The morning group punishment session

The alarm from Mandy's calendar app stabbed into her throbbing head as painfully as a six inch nail. She would've liked to silence it and go back to her slumber, but the tone was one reserved for imminent punishment and although she was basically well behaved, the last few years had drummed into her a subconscious terror of being late for a spanking, so once she heard it, sleep was impossible.

The exhausted young lady pushed herself painfully into a sitting position, only to realize she was still fully clothed from the night before. After turning off the siren, she put her hand to her face to check whether she'd at least removed her makeup before collapsing on the bed and found to her dismay that she'd not. Bleary-eyed, she looked at the calendar and saw that she was booked for a punishment session in Zanzibar Square at half past eight that morning, not long after dawn. She thought she had plenty of time, but after showering and using the lavatory, she realized the pounding of her head was making everything much slower than usual and decided to skip breakfast in favour of cleaning her teeth and doing her makeup, because some disciplinarians added punishment to girls who neglected their appearance.

She briefly considered hair of the dog, but was just sober enough to realize it would be a bad idea. She wanted to dress warmly, but knew that, as with makeup, clothing could affect her fate, so opted for a skirt, stockings and high heeled boots, along with lacy underwear, a bustier, jumper, fleece and coat, topped off with a woolly hat. She took one last look in the mirror on her way out and was happy that she appeared smart and alert, even if she didn't feel that way.

Stepping out onto the street into pre-dawn twilight, she wished she'd put more details into her calendar when she'd received the summons. She had no recollection of what she'd done to earn her punishment and her memory of the party was generally pretty hazy. Thrusting her hands into her coat pockets, she set off for the bus stop, cold seeming to permeate up through the thick soles of her boots. At least it would be warm on the bus.

Fortunately, the public transport was on time and Mandy sat over the wheel where the heat from the electric motor was greatest. The bus was almost empty at that time in the morning and she was nodding in her seat when the stop came. Some sixth sense jerked her awake in a panic, just in time to get off, only to be greeted by the first rays of the sun peeking above the horizon.

The street ran east to west at exactly the wrong angle so that the light shone directly into her eyes, gradually intensifying her headache. If she'd known what to expect, she'd have brought her sunglasses. There were a handful of other young women heading the same way, but it didn't occur to Mandy that they were all going to the same place until she arrived at the square to see a small crowd formed up into a rectangle. She walked over to the officer standing off to one side and gave him her details, which he checked off on a tablet, before instructing her to join the others at the back.

She didn't feel up to counting, but there were about eight rows in front of her and maybe fifteen or so girls in each, all standing rubbing their hands and arms or stamping their feet to keep warm whilst they waited, but none spoke to each other, as if worried fraternization was against the rules. Most were dressed sensibly, many even more demurely than Mandy, although a few looked like they'd come straight from the party. They were the ones suffering most from the cold, of course. Mandy was three from the end of her row and those spaces were filled, along with two on the row behind, by the time the punishment was ready to begin.

A female instructor stepped up to the front of the cohort and explained with the help of a megaphone that she was going to take them through some stretches and exercises. First, the girls had to stand with their hands behind their heads, elbows out to the sides, feet shoulder width apart. Then bend forward and twist to bring their right elbow as close to their left knee as possible.

The pain when Mandy swung her head down almost made her fall to the ground and the groans from her neighbours told her she was far from the only attendee feeling sensitive. As she was ordered to straighten up and then repeat the manoeuvre on the other side, she cursed inwardly that of all the stretches in the world, this was the one they had to perform. Had she been more clear-headed, she might have worked out that it was probably chosen precisely because of the discomfort it caused throbbing skulls.

Several uniformed men passed through the ranks and files, giving a swift rap with a paddle to the buttocks of any girl they thought was slacking, not bending quickly or deeply enough. Mandy escaped this punishment, although unbeknown to her, the man assigned to her section came close several times.

A handful of girls turned up late and had to bare their bums for several hard swats before joining in with the others, but Mandy was so busy trying not to vomit that she didn't notice. After a variety of stretches came running on the spot and then star jumps which sent fresh waves of agony through the hung-over young ladies. The exercise warmed them up a little (though not so much Mandy wanted to take off her coat), but the air rushing into their lungs as they panted for breath was so cold it was physically painful after a while and Mandy's nose was almost numb.

After nearly half an hour of stretches and exercise, the girls were told to bare their bottoms and touch their toes to cool down—a play on words that seemed to amuse the instructor no end. Then the disciplinarians systematically beat each woman's freezing nates. Five swats apiece was not particularly onerous, although the heavy paddles left deep and lasting bruises, but the effect was magnified by the chill and many of the girls (including Mandy) ended up in tears.

Only once every single one had been spanked were they all allowed to stand up and cover themselves. Mandy was not alone in thinking the punishment was now over, but to her dismay, the instructor announced they were going to split up to clear the litter from the streets. Fluorescent bands were handed out, to be worn diagonally across the body as a sign they were working, along with rubbish bags and the girls were divided up into teams, each led by one of the male disciplinarians.

For the next five hours, the punished women cleared away the detritus of the party the night before. Most, like Mandy, worked diligently to avoid more swats from the cruel paddles. However, nearly all the girls received one or two to liven them up and any who were too hung over to make an effort took quite a thrashing. Anyone needing the bathroom paid the price of one swat for every minute they were away and talking between the ladies was strictly forbidden.

Water and disgusting dry biscuits were provided, but there was no lunch break. Most of the women avoided the biscuits, which were often used as a punishment in themselves, being designed to be nutritious and healthy, as well as revolting in the ****, but having missed breakfast, Mandy **** two down to give her the energy to keep going and avoid the punishment she saw being administered to others who flagged as the day went on. The task was gruelling, especially for those like Mandy, who'd neglected to bring gloves. The temperature rose a little, but it was still painfully cold and the ache in her bruises gradually took over from the one in her head.

Finally, when the city was clean to the satisfaction of the supervisors, the girls handed back the fluorescent bands and were discharged, cold, sore, dirty and exhausted, though at least most of their hangovers had dissipated. Now, at last, the comrades in chastisement were able to talk about their ordeal, and plenty grouped up to compare war stories. Others went off alone, either to get something to eat or home to rest. However, like Mandy, most had to meet their own private disciplinarians, who took a dim view of their wards getting a public punishment. Mandy's landlord would've been notified of her appointment by the calendar app and she knew she's likely get double what she'd taken already when she saw him. Delaying her fate would only make it worse, so with some trepidation, she set out for the bus stop once more.