21 years 42 strappings

CHAPTER II

The practice lashes stopped. The room was silent. I heard some papers rustle, and a man’s clearing of his throat:

“I will now read the Order of Punishment. Inmate West, John Francis, DOB 02 04 1962 Inmate Number 1552839 having been sentenced by the Court of Sentencing on August 30th, 2010, shall in the presence of appropriate and designated prison staff, be administered by the Chief of Guards or his duly assigned Agent a series total of ten lashes from State Approved Prison Strap 24 upon the buttocks while in full four-point restraint in accordance with State Corporal Punishment Directive I-73, Sections Three through seventeen. In accordance with Subsection Three, Chapter Sixteen of State Corporal Punishment Directive I-73, I shall begin a regressive count from the number Ten downwards to One, and following the number One, the first lash shall be administered to the Inmate’s buttocks”.

There was silence.

“I hear ole Miss Judy is in a stinging mood today”, a guard said. Again, that chorus of group-laugh…

“One”, and down the count went. I have to admit: this Chief of Guards, who is the designated punisher, counted down very, very slowly, and took in a breath after every number. The tension increased in the room---you somehow could just feel it---with each decrease in numbers.

When he got to One, someone whispered: ‘Oh boy, here we go...”.

The Zero moment arrived.

Silence. Eternity was contained in that brief smidgen of time after I heard “ Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne” was called out. The CoG who was counting down rolled the word One with maximum, exaggerated elongation. I was the longest recitation of the number, One…..

I inhaled. I felt all of my muscles tense.

I then felt a pair of hands push my crack open. Another hand was moving my leg open to the right, another doing the same to the left.

“Do not move”, the CoG called.

I started to move back into former position, and then heard as if it were coming out of a loudspeaker the words from the CoG: “I SAID: DON’T MOVE! DIDN’T I?” I immediately spread out, open, and bucked up my buttocks as if I were presenting them for show. I know that I was a handmaiden in exposing myself to the punishment, but it was coming anyway and I thought that my servile compliance would lessen the blow.

I heard that awful Swisssssssssssssssssssssh noise and an instant later, I heard a CrACK! Right after that, I felt a burn across the very middle of both buttocks and a stinging, bruising pain in the crack area just south of Old Faithful. I wobbled, wiggled, and tried to move my backside, but the restraints on my lower back prevented anything more than the same upward tilt.

Swisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssh CrACK! I then heard someone scream: “Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Ya Ya oooooo Momma, Momma !”. That voice was coming from: me.

“Momma ain’t gonna help you now, son!” said a guard.

Silence again: then: Sowooooooooosh! CrACK!

“WAH WAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH YA It hurts !”, I screamed.

“ No! Really?”, the same wise guy who teased me when I said that the heat burned called out. Again, that laughter…..

Swooooooooooooooooosh ! CrACK! Then immediately thereafter another Swooooooooooooooosh! CrACK! By now, I was in tears, bawling and shaking my head. “No! No! No more!”, I cried out.

I now felt liquid running down my buttocks and getting into my crack. It itched, and it was warm.

“We’re halfway there, son”, the CoG called out. Reading my mind, he then said: “The liquid that you feel is blood, John. The blood comes from tiny nicks in your buttocks that occur due to the tiny holes in the strap. The outer ends land on your keyster and when the strap is withdrawn, it pulls flesh and some blood is drawn. It’s the law. Quite frankly, when you get a look at this, you’ll never, ever cause any problem in here”. With that, another Swoooooosh CrACk! And then two seconds later, another Swoosh! CrACK! And I screamed. I pleased: “Mercy! Oh please, Guards, Mercy! Have mercy on me, please!”

“Three more, son”, the CoG said.

Swooooooooosh! CrACK! “Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Noooooooooooooooooooooo! Owe-wee Uh ooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”, I cried. I was kicking my legs like a pithed frog, but they didn’t move hard. I tried to wriggle my upper body, but that lower back belt locked me down. I wiggled my shoulders and shook my head. “It hurts terribly, Sir!” I wailed, “Please: please try and have mercy on me!” I wailed.

“Did you have mercy on those old ladies that you cheated out of their life savings” the CoG asked.

I did not answer.

“I stop counting but keep strapping until I get an answer from you, Boy!” he said.

“No, yes, I mean, no I didn’t, yes, you are right, no, I didn’t, Sir”, I said amidst sobs and a film of gushing tears”.

“That’s right”, the CoG said, “ you did not”.

Swoossssssssssssssssh CrACK! “ Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Mercy Mercy ! Mercy me, please, please, Sir!” I cried out.

“Remember this one for the next six months”, the CoG said, and then the final Swooooooooooooooosh CrACK! Was laid on. I screamed,” I am so sorry, please, please…no more, please…”

“We have a date, you an' me”, the CoG said, and all laughed,” we have a date every six months”, he said. “And like true romantics, we’ll have our little date in this little windowless white-tiled place with a tight littletable for one”, he said.” And: dress casual !”. Again, the room erupted in laughter.

“Let me tell you something”, another voice said,” this is the best sex you’re gonna have in here”, and now the doctor was wiping up my bloodied buttocks, swabbing my scratched and torn up crack, and apply all sorts of cooling, soft compresses and lotions to me back there. It still hurt. Nothing could kill the pain.

And then I remembered: This was all on….television!