"Right girls test time on the Bible reading in assembly and this morning's dictated passage. Thirty questions -- one minute to answer each one." Mrs. Robinson placed a new single A4 sheet on each desk and the test commenced.
"Question 1 -- which book, chapter and verses was this morning's reading in assembly taken from?" She began. The questions rolled on. "The questions required short answers but were not easy despite the efforts everyone made to remember the facts from both the reading and dictation. "Question 30 -- What animal will the priest sacrifice according to the final chapter we read? Put your pencils down on your answer sheet and hands back on your head." The supervisor ordered.
The papers were collected and the final one and half hours were spent reading aloud from The Bible -- Romans. In random turns Mrs. Robinson specified an inmate to read and they had to stand and speak clearly whilst everyone else followed placing their fingers on the words in their Bible as they were read. Daisy and Foster both stood for the entire process. Daisy's legs ached -- six hours standing was enough even without the strapping she had received. The pain had reduced from the immediate aftermath but she was still suffering and could only imagine what it would be like when she moved. The lesson ended.
"Right Foster pull your knickers up. I will see you later at the Head of Discipline's office. Douglas come here," Mrs. Robinson issued her directions.
Daisy came forward. "Right pull up your knickers one pair at a time." Daisy bent over, the pain in her legs relighting, carefully as possible pulling up her first pair of knickers. The material dragged over the welts on her legs and bottom making her grimace with pain as she pulled them over the butt plug protruding from her anus. She checked to make the seams were aligned. She repeated the procedure pulling the second pair from around her ankles, due to their smaller size, the pressure on her beaten flesh increased and the butt plug was pushed into her anus by the weight of her knickers making tears start to well in her eyes with the pain.
Mrs. Robinson removed first the pin holding up her tunic which Daisy then had to button-up again going through having to bend over double to reach for the lower back buttons of her skirt. Finally the pin holding up her waistcoat and cardigan was removed and she carefully rebuttoned them so as not to risk another failed inspection. This complete they were marched to the dining hall for their second and final meal of the day -- as naughty girls, as they were so frequently reminded, they were always sent to bed without supper.
The process from breakfast was repeated in Daisy's case because of her additional punishments, even the food was identical a bowl of lumpy grey gruel. The other girls each collected a plate of mashed potato, boiled cabbage and stewed liver and two slices of bread. This didn't look much more appetizing but over the coming weeks as the under feeding to which Daisy had been sentenced took hold, she would grow ever more envious of this better fare.
When all of the inmates were present they were directed to place their bowl, spoon and cup on the wooden bench as earlier. A supervisor ordered from the front of the room, "Grace begin". The inmates stood to attention began in unison, "Lord thank you for granting me the privilege of this food which I know my behavior has not merited. I am truly thankful for your mercy and promise to behave in a better way this afternoon." The command to sit was issued and they all sat yet again on the low wooden stools.
"When you have finished eating and drinking put your hands on your head and sit quietly. You may begin." Daisy picked up her spoon and began, for the second time of the day, to eat a bowl of unappetizing gruel. She drank water between mouthfuls from her allocation. At least it helped to remove the lingering taste of carbolic soap from her morning's mouth washing as well as assisting the swallowing of the gruel. When she had finished she placed her hands on her head looking directly forward.
After a few minutes Daisy and four other girls were ordered to stand and marched to the front of the hall. They all received a full soap mouth washing lasting 2-3 minutes whilst everyone else watched. The soapy taste which Daisy had just managed to remove with her meal was reestablished in her mouth and nose. The supervisor ensured that she was left with her mouth still full of soap. When completed they were all dismissed and filed out to the next phase of the day -- menial labour. It was 2:00 pm and for all of the inmates a range of activities to occupy them for the next six hours. All being menial labour of some type under close supervision.
For the previous couple of weeks Daisy had been allocated to laundry duties -- handwashing linen and towels brought to the institution from outside. She had had to handwash these in hot water with bleach and soap (leaving her hands cracked and sore), wring them through a heavy duty mangle and after drying iron them. The work was relentless but at least in doors although the work was sweaty and hot in the moist laundry atmosphere. However she now knew that she would be allocated to harder labour -- no doubt both in terms of physical effort and humiliation -- the only question as what? That would soon be answered.
As they filed back onto the inspection yard the answer came.
"Douglas -- outdoor floor scrubbing". Daisy joined the queue knowing a hard and uncomfortable afternoon lay ahead. They were marched to the scrubbing area and entered through the door in the mesh fence which surrounded the rough concreted patch. As she entered Daisy was told to get on her knees and her dress lifted and pinned to her cardigan so that her bare knees made contact with the ridged concrete surface. She and her fellow workers were then made to move on their knees to one of the eight lanes separated by shallow gutters which made up the work area.
"Right girls in the next six hours you will scrub your lane so that all of the yellow dye is removed along the entire length of your lane. You will remain on your knees at all times. You will not speak unless spoken to and you will maintain your uniform ready for inspection. Any failures or slacking in your work will earn you a reminder with this," their supervisor shouted out. Daisy stared at the short thick leather strap she was holding up.
Daisy had spent a couple of days in the first two weeks after her arrival on this yard. Six hours spent scrubbing hard at the rough concrete left your hand and knees skinned and your whole body aching. Today under the hot sun with her hands, behind and legs aching from her beatings, her body wrapped in her punishment uniform and her mouth and nose full of carbolic soap finishing the exercise was going to be hell. However failure would result only in more punishment so she knew she had to do what was necessary.
"Right fill your buckets and begin," commanded the supervisor. Daisy picked up her metal bucket and filled it with the cold water from the trough behind her at the end of her lane placing it next to her. Then she picked up the wooden bristled scrubbing brush and soap block and having soaped her brush and dipped it into the water began her penance. The yellow dye was sprayed onto the surface every day and allowed to dry such that only repeated and rigorous scrubbing removed it -- it was a perfect penance -- arduous, pointless, repetitive and demeaning. As the girls worked supervisors walked from lane to lane each with a leather strap hanging from their waists.
The sun was hot and Daisy was soon sweating profusely. Her knickers felt like sandpaper as they scraped backwards and forwards across her behind and thighs as she moved her body to scrub the surface. The butt plug moved to and fro in her backside causing further pain. The lane had to be cleaned in front of you and the five foot width meant moving constantly on her knees across the ridged concrete surface. From her left there was a sudden thwack as the supervisor applied the strap to the inmate in the next lane.
"Come on Jackson put some effort in," she exclaimed before applying a further two strokes to the girl's clothed behind.
There was no way of knowing the exact time and Daisy scrubbed methodically. As time passed the pain of having to crawl the extending distance on her knees back to the water trough grew. She thought she must be over halfway but wasn't sure of whether she was on schedule -- only the fact that's he hadn't felt the strap reassured her.
More time passed and then she felt her already folded up dress being lifted, she knew what was coming and quickly straightened herself.
"Work harder girl, I would have thought you would have learnt your place already today girl but you are obviously stupid as well as lazy and ignorant," a supervisor scolded her before applying the strap. Even through her two layers of knickers the pain was shocking as the strap bit into her already beaten and irritated skin. Four further short strokes followed causing Daisy to gasp for breath. Tears again rolled down her cheeks.
