"Caustic Cousins"
Part 2
A Little House on the Prairie Fanfic
Crystal waited for what seemed like an eternity out in the barn. Ever so slowly she raked out the dirty straw in the horses' stalls, but her heart simply wasn't in her work. Five minutes passed, which turned into ten, and then fifteen. By this time she was feeding their mare, Ira, when suddenly the barn doors opened. The girl jumped at the sound of the squeaky bolts and the door dragging on the dirt floor as it was opened and shut.
"Crystal, come here," James said, once more calm. His voice no longer held the anger, and the venom was gone from his gaze. All that was left was a firm undercurrent to his speech.
Slowly, Crystal set down the bucket of feed, and approached her father nervously. Never had he appeared so angry as he had earlier, and she wasn't sure that this mood was for real. When James reached out a hand she instinctively shirked back in fear. Tears glistened in his eyes as he put that hand in his other.
"Oh, Crystal, I am so sorry," he whispered. "Your ma was right, we've been letting things go with you. We've let you get away with things we shouldn't have, and when I have spanked you, I don't think it's been hard enough. I was angry, Crystal, but not over what I should have been."
James went over to a bale of hay and sat down, then motioned for his daughter to join him. Hesitantly, she obeyed him. He put a comforting arm around her, and just sat in silence for a minute. Finally, he spoke again.
"I shouldn't have been that upset with you, and I definitely wasn't upset over what you said. I was upset with myself, Crystal, for letting things happen, for neglecting my role as your pa. Please, baby, can you forgive me?"
Crystal was in a state of shock, and was still absorbing what her father had just said. Finally she was able to speak, although her voice warbled slightly.
"Of course I forgive you, Pa."
James took a shuddery breath. "Thank you, baby. I promise you this: I will never again punish you in anger. That was wrong and inexcusable. Especially when my anger should have been directed at myself."
Crystal gave a small smile. "It's alright, Pa. We all make mistakes once in a while."
"Yes, Crystal, we do. But we also need to learn to accept the consequences of those mistakes. I had to be prepared to come out here tonight with you so scared of me that you would never feel safe around me again."
"But, Pa, I…"
"Hush, Crystal. It's true. It broke my heart when I saw you scared of me. That was my punishment. But Crystal, you also need to take your punishment."
"I know, Pa," she whispered.
"Honey, your ma and I have been talking, and we've decided that you need something more constant to prevent you from doing such a thing ever again. We also think that the punishments I have been giving you just haven't been doing the trick. We… I… that is, Crystal, sweetheart, we're going to start doing things a little more how country-folk do them."
Crystal's small face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't understand, Pa! You're already spanking me."
"That's exactly it, Crystal. Sweetheart, have any of your friends told you exactly how they get punished?"
"No… they just say they get spanked."
"Is that really what they say, Crystal? Or do they use words like 'licked,' 'tanned,' and 'skinned?'"
"Don't they mean the same thing, Pa?" asked a bemused Crystal.
"No, sweetheart, they don't. A spanking, if done long enough, and for smaller things, can be quite effective. For instance, from now on, when you mess up small things, your ma will spank you with a switch, or her hand, or her hairbrush. But for major or recurring infractions, I'm going to be handling your punishments."
Crystal, starting to get the idea, but a little scared at the prospect, decided to play dumb. "Wh-what exactly are you going to do, Pa?" she asked is a high-pitched voice.
James stood, and walked over to the doorframe. For the first time, Crystal noticed a thick, well-oiled leather strap hanging there. Her eyes opened in fright, and she backed away again.
"Pa, no, oh no, Pa, you wouldn't…" Tears were beginning to fall silently down her grimy cheeks again.
"Crystal, honey, it's alright, yes, I'm going to do this. But I promise not to suddenly spring a full punishment on you. I'm going to work you up to the point where you can tolerate a full strapping. Believe me, what you get tonight is going to feel like a full strapping, and there is no sense in going beyond what you can handle."
Slightly comforted, knowing her father was still looking out for her, but also scared stiff at prospect of receiving a whipping Crystal stood there, very unsure of herself.
"Crystal, one thing you must know is that these will always be given to you on your bare bottom. It would only be worse to let you keep your clothing up, because I wouldn't know when to stop, and I would probably keep going far beyond what you deserved.
She was already crying, but the idea of having that hunk of leather coming down on her bare bottom was almost too much to bear. She began softly sobbing at this very unwelcome news, even if it was being done in her best interest.
James sighed, and hardened his heart. It hurt him so much to hurt his little girl who had already been through so much suffering through no fault of her own. Still, he knew he was really hurting her more by letting her keep getting away with things, and so he came over to her.
"Crystal, sweetheart, let's just get this over with, alright?" he asked in a strained voice. She silently nodded through her sobs.
He sighed, then began giving out instructions. "Crystal, go put a folded horse blanket on top of that hay bale there, would you please?"
Ever so slowly she went to obey her orders. It wouldn't help matters any to procrastinate, although every fiber of her being wanted to keep this from actually happening. She went to the corner and grabbed a navy blue wool blanket, folded it over three times, and set it on top of the bale. She stepped back then, scuffing the dirt with her boots in nervousness as she waited for the dreaded order.
"Okay, Crystal, bend over the blanket, honey, and grab the edge of the bale, alright?" came James' next direction.
Shakily, she approached the bale, and took a shuddery breath before getting up on her tiptoes and bending over. Before long she felt James come over and lift her skirt and petticoat. Closing his eyes, he took down his only child's last defense from the oncoming blows: her thin, plain white bloomers.
The strap had been draped across his left arm while these proceedings were taking place. Now, he shifted its location to his right hand.
"Are you ready, darlin'," he asked.
Crystal took a deep breath. She honestly didn't think she'd ever be ready, but she knew that wasn't what her pa wanted to hear. Instead, she simply squeaked out, "Yes, Pa."
"Alright then." James stepped back and slightly to her left. Just as he was about to let fly, he remembered something that on rare occasions his pa had done for him. He laid his left hand gently on his daughter's lower back.
Crystal flinched involuntarily at the first touch of his hand, but then relaxed. Somehow, feeling that caring side of her pa still there made it easier to take. Suddenly, there was a loud hiss, and a crack that echoed throughout the old barn. At first the pain didn't even register, but then Crystal let out a wail.
This pain was nothing like those few spankings she had earned since her parents had decided that corporal punishment wasn't necessarily the wrong way to go. This burned deeply, and on only the first stroke. 'How many am I going to have to take?' she thought as she sobbed.
James watched the area he had struck first turn white, which soon turned into a beet red stripe. He had already decided that for tonight he would only go down her bottom and halfway down her thighs once. That would be more than enough for her first time with a full-strength strapping.
Keeping his left hand firmly on her back, maintaining that connection between father and daughter, he reached back and let the second stroke fly, letting it land just below the first, just above her sit spot.
Crystal tensed at the sound of the leather whirring through the air, and screeched, high-pitched, as the pain registered. Already she knew that she would be spending more time on her chores. Her pa was right, this was much worse than a spanking, and they weren't anywhere near the same.
Suddenly, there was another whoosh of air and a third crack, landing directly on her sit-spot. This time she squealed and stamped each boot in turn.
James' heart was breaking at the site of his daughter in so much pain, and was eager to get this finished. As soon as she had settled down again, he let the fourth stroke go, landing on the very tops of her thighs.
A high-pitched scream could be heard, coming from his daughter, and James just wanted to scoop her up and hold her, but he had decided what her punishment was to be, and he was not going to do her wrong by letting her off again. Half-heartedly he struck directly below the last smack, and lifted her up and held her even as she was screaming.
Tears were streaming down both father and daughter's faces. James just sat there, rocking his sobbing child.
When she had finally calmed down enough to speak, she did so, although she still refused to let go of her pa. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Shh," he replied, tenderly stroking her long hair. "It's alright, now. It's in the past. It's forgotten. No one will bring it up again, okay?"
Silently she nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a flickering light quickly making its way from the window, but she shook her head, sure that she was imagining things.
"Well, doll," James said at last, "let's get you off to bed. I'm sure you've got to be quite tired."
Crystal nodded. Indeed, she was tired, and felt like she could just fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Slowly, father and daughter made their way back to the farmhouse.
The young girl wasn't able to even look at her mother once they had entered, she was so embarrassed. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get away with this.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he mother said warmly.
"G'night, Ma. I'm really sorry…"
"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Just get on up to bed. Danielle should still be awake."
James and Crystal shot a questioning glance at Julia.
"She had to use the outhouse desperately." At Crystal's look of despair, Julia added, "Oh, sweetie, I made her promise she'd stay away from the barn. I'm sure she never heard anything. The outhouse and barn are plenty far away from each other."
"But I saw a light right outside the barn window…" she began, but James cut in.
"I'm sure you were just seeing things, sweetheart. Your eyes were probably so full of tears the light was playing tricks on them."
Crystal's mind was full of doubt, but she nodded anyway. "I'm sure you're right, Pa," she said, while unconscientiously rubbing her inflamed bottom.
James smiled, and replied, "Goodnight." He gave her a short hug, and then sent her scampering up the stairs.
Part 2
A Little House on the Prairie Fanfic
Crystal waited for what seemed like an eternity out in the barn. Ever so slowly she raked out the dirty straw in the horses' stalls, but her heart simply wasn't in her work. Five minutes passed, which turned into ten, and then fifteen. By this time she was feeding their mare, Ira, when suddenly the barn doors opened. The girl jumped at the sound of the squeaky bolts and the door dragging on the dirt floor as it was opened and shut.
"Crystal, come here," James said, once more calm. His voice no longer held the anger, and the venom was gone from his gaze. All that was left was a firm undercurrent to his speech.
Slowly, Crystal set down the bucket of feed, and approached her father nervously. Never had he appeared so angry as he had earlier, and she wasn't sure that this mood was for real. When James reached out a hand she instinctively shirked back in fear. Tears glistened in his eyes as he put that hand in his other.
"Oh, Crystal, I am so sorry," he whispered. "Your ma was right, we've been letting things go with you. We've let you get away with things we shouldn't have, and when I have spanked you, I don't think it's been hard enough. I was angry, Crystal, but not over what I should have been."
James went over to a bale of hay and sat down, then motioned for his daughter to join him. Hesitantly, she obeyed him. He put a comforting arm around her, and just sat in silence for a minute. Finally, he spoke again.
"I shouldn't have been that upset with you, and I definitely wasn't upset over what you said. I was upset with myself, Crystal, for letting things happen, for neglecting my role as your pa. Please, baby, can you forgive me?"
Crystal was in a state of shock, and was still absorbing what her father had just said. Finally she was able to speak, although her voice warbled slightly.
"Of course I forgive you, Pa."
James took a shuddery breath. "Thank you, baby. I promise you this: I will never again punish you in anger. That was wrong and inexcusable. Especially when my anger should have been directed at myself."
Crystal gave a small smile. "It's alright, Pa. We all make mistakes once in a while."
"Yes, Crystal, we do. But we also need to learn to accept the consequences of those mistakes. I had to be prepared to come out here tonight with you so scared of me that you would never feel safe around me again."
"But, Pa, I…"
"Hush, Crystal. It's true. It broke my heart when I saw you scared of me. That was my punishment. But Crystal, you also need to take your punishment."
"I know, Pa," she whispered.
"Honey, your ma and I have been talking, and we've decided that you need something more constant to prevent you from doing such a thing ever again. We also think that the punishments I have been giving you just haven't been doing the trick. We… I… that is, Crystal, sweetheart, we're going to start doing things a little more how country-folk do them."
Crystal's small face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't understand, Pa! You're already spanking me."
"That's exactly it, Crystal. Sweetheart, have any of your friends told you exactly how they get punished?"
"No… they just say they get spanked."
"Is that really what they say, Crystal? Or do they use words like 'licked,' 'tanned,' and 'skinned?'"
"Don't they mean the same thing, Pa?" asked a bemused Crystal.
"No, sweetheart, they don't. A spanking, if done long enough, and for smaller things, can be quite effective. For instance, from now on, when you mess up small things, your ma will spank you with a switch, or her hand, or her hairbrush. But for major or recurring infractions, I'm going to be handling your punishments."
Crystal, starting to get the idea, but a little scared at the prospect, decided to play dumb. "Wh-what exactly are you going to do, Pa?" she asked is a high-pitched voice.
James stood, and walked over to the doorframe. For the first time, Crystal noticed a thick, well-oiled leather strap hanging there. Her eyes opened in fright, and she backed away again.
"Pa, no, oh no, Pa, you wouldn't…" Tears were beginning to fall silently down her grimy cheeks again.
"Crystal, honey, it's alright, yes, I'm going to do this. But I promise not to suddenly spring a full punishment on you. I'm going to work you up to the point where you can tolerate a full strapping. Believe me, what you get tonight is going to feel like a full strapping, and there is no sense in going beyond what you can handle."
Slightly comforted, knowing her father was still looking out for her, but also scared stiff at prospect of receiving a whipping Crystal stood there, very unsure of herself.
"Crystal, one thing you must know is that these will always be given to you on your bare bottom. It would only be worse to let you keep your clothing up, because I wouldn't know when to stop, and I would probably keep going far beyond what you deserved.
She was already crying, but the idea of having that hunk of leather coming down on her bare bottom was almost too much to bear. She began softly sobbing at this very unwelcome news, even if it was being done in her best interest.
James sighed, and hardened his heart. It hurt him so much to hurt his little girl who had already been through so much suffering through no fault of her own. Still, he knew he was really hurting her more by letting her keep getting away with things, and so he came over to her.
"Crystal, sweetheart, let's just get this over with, alright?" he asked in a strained voice. She silently nodded through her sobs.
He sighed, then began giving out instructions. "Crystal, go put a folded horse blanket on top of that hay bale there, would you please?"
Ever so slowly she went to obey her orders. It wouldn't help matters any to procrastinate, although every fiber of her being wanted to keep this from actually happening. She went to the corner and grabbed a navy blue wool blanket, folded it over three times, and set it on top of the bale. She stepped back then, scuffing the dirt with her boots in nervousness as she waited for the dreaded order.
"Okay, Crystal, bend over the blanket, honey, and grab the edge of the bale, alright?" came James' next direction.
Shakily, she approached the bale, and took a shuddery breath before getting up on her tiptoes and bending over. Before long she felt James come over and lift her skirt and petticoat. Closing his eyes, he took down his only child's last defense from the oncoming blows: her thin, plain white bloomers.
The strap had been draped across his left arm while these proceedings were taking place. Now, he shifted its location to his right hand.
"Are you ready, darlin'," he asked.
Crystal took a deep breath. She honestly didn't think she'd ever be ready, but she knew that wasn't what her pa wanted to hear. Instead, she simply squeaked out, "Yes, Pa."
"Alright then." James stepped back and slightly to her left. Just as he was about to let fly, he remembered something that on rare occasions his pa had done for him. He laid his left hand gently on his daughter's lower back.
Crystal flinched involuntarily at the first touch of his hand, but then relaxed. Somehow, feeling that caring side of her pa still there made it easier to take. Suddenly, there was a loud hiss, and a crack that echoed throughout the old barn. At first the pain didn't even register, but then Crystal let out a wail.
This pain was nothing like those few spankings she had earned since her parents had decided that corporal punishment wasn't necessarily the wrong way to go. This burned deeply, and on only the first stroke. 'How many am I going to have to take?' she thought as she sobbed.
James watched the area he had struck first turn white, which soon turned into a beet red stripe. He had already decided that for tonight he would only go down her bottom and halfway down her thighs once. That would be more than enough for her first time with a full-strength strapping.
Keeping his left hand firmly on her back, maintaining that connection between father and daughter, he reached back and let the second stroke fly, letting it land just below the first, just above her sit spot.
Crystal tensed at the sound of the leather whirring through the air, and screeched, high-pitched, as the pain registered. Already she knew that she would be spending more time on her chores. Her pa was right, this was much worse than a spanking, and they weren't anywhere near the same.
Suddenly, there was another whoosh of air and a third crack, landing directly on her sit-spot. This time she squealed and stamped each boot in turn.
James' heart was breaking at the site of his daughter in so much pain, and was eager to get this finished. As soon as she had settled down again, he let the fourth stroke go, landing on the very tops of her thighs.
A high-pitched scream could be heard, coming from his daughter, and James just wanted to scoop her up and hold her, but he had decided what her punishment was to be, and he was not going to do her wrong by letting her off again. Half-heartedly he struck directly below the last smack, and lifted her up and held her even as she was screaming.
Tears were streaming down both father and daughter's faces. James just sat there, rocking his sobbing child.
When she had finally calmed down enough to speak, she did so, although she still refused to let go of her pa. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Shh," he replied, tenderly stroking her long hair. "It's alright, now. It's in the past. It's forgotten. No one will bring it up again, okay?"
Silently she nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a flickering light quickly making its way from the window, but she shook her head, sure that she was imagining things.
"Well, doll," James said at last, "let's get you off to bed. I'm sure you've got to be quite tired."
Crystal nodded. Indeed, she was tired, and felt like she could just fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Slowly, father and daughter made their way back to the farmhouse.
The young girl wasn't able to even look at her mother once they had entered, she was so embarrassed. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get away with this.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he mother said warmly.
"G'night, Ma. I'm really sorry…"
"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Just get on up to bed. Danielle should still be awake."
James and Crystal shot a questioning glance at Julia.
"She had to use the outhouse desperately." At Crystal's look of despair, Julia added, "Oh, sweetie, I made her promise she'd stay away from the barn. I'm sure she never heard anything. The outhouse and barn are plenty far away from each other."
"But I saw a light right outside the barn window…" she began, but James cut in.
"I'm sure you were just seeing things, sweetheart. Your eyes were probably so full of tears the light was playing tricks on them."
Crystal's mind was full of doubt, but she nodded anyway. "I'm sure you're right, Pa," she said, while unconscientiously rubbing her inflamed bottom.
James smiled, and replied, "Goodnight." He gave her a short hug, and then sent her scampering up the stairs.