There was no way for Sarah to get out of her punishment. It was unbelievably harsh to flog someone simply for overstaying their visa, or to fine them a ridiculous amount of money. Obviously the Carpathians didn't think like that. Sarah would have to choose her punishment soon, either pay a fine she cannot afford or face the lash. Sarah was a good girl and her parents were never strict, so she had never experienced any type of corporal punishment before.
"I will leave the room. Under the law I am required to give you two hours to choose your penalty. If you wish, you may call your embassy or whoever you wish." said the officer impatiently.
Sarah buried her head in her hands. She was in trouble all over overstaying her visa. She had done it before once in New Zealand but she got away with a small fine. Sarah knew there was little chance of getting out of this. She rang the Australian embassy and they told her there was nothing she could do, she should either choose between a whipping or a fine. "Bunch of overpaid useless public servants," she said to herself.
The thought of being whipped was a horrible prospect. She remembered a few stories in her university history classes of what happened to sailors in the British Navy who broke military rules and were whipped. Sarah had no intentions of experiencing a real life history lesson. Still she wasn't quite sure she accord afford the four thousand euro fine. Her father wouldn't pay the fine for her and she was quite sure that she had already used up a lot of her money on her trip. It would be a tough decision for Sarah. The door burst open interrupting Sarah's thoughts. The Airport Police officer came in. He was holding a large a file. He put the file down on the desk and took a seat.
"It has been an hour. You must give your decision now," ordered the Airport officer.
"I will take the whipping," said Sarah.
The officer opened the door and left. After a few minutes he returned with two policewomen. One of the policewomen handcuffed Sarah and led her out of the room. The policewomen led Sarah through the airport building. Sarah was aware of the many stares that the travelers were giving her. After walking through what seemed like the entire airport, Sarah was led into the airport's main police station. They took into another small room. There she was greeted by another policewoman who had the title of "Chief of Foreigners' Affairs".
The Chief of Foreigners' Affairs greeted Sarah courteously. She asked if Sarah would like a drink. Sarah accepted graciously and a small orange juice and a plate of cookies were placed in front of her.
"Miss Newman is it? You must read and sign this paper." said the Chief of Foreigners' Affairs. Another officer removed Sarah's handcuffs. Sarah read the paper. It asked her if she had any blood disorders or allergies. It asked her if she was pregnant. At the end she was asked to give her consent to the punishment. "Once you sign, you cannot back down," warned the Chief of Foreigners' Affairs. "You can still pay the fine now, if you wish." Sarah signed the paper and then she was handcuffed again.
The Chief of Foreigners' Affairs continued. "I shall explain the whipping procedure now. You will be held for twenty four hours in a cell, since you may have taken pain relieving drugs this morning or last night. Your whipping will take place at half past nine tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning you will have your blood pressure checked and then you will be given your twenty lashes. You will be tied down on to a trestle and a special balm will be rubbed on to your buttocks that will increase pain but reduce the chances of scarring and skin breaking. You will be lashed on your buttocks and upper thighs. After that a nurse will treat your bruises and cuts. You will also be completely naked for the punishment."
Another policewoman led Sarah by the arm to the cell. Sarah was frisked by the policewoman before being allowed into the cell. The cell was small, there was a mattress and a toilet and washbasin. Sarah settled in on the bed. She dozed off for a little while but was woken by the guard bringing her lunch in. Lunch was bread with sausages and a cup of water. Plain but sustaining fare. Dinner was the same thing. Occasionally she heard footsteps outside but other than that it was very quiet. As soon as the sun went down Sarah found it easy to fall asleep despite her nervousness and apprehension about her fate the next day.
Sarah was woken early in the morning by a police officer who gave her breakfast. It was bread with jam. Forty five minutes after Sarah finished her breakfast the police officer re appeared. She handcuffed Sarah and marched her to what looked like a small doctor's surgery. Instead of a doctor, a medical technician was there. The technician went through the papers that Sarah had signed the previous day and then took her blood pressure. Sarah's blood pressure was normal and the technician signed the paper that cleared Sarah for whipping.
Sarah was then led to another room, the room where Sarah's punishment would take place. The officer opened the door. On the floor there was a basket, in the far corner there was a small desk. Sarah saw the trestle in the center of the room with the straps that would restrain her. Another police officer stood a few feet away from the trestle, she was holding the whip. The whip was black, long and thin. It didn't look like any of the whips Sarah had seen in the drawings of punishments in the British Navy, for that she was grateful. The officer that escorted Sarah into the room, removed Sarah's handcuffs. She then picked up the basket and dumped it Sarah's feet.
"Take off all clothes and put in basket," ordered the officer.
Sarah took off her light black cardigan and placed it in the basket. She took her boots off and placed them in the basket. Sarah then went for her T shirt, she took it off and slowly placed it in the basket. She then unbuckled her belt and slid down her jeans. Down to her panties, bra and socks, she stopped momentarily. "The rest too," the officer ordered. Sarah hands were shaking as she went to undo her bra. She undid the clasps and her 36C sized breasts came spilling out. She placed the bra on the pile of her clothing in the basket. She tried to cover her breasts with her arm as she slowly slid down her panties. Her light brown, trimmed bush came into view. Sarah's panties joined the pile in the basket. She straightened herself and covered her breasts and pussy with her arms. The officer looked at her feet. "Those too," the officer said, pointing at Sarah's pink socks. Sarah lifted her left foot off the ground and peeled her sock off. She did the same with her right foot. After she had put her socks in the basket, the officer led her towards the trestle. The floor felt cool under Sarah's soles. Sarah was bent over the trestle. The officers strapped her hands and feet to the sides of the trestle then applied the balm on her butt and thighs. Sarah never imagined that her dream European holiday would end with her naked, barefoot and strapped to a trestle about to be whipped.
Sarah closed her eyes the first lash came down on her butt. Sarah winced slightly. Her butt was stinging. The second lash came down just below where the first stroke landed. "Ow," she winced. The third lash came down, this time upon her thighs. Sarah inhaled quickly.
The fourth lash came down almost exactly where the first stroke had landed. "OWWW!" Sarah screamed. The fifth lash came down at the same place. "OWWWW!" she screamed as she began to thrash around in the shackles. The sixth lash came down on her thighs. "AAAH!" she wailed as she felt the balm sting the places where the whip had made contact.
The seventh lash came on Sarah's lower thighs away from the previous lash marks. For that she was grateful. She heard the two officers say something in Carpathian. The eighth lash came down. Sarah began to howl and thrash violently in her restraints. One of the officers checked the straps binding her feet. The ninth lash came down this time on the lower part of her butt. "AARGH "AARGH!" she yelped. She could taste salt in her mouth, her tears were running down her cheeks. The tenth lash came down. "AARGH NO MORE NO MORE!" she pleaded but to no avail, the eleventh lash came down. She screamed and yelled for mercy but the officers paid no attention to her.
The twelfth lash came down right on a spot where many of the previous strokes had landed. "AARGH NO IT BURNS IT BURNS!" Sarah yelled. She thrashed around and she felt another shot of pain as her left ankle hit the wooden leg of the trestle. The thirteenth lash hit her on the thighs again. "AAIIEE!" she shrieked. The tears were coming down in torrents. The fourteenth lash came down on her upper butt. She thrashed around again and this time her right ankle hit the leg of the trestle. The fifteenth lash came down, this time on the middle of her butt. "OWWWW AARGH NO MORE NO MORE OH GOD NO MORE!" she shouted. She thrashed her feet as hard as the restraints would allow her." She was inhaling rapidly and crying as the sixteenth lash came down. This time she didn't scream or wail, she only breathed in and sobbed, her tears running down her mouth and dropping on the floor below. The seventeenth lash came down. She felt its cruel and painful touch on her sore bare butt.
She winced but she could only sob, she opened her mouth but only saliva came out, not sound. The eighteenth lash hit her thighs. She groaned and spat out some phlegm and saliva. The nineteenth stroke came down on her butt. She groaned and sobbed, her legs twitched. The officers again checked the restraints on her feet. The twentieth and final stroke came down on her butt. She winced and she sobbed, her tears dripping on to the floor at a rapid pace. Sarah was crying uncontrollably as the officers undid the restraints that bound her hands and feet to the trestle. The officers led Sarah out of the room, weeping, hobbling, naked and barefoot, back to the medical officers to get treatment for her wounds. Her ordeal was over. It was a holiday that Sarah would always remember.
