Amy and Toots/Page2

The Trial.
Amy sat with her brothers in the Magistrates Court canteen. Mike had asked if she would like a cake with her lemonade, but she felt too nervous. In just a short time she would be called in to give evidence, and it was something she really did not want to do.

She realised that she was finding it even more scary than she should, and that was because although she did not like to admit it, she felt like the ten year old she now was. Gone was all the sophistication and confidence she had acquired in her twenty one years. She was so glad her brothers were here to look after her today. Lots of things were still hard to take in. Yesterday she had come home from the hospital to find her room altered, and some of her toys that had been in storage, brought out again for her to play with.

She had wanted to be indignant, but she had been so pleased to see Sindy her fashion doll with her many accessories and her doll house, and Old Ted, and Billy Cat she had simply rushed to play with them. When an hour later Arik had come and ordered her to take a nap, she had opened her lips to protest, but she did feel sleepy. All the stress of the rejuve she supposed.

That evening she had a long chat with Mummy and Daddy on the videophone, Mummy was a bit tearful, but said that she could go and visit when Mike and Arik had the time to take her. The thought of that was exciting. Afterwards she was allowed to watch holos of the brothers playing. They were intergalatical musical stars, and she was their greatest fan. She was a bit surprised when Mike turned off the holo a little before nine.

“Bed now sweet one.” he said. “Oh come on it’s a bit early.” she said “Turn it back on again.” “On a school night you’ll be going to bed not much after eight, so you can think of being up this late as a special treat.” he said, as he spoke, he stood up and lifted her up into his arms. She squealed as she found herself propelled up to her bedroom. Setting her down upon her bed, he said “Now take a quick shower and then into bed with you. I’ll pop up to tuck you in, in ten minutes.”

“Mike.” she began, trying hard to sound imperious. “I object to your heavy handedness. If I wanted to come to bed, if I wanted a shower, then don’t you think I would....”

He held a finger to her lip. “I know you have a lot to adjust to, and we are giving you the time to adjust, but you will not use that tone when speaking to me.” She found tears pricking her eyes. He hugged her and said more gently “Now ten minutes, and then I’ll come and read to you OK?”

Laying snuggled against him listening to him read felt so wonderful. Being ten years old certainly wasn’t all bad. She had forgotten how good it felt to be snuggled and safe, knowing someone else was taking control.

She had been briefly told about the purpose of their visit to the court today. Toots was in trouble. Amy would be called to explain to the magistrate what had happened with the accident. She was waiting anxiously, but even so she jumped when her name was called.

She held on tightly to Arik’s hand as they entered. The magistrates were seated, looking stern. Standing in the dock was Toots. Amy tried to catch her eye, but Toots stood, looking neither to the right or the left, her face pale.

“Now Amy.” the magistrate spoke quite kindly. “I want you to tell us exactly what happened. Remember you must be completely truthful.” Arik propelled her gently forward and she swallowed hard.

“We were going out for the night, to see my brothers perform at the bi annual intergalatic music festival. There were lots of hovercars all going the same way.....” Her voice faltered. She was aware that all eyes were upon her. She felt a comforting pat on her shoulder and knew that her brothers was just behind her.

“Go on.” The magistrate urged. “Well we saw some really cool guys in the car next door. Toots and I both thought they were handsome, and... and that’s all I can remember. I’m sorry Sir.” “Alright. You may sit down.”

She sat down between her brothers. Toots still wouldn’t look at her. The magistrates conferred for a while, and then announced that they would retire to make their decision.

“All rise!” came a stentorian voice that made Amy jump violently. Everyone rose to their feet and the gravity of the court was relaxed for a moment. Toots sat down in her lonely box. Mike crossed over to her.

“Chin up.” he said kindly. “I deserve to be punished.” she said forlornly. “I can’t bear to even look at Amy. Did you ask her to forgive me?” “Amy is going to be fine.” he assured her. “She’s settling well. It’s not the end of the world you know Toots. The thing that’s worrying her at the moment is concern for you. She is worried that now there’s this age gap between you, you won’t want to be friends the same.” “Amy will always be my most special friend...”

“Sir.” the court official spoke to Mike. “Would you mind resuming your seat. I think a decision has been made.” “All rise!” The proceedings became solemn again. The chief magistrate fixed his gaze upon Toots and as everyone else sat, she was instructed to stand.

“Toots Viola Redding.” he began. “We have carefully looked at this case. The only real evidence that we have that you are responsible for this accident is your own testimony, and the court is inclined to be lenient because of this honesty. However, we believe that you would greatly benefit from the sentence we have decided upon. You will be rejuved as a penitatas to the age of ten. You will serve five years as a hard time penitatas, and then as long as there is no further trouble from you, you will be recommended for parole at this time, and allowed to grow up, with the remainder of your sentence, the years between fifteen and twenty one, served as a soft time Penitatas. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.” she said in a soft choked voice. “Your special punishment days will be Easter, Mayday, Diaspora, Guy Fawkes Day and Christmas day and your new birthday. Your new parents will explain to you exactly what this means. “Yes Sir.....”

It may have been that she would have said more but at that moment a cry rang out.

Amy found herself outside the court and strapped into the childseat of Arik’s hovercar in a remarkably short time. She still hadn’t stopped yelling out her fury and indignation, but then he spoke quietly, and his words immediately silenced her.

“Amy we are going home now. Mike and I are extremely displeased with you. You were to be allowed a short visit with Toots before her rejuve, but you’ve blown that. You are now going to learn what happens to little girls who behave so disgracefully.”

“What... what do you mean?” “When we get in, you are going over my knee for a hard spanking.” “No!” “Oh yes young lady. So you can button your lip and think about that as we drive. We will not tolerate such behaviour. Not only in public, but in a court of the law as well! You know, it would have done you good if the magistrate had given you a tanning in front of everyone. Misbehave in public, and you’ll be punished in public from now on.” “Arik you can’t be serious?” “He is deadly serious sis.” Mike told her. “You have behaved disgracefully. And we love you too much to put up with disgraceful behaviour.”

The rest of the journey home was completed in silence. She gazed at the flotilla of small boats bobbing about on the sparkling Thames not far below them. The House of Commons etched out against the blue spring sky.

Once inside, Arik seated himself upon the settee, and called her to him. “Please Arik.” she said. “Be reasonable. I won’t behave that way again. I can see it was inappropriate. I was just so anxious about Toots. It’s so awful for her.”

“Amy, all the time you argue and delay, you will make it worse for yourself. Come here at once.” There was something in his stance that made her realise that he meant what he said, but she balked at calmly obeying such an instruction. She remained where she was.

His arm shot out, and the room spun. She found herself looking at the shiny wooden floor as she was placed firmly across his knee. Then to her absolute horror she felt him lift her skirt.

“Nooo!” she squealed in horror. “Arik, stop!” What happened next horrified her still further. His fingers were at the waist of her knickers and with one expert yank they were down and her childish bottom was revealed. She began to kick frantically, but she could not wriggle out of his grip. His arm raised and with a resounding crack a scarlet impression of his hand was printed upon her bottom. The sting that shot through her was electrifying. Never had she been spanked so hard. Again his hand went up, and again it landed. Her screams were deafening, but it did not deter him.

“Please! Please! Pleaassse!” she paused between screaming to plead, but to no avail. Half a dozen times his hand cracked down forcefully. She was soon a sobbing wreck. Her whole bottom was on fire, and she couldn’t imagine being able to sit down again. He paused in spanking and waited until her wails reduced to sobs before saying.

“You have been a very naughty girl. I’m not going to lecture you. You know full well to behave like that in a court of law was way beyond the limits. You were told on the way home that you were going to get a hard spanking, and I meant it. I am now going to spank you until I feel you have had enough. But, because you did not come when I told you, when you go to bed tonight, I am going to spank you again.”

“Nooo! No! No!” her sobbing became frantic again, because she had thought that it was over. Paying her no further heed, he resumed spanking. Her bottom was already scarlet, by the time he had decided she had had enough it had whitish marks rising out of the redness, and she was choking out her pain, a pool of tears on the floor below her.

At last he stopped, set her upon her feet. Her knickers were still at her knees, but she made no attempt to pull them up. She lay her head against his chest and wept.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!” “I know sweetie. It needs to. If you don’t want a stinging bottom all you have to do is be our good girl.”

For quite five minutes he held her while she cried. Then gently he moved her away from him, and pulled her knickers back up. She gave a little squeal as the material touched her scorched bottom. Then she was aware of Mike again, he handed her a drink of water, which she shakily consumed.

“There now.” he said with a shake of his head. “That would have been that, but now you’ve got to have another at bed time. What a pity.” That made her sob afresh.

“Go and lie in your room until you feel better, and then play for a bit. Ashia is coming over this evening and she is cooking dinner.”

Ashia was a close friend of her brothers, and Amy had been made aware that just lately she had sometimes shared Arik’s bed. She knew that Ashia’s hobby was cooking, and that her food was often superb, but just at the moment all she could think about was the stinging in her derriere

She hurried away to her room, and flung herself front down onto her bed. Her hands reached round and caressed her sore rump. It had hurt so much. She supposed she had behaved badly, and she could understand that she needed to be pulled in line, but did it have to be this way? And did he really mean he was going to spank her again at bed time?

The fierceness of the sting finally settled, and she found to her amazement she did not feel angry resentment. She just regretted that she had been bad enough to earn such punishment. She recalled the shocked face of the magistrate. What a scene she had caused. How ashamed her brothers must have been of her. To have to drag her out of the court like that, with everyone looking. She realized that she had deserved all she had got. But having actually “got it”, did make her feel a little better about it.

She knelt up on her bed, and picked up her fashion doll. Within fifteen minutes, although her bottom was still decidedly uncomfortable each time she sat, she was immersed in her play.

Later she joined her brothers as they quietly strummed fliraks in the garden and composed new material (fliraks look a little like a two mandolins joined together end to end. Most of their strings are formed from the wood of the astrom tree, species of which grow on some of the planets of the colonies.) Their sound was incredibly rich and melodic and she listened enchanted as they worked. Ashia had arrived and was busy cooking. She brought out the delicious concoction of curry and rice to the garden, and they all ate there in the warm evening sunshine.

Mike opened a bottle of wine, but Amy was not offered a glass, and not wanting to draw attention to this fact, she said nothing. As dusk gathered they went back indoors, Amy looked up at the magnificent London sunset.

“Where do you think Toots is?” she asked. “We’ll find out for you tomorrow.” Arik said soothingly. “Now I think it’s time you went up for a bath. I’ll pop up shortly.

She was just getting out of the bath as he entered. He held up the fluffy white towel and lifted her up onto his lap, and patted her dry. He then picked up the peach coloured nightie and noticed before he slipped it over her head the still red marks upon her bottom. “Go brush your hair, I’ll clear up in here.”

When he entered her room she was sitting on her bed waiting. “Right!” he said. “Let’s see if we can do it better this time. Over my knee.” “Will... will Ashia hear.” she asked anxiously. I don’t think so.”

She slowly moved, slowly obeyed. It was so hard to do, but she realised the alternative was worse. She lay face down accross his knees. “Good girl.” She waited tensely for her nightie to be lifted, but instead she felt the firm slap upon her clothed bottom.

Although it was not very robust, the previous soreness was immediately reawakened. “Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” was her response to the next slaps, and she dissolved into sobs on the sixth. Another half dozen fell, she was trying hard not to wriggle. Then he stopped and turned her around, holding her close he said softly. “There, all over now.”

“I’m sorry I was so bad today.” she sobbed. “All forgiven.” he whispered. “From now on my baby, you will always be a good girl, or pay the price.” He settled her into bed, and almost at once she was dreaming.