Dann Vale
Daniel watched the sheriff walk away after having secured him in the stocks next to the courthouse. He sat on a narrow rail with his legs and arms stretched out before him, his ankles and wrists trapped by the wooden panels positioned in front of the uncomfortable perch. He knew the morning mist was going to become unbearable steam within a few hours. He felt stupid for staying too long with his friends at the tavern. A night in jail and a summary sentence of a day in the stocks was his reward for deciding that a tree in the town square was a good place for a drunken nap. His friend Adam, who was by his side for the misadventure, remained in the courthouse. He was in more serious trouble because he fought with the men who arrested them.
Daniel felt apprehension for his friend but began to dwell on his own situation. For some reason he felt compelled to test the strength of his bonds, pulling his arms and legs as if he could free himself. The tightness around his wrists frustrated him. Not being able to bend his knees worried him. He could not move; he was barely able to shift his bottom on the rail. He was helpless. Starting to sweat even more than the rising heat called for, he began breathing slowly and deeply trying to calm himself.
The loud slap of a closing door disturbed the silence and he realized the town was beginning to stir. A shopkeeper opening his store down the street returned Daniel’s glance with a scowl. The sheriff stepped onto the porch of the courthouse and grinned smugly when he caught Daniel’s eye. He heard a coach approaching the spot where the stocks detained him in plain view from the street. Daniel bowed his head in shame. His face flushed and his shoulders slumped when he heard a woman giggling as the coach passed. It stopped a block away and he peeked to watch three women exit the coach and enter a house. Which one found his predicament amusing, he wondered.
Daniel did his best to ignore the increasing number of people passing by, grateful when they ignored him, embarrassed if they snickered or expressed disapproval. He hung his head in a foggy resignation, closing his eyes and trying to nod off and pass the time. An hour or two passed and his discomfort was getting serious. Despite all attempts to find a tolerable position, his ass was aching from the sharp wooden rail. His wrists felt raw where they were rubbing on the stocks as he tried to relieve his muscles and stretch or rest on the device. The heat began to add to his torture. Thirst began to preoccupy him. No way to escape or relax. No relief was possible. He settled into a dull numbness.
He was jolted alert by the same giggle he heard before. This time it was close. He looked up and saw the woman who was amused by the spectacle of him in bondage at the center of town. She said nothing as she smiled at him. He could see some amount of contempt, yet there was also a sparkle in her eyes. Daniel could feel his cheeks redden. He looked down at the ground, then at his restrained hands and feet, then back up at her. She stared at him for a moment, then looked over to the courthouse door. He lowered his head again but his eyes widened. A terror came over him that she might look too closely and discover that he was getting an erection. She looked down at him for a moment and smiled again, then she walked into the courthouse. Adam was about to be sentenced and a small crowd was gathering inside. Daniel was momentarily distracted from his pain as he tried to determine if she saw the bulge in his pants.
Another hour passed as Daniel ached and sweated in misery. A group of people walked from the courthouse to the stocks and stood near Daniel, but their attention was directed back at the building they just left with the exception of one, the woman who had been enjoying his fate all day. She stared directly into his eyes with a smile that was cruel in its satisfaction at his plight. She continued looking at him as his friend Adam emerged from the courthouse with the sheriff leading him toward the spot where Daniel was bound. Daniel’s focus was divided between the power this woman was beginning to have over him and the fate of his friend. He watched Adam stumble trying to keep up with brisk pace of the sheriff who controlled his direction with a firm grip on his arm. He realized his friend was being led to the whipping post located a few feet from the stocks. Daniel looked back at the woman, but she was now watching Adam’s shirt being removed and his shackles being affixed to the post.
Adam looked at Daniel with a defiant grin on his face as the sheriff locked his shackles to the whipping post, forcing his arms over his head. Then Adam moved his eyes directly into the gaze of the woman as though they were continuing a silent conversation. Daniel could see the woman’s taut posture, her body apparently electrified by what she was seeing. His friend grimaced with the first blow from the whip but did not move his eyes from hers. Several more lashes were administered. Daniel flinched as the sound of the sickening smacks reached his ears. His friend’s knees were starting to fail but Adam kept looking at the woman, who seemed to be drawing on his energy and giving him strength at the same time. Fascinated by the connection he was witnessing, Daniel became aroused again.
Adam finally sighed and moaned which seemed to satisfy the sheriff who ended the whipping. The woman regained her composure and the smile returned to her face. After studying Adam’s red face and limp body, she turned to Daniel and nodded almost imperceptibly. He blushed and became aware again of the extreme discomfort of his body. He pulled at the restraints again, struggling visibly. She openly laughed, turned and walked away from the friends whose misfortune provided such visceral pleasure for her. As he sat there enduring the last hour of his punishment, Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if the corporal punishment he and his friend experienced were a discouragement from drinking too much or an enticement.
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