“Okay, ladies,” Sharon Harper called out as the final bell of the school day sounded. “That’s it for another day. See you all tomorrow. Oh, Megan, could I have a word, please?”

“Goodnight, miss,” several of the nineteen girls comprising the school’s lower sixth form muttered as they collected their things and headed for the door.

One girl, a slim attractive girl wearing grey trousers and a dark blue top, lingered. As the room cleared, she approached her form mistress.

“Take a seat, Megan.”

As the teacher leaned back in her chair behind her desk, Megan, somewhat apprehensively, chose to sit on the front desk directly opposite.

“I need to talk to you about your leaving school in the middle of the day last Thursday,” Sharon began. “That was very unlike you, Megan. What was that all about?”

Megan grimaced. “My boyfriend dumped me and I just had to see him. The lunch break was the one time I knew where he would be.”

“Didn’t it occur to you to ask for permission, Megan?”

“I didn’t think I would get it, miss.”

“You might have, if you’d come to me. Anyway, we are where we are. You did leave school without permission. How long were you away?”

“Two and a half hours, miss, or thereabouts,” Megan answered honestly.

Sharon thought carefully. The girl’s reply meant very little; her fate was more or less sealed.

“Megan, you’ve been at this school since you were eight years old, I believe. You know the rules, and you know the penalties for breaking them.”

“Yes, miss.” Megan bit her lower lip.

“Tell me what the penalty is for leaving school without permission, Megan.”

Megan breathed in. “The cane, miss.”

“That’s right, four to eight strokes at the headmistress’s discretion.” Sharon paused to let the seriousness of the girl’s situation sink in. “Which gives us another problem.”

Megan looked puzzled.

“Mrs Jackson is away at a conference for the rest of the week. She can’t deal with you now, or indeed until next Tuesday at the very earliest.”

Megan thought quickly. She’d spent the day waiting to be sent to the headmistress’s study, and worrying about what would happen. Would she now have to wait a whole week fretting about it? Megan looked up at Sharon, a normally friendly blond-haired woman in her mid to late twenties, waiting for her to continue.

“So, Mrs Jackson spoke to me on the phone and, as your form mistress, has authorised me to deal with you.”

Megan panicked. Was she going to be caned today after all?

“Mrs Jackson feels your punishment should be five strokes of the cane, Megan.”

Five? Megan had been expecting six, or perhaps Mrs Jackson would have made an example of her and awarded the full eight strokes. But it was still five strokes. Probably three would be given across the palm of her non-writing hand, and two across the other hand. At least school had ended and she would have the evening and night to recover.

“Which leaves us with three options, as I see it, Megan,” Sharon continued. “I can cane you myself, having been delegated to do it by Mrs Jackson, or you can wait until Mrs Jackson returns so she can do it, or you can contest her suggested punishment, in which case you would have to wait until she returns.”

Megan mulled over her form mistress’s words, and didn’t answer immediately.

“What are you thinking, Megan?” Sharon Harper asked after what seemed a long pause.

“Um, if I wanted to challenge Mrs Jackson’s decision, miss, what do you think the chances are that I could avoid being caned?”

“I really don’t know, Megan. Possibly the only other option would be a period of suspension. I guess it would be at least a week, maybe two, but that’s only my estimation.”

“So, I’d miss out on some essential lessons?” Megan mused.

“I’m afraid so.”

Megan thought some more. “So, I don’t see the point of waiting a week to be caned. If you were to do it, miss, how would you do it?” Immediately, Megan added, “And when?”

“I’d try to do it the same way as Mrs Jackson, I suppose. My understanding is that when five strokes are to be dispensed Mrs Jackson normally gives three strokes to the girl’s non-writing hand and two to the other hand.”

“And you’d do the same?”

Sharon Harper shrugged. “I suppose so. Why? What are you thinking?”

“It’s just that I once saw Mrs Jackson give a girl two strokes of the cane on both her palms. She did it in front of the class. All I can remember is how much pain it seemed to cause the girl.”

“I suppose that is the nature of the beast, Megan. Short, really sharp shocks, to serve as a punishment and as a deterrent for future misbehaviour.”

Nodding, Megan didn’t immediately reply, but considered what she’d been told, and her memory of the girl caned in front of the class.

“Megan, I’m afraid you broke the rules. You have to be punished,” Sharon said quietly.

“I know. I was very stupid, and anyway it didn’t do any good. My boyfriend still dumped me. I kind of want to be punished to teach me a lesson not to be so silly in future. It’s just that, well, I’m not sure I could endure that level of pain on my hands.”

“Oh, come on, Megan. It’s only five short sharp shocks. It would be over with in just a minute or two.”

Megan’s eyes suddenly became watery, and she shook her head.

“Megan, it has to be better than suspension and missing out on vital lessons.”

“Um, c-could you, like, could I…?” Megan stopped, unsure how her suggestion would be received.

“What? What are you thinking, Megan?”

“Um, I’ve heard rumours, that is, I believe Mrs Jackson has, er, done it, like, the other way, at least for sixth form girls.”

“The other way? I’m sorry, I don’t get what you mean, Megan.”

Megan blushed.

“Come on, Megan. What?”

Megan cleared her throat and took a deep breath, feeling she had this one chance.

“The rumours are that on occasions Mrs Jackson has caned sixth form girls with, like, with their trousers down?” Megan looked down at the floor, too embarrassed to look her form teacher in the eye. “Or skirt raised, I suppose.”

Sharon Harper blinked several times.

“Let me get this straight, Megan,” the teacher finally spoke. “Are you suggesting that Mrs Jackson has on occasion caned girls on their bottoms?”

“Yes, miss.”

“We’re alone and you’re sixth form, Megan, so you can drop the ‘miss’ bit. Really, Megan? Mrs Jackson has caned girls on their bare bottoms? I find that very hard to believe.”

“Not their bare bottoms, miss. Oh, sorry. No, they kept their knickers on.”

“And you know this for sure?”

“It’s how Mrs Jackson dealt with two girls in my year group, miss. We all saw the marks in the shower room after a gym lesson and we asked them about it.”

“Okay,” Sharon responded, looking hard at the girl as she considered what she’d been told. “So, are you saying you’d take the five strokes as long as you received them across your bottom?”

Megan clenched her lips. She looked into Sharon’s eyes and nodded.

“Seriously?”

Megan nodded again.

“You’re sure that’s what you want? You can always wait until Mrs Jackson gets back.”

“I’d prefer it if you did it, miss. Oh, sorry. Perhaps tomorrow?”

“How about we go along to Mrs Jackson’s secretary now?”

Megan panicked. She’d spent the day worrying that she’d be called to the headmistress’s study at any time and likely caned. News that Mrs Jackson was away seemed to offer a temporary reprieve, but now a caning seemed to be back on the agenda again.

“To do it, like, now?”

“Why wait?”

Megan cleared her throat again. She suddenly felt hot and sweaty.

“No point, I suppose,” Megan confirmed with some reluctance.

“Come on then. You can leave your things here. The school will be deserted now and the cleaners won’t be around for at least another hour.”

Little was said between the seventeen year old student and the twenty-six year old teacher as they walked from the sixth form wing of the school, through the main part of the school, and stopped outside the school secretary’s office next to Mrs Jackson’s study.

Tapping just twice on the door, Sharon pushed the door open and entered, with Megan following.

“I need to use Mrs Jackson’s study for a few minutes, Mrs Hartley,” Sharon explained. “It has been sort of arranged.”

“Of course,” the middle-aged woman with mid-brown hair stopped tapping on her computer keyboard and gave them both a knowing smile. “Go on through and I’ll bring you what you need.”

“Go through, Megan. I’d like a word with Mrs Hartley.”

Megan carefully opened the door to Mrs Jackson’s study, wanting to be certain it really was unoccupied before she fully committed to entering.

“Mrs Hartley,” Sharon spoke quietly, even though Megan had closed the study door. “Mrs Hartley, are you aware Mrs Jackson has on occasion caned girls other than, how can I put it, other than on their hands?”

The middle-aged secretary smiled. “She certainly has, Miss Harper. May I ask why you want to know?”

“Because, as you know, Mrs Jackson has asked me to deal with Megan’s unauthorised absence from school the other day, and Megan has accepted that she be punished by me with Mrs Jackson’s award of five strokes of the cane.”

“Yes, I presumed that’s why you’re both here.”

“Exactly. Only Megan has accepted the five strokes as her punishment, as long as I cane her across her bottom. Is that normal?”

“Maybe not entirely normal, Miss Harper, but not uncommon, especially with the older girls. They seem to prefer it that way.”

“But Megan also told me Mrs Jackson would have required her to lower her trousers so she could be caned across her knickers. Is that really the case, or is she making it up for some reason?”

“No, that is the way Mrs Jackson does it. Let me get you the punishment book. You’ll see from the previous entries that Megan is being entirely honest.” Mrs Hartley chuckled. “She’s probably being too honest actually. She might have kept the extra protection of her trousers. Hold on one moment.”

Mrs Hartley got up and went to the large walk-in cupboard that Sharon knew was the school’s stationery cupboard, kept under strict lock and key by the redoubtable secretary. After delving inside, Mrs Hartley returned with a slender rattan cane and a small book with a red cover which she placed on her desk and opened it at the most recent entries.

“As you’ll see, Miss Harper, most of the entries record strokes applied to girl’s hands, but here, and here, and also here, she has caned girls across their backsides, or across underwear, as she delicately puts it.”

“I’m surprised, Mrs Hartley.”

“I believe Mrs Jackson sees it as fairer, so a girl wearing thicker trousers or a baggy skirt doesn’t suffer less discomfort than a girl wearing thinner clothing.”

“I see.”

“So you’ll be whacking young Megan across the seat of her knickers, will you, Miss Harper?”

“I suppose so.”

“Better not keep her waiting then. Please make sure you enter the details in the punishment book, Miss Harper. Mrs Jackson likes to keep everything in order. Will you be needing me?”

“Thank you, Mrs Hartley. I think we’ll manage.”

Sharon picked up the cane and punishment book and went into Mrs Jackson’s study, where she found Megan standing by a large walnut-veneered desk on one side of the large room. An extremely comfortable-looking leather chair sat behind it, while on the other side of the room was a round coffee table with three upholstered armchairs set around it. Megan watched carefully as Sharon put the crook-handled cane and the small book with red covers on the desk.

Sharon glanced at Megan and saw the look of distaste on her face.

“I presume you don’t want Mrs Hartley as a witness?” Sharon asked. “I can call her in if you do.”

“No, thank you! Shall I take my trousers off, or are you okay with me just slipping them down?”

“Look, I’m sure across the seat of your trousers will be just fine.”

Megan thought for several long seconds. “Actually, no it won’t. I’m pretty sure girls either get caned on their hands or on their knickers. Is that the punishment book? What does that say?”

Sharon sat down on the headmistress’s large armchair and opened the small book with Megan looking over her shoulder. She leafed through several pages covering at least the previous six years.

“See! It’s always hands or over knickers. I can’t be the odd one out.”

“Mrs Jackson might not check. I don’t suppose anyone else gets to see what’s recorded in the book.”

“Mrs Hartley? I bet she looks, and if she saw I got it on my trousers you can guarantee she’ll tell Mrs Jackson.”

“I don’t have to specify trousers or knickers. I could just write ‘backside’.”

“Then she’d think you whacked my bare bum! No thanks.”

“Fine! Take your trousers off if you want to. It’s your bottom that’s getting smacked!”

Megan giggled.

“What?” Sharon asked.

“I just had this thought that if Mrs Jackson thought you hadn’t dealt with me properly then she’d call you in and give you six of the best!”

“Very funny, not! Look I’m still happy to do it across your trousers if you want.”

“Sorry, I’m nervous. Hence my silly attempt at humour.”

“That’s okay.”

Megan began to unfasten her grey school trousers. They were quite tight-fitting and she struggled to get them down to her ankles where she could kick off her shoes and slip the trousers off her feet. Sharon sat and watched, her pen poised to make the required entry in the punishment book.

“I still don’t think you needed to have done that,” Sharon commented as Megan now stood in very brief black panties below her white school shirt.

“I had time to think, while you were out there with Mrs Hartley. I left school without permission knowing what the likely penalty would be. Now I have to face the music just like any other girl would. If I leave here thinking I’ve avoided some aspect of my punishment it would really bug me. We have to do this just as Mrs Jackson would. Does that make sense?”

“In a weird sort of way, I guess. So, we’re agreed you’re getting five strokes across your knickers?” Sharon asked as Megan stood holding her trousers. “Last chance before I write it into the punishment book.”

“No, that’s how I want it. It’s going to hurt anyway, might as well do it properly. Where are we going to do it?”

Sharon looked around the room. “One of those armchairs around the coffee table seem about the right height. How about you bend over one of them?”

“Okay.” Megan replied, looking at the nearest chair with its back facing them. “Should I? Shall I?”

Sharon was writing the details into the punishment book, so didn’t look up.

“Should you do what?”

“Get into position?”

“You might as well. I’ll be with you in a moment. You can leave your trousers on the desk.”

Megan folded her trousers neatly and put them on the desk. A sudden panic came over her as she turned towards the coffee table and three armchairs.

“Right, that’s it, we’re committed,” Sharon said as finished the entry, stood up and picked up the cane. “Megan! Those knickers are so brief, most of your bum is exposed,” the teacher added as she watched Megan approaching the three chairs.

“Yes, not the best choice of underwear, I suppose,” Megan answered over her shoulder. “And I even knew there was a possibility I could be caned when I came into school today. Then, I wasn’t really thinking it would be on my bum.”

“Whatever. Get yourself bent over the back of one of those chairs and let’s get this done.”

By standing on tip-toe, Megan was able to position herself across the back of the armchair facing one of the windows, and she looked out at the distant green hills as she waited.

“Megan, you’re practically going to get the cane on your bare bottom!” Sharon observed as she located herself beside the girl. “Perhaps you should put your trousers back on.”

Before Megan could respond, there was a brief, low tap on the door and Mrs Hartley entered carrying several blue plastic folders.

“I just need to file these away,” she explained, staring at Megan’s near naked backside as she bent over the chair and more briefly at Sharon holding the cane.

Sharon and Megan froze as the school secretary went over to a filing cabinet and carefully put the files in order. With another hard look at Megan across the back of the chair, she left the room. Sharon immediately burst into laughter, and even Megan had to smile.

“That was a bit awkward,” Sharon said.

“More embarrassing for me, I think!”

“Perhaps you should go and change into your gym shorts or something.”

“I won’t need to if you would kindly get on with it! Before we get any other visitors!”

“Okay. Hold still. Five strokes coming up.”

Sharon immediately swung the cane down across Megan’s bottom until it cracked loudly as it hit its target, much sooner than the girl was expecting.

“Oooucchh!!”

“Keep still!”

“I will. Sorry, I wasn’t ready for that first one.”

After twice tapping Megan’s bottom as a warning, Sharon applied another sharp stroke that landed just above the first.

“Aaahh!!”

“I warned you it would hurt!”

“And it does!” Megan replied, an instant before another stroke lashed her bottom. “Aaahh!!”

“Should have kept your trousers on.”

“No, I wanted the full deal. Oooww!!”

“Last one,” Sharon advised, and tapped Megan’s bottom several times low down.

“Yeeooww!!”

“There! All done.” Sharon turned and went back to the desk.

“Thanks,” Megan replied, easing herself up from her bending position and rubbing her bottom with both hands.

“So, how was it?” Sharon asked as Megan joined her at the desk.

“It really smarts! But then I suppose it was meant to. I’d never have taken that across my hands.”

“Yes, a few sharp shocks. That’s what the punishment is all about. You didn’t do yourself any favours with your choice of underwear though.”

Megan blushed. “Yes, well, I thought I’d be in for the standard whacking on the palms of my hands from Mrs Jackson.” She began stepping into her trousers.

“Perhaps you’d have preferred that, with hindsight?”

“No, definitely not. I’m glad you did it too. I always view Mrs Jackson as a bit of an ogre, even without a cane in her hand.”

With Megan now dressed again, Sharon picked up the punishment book and cane in one hand. The form teacher noted Megan’s bottom appearing a little more pronounced now.

“Ready?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Megan opened the door to the secretary’s office and allowed Sharon to go through first. Mrs Hartley looked hard at Megan as she took back the cane and punishment book.

“Everything okay?” Mrs Hartley asked, looking at neither teacher nor student.

“Fine.” Megan snapped quickly.

“Yes, all okay,” Sharon added.

“Just hold on while I check your entry in the punishment book, Miss Harper.” After carefully reading the form mistress’s entry, she confirmed, “Yes, that’s excellent, Miss Harper. Five on the knickers, eh?”

Megan blushed furiously, and Sharon quickly propelled her towards the door.

The End

© Kenny Walters 2026