EXTRACT FOR
REVENGE
(John Gemini)

An hour later, Sarah was once again in her cell in the basement, her bottom and upper thighs red raw and stinging from the pain. Philip had started the punishment, administering twelve hard strokes before the cane was passed to each and every member of the class who took turns in giving her yet more agony. She had lost count of the total number of strokes, but Josh had taken considerable pleasure from the twenty-four he had delivered. She thought that she had taken the onslaught stoically but was crying profusely when the last cane stroke landed.



Unfortunately for her, this was not the end of her punishment. Josh had not surprisingly declared after the caning that this was not sufficient for the amount of distress that she had caused. On his suggestion, she had been sentenced to one week of solitary confinement, with at least eight hours per day in sensory deprivation to enable her to reflect on her crimes. It was ironic that he had chosen her suggestion from the night before to form a part of her sentence.



She now stood naked as it was more painful to sit down. Her hands were manacled behind her back and a thick sensory deprivation hood was strapped tightly over her head with a short chain leading from her neck to the ring in the wall.  This hood was different; it seemed far heavier than the ones she had worn to date and had noise cancelling headphones built into it.  These made her completely deaf, and the thick padding around her eyes made it impossible for her to open them, so she was blind and in total darkness. It had a small hole in front of her mouth, enabling her to breathe, but the tight straps around her chin meant that she could not open her mouth, making any form of speech impossible.



When she eventually lay on the bed, the pain gradually subsiding, she wondered how she would cope with the week ahead.  It seemed she would be wearing this hood for at least eight hours per day; that was fifty-six hours of sensory deprivation, not being able to speak, see or hear.  It was a daunting thought and she wondered how her mind would deal with this. The whole week's sentence was deemed as solitary confinement, she wondered if she would even see another person in the next seven days.  This would be by far her biggest challenge to date. She was petrified but couldn't deny the sheer excitement deep within her.  She would not forget Josh's revenge any time soon. How could she? She had loved it too much.  So far....





Sarah's one week sentence seemed never ending. She remained isolated in her cell, spending countless hours in sensory deprivation. Despite the physical restraint, the mental anguish was far worse. The constant reminder of the caning, the marks on her skin, the discomfort from being bound and the smell from the bucket that was her toilet; These things she could cope with. What she was really struggling with was the simple passing of time.



Had it been days, weeks, or months?  She had no idea, but it certainly felt a lot longer than the week that she had been sentenced to. Time itself became distorted and stretched beyond recognition. One fleeting moment melded into another, leaving Sarah lost in a seemingly eternal void. There was no escape, no solace - just the cruel touch of madness steadily creeping ever closer.



No one had said a thing to her since she had been brought to the cell, steadfastly maintaining their silence. It was either Kate, Master Andrew, or another man that she didn't recognise who visited her cell occasionally. When they visited, they totally ignored her, just carrying out the task they had come for, whether this be providing her with cold food and water, emptying her bucket or changing her bondage position. She was allowed brief periods without the hood, but she was convinced she was being made to wear it far more than the eight hours per day that Josh had specified.