. She backed out of the door, her heart thumping. Suddenly there was an almighty crash of breaking glass and the horse let out an ear shattering bray. Deborah's heart missed a beat, she rushed back into the room, the horse neighed again and then promptly dropped its load on the floor. Deborah stared incredulously. She tried to calm the horse's distress but it had worked itself into a frenzy. She had shattered the glass in the front of a cabinet and kicked several stools across the room, making them good for tinder wood.

Deborah's mind was racing. She had to think of something, the cacophony of braying and breaking was doubtless audible clear across the quad. The smell of equine defecation was becoming sickening. Deborah snatched up a rag from a sink and blindfolded the horse. Slowly the distressed animal responded to the hapless Gals desperate entreaties. Shaking its head twice and blowing through its nostrils it let out a disgruntled snort and buried its face in the feed bag.

Deborah surveyed the damage and momentarily hung her head.

"Jeepers," she mumbled to herself, "I've really torn it now."

She crossed to the window and peeped out. "Crikey" she gasped. Bustling across the quadrangle was Ms. MacAllister, closely followed by Ms. Hodge, the Deputy Headmistress. Frantically Deborah raced towards the door. If she was lucky she could escape into the shadows before the two mistresses reached the building. As she rushed out she caught sight of the thick leather tawse that hung from a hook beside the blackboard. The mere sight of the dreaded strap gave her supernatural powers and she bounded through the lobby and out into the darkness just moments before the mistresses arrived on site.

Deborah stood panting in the shadows. She cautiously peered around the corner of the laboratory, she knew she had to make a break for it. In a few moments the mistresses would be waking up the school and pursuing the culprit. Deborah shivered, then plucking up her courage she bolted across to the main building and slipped through the window that she had left ajar.

She'd only just made it back to the study that she shared with Nicola Jane before lights went on all over the school. Hurriedly she changed into her pajamas and slid under the covers. When the light in the room snapped on Deborah feigned sleep, for a second Ms. MacAllister stood in the doorway, the fearsome strap in hand. She shut off the light and Deborah breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a fair bet that she was in deep trouble in the coming morning but it was an equally good bet that if Ms. MacAllister had caught her then the mistress would have felt no compunction about taking that strap to Deborah's backside before escorting the Gal up in front of the Headmistress.

The Headmistress pressed a buzzer on the side of her desk and, shortly Matron entered the office. Ms. Lawton instructed the young matron to bring in Deborah's file.

"I'm going to call your parents and discuss this matter with them," she told the errant schoolgal, "go and stand in the corridor, face the wall with your hands on your head. I want toes and nose touching the wall."

Deborah had plenty of time to ruminate on her fate as she stood with her nose pressed to the wall and her arms raised uncomfortably above her head. Her arms and neck ached but she dared not move as the Headmistress had positioned her in direct view of her desk. Deborah couldn't hear the conversation Ms. Lawton was conducting on the telephone but it seemed to go on interminably. Deborah was certain that her parents would not be enjoying Ms. Lawton's grim account of recent events.

"MORTON, GET IN HERE!"

Deborah rubbed her aching arms as she walked into the office. She faced the Headmistress as calmly as she could. Beneath her crisp white blouse her heart was beating steadily faster.

"It gives me no pleasure to expel a Gal from this school. It makes me feel like I have failed in my duties. However it is an option that from time to time I feel compelled to exercise."

The Headmistress spoke slowly, letting each word to sink in. Deborah struggled to keep her expression blank. SACKED! Her heart thudded, CHUCKED OUT IN DISGRACE! For the first time she felt her nerve going. It was years since a Gal had been sacked. She desperately tried to disguise her panic.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how disappointed, embarrassed and angry your parents are over this affair. Sending you down would be perfectly warranted following such a cruel and thoughtless performance."

She glared at the wretched schoolgal.

"However," she said finally, " I know that you are not a malicious child by nature and that this is a more complex matter than just a prank. I discussed with your father a number of possibilities, including sending you down. He has left the decision up to me. Before I decide I would like you to explain to me what provoked this outrage. Would I be right in assuming that this was instigated by your being caned last week?"

Deborah nodded slowly.

"I didn't think it was fair ma'am," she said carefully.

"Pray tell me why not Morton, you know the rules and you were present in assembly when I warned the school that I would not tolerate the decline in appearance that had become very apparent of late. You chose to ignore the warning so I punished you, just as I would have any other Gal. It was an open and closed matter."

"I didn't exactly ignore your warning ma'am, it was an oversight."

"Was your top button fastened Morton?"

"No ma'am."

"Was your tie dangling?"

"Not exactly ma'am."

"Was it or not?" the Head snapped sharply.

"It was a little down ma'am, not dangling."

The Headmistress shook her head, "The rules are clear Morton. A Gals blouse collar must be fastened and the knot of her tie must cover the top button at all times. Was your appearance on the day in question in conformance with this regulation?"

"I suppose not ma'am."

"Yes or no will suffice, Morton!" Ms. Lawton said irritably. "Just answer the question!"

"No ma'am."

"Thank you, Morton." The Headmistress leaned back in the chair. "You are not the first Gal I have caned in recent weeks for the same offense, it vexes me why you should think I should have offered you preferential treatment."

"I'm not saying that ma'am, but six of the best for having my tie undone seemed a bit stiff."

"You talked yourself into six of the best Morton, you chose to act in a most belligerent manner. I am not much fond of belligerence. You were only partly caned for your uniform abuse, the severity of your punishment was due to your gross disobedience."

Deborah was determined to make her case. "I may have deserved to be caned but you shouldn't have spanked me like some Little Brat. It simply wasn't fair."

The Headmistress smiled for the first time. "Be honest Morton, this is the crux of the matter isn't it. All this trouble for a couple of slaps on your bottom. If you'd been simply caned you might have been upset but none of this would have happened."

Deborah pouted sullenly.

Ms. Lawton stared thoughtfully at the Gal for a full minute.

Finally she nodded her head sagely. "So Deborah Morton of the fifth form thinks that she is too important for such petty little punishments. She would prefer a gala performance I suppose. Something to show what a mature young lady she is. Well you've got it Morton. I will not expel you on this occasion but I will honor you with the grand production you seem to desire."

She smiled sweetly.

"During callover this evening you will receive twelve strokes of the senior cane in front of the assembled school."

It was worse than Deborah had expected. She had long resigned herself to the likelihood of a Public Flogging, but the maximum that anybody had ever received was nine strokes. Momentarily Deborah's blank expression broke and to the Headmistress's great surprise an enigmatic smile flickered across her lips.

Chapter 5 - The Waiting game (part one).

Deborah cleaned and scrubbed, waxed and polished the science laboratory until it gleamed. Her arms ached from her exertions. Her knees were sore from kneeling on the hard wood floor. Sitting up at the front desk was the Deputy Head Prefect, cramming for the upcoming end of term exams. Chrissie Cobb was not happy to have to leave the relative comfort of her study to oversee Deborah's cleaning activities and had made it very clear to the errant schoolgal that she would feel no compunction, whatsoever, about taking her whippy ashplant to Deborah's bumbags should the opportunity present itself.

Deborah was served a solitary lunch in the punishment room at the back of the school, overseen by Angela Evans. Even the serene Angela was not best pleased to spend her lunch hour in the austere room at the back of the school. The sight of so many canes and slippers and hairbrushes hanging ominously from hooks along the wall were unsettling and brought back unpleasant memories for both Gals. After eating her lunch Deborah was once again positioned hands on head, face to the wall, while they waited for the bell to ring to summons the school back to class.

When the bell rang Deborah was taken to an empty classroom and set to work on her books for the duration of afternoon school. It was a long and lonely day, communications were limited to curt instructions and she concentrated on her tasks with silent obedience.

For the most part, however, Deborah remained in remarkably good spirits. She was determined to tough out her punishment, suffer in heroic silence, eradicate her earlier ignominy and thus return herself to her rightful position, as, La Debs, the most admired Gal in the school.

Chapter 6 - An Warm Aperitif.

By the time that Deborah Morton was escorted back to Ms. Lawton's study the Headmistress of Woody's was fully determined to teach the willful fifth former the lesson of her young life. As Deborah crossed the room towards her desk Ms. Lawton rose from her seat and came to intercept her. Wordlessly she gripped the Gal by the elbow and led her into the adjoining room. She quickly walked Deborah across to a sofa, sat down and without undue ceremony grabbed the Gals left wrist and pulled her face downwards across her lap. Ms. Lawton noted with some pleasure that Deborah tried to pull back as she was turned down over her knee and couldn't help noticing the ghastly set of the Gal's mouth as she tumbled forward.

The Headmistress slapped the back of the Gals' legs, "Full drape please Deborah and lets have your bottom up so I can see it."

Deborah shuffled miserably across the Headmistress's lap so that her weight was fully supported. The Gal from the Remove stretched her legs straight in one direction and her arms in the other. Over her shoulder she watched her skirt being turned back and then she was forced to raise her hips slightly to allow her knickers to be yanked downwards. Deborah's cheeks and eyes burned in helpless indignation. The first slap made her blink. She hung her head and gritted her teeth.

The Headmistress warmed to her work. She worked up and down Deborah's buttocks, slapping first one cheek and then the other. There was no doubt that Deborah was soon feeling the heat, as her bottom reddened it began to wriggle and twitch. From her upside down position Ms. Lawton could hear the fifth former's breath coming out in hisses and pants. The tips of Deborah's pointed shoes began to beat a short tattoo on the carpet and when one particularly resounding slap made contact the Gals back arched and she threw a beseeching look over her shoulder.

It was a long and juicy spanking, delivered by a prolific and practiced spanker. It only came to an end when the Headmistress's hand was stinging to much to continue. She took the hapless schoolgal by the shoulder pulled her back until she was kneeling at her side.

The Headmistress stood up, smoothed her skirt and blew on her hand. "Stand up Gal and rearrange your clothing you look ridiculous down there."

For a moment she thought that Deborah would burst into tears. The great equalizer, the Headmistress mused, a good old fashioned over the knee spanking.

Somehow Deborah managed to get to her feet and yank up her knickers with a modicum of dignity. She was wide eyed and panting as she straightened her skirt, her hands momentarily clasping at her chastened orbs.

The Headmistress touched her on the shoulder, "I'm going to leave you for a few minutes to gather your thoughts Deborah, then I'm afraid I must ask you to go with Matron for some of the final preparations."

Chapter 7 - The waiting game (part 2)

Left alone Deborah Morton shoved her hands inside her knickers and rubbed furiously at the heat. The spanking had taken her by surprise. Although it had lasted far longer than any spanking she had ever received before and had caused significant discomfort her pride had been hurt the most. She hadn't been spanked since she was a Little Brat. Golly, if anybody ever found out that she, Deborah Morton, had been treated with such high handed disdain she would be japed mercillessly. She would die of shame. She shook her head, she wouldn't tell a soul and she was sure Ms. Lawton wouldn't either. Her mind was racing again, it was little more than an hour to callover and her bottom was already on fire. She stomped up and down, tried to dance away the heat. She had to get a hold on herself, she couldn't breakdown now.

Shortly, she found herself escorted to the Assembly Hall where she was made to stand on the stage in front a vaulting horse that had been brought from the gymnasium. Katie Beck was adjusting the horse so that the top lined up with Deborah's waist.

"Bend over Deborah, reach down to the bottom rail."

"B...b...bend over?" Deborah gasped in disbelief, "B...b...but callover ain't for thirty minutes, don't you know."

Katie giggled, "Don't be such a muff, I just want to test the height. Now bend over before I take my slipper to your backside."

Deborah laughed half heartedly then meekly bent over until she could reach the rail.

"Comfortable?"

Deborah grunted and felt herself helped up.

Matron grinned wickedly, she adjusted the height of the horse by three inches.

"Oh Matron that's not fair," Deborah wailed plaintively. She knew that the extra height would leave her totally helpless. "Please lower it."

"I'm sorry Debs, I don't make the rules, and I'm not about to disobey them," Matron giggled. "At least not in these skimpy knickers."

Chapter 8 - Fit for a Princess.

When Deborah returned to Ms. Lawton's study she was met by a Headmistress in ample good humor. Delivering such a well deserved spanking had done much to satisfy her ire.

Standing neatly to attention before her, Deborah Morton was dressed in a clean, starched white blouse, fresh from the laundry. Her black and red striped tie was neatly knotted at the neck and the tails tucked into the waistband of white cotton gym shorts that Matron had selected for her. When she had stepped into the shorts Deborah had been forced to wriggle and squirm to get them up over her hips. A size too small for comfort, and as she had been instructed to leave her navy blue knickers in her locker, they chaffed the raw, well spanked, flesh they covered. Her ankle socks were turned over and her pointy toed black flat heeled shoes shone admirably. She had brushed her hair with fifty strokes before sliding it back under a red hair band. Her scrubbed face had no trace of even the meager amount of make-up that senior Woody Gals were allowed.

The Headmistress nodded with satisfaction, the Gal was obviously taking her part seriously.

Deborah had never seen Ms. Lawton look so good. The Headmistress of the school was always an elegant dresser but this evening she had taken particular care over her appearance. She wore a beautifully cut black silk suit over a white on white blouse. The stiffened collar of the blouse was turned up at the back, the front wings lay out across the lapels of her jacket.. A handkerchief flowered from the pocket of her jacket, a silver broach was clipped to the opposite lapel. The skirt of her suit tapered down to just below her knees, her long slender legs were covered by dark stockings. For footwear she had chosen a pair of matte black high heeled shoes that showed the exquisite line of her ankles to great effect. Around her neck she wore a simple string of pearls. Her hair was neatly coiffed and her make-up discrete and immaculate. Deborah wondered whether she should be flattered.

The Headmistress smiled at Deborah, "I have a surprise for you Deborah. One that I think you'll enjoy. Please be so kind as to go over to the dresser and bring me the box from the drawer."

Deborah found an ornately carved box and brought it to the Headmistress.

"Open the box Deborah."

Not to sure she needed any more surprises Deborah nonetheless complied. She lifted the lid and blinked. Inside the box inlaid in a lush velvet cushion was a long crook handled cane. Deborah swallowed hard.

"Please pick it up Deborah, flex it, swing it."

Deborah recoiled, "I'd rather not if you don't mind."

"Please," the Headmistress said mildly, "be my guest."

The Gal took out the cane and bent it tentatively. She winced as she sliced it through the air.

For the first time she grinned, albeit unconvincingly. "Looks like it might do the job."

The Headmistress laughed. "Let me tell you about this cane Deborah. Several years ago I was requested to admit to this school a princess. A very naughty princess. She had caused her father a great embarrassment and he wished to teach her a lesson. It was stipulated that if she should be punished it would be by myself and in the privacy of this office. It was further stipulated that she should not be punished with a cane that had been used on a commoner and this cane was crafted by the finest cane maker in the kingdom. I used that cane three times before her father felt she had learnt her lesson and after donating the science laboratory to the school she was returned to her family. Three times Deborah, each time a bare bender for a princess. You consider yourself something of a princess Deborah so I have decided to use it for today's performance."

Deborah was not sure whether she was being complimented.

They walked to the hall in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Deborah kept stride with the Headmistress. She held her head high and kept her gaze fixed straight ahead. Her bottom still tingled warmly from the vigorous spanking and she knew the flesh would be tender under the harsh lick of the cane. It was her plan to grace the stage as it had never been graced before. She was determined that if tongues were wagging they would be wagging with praise. She also knew she would have to be brave. Very brave indeed.

The Headmistress had long admired Deborah's spunky stoicism and she dearly hoped that her favorite pupil would have the strength of character to take her medicine without any unpleasant fuss. Ms. Lawton hated fuss.

Chapter 9 - Centre Stage

The Headmistress held the door for Deborah and they entered the Assembly Hall. There was a grinding of seats as the Gals rose to greet the Headmistress. Deborah stepped up onto the stage and stood beside the vaulting horse. She clasped her hands in front of her and gazed out over the assembled congregation. She had certainly filled the house. Callover was normally overseen by the duty mistress, the Head Prefect and her deputy. This evening, the hall was packed to the rafters, every teacher in the school was seated on the stage and the walls were lined with prefects.

The Headmistress placed the ornate box on the table and ordered the school to take their seats. Unhurriedly she asked Angela Evans to step onto the stage and proceed with registration.

As she passed by Deborah, Angela threw her a sympathetic glance, La Debs winked. The Head Prefect called registration efficiently and when she called Deborah's name the Gal on the stage turned to face her and replied in a voice filled with irony, "Yes, Evans, I'm here."

Even the Headmistress grinned at that.

Finally the Head Prefect returned to her place by the wall and the Headmistress stood up. She moved to the front of the stage and addressed the school. She did not labor the point, she admonished Deborah's behavior, expressed her regrets and informed the school of her intention to punish the fifth former soundly. During her speech Deborah was pulling sarcastic faces at the Gals who sat before her. They began to chuckle and were immediately silenced by the Headmistress but when she turned suspiciously to look at the Gal Deborah's expression was one of stony indifference.

When the Head turned to open the ornate box Deborah spotted her chum Nicola Jane Nixon waving crossed fingers from the back of the hall, Deborah winked again. The schoolgals chuckled behind their hands. If the Headmistress was aware of Deborah's performance she chose to ignore it. She took the long crook handled cane from the box and turned to face her victim. She held the long thin cane between both hands and flexed it into an arc.

"Assume the position Morton," she instructed.

Deborah turned and faced the vaulting horse. Due to the extra three inches that Matron had raised the top the schoolgal had to tiptoe up as she bent forward at the waist. She reached down and gripped the rail, her hips rested on the top of the horse, she was balanced on the tips of her toes.

The school was treated to the sight of Deborah's bottom, shrouded in the skin tight white gym shorts, as it sat up proud and defenseless.

The Headmistress stood to the left of Deborah and placed the cane on the upturned moons and tapped the stick down gently to gauge her distance. The tight gym shorts made Deborah's slightly plump rump an especially enticing target. She tapped the cane down a second time and then a third.

Deborah closed her eyes tightly.

Satisfied Ms. Lawton raised the cane high above her head and brought her arm down in a full blooded swipe. The cane sliced through the air with a sharp whistle and rebounded off Deborah's backside with a resounding crack.

Deborah felt the breath knocked from her and she held onto the rail with a vice like grip. A line of scalding fire flashed across her tender behind. If the first stripe was anything to go by Deborah was about to experience an exceptionally painful few minutes.

The cane swished and thwacked again, Deborah felt as if every nerve end in her body had been sent into a hot prickly dance. The third slashed downwards and the hapless schoolgal felt giddy with pain. The collar of her blouse felt like it was choking her and her eyes prickled with hot tears that she wouldn't let fall.

The Beak delivered stroke after stroke with deadly force. By the seventh stroke Deborahs buttocks were evenly covered with hot stripes from top to bottom. The eighth and ninth strokes began to merge with the existing stripes but somehow Deborah retained her position without moving and was showing no indication of the trauma she was suffering. Ms. Lawton felt cheated, she was giving it her best and was getting no reaction. She set her mouth in a determined manner and took a tight grip on the cane.

"Lets see how you like this," the Headmistress thought silently then raised the cane even higher and brought her arm down from full stretch. The cane slashed across the target with a terrible crack, as if a rifle shot had been fired.

Deborah struggling to stay silent had stuffed her tie in her mouth and she bit into it in a frothing frenzied agony. Somewhere in the distance she heard an audible gasp.

The Headmistress stared at the cane in horror, upon its devastating impact the cane had snapped off at the end. The princess's cane was broken.

For a moment Ms. Lawton was at a loss as how to proceed. There was no time to send for another cane from her office, she couldn't leave Deborah folded over the horse. Her mind raced.

"Christine bring me your ashplant," she commanded. Quickly the Deputy Head Prefect came onto the stage and handed the Headmistress the short swishy stick that she was required to carry under her arm at all times.

Deborah had no idea what was going on she just wanted the last two strokes to be over with. Her bottom felt fried and frazzled, all her blood seemed to have rushed to her head making her feel dizzy and her tie stuffed in her mouth was almost making her gag.

The Headmistress flexed the ashplant with obvious displeasure. The light rod seemed like a mere twig after the regal stick that now lay cast aside, pathetically broken.

The Headmistress shrugged off her jacket and tossed it to one side. She turned back the right sleeve of her blouse, flexed her muscles, then said, "I'm sorry Morton, this ashplant is most unsuitable, I'm afraid I must give you two additional strokes to make up for its inadequacy."

The school gasped audibly. Deborah, in her upside down position, could hardly believe her ears. She vainly tried to object but before she could get her tie out of her mouth her ass was under fire once again. Deborah's head was spinning at an alarming rate as the twelth stroke whistled through the air. She clenched her teeth as the nerve jangling implosion racked through her body. The thirteenth stroke followed swiftly with the same cobra's venom. Deborah gripped the rail in white knuckle desperation. By now she could hardly breathe through the bile filling her throat and nose, her mouth was filled with wet material and her bottom throbbed and ached and burned.

The Headmistress let the cane fall by her side for a moment. She studied the white target thoughtfully. Deborah had not flinched or moved, not a sound had uttered from her lips, Ms. Lawton was sure that if she put her hands close to the Gal's backside she would be able to warm them as in front of a well-stoked coal fire. The Headmistress lifted the cane for the final time.

The Gals in the assembly hall watched in mute horror as the Headmistress's arm went up. A good number of the Gals congregated had experienced a taste of a Prefects ashplant during their stay at Woody's and were well able to confirm that, despite the Headmistress's reservations, the ashplant, in accomplished hands was more than adequate to stir up the proverbial hornet's nest.

When the ash came down with a terrific swipe not a single Gal in the hall would have swapped places in those gym shorts. The stick lashed diagonally across Deborah's bottom, cruelly crossing each of the previous tramlines, the impact echoing around the hall.

Deborah nearly screamed. She wanted to howl, to yell, to open the floodgates and let all the tears burn down her cheeks. Instead she held her breath and prayed that the wave of agony would pass quickly. She spat out her tie. She ran the sleeve of her blouse over her eyes and nose. She hung upside down and tried to start to breathe normally. She took her time before she pushed herself up As she tried to stand up her knees wobbled and Ms. Lawton put her hand on her shoulder to steady her. Deborah Morton roughly shrugged the Headmistress's assistance away and leant against the vaulting horse. She took a deep breath before she turned and faced the school.

The hall was silent. Every Gal was watching Deborah in disbelieving silence. Despite her chalk white face and the thin set of her lips, she remained defiant. She brushed some hair from her face, tucked her gooey tie back in her gym shorts and calmly stared out at the assembled schoolgals. Even the teachers seemed uncomfortable.

Finally the Headmistress spoke. Her voice was quiet and lacked its usual authority.

"You may retire to your study now Morton," she told Deborah.

The recalcitrant Gal from the Remove looked at the Headmistress contemptuously. "You wanted to thrash me, well now you have. I hope you enjoyed it," her voice was clear and bold. When she had finished speaking she turned on her heel and walked towards the steps. Suddenly she turned around and curtsied.

"Thank you Ma'am," she said sarcastically, "You won't have to beat me again."

As she hurried from the stage her heart was pounding and her bottom felt like a cauldron filled with spicy ingredients each competing for who could make the gumbo hottest. All the while she was waiting to be called back, but in a moment the doors of the hall were swinging behind her and to her great relief she was free.

Chapter 10 - Back in the Clubhouse

Deborah gamely put on a brave face as friend after friend popped their heads around the study door and offered their sympathies. From grubbys and juniors to seniors and prefects they treated Deborah with an almost regal reverence. The Head Prefect and her deputy came and shook hands, even two of the younger mistresses came and applauded Deborah's courage and dignity.

When three little tykes from the third form came to poke fun Nicola Jane chased them with a rounders bat, classmates swiftly intervened and the three luckless juniors found themselves dragged into the fifth form common room where ears were twisted, Chinese burns were administered, dead legs and arms delivered with clinical efficiency before they were chased from the corridor with plimsolls slapping at the seats of their skirts as they ran wailing away.

Deborah had been leaning against the mantelpiece since her stream of well wishers had begun, desperately trying to ignore the flames that raged inside the navy blue knickers she had changed back into. She smiled and thanked the Gals for their concern, even wisecracking when she could. Finally Deborah's resolve broke and asked her friend to close the door and let her recover in peace.

"Jeepers that hurt," she hissed through clenched teeth, her hands rubbing and kneading at the raw weal's that stood up in tram lines across her burning buttocks. Nicola Jane hugged her, tears welling in her eyes, "I'm so sorry Debs I let you down, if I'd been with you this might never have happened."

Deborah hugged her friend back, "Don't be a chump Nicola, there's nothing you could have done and you would have ended up in the same trouble as me."

"I don't care," Nicola Jane said forlornly. "At least you wouldn't have been alone. I'll never forgive myself. After all it would only have meant whops."

Deborah hugged her chum even tighter, "I suppose you're right Nix, it was only whops." Then they were hugging each other and sobbing together and Deborah began to feel better. "Yes," she told herself, "it was only whops."