Brother of the Prophet - The Disobedient Son Chapter 7: Spanking, a mythology fanfic

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"Apologize to your brother," B'alam Agab told him, without looking at him. But Qoacutec did not do it. He just stayed there crying the way he was. And Qoacul, sitting next to him, squirmed nervously in his seat. He wanted very much to save his little brother from this new trouble he found himself in, but his little brother was not helping anything, continuing there in his stubborn disobedience, even under the threat of receiving a good spanking from Tat, as if saying 'sorry' was no small thing, and now his father was staring hard at his little brother, and with a look that made it very clear that he was about to grab him up and give him that good spanking that he had just finished promising him. But what do I do? What do I do? He thought. Oh! I know, he said to himself at last, thinking fast, maybe, if I apologize to him first...

"Itz'in," he said. "I truly am very sorry with all of my whole heart. I want you to know that it was never my intention to hurt you or make you angry. Sincerely I say it to you. It is just that I was very excited and I talked too much when I should have kept silent. So, I ask that you forgive me, please, if you can. Even on my knees I ask it of you." But from Qoacutec there came nothing. "And I already know very well that you are also sorry, even if it is only just a tiny little bit, right? Although the fault is all mine, of course, for offending you with my words and making you angry." Qoacutec remained silent. "Go on, Itz'in, just say yes and let us be friends again so that Tat will not be angry anymore," Qoacul tried again, offering his hand to his little brother.

Qoacutec knew that he should apologize, but his anger and pride would not let him. Stupid Qoacul! This was all his fault! He tripped on that rock on purpose, so that he would lose the race and could go hunting with Tat. It was not fair! And now Tat would not even let him go to the lake, or play with his friends, or take out the boat, or anything. He was getting increasingly angry thinking about all these things, completely forgetting all of his father's threats, until at last his anger was out of control and he could take it no more.

"No! Leave me alone!" he shouted, still hiding his face in his arms. He kicked Qoacul hard in the shin beneath the table.

"Ay!" Qoacul hissed quietly, touching his shin where Qoacutec had kicked him. Then he watched as his father got up from his seat.

"Itz'in, please," he begged again in a last desperate attempt to save his little brother. But Qoacutec did not wish to hear it and lashed out at his brother.

"No! I said 'Leave me alone!'" And this time he punched Qoacul in the arm.

"Ay!" Qoacul cried, grabbing his arm. "And what was that for, Itz'in?"

"This is all your fault!" Qoacutec told him, his eyes filled with tears. And that was the last straw. Without a word, B'alam Agab approached his son and took him by the arm.

"Ay, no, Tat! Do not spank him, please! He did not mean to do it. It did not even hurt, really," Qoacul told his father, still trying to defend his little brother. But B'alam Agab ignored him.

"Stand up," he told Qoacutec. He took him by the arm and pulled him to his feet, forcing him to stand up. Then he swatted him once very gently on the bottom, as a warning and a call to attention.

"That is not done!" he said, scolding him with his finger, and he was going to leave things at that, because in spite of his previous threats of severe punishment, he really did not want to spank his son. Qoacutec cried angrily, covering his bottom with his hand.

"It did not hurt!" he shouted at his father.

"Ah, no?" B'alam Agab asked him.

"No!" Qoacutec shouted at his father again, defiantly.

"Well, let us see then." B'alam Agab took him by the arm again, and gave him two more swats on the bottom that were so hard and loud that even Qoacul flinched.

"And those ones?" B'alam Agab asked. This time Qoacutec really did cry, with true feeling, and covered his bottom with his hand again. "You apologize, immediately, Qoacutec. Immediately," B'alam Agab told him.

"I am sorryyy," Qoacutec cried, looking at his father.

"Well, this you also say to your brother," B'alam Agab told him. "Go. Give him a hug and ask him for his forgiveness." Qoacutec went and hugged his brother.

"Forgive me," Qoacutec told him crying, his words drowned out against his brother's chest. Qoacul returned his brother's hug and rubbed his back.

"It is alright, Itz'in, just do not do it again, eh." He kissed him on the head.

"Listen to me, children," B'alam Agab told them. "Brothers do not fight or quarrel, much less come to blows like this, eh. A brother is a friend and a helper. You understand?"

"Yes, Tat," they both answered him sadly.

"All right." B'alam Agab took his youngest son by the arm again.

"Now sit down and eat. And when you are finished, you are going to get a spanking," he told him, threatening him with his finger.

"Ay, no, Tat, no! No! No! No!" Qoacutec cried upon hearing that his father planned to spank him even more than he already had, and he tried to pull away and free himself from his father's firm grasp.

"Do you still dare to tell me no?" B'alam Agab swatted him three more times on the bottom, very hard.

"Ay, no, Tat! No more do I dare to tell you no, Tat! Now I only dare to tell you yes, Tat!" Qoacutec shouted, crying.

"Sit down and eat." B'alam Agab made him sit on the bench and then returned to his place, leaving his son crying, hiding his face against his arms on the table.

"Sit up straight on that bench and eat." This time Qoacutec obeyed his father immediately.

"Tat, please, do not spank me," Qoacutec pleaded with his father.

"I am going to spank you, my son. I already told you. There is nothing for it."

"But I do not want a spanking," Qoacutec cried, rubbing his eyes with his fist.

"And I do not want that you to behave this way and disobey me like this, but at any rate, here we are. You should have thought about that before, no? You were more than warned, my son, now be quiet and eat," B'alam Agab told him.

"But it is that I do not want to eat, Tat. I am not hungry. My tummy hurts," Qoacutec told him, grabbing his stomach.

"This I did not ask you. I told you to eat. And quickly, because we do not have all day to be waiting for you," B'alam Agab answered him, without looking up. And so resigned to his fate, Qoacutec ate between silent tears. He squeezed his eyes shut, and two tears ran down his face.

"Stop crying," B'alam Agab told him sternly, giving him a hard look. He dropped his hand heavily on the table. But, Qoacutec couldn't do it. He continued crying softly. Then B'alam Agab came and stood his son up from the bench a second time.

"You want to cry?" And again, B'alam Agab swatted him three more times on the bottom.

"Now you are truly going to cry. I said stop crying! Stop crying immediately, Qoacutec."

"I can not," Qoacutec cried, coughing.

"Look at me, Qoacutec. I do not care. I do not want to see not another tear. Do you hear me? Now, sit down." With the back of his hand Qoacutec wiped his eyes and nose, while his father still holding him by the arm made him sit on the bench.

"Eat," B'alam Agab told him, returning to his seat.

And so with that, Qoacutec's tears also disappeared, until he was only sniffling very quietly. He began to eat his tortilla, as slowly as he could, taking tiny bites. But eventually the tortilla was finished. He sat there as quietly as possible, hoping that his father would not notice that he had finished eating. Then it began to grow pretty hot and close in the hut. Qoacutec felt very small and not so very brave anymore. He had a terrible pain and clutched his stomach and his hands began to sweat. Everything his eye fell on kept changing looks and a far distant drum beat kept ringing in his ears, saying, "SPANKING! SPANKING! SPANKING! SPANKING!" And then the wind gave voice to the tree limbs and leaves outside and they too joined in. "SPANKING! SPANKING! SPANKING! SPANKING!" they hissed, laughing and mocking him. Qoacutec did not know what to do with himself, and all at once the tears came into his eyes and his knees and legs trembled beneath him, so he began to sing a song to himself in his mind to distract himself: "Come on, come on, guys, the sun is already setting, Come on, come on, guys, the sun is already setting, Xala mayola xala mayol ea, ea, ea, óh. Come on, come on, guys, the sun is already setting." But this distraction did not last long and in spite of everything, he began to cry again thinking about the spanking that his father was going to give him. This time his father did notice and gave him a hard look.

"Are you crying again?" he asked him sternly.

"No," Qoacutec answered him, with crocodile tears running down his face.

"Have you finished? Put your plate away and come here," B'alam Agab told him. Qoacutec obeyed and went over to his father. "Look at me." B'alam Agab wiped the traces of tears away with his thumb. Then he took a small cloth and held it to his son's nose. "Blow." Qoacutec did it. "There now." B'alam Agab sat his son on his left knee and began rubbing his stomach.

"Please, Tat, you already spanked me," Qoacutec cried inconsolably, hugging his father's neck.

"I warned you, my son," B'alam Agab told him. "Let us go." He took his son silently by the hand. He went over and took down the leather deerskin strap from its place on the wall. And with that, all of Qoacutec's illusions that his father was only going to give him a stern talking-to after all, disappeared. Then B'alam Agab took his son outside.

When they came outside, Qoacutec separated from his father and stood at a distance, crying. B'alam Agab sat down on one of the work stools that was there outside, and with the strap in his hand.

"Come here," he told Qoacutec in a dreadful, terrible voice. Qoacutec fell to his knees and began to beg his father like a man condemned to death.

"Ay, Tat, please, do not spank me! Even on my knees I beg it of you."

"Since you continue to disobey me, now it will be ten swats that I am going to give you, instead of just nine as I had planned, and if you continue this way, it will be eleven," B'alam Agab told him. "And if I have to come for you, I am going to give you double. Now, get up and come here."

"I truly am very sorry with all of my whole heart and never again in my whole life will I ever do it again. Not even crazy."

"That you come here, I have told you!"

"I am going to be good and do everything you tell me to do. I swear it to you, Tat, I swear it to you."

"Now it will be eleven, eh."

"I do not need a spanking to understand. The spanking that you already gave me was enough."

"I am going to count to three, my son."

"I have already understood. I have already learned my lesson. Just give me another chance. I beg you."

"Hun (One)..."

"Forgive me, please, I ask you."

"Ka' (Two)..." So Qoacutec went over to his father, crying.

"Now, I am going to spank you, my son, just as I have told you, but-"

"Please, Tat, please!" Qoacutec cried, grabbing his father's hands.

"Ah! No!" B'alam Agab told him and Qoacutec removed his hands.

"-But first you and I are going to talk, eh?" B'alam Agab continued. Then he gave his son a sorrowful look.

"Ay, my son, what am I going to do with you, eh? I am very disappointed in you. How come you to strike your brother like that?"

"I do not know," Qoacutec sobbed, hanging his head.

"You do not know? Well I do know. You became very angry, yes? But you are angry at the wrong person. I was the one who told you you could not go hunting. So if you are going to be angry at someone, it should be me. And that is fine, my son. You may be angry at me if you like. As you wish. Because, you see, we all of us get angry at each other from time to time, that is just the way life is sometimes. But what I will not permit, is for you to strike your brother, disrespect me, or disobey me. That, I will not allow."

"But Qoacul-"

"Mm-mm," B'alam Agab told him, shaking his head. "It makes no difference what Qoacul did or said. It is what I say that you must mind. You remember, I told you children you must never strike each other. You must learn to control your temper, my son. Why, what would happen if you were a big man already and you became angry and you got into a fight and struck someone, eh? What would happen?"

"I would get in trouble with the tupile."

"That is right. You would be in very, very serious trouble with the tupile, my son. The tupile would come for you and grab you and take you prisoner and throw you into a little wooden cage. And then what would you do, eh? Do you want that to happen to you, my son? "

"No."

"Well, neither do I, my son. I do not want anything bad to happen to you. That is why when I tell you something, you need to listen to me and mind me. The first time, and readily, without complaints or questions. You want to go hunting with me, yes? Well, what would happen if we were out hunting and I said to you, 'My son, do not move!' but you did not listen to me and you said to me, 'Why?' and you took another step anyways, eh? ZAS! A snake bit you. Or what would happen if I said to you 'Run, my son!', but you did not listen to me and you said to me, 'Why?', and you did not run, as I told you to, eh? ZAS! A jaguar attacked you. It could happen, " B'alam Agab told him, leaning back. "And you could be very badly injured, my son. Is that what you want?"

"No."

"I can not take you hunting with me if I can not trust you to mind me, my son."

"But I am going to mind you, though."

"Well, I truly hope so, my son. You need to understand that if I tell you something, it is because of something, and I have my reasons, even though at times it may not seem like it. And it is not to be mean to you or to keep you from having fun; it is to keep you safe and well, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Because if something were to happen to you, I do not know what I would do, my son. I could not bear it. My heart would be broken into pieces and I would be very sad." B'alam Agab sighed heavily.

"Now, even though it hurts me even to my soul to have to do it, my son, I am going to spank you. I spank you because I love you. It is for you to learn, so that you do not forget, and so that never ever will you do it again. Now, come here."

Qoacutec stood there trembling and sobbing hysterically, on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Please, Tat, please!" He pleaded, repeatedly, his lips trembling. He coughed violently, nearly vomiting. He whimpered and clutched his stomach. B'alam Agab took him by the arm. Qoacutec tried to pull away and free himself, but B'alam had him grasped firmly by the arm, and made him lean over his left knee. Qoacutec tried to protect his bottom with his hand.

"Move your hand, my son," B'alam told him, taking his hand away. "I am going to spank you, and I do not want to hurt your hand." Now, Qoacutec began to cry even harder, if it were possible. And then, B'alam Agab spanked his son. At first Qoacutec cried simply for being over his father's knee, getting a spanking. His father's hand did not feel very good on his bottom. But later, even when he realized that his father was not spanking him with the strap, only with his hand very gently, still he could not stop crying.

"Stand up, now, my son," B'alam Agab told him when he finished spanking him. He allowed Qoacutec to cling to his neck for a few moments. Then he patted him on the back and stood him up between his knees. He took his son's face in his hands.

"You must never strike you brother again, never. Do you understand," Qoacutec nodded.

"Look at me, my son, and see that I am a man of my word and that I do that which I promise you I shall do. You got the spanking that I promised you, though it was not the one you deserved. But I do promise you this: the next time that you behave this way and disobey me, I will give you the spanking you deserve. But it will not be a spanking like this one. Ay, no. No, there will not be any of this- " B'alam Agab patted him very gently on the bottom again.

"Next time, this-" This time he gave Qoacutec a very hard swat on the bottom, much harder than any of the others he had given him inside the hut.

"... is what you are going to get." Qoacutec, of course, had begun to cry immediately, covering his bottom with his hand, because well, that swat had hurt a lot, as was his father's intention, so that he would understand and remember what told him. Then B'alam Agab sat his crying son on his left knee and hugged him very tightly to his chest, rubbing and patting his back, and Qoacutec sobbed against his neck, making it wet with his tears.

"And if you continue to behave this way, my son, next time I am going to use more than my hand. Next time, I will use my strap, if not a switch," B'alam Agab told him firmly.

"And it will all be on the bare bottom. Have you understood me, my son?" Between loud sobs and drooling with his fingers in his mouth, Qoacutec nodded his head against his father's neck.

"But I do not want to spank you, my son. Never," B'alam Agab told him. He kissed him on the side of the head and gently rubbed his son's thigh close to where he had swatted him on the bottom. Then Qoacutec whimpered something into his chest.

"What?" B'alam Agab asked him, leaning his ear closer so that he could hear him. Qoacutec wiped his nose across the back of his hand.

"I wanted to go too."

"I know, little one, I know." Then he took his son's face in his hands again and put his forehead against his son's forehead so that they would be eye to eye.

"But this I also say to you: I swear to you that after the baby is born, I will take you hunting with me again. I swear it to you, my son, I swear it to you. You understand? Because I love you, my son. You are precious to me. And where I am, there I want you to be with me also. You understand?" Qoacutec nodded his head again.

"Alright, then." B'alam Agab kissed him again. Qoacutec hid his face against his father's neck again and B'alam Agab put his hand against the back of his head. B'alam Agab kissed his son once more.

"Does your belly still hurt?" he asked. He was concerned because earlier Qoacutec had complained of his stomach hurting. Qoacutec nodded his head, still crying and clutching his stomach.

"Ay, ay, ay, my little one." B'alam Agab gave him another kiss. "Do not cry anymore, my love. You know I have never liked to see you cry." And then he began to sing to him:

"Ho! What is so precious as we are? It is my son, my little Qoacutec, more precious than the jewel worn on the breast..." he sang, rubbing his son's belly. He kissed him again. Then, suddenly, he stopped singing.

"You know what, my son? I thought I heard something."

"What?" Qoacutec asked, his face still hidden against his father's neck.

"I thought I heard a jaguar."

"I do not believe you."

"Ah, you do not believe me?"

"No."

"Truly, my son. I am telling you the truth."

"Where?" Qoacutec sat up now, though he still clutched his stomach pitifully.

"Here! And he has come to eat you!" B'alam Agab began to tickle his son. He made snarling noises, imitating a jaguar, and pretended to eat him, tickling him with his beard. He took Qoacutec in his arms and carried him inside, tickling him all the way. He laid him on a bed and continued the attack. He tickled his neck and ribs and pretended to eat his belly.

"What shall I have now? Maybe an arm!" He tickled Qoacutec under the arm.

"Or maybe a leg!" He tickled Qoacutec's hips and feet. Qoacutec laughed and laughed.

"Tat! Tat!" he gasped.

"Your daddy is not here. I already ate him too. He He He," B'alam Agab laughed.

"Hold it right there, Jaguar! I can't have jaguars eating up my little boy!" Choimha entered the room and walked over to them.

"Alright," B'alam Agab said to her. He rolled over on his back, breathing heavily. He placed his hand on her arm.

"You had best be very careful or I will eat you too," he said, snapping his teeth together.

"Hmmm," she said.

"And you see what has become of it." She took his hand and placed it on her belly. He moved his hand and kissed her belly. Then he gave his son's belly another little tickle.

"Does your belly still hurt?" Qoacutec shook his head.

"Ma' (No)," he laughed.

"Ma' lo' (Good)." B'alam Agab kissed him once more on the forehead. He pretended to eat him again, and tickled him briefly. He kissed him again, and gave his belly one last tickle. Then he sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Tell your brother to come and see me," he told his son...

Qoacutec found his brother in the other room, still sitting at the table with his head buried in his arms.

"Tat told me to tell you to come and see him," he said.

"Itz'in, are you alright?" Qoacul asked, sitting up to look at him, very concerned.

"Of course I am alright, Suk'un. You already know very well that nothing can break me, not even a spanking," he said, puffing out his chest in a show of bravado and machismo. But Qoacutec could clearly see that his brother was visibly shaken and extremely nervous. He already looked like he wanted to cry right now. He was even more terrified of getting a spanking than Qoacutec had been. Qoacul never got in trouble, so just a stern look or word from Tat always made Qoacul want to cry. "What is wrong, Suk'un? Tat has not said anything to you, right? And you have done nothing of which he can accuse you, so why are you so nervous, then?" Qoacutec asked him. He bent down close to his brother, leaning on his elbows on the table. "Listen, Suk'un. I swear I did not tell Tat anything about...well, you know. And you are not going to tell him anything either, right?" Qoacul shook his head. "So then? Everything will be alright. Nothing is going to happen. You will see," Qoacutec tried to assured him.

Qoacul came into the room, hanging his head already.

"Yes, Tat?"

"Come here, my son. I want to speak to you for a moment," B'alam Agab said to him not unkindly. His father didn't seem to be angry, so perhaps he wasn't in trouble after all. So Qoacul came over and stood near his father as he had been told.

"My son, truly I say to you, you are the very best brother anyone could ever hope to have. I know that you love your brother very much, with all of your whole heart and that you take your responsibilities as older brother very seriously. I know that you always do all that you can to protect him and to keep him safe and to see that no harm comes to him, which you and I both know is a very, very difficult thing to do," B'alam Agab said with a small smile, and he and Qoacul shared a little laugh. "But you see, the problem is, my son, is that I can see now that you will also do anything in your power to keep him from getting into trouble, including getting your own self into trouble by helping him to cover up his wrongs, and lying to me." Uh-oh. Maybe he was in trouble after all. Big trouble. The tears already began to prick at his eyes.

"But, Tat, I did not lie to you," Qoacul protested.

"Be still, your father speaks," B'alam Agab told him, and Qoacul obeyed immediately and closed his mouth.

"Now, I am going to ask you one more time, my son," B'alam Agab said to him. "Did your brother fall into the lake, yes or no?"

"Tat, I swear to you, I had my back turned and I did not see anything," Qoacul told him. But then he hung his head, on the verge of sobs. "But I know he did not fall into the lake, because I heard a splash. When I turned around Qoacutec had taken off his loincloth and was swimming naked in the lake. I said to him 'But Itz'in, what are you doing? If Tat told you not to go into the water?' He winked at me and told me, 'Ay, no, Suk'un. I fell.' I gave him my hand. I said to him, 'Well get out now and let us go.' But he would not listen to me. He did not want to get out. He started swimming and playing in the water. I said to him, 'Qoacutec, please, Tat is going to be angry.' Then he swam over to the edge of the bank, got out of the water, and put his loincloth back on. And I said to him, 'Now, let us go.'"

"Aja. That is what I thought. Now, you see, my son. All you had to tell me when I asked you was, 'Tat, I had my back turned at the moment and I did not see what happened, and so I cannot be for certain. But when I asked Qoacutec, he did tell me that he fell into the water.' That is all. Now, I want you to listen to me very, very carefully, my son. I want to make this quite clear to you. I am in no way asking you to betray your brother's trust or his confidences. Nor I am not asking you to tattle on him or to try to get him into any trouble. All I am asking is for you to tell me the truth when I ask you something. Alright, my son? You understand? But instead, when I asked you before, 'Qoacul, my son, is that what happened?' What did you tell me, eh?"

"I told you, 'It appeared so.'"

"Aja. And was that the truth, my son?"

"No, Tat, it was not the truth."

"That is called LYING, my son. You understand?"

"Yes, Tat, I understand."

"And do you know that it is wrong to lie, my son? And that you are never to lie to either me or your mother under any circumstances?"

"Yes, Tat, I know it."

"I have told you many, many times, my son."

"Yes, Tat."

"And so, even though you knew it was wrong, still you did it anyway, my son."

"Yes, Tat."

"Aja. And because you stood there and deliberately lied to me, to my face, in front of your brother, you taught him two lessons. One – that he can get away with anything. No matter what he does, or what trouble he gets himself into, he can always depend on you to be there to get him out of it, by lying for him and helping him to cover up his wrongs. Two – that it alright for you and he both to disobey me, disrespect me, and to lie to me."

"Oh, no, Tat. No. No. I swear. I did not mean to- I swear. I would never. I would never. I swear. I swear," Qoacul vowed to his father.

"I know you did not mean to, my son. But despite your intentions, those are what lessons were taught," B'alam Agab told him. "You remember what happens if you lie." Qoacul knew. Lying meant an automatic spanking. No questions asked.

"...G-get...a spanking," Qoacul somehow managed to answer his father, very quietly.

"That is right, my son. You deserve a good, hard spanking for lying to me," B'alam Agab told him a bit sadly. Qoacutec was absolutely devastated. His father never had to spank him. He was always respectful and obeyed both his parents, and he never lied to them. Until now. How could he be so foolish? He was so consumed by shame that he couldn't even bring himself to look at his father now, he just stood there with his head down looking at the ground, as the tears he had held back until now finally began to fall. The disappointment in his father's voice and on his face hurt far worse than any spanking his father could have ever given him - but at the same time, he didn't want a spanking either.

"Yes, Tat. I am sorry. I am sorryyy," Qoacul cried.

"I know you are sorry, my son," B'alam Agab said to him...

*Thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it. I'll try to edit/update either tomorrow or sometime this weekend.*

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