Cynthia Won't Listen

A few weeks later, Adam and Ben come into our house, looking quite upset. "Your sister has messed up again," Adam blurted out. They explain that Cynthia had apparently met secretly in the boathouse with Eliah, to whom she is betrothed, so they could get to know each other. Fortunately, no "unchaste acts" had occurred, but this time, because she was a repeat offender, the punishment would surely be even more severe.

Back at my parents' farm, Cynthia is locked in an iron cage high up in the barn. On Sunday, the boys load the iron cage onto a pickup truck, which drives it to the central village square. The entire community assembles there after the church service. A large wooden wheel is already lying on the ground. The Reverend steps forward; behind him sit the Elders, including my father. Cynthia, wearing a simple white linen dress, is taken out of the cage by two strong men and **** to kneel before the Reverend.

"Cynthia, you have sinned again. A Quiver girl is forbidden from having contact with her future husband before marriage. You and Eliah did not abide by this. Therefore, you will now be delivered to your punishment." "Yes, Lord, I have sinned, but I did not want to enter marriage unprepared; I wanted to get to know and learn to love my future husband." "Silence, and receive your punishment now. Put her in the costume of the first original sinner."

At these words, the two men rip the dress from Cynthia’s body in tatters, so that she now stands completely naked before everyone. Then she is brought to the wooden wheel and fastened to it like an X. The wheel is then set upright, so that she stands there completely defenseless. The Reverend speaks again.

"As punishment, you will receive 30 lashes with the bullwhip. The punishment will be carried out by Eliah—on one hand as a punishment for him, and on the other as a lesson in how he must handle this fury of a woman in the future."

Eliah steps forward in traditional Sunday clothes, holding a leather bullwhip in his hand. I think to myself: "Poor Cynthia. Eliah cannot show any weakness, so he will carry out the punishment harshly."

Eliah steps behind Cynthia and strikes. Once again, Cynthia must count along. After ten lashes, he pauses. The Reverend prays the Lord’s Prayer, and Cynthia must pray along loudly. Then Eliah carries out the next ten lashes. Again, he pauses. The Reverend recites the Quiver rules once more.

"Will you, Cynthia, abide by these in the future?" "Yeeeeees!"

Eliah carries out the rest of the punishment, but Cynthia is not allowed to be tended to afterward; instead, she is to be put on display there on the wheel for the rest of the day. Only in the evening do Adam and Ben take her down from the wheel, and Daniela and I are finally able to treat her battered back.