The Saint John James School for Girls is a well-run school catering for pupils from the age of 11 to 18. It is early September and the second week of the new term. The headmistress, Mrs Beverly Mills, runs the school fairly but is not afraid to hand out corporal punishment as and when it is warranted. She is assisted by Mrs June Jackson as her deputy headmistress who only joined the school three weeks ago when her predecessor, Miss Ackerman, was forced to leave at short notice to look after her aged mother who had suffered a stroke. A new deputy headmistress would normally start several weeks before the start of term, so Mrs Jackson was certainly thrown in at the deep end.

Friday morning started like most other days. The headmistress led a school assembly and prayers, and then the girls filled out and went to their classes. Mrs Jackson did notice, however, that Mrs Mills was not quite her effervescent self, and after the assembly was over she called into her office.

"Good morning Janet," June Jackson said cheerily to the headmistress's secretary. "Is Beverly available? She did not look quite herself earlier."

"She is indeed, Mrs Jackson. Just go through. She is not with anyone," Janet said, smiling back. "I agree, she is not quite herself this morning but she said she was fine. If she is sick, I hope she doesn't give it to me!" Janet said with a slight note of anger in her voice which Mrs Jackson fully appreciated. A virus could go around the teaching staff in no time.

Mrs Jackson knocked and entered the headmistress's inner sanctum.

"Good grief, Beverly, you look dreadful. Get yourself off home. You shouldn't be here," she urged.

"You are right, I have just telephoned my husband to come and pick me up. I do not think there is much in the diary today, but Janet can fill you in."

The headmistress put on her jacket and headed for the main entrance. Mrs Jackson needed to get some things from her own office before installing herself in the headmistress’s study. She also got a disinfectant wipe to clean down the desk and the telephone as well.

Mrs Jackson settled in and was working her way through some correspondence when she heard the telephone in the outer office ring and she could hear Janet talking quite loudly on what must have been a bad line.

"I am sorry, Beverly, I can barely hear you. Could you repeat that please, just so I have the message straight for June? So, Maria Marston is going to be reprimanded and get two detentions next week. April Wise is getting the Pupil of the Week award, and Avril White is due 6 with the slipper for being late three times. Is that correct? Hello! Hello! Headmistress? Hello, Beverly, are you still there?"

Static noises filled the line and June hung up and took the note to Mrs Jackson whilst the door was ajar. She knocked out of politeness and went in.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I have just had a call from Beverly. It was a bad line and she sounded awful, but she did manage to give me this message for you. Apparently Maria, April and Avril are due to see you at lunch time. Maria is just due a telling-off and two detentions for not handing homework in. April Wise is getting six with the slipper for persistent lateness, and Avril White is getting Pupil of the Week. It is very unlike April to be in trouble," Janet said, returning to her desk. She was troubled slightly by what she had just told the deputy headmistress, but was distracted when the telephone rang three times in quick succession, followed by the lunchtime bell ringing.

Janet put her head around the door. "I may be a few minutes late back from lunch. I have a dental appointment in 15 minutes, but you know what they are like for running late. I will be as quick as I can. Oh, Mrs Jackson, Maria Marston is here to see you. Must run!"

"Come in, Maria, and close the door please," Mrs Jackson said in her authoritative voice. “I understand you are here because you have been late three times handing in homework, and this is only the second week of term.”

"Yes, Miss. Sorry, Miss. It won't happen again, I promise," Maria said limply.

"To make sure it does not, you will serve two after-school detentions next week; an hour each on Monday and Tuesday," Mrs Jackson pronounced.

"Thank you, Miss," was all Maria could think to say.

"Hand a piece of homework in late again this term, young lady, and you won't be thanking me," Mrs Jackson said as she dramatically extracted Mrs Mill's size 8 slipper from the top drawer and brought it crashing down on the desktop.

Maria jumped out of her skin. Mrs Jackson had made her point well.

"You may go now."

Mrs Jackson got back to her paperwork.

Five minutes later, there was a quiet tapping on the door. Mrs Jackson walked over and opened the door.

"And you would be?" she asked.

"I am Avril White, Miss. I was told to be here at 12.15 on the dot, Miss. I was expecting Mrs Mills. Should I wait for her?" Avril asked nervously.

"No, Mrs Mills has gone home feeling unwell, so I am standing in."

"Oh, I see," said Avril. "Would you mind if we got this over with, please Miss?"

‘How rude,’ Mrs Jackson thought, considering she was the Pupil of the Week.

"Very well, Avril. It gives me great pleasure to give you…”

"I bet it does Miss," Avril cut in.

"Yes, it gives me great pleasure to give you the award for Pupil of the Week. Congratulations," said Mrs Jackson holding out her hand to shake Avril's.

Avril was rather hesitant, wondering what the catch was, but took the offered hand and shook it. She was then awarded a ribbon with a star on it.

"Keep up the good work, and I hope you achieve this award again very soon.” Mrs Jackson smiled warmly.

"Err, thank you, Miss. I wasn't expecting this when I was told to come to see the headmistress!" Avril said with more than a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Well, it was a pleasant surprise then. Well done, once again. If you could close the door on the way out, please, that would be lovely," she said, still smiling at Avril.

Avril left the room and walked back to the playground where her friends were waiting.

"Go on then," one asked. "What did you get? Six of the slipper or a spanking?"

Avril shook her head and held out her hand. "Neither. Mrs Mills is ill and Mrs Jackson shook my hand and gave me the Pupil of the Week award! Goodness knows what went wrong there. She must have been delirious," laughed Avril. "I expected to at least be put over her knee, but more likely over the desk.

"You lucky swine!" her friend laughed.

Meanwhile, back at the headmistress's office, there was another tap on the door. Mrs Jackson opened it.

"I presume you are April Wise? Come on in and let's get this over with."

"Yes Miss," said April. She did not know why she had been summoned but assumed she had won Pupil of the Week again. She won it three times last year and once the year before.

"If you would bend over the desk for me, please," said Mrs Jackson, taking the slipper out of its drawer again, this time for use, not effect.

"But Miss, I…" April attempted to say.

"Be quiet and bend over!” ordered Mrs Jackson.

April looked completely shell-shocked as she fumbled to bend across the cold oak wooden desk. "But what have I done, Miss?"

"That I do not know, but Mrs Mills made it most clear that I was to administer 6 smacks with her slipper on your bottom."

She pushed April over and held her down, then quickly raised the slipper and brought it down hard on April's bottom. April shrieked loudly. She had never been punished at school before. She shrieked again as the second of six strokes of the slipper hit home. By the fourth, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Two more to come. Hold still!"

Mrs Jackson's fifth stroke landed and was louder than the previous ones. The sixth and last was the hardest of them all, and brought a scream of pain from April. Mrs Jackson let go of April's back and the girl jumped up. Crying her eyes out, she hopped about rubbing her bottom.

"Now, sort yourself out and get back to class. The bell is just about to ring. Perhaps you would like to wash your face first," Mrs Jackson said without feeling in her voice.

April walked out very gingerly and holding her freshly spanked bottom. She went straight into the toilets where she sat and cried in one of the stalls, wondering what she had possibly done to warrant the punishment.

"Hello, I am back," mumbled Janet, her lip still numb from her dental work. "Did you sort the three girls out at lunchtime?"

"Yes, but not without difficulty. Maria was very laid back about her detention, so I slapped the slipper on the desk in front of her, telling her it would be on her bottom if she was late again," Mrs Jackson smiled.

"What about April and Avril?" asked Janet, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Less well. Avril seemed over the moon with the award. I thought she had won it before? April, on the other hand, was distraught and walked out after her dose of the slipper like she hadn't been in trouble before."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Janet. "I am so sorry, I have really mucked up, to put it very mildly," said Janet, holding her notepad. "The message from Mrs Mills was to slipper Avril and award April!"

"That is not what you told me, Janet!" Mrs Jackson was quite angry at this point.

Janet started crying. "I am so sorry. I was in such a panic about the dentist and not missing my bus, I misread my notes. I am so sorry. I will apologise to April and own up to her. I can't put it right, but I can own the mistake and hope she forgives me."

"You are lucky I am not able to give you the slipper right now!" Mrs Jackson said angrily. "I'll go and see April. You can get a message for Avril to come here, at once, and get her spanking!" she said over her shoulder as she stormed off.

She didn't have to go far. April was just emerging from the toilets. Her face was pale, in stark contrast to her red, puffy eyes. April turned to go the other way.

"April, wait, please! I am so sorry, there has been an awful, awful mistake. Please, come into the office and we can sit and talk about it."

"Please don’t ask me to sit down, Miss. My bottom still hurts!” April responded in anger. "I've never even had a detention before, and then you put me over your desk and slipper me! Why?"

"Come with me and I'll explain," Mrs Jackson said calmly.

The two of them walked into the outer office where Janet was snivelling into her handkerchief, clearly upset both by the situation and Mrs Jackson's outburst, however much it was deserved.

"I think Janet should explain what has gone wrong," said Mrs Jackson, glaring at the secretary.

"Oh April, I am so sorry. As you know, Mrs Mills had to go home ill today. She telephoned, sounding dreadful and on a very bad line. I struggled to take notes and then realised I was late for my bus to go to the dentists. I quickly told Mrs Jackson the three parts to the message and, to my eternal shame, I mixed you and Avril's name up. You should have received Pupil of the Week, whilst Avril should have been slippered."

Just then there was a knock on the door. Avril White was responding to a message to come to the headmistress’s office.

"Ah, Avril. There has clearly been something of a mistake earlier," Mrs Jackson said in a flat tone. "I have to take this back.” She took the Pupil of the Week award back from Avril. "It was April that was due to be given this award. Here you are, April, and no bad feelings I hope?"

"No, Miss, a regrettable mistake," April said, rubbing her still stinging bottom and still not entirely happy about the mix-up. "Thank you for the award, Miss."

“Which brings us to you, Avril. I feel sure you knew perfectly well you were not in line for any reward, and were in fact here for punishment, yet you said nothing. I will now deal with you as I should have done earlier.

Avril was crestfallen, having believed she had escaped her spanking. Suddenly, it was back on, and with an audience as well. She could hardly complain. After all, she knew she had one coming.

"If we must, Miss," she said dismissively.

"Any more of your attitude and we can always trade the slipper for the less frequently used cane. It's probably due an airing," Mrs Jackson snapped back.

"Sorry, Miss," Avril mumbled.

"Yes, I should think so, young lady. Now, I think you have been here often enough not to need me to tell you what to do," Mrs Jackson said as she opened the top drawer for the third time today and removed the slipper again. She tapped it lightly on her left hand.

Slowly, Avril walked to the front of the headmistress's old oak desk and bent over, reaching out and grabbing the far side of the desk. As she did so, her grey skirt, which was probably a little too small for her now, stretched tightly across her bottom and presented a clear target for the spanking to come. The desk was cold against her tummy and breasts as she braced herself for the slippering that was to come.

"Now, I believe Mrs Mills specified 6 across your bottom with the slipper, did she not, Janet?"

"That is correct, Mrs Jackson.”

"So, an extra two strokes for your dishonesty seems appropriate, don’t you think Avril?”

"Oh, Miss!" exclaimed Avril.

April was smiling from ear to ear. She was surprised to be allowed to remain in the room while Avril got her comeuppance. It did not make up for the sore bottom she had been given, but it was the next best thing.

Mrs Jackson reached over Avril’s prone body and picked up the well-worn, black, size 8 plimsoll.

"Hold tight, Avril. I assure you this is going to sting."

Immediately, the first blow landed firmly on Avril’s bottom. It yielded a yelp, but nothing more. Two more strokes fell, bringing a more definite grunt and wince. The following two, applied in quick succession, brought louder yelps. The final three thudded home and the last one brought tears to the recipient, much to her own embarrassment.

Mrs Jackson smiled at the effectiveness of her punishment of Avril, which she felt was richly deserved.

"Now Avril, sort yourself out and get back to your lessons. Go straight there; no skulking off to the toilets either."

Mrs Jackson’s intention was that Avril’s friends would see she had been spanked, and had cried too, which should bring even more humiliation.

"April, I apologise once again for the mistake. I hope you will find a way to forgive me," Mrs Jackson said.

"Yes, Miss. I know it was just an error," April smiled. Then she joked, "Perhaps I have one in the bank now, and can get away with something I shouldn't have done in the future. Anyone got a cigarette?"

April chuckled, and Mrs Jackson couldn't help but laugh too.

The End

© Jo Green 2022