Alitse

“I’m sure I put it here in the front pocket of my bag?” Deborah was worried, and becoming frantic. Her change purse had disappeared from the secret, (but apparently not secure), location in which she had hidden it on her duffle bag. It’s bad enough to lose money at the best of times, should there ever be considered a best of times to lose money, but here, in this isolated city in the middle of nowhere, and on a backpacker’s budget, it was more than just the lost opportunity of a few drinks with the girls that Deborah was in fear of. Her bus ticket was in there as well, and whilst her stash of pounds and dollars, and her passport and airline booking information, were still secure, (she hoped), in the hostel’s safe behind the front desk, the loss of the DosserBusPass would cost her.


Deborah had arrived in Alitse along with her school-friend Katherine three days previously. They had both always wanted to see this part of the world, and the bus ride up from the much larger town by MacDonnell Springs had been a wonder of sights. Now however, with departure only twenty-two hours away, Deborah’s purse containing her “fun money”, and the all important coupon for her next stage of travel had vanished.


“What’s keeping you babes?” Katherine’s voice from the end of the hall. Deborah had only popped upstairs momentarily to change her top, (she’d forgotten the local pub disapproved of shoulders), and to grab some drinking money, and had now been gone longer than expected. Deborah made a split-second decision not to tell Katherine what was going on, called out a quick “coming” and grabbed a few coins off the dresser beside her bunk. There were at least three gold ones there, enough for one lingering drink to encourage the hope of finding a few of the local men ready to buy her a few more.



Elsa had been travelling alone, and had met up with Deborah and Katherine on the bus to Alitse. She had flown across for a working holiday with her boyfriend, but he’d been asked to work an additional week in his last job, (that of supply teaching in a city college), and she had chosen to go on to Alitse by herself, hoping to meet up with him the following weekend. She had been in the ensuite bathroom when Katherine and Deborah had departed for the pub and had seen where Deborah had hidden her purse under her hairbrush. She had been out with them all day on a rafting trip but had been last back to the room, consequently missing her chance at the shower. Elsa had been hoping to meet up with the girls down at the pub in the village and she’d only intended to take a few dollars in coin from the purse, indeed “intended” was taking it a little far as she’d put the purse in her pocket and taken it over to her bed even before she knew what she was doing. Then Deborah had come back and she’d had to hide, retreating to the bathroom again.


“S’up Debs?”

“Huh?”

“S’up? You look spooked.” Katherine knew something was up as soon as Deborah had joined her in the hallway, all the delight in her countenance after the day of activity was gone, and there was an uneasiness that best-friends (and only best-friends, and perhaps mothers) can always see. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah, ah, no, um.”

“Jawellnofine? Isn’t that what that South African girl says? So is it “ja and fine” or is it “well no”; something has spooked you, lovely.”

Deborah sighed. “I can’t find my purse. You know the little woven one. I put most of my money in the safe with my travel stuff, but I kept the shrapnel for drinking in the little one. It’s not where I thought I left it.”

“I’ll buy you a drink, lovely.”

“Yeah I know, but it’s my pass. That’s in there too.”

“Bus ticket? Ooh. Would you like me to help you look. It should only take a minute, it can’t have gone far. Did you take it with you today?” The girls had turned and were walking back towards their room; Deborah still had her key in her hand.

“Nah, that’s just it, I put it in my bag last night when we got back from the pub. I knew I wouldn’t want the money it today as we’d already paid for the boat, but I saw it in there just now when I put my hairbrush back in after my shower. In fact I put my hairbrush right on top of it, and now the brush is there but the purse isn’t.”


Elsa saw the door open before she heard it, and consequently was seen with her hand in the front of Deborah’s bag. Ironically she’d decided not to take any money and was just replacing the purse when she was caught.


“Wah!” Deborah stepped back. “Elsa? What are you doing near my bag?”

“I’m sorry Debs, I found your purse here and I was just putting it in your bag.” Elsa had gone bright red; she’d never been any good at lying.

“How did you know where I hid it? Even Katherine doesn’t know that. You pinched it didn’t you? You pinched my purse!”

“I’m sorry Debs; I didn’t take anything I promise.” Elsa’s eyes were beginning to well up now. She held the purse out to Deborah. “You can check if you want, I didn’t even open it.”

Deborah refused to take the purse, “you little thief! And after we included you in our adventure today as well. I don’t know what to say.” Deborah wasn’t the sort to shout, but she was quite upset and her voice was shaking. “Katherine? What shall I do?”

“We’ll have to tell the management I think.” Katherine had remained calm, also not the shouting type, and was able to see that Elsa was at least telling the truth about the closed purse.

“But please!” cried Elsa, who was the sort to shout, “I didn’t take anything. Oh can’t you just take it back and forget about it. I was silly I know, but I’m just a bit lonely without Martin this week and you were so lovely on the bus today and on the boat and coming up here to Alitse that I wanted to buy you a drink tonight.”

“With my own money? Elsa what is really going on here?”

“Just that. Look I’m sorry, really, but please don’t tell the manager.” Elsa’s tears were coursing down her cheeks now, silent rivers of regret contrasting her louder than normal speech. “How can I make it up to you?”

Deborah was torn. She had her purse now, Katherine had handed it to her and she could see that the elaborate zipper mechanism had indeed not been moved, the purse had not been opened. She felt happy to have it back, but felt betrayed by this young woman she and Katherine had befriended who had thought to rob her and had thoughtlessly caused her worry over the lost bus pass. “I don’t know Elsa. Certainly a drink would be a good idea, but I feel like hitting you. My DosserBusPass is in here and I was panicking about it. Katherine and I go back to MacDonnell Springs tomorrow. I don’t really care about the money, but you really scared me, we’re a long way from home here!

Elsa sniffed. “That seems fair. Shall I bend over the bed?”

“What?” Deborah took a step backwards? “I’m not going to hit you; I just said I felt like it. You know, a punch in the arm and we’ friends again. It’s a bit boyish, but Katherine and I have been punching each other since we were five. But I wasn’t really going to do it, it’s just an expression.”

Elsa sniffed again. “But are you going to tell the manager? Please don’t. I really would rather have you spank me than do that.”

“We’re not going to tell anyone Elsa,” Katherine spoke up, stepping forward. “We can see you’re sorry. But we’re certainly not going to spank you Elsa, we’re all the same age!” Deborah nodded, but then shook her head.

“Okay,” said Deborah

“Huh? Debs are you …”

“Look Katherine, she did scare me, and if that’s what it takes to make me feel better about it then ...”

“Oh please,” Elsa took Deborah’s hand. “It’s not a problem. My parents only stopped hitting me about three years ago anyway, and they still cane my sister. It’s completely fine; in fact I’d feel better if there were some consequence.”


“Her parents cane her sister?” Katherine was amazed to hear that such things went on. She and Deborah had gone outside by the pool to discuss the next stage. “Whoever canes girls in the twenty-first century? And did she really say it was only three years since she was hit, she must be twenty at least.”

“She’s nineteen, and her boyfriend is twenty-four. We had a good chat on the DosserBus up here. Maybe caning is just part of South African culture, even for white girls.

“It’s still sick.” Katherine had never been hit by her parents, although she knew that Deborah had received the wooden spoon from her mother until she was thirteen. “Are you really going to hit her? Do you even know how to do it?”

“It’s what she wants, and to be honest it would make me feel a bit better. I’d be just as happy not to of course, but since the opening is there.”

“Excuse me, but are you really going to belt that little Afrikaner chick? Can I watch?” David from the bus, he’d been walking past the pool towards the common kitchen and had overheard the conversation.

“No. Blow off! This is not for entertainment.” Deborah was motivated now and wasn’t going to be distracted by some sticky-trousered Dutchman. Katherine smiled, at least Deborah wasn’t kinky.


Elsa was sitting on the bed holding her hairbrush when Katherine and Deborah entered. “My parents used to beat the girls in my family with a hairbrush for small offences, or my father would use the cane he ordinarily kept for my brothers if we had been very bad. Hairbrush was on the bottom, over the knee, cane was across the tops of the thighs, over the bed or the kitchen table. Corporal punishment stops for each girl the day after her sixteenth birthday.” She looked up from the hairbrush and handed it towards Deborah. “What shall I do?”

“Put that down first,” said Deborah, “there will be no hard objects here”. Deborah reached into the top of her bag and pulled out one of her slippers, holding it up for Elsa to see. Elsa nodded and placed her hairbrush gently beside her on her bunk. She had heard that English girls were punished at school with “the slipper”, but had never experienced it before. “Now stand up and come over to me.” Deborah had taken her place on the stool in front of the door – ordinarily a place for jackets or bags to be dropped in a rush. She patted her lap.

“Shall I?” Elsa lifted the front hem of her skirt.

“Just the skirt,” nodded Deborah, raising her hand up to help Elsa her take position across Deborah’s lap. Elsa laid herself across her new friend’s knees and flipped up the back of her skirt, revealing a neat pair of yellow cotton pants. “Now Elsa, when I was a girl I was always spanked with commentary. You’ll get the same. What is your full name?”

“Juffrou Elsa Larissa Kirsten.”

“Excuse me?” Katherine had taken a seat on one of the spare bunks to watch the punishment.

“Juffrou means ‘Miss’, my middle name is Larissa and my last name is Kirsten. It’s a Danish surname I think, my family are Afrikaners and have been in South Africa since the 1700s.”

“Do you know why you are here Miss Kirsten? Why do I have you over my knee this evening?” Deborah raised her slipper.

“Well, it’s because OW!” The first smack landed. It hadn’t really hurt Elsa so much, she certainly preferred the softer slipper to her mother’s hard-backed hairbrush, but it had taken her by surprise. Katherine had jumped as the blow landed; she’d been momentarily looking away and had heard only the slap sound and Elsa’s cry.”

Deborah continued, “why are you here?”

“Ow!, um because, ow!, I stole your, ow!, purse.” The smacks were getting harder, but still nothing compared to a hair brushing.

“And that was wrong wasn’t it Elsa Larissa?”

“Ow!, yes Debs it, ow!, it was.”

“You will (spank) call me Deborah.”

“Ow!, Ooh yes sorry, ow! Sorry Deborah.”

“And are you sorry Elsa (spank) Larissa?”

Elsa began to sob and didn’t answer immediately. Four hard spanks in quick succession brought her attention back. “Yes Deborah, I’m very sorry I stole your purse. Ow!”

“And will it (spank, spank) ever (spank) happen again?”

“Oooh. Hoo hoo. No Deborah I, ow!, I promise it, ow!, will not.”

Deborah delivered seven very hard spanks in quick succession to the seat of Elsa’s pants, causing Elsa to begin crying. Katherine was amazed to see Deborah in this new light, and noted with a mixture of pride and distaste the puddle of tears forming on the floor beneath Elsa’s face.

“Well then. Let’s see that it doesn’t. Elsa, stand up.” Elsa was still crying, but made the effort to stand. “Panties down and bend over again. Katherine, please pass me Miss Kirsten’s hairbrush!” Katherine took a double take, but passed the brush nonetheless. Elsa obeyed immediately and was in place before the brush was.

“Go on! Give it to her. She’s a bad, bad girl! Naughty girl, spank that wicked child!” David had obviously been listening behind the door. “C’mon ladies, please let me in.”

Deborah ignored the voice, and Katherine took her lead. Elsa began to cry again. “In view of the embarrassment the audience has caused you we’ll limit this final part Elsa. I was going to give you six hard smacks with the hairbrush …” Elsa gasped, she knew what six hard ones with the brush felt like, and to think that the boys were listening was terror to her.

“Yeah, do it Debs! Belt that bare bottomed baby!”

“Ignore him. In view of him though I’ll give you four and let that be an end to it. Agreed?”

Elsa sobbed, and was smacked very hard upon her very pink, very bare bottom with Deborah’s open palm.

“A sob is not an answer Elsa Larissa. If you don’t want extra spanks you’ll speak when spoken to young lady. Do I, (spank, spank), make myself clear?”

“Yes Deborah, four more please Deborah. With the, ooh hoo, with the brush.”

“Good girl.” The four spanks were the hardest Deborah could muster, and they were all delivered soundly to the fleshy part of Elsa’s pinkening buttocks. Elsa cried out with each one, and collapsed into sobs after the fourth. “Okay Elsa, it’s finished now. You can stand up, then let’s all go for a drink.”


Deborah looked up to see Katherine looking at her, tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t surprised to find her own eyes feeling wet. It had been much more difficult than she’d imagined to spank Elsa. Did she feel better about her purse? Not really, (Elsa was standing up now and painfully replacing her panties and skirt, Deborah handed Elsa the hairbrush absently). Katherine had gone out to shoo Dave away, Deborah put her arm around Elsa’s shoulder.

“Thankyou Deborah …”

“It’s Debs,”

“Thankyou. I’m so sorry about the purse, and I’m sorry that I can’t afford to buy you a drink.”

Deborah smiled. “I think we’ll let Dave do the buying tonight shall we?”

Elsa smiled. “Yes.”