Laura Hartford took a deep breath, then exhaled. She took the keys out of her pocket, fumbled with them and eventually dropped them.

She swore. How she was going to go about this, she didn’t know. Behind the door to her flat, there was a twelve-year-old girl, her daughter, with a head full of questions that, no doubt, she would look up at her, her mother, for an answer.

Or maybe at the help line operator. Great, thought Laura as she picked up the keys, my trial week on the job and my daughter calls to say she wants to be spanked but isn’t sure about why. She hadn’t even told her family of this part-time activity of hers. She would have as soon as she was certain it was something stable. Had she just said, her daughter would have never called.

And why hadn’t she recognised her own daughter’s voice?? She’d burned the chat record to a CD and listened to it over and over again in the car on the way home, and realised that Anna was probably masking her voice some. Heck, kids sound all alike anyway! As for herself, well, she had a cold, so...

Laura tried again, and this time found the keyhole. She walked in and dropped her purse on the chair in the foyer. She could hear a shuffling of feet coming from the living room.

“I’m home,” she called out. No reply came.

Laura took off her coat, sneezed, and blew her nose as she walked down the corridor.

What am I gonna say? What? What? What??

Anna was sitting on the living room floor, playing her X-Box. She wore an overly long and large white wool-knit sweater, thick white pantyhose with flowers on them, and furry animal slippers shaped like dolphins – her #1 passion. Well, #2 after horses.

Would ‘spanking’ be a new runner-up? Laura shuddered.

The girl was ignoring her, and Laura didn’t find it in her to say hi again. She just sat on an armchair and watched absent-mindedly as cartoonish Buffy characters slay digital vampires in the video-game.

“How are you?” she asked after a bit.

Anna huffed as she punched her joy pad. “Frustrated... I can’t make Willow cast the right spell.”

Laura grunted. “That’s not what I meant.”

Anna shrugged again. “Max?”

“Dropped him at a friend’s to watch the game. Chelsea’s playing.”

“Oh... right. I forgot.”

That was it for a few more minutes, as mother and daughter sat facing the screen.

“So Dad’s at Stanford Bridge?” the girl asked again after a little bit.

“Heh,” Laura snorted, “what do you think? The game starts in an hour.”

There was something that sounded like a giggle from Anna, but Laura was sure she was trying to hide it... probably to maintain her detached status.

“An...” the woman started, after yet another minute had passed.

Anna paused the game and turned around. “You knew, right?”

“I... no, it was kind of a shock...”

“No! I mean, that it was me on the phone.”

Laura raised her eyebrows. “Anna...”

“So I would spill my secrets.”

“Anna!” a hint of resentment showed in Laura’s voice. “How can you think I’d ever do that?”

The girl shrugged again. She looked down, but Laura could see the troubled expression on her face.

“That was a shock, believe me.”

“O-okay...”

“Can you...” Laura struggled to find the words. “Do you think you could tell me who this friend of yours is? Is it Haleigh?”

Anna shot her mother a glare that could kill. “So you can sue her mum for abuse or something?”

Laura felt a pang in her chest, and shook her head.

“And then why Haleigh? Just because her mum always yells... didn’t you listen? I said this girl and her mum are cool with each other.”

“Yes,” Laura nodded. “And you’ve been at her place often, so... must be Ginny.”

“Is this your final answer?” Anna mimicked.

Laura puffed. “Look, if you’re gonna keep this attitude...”

“What? You’re going to spank me?”

Laura wasn’t sure what she saw in the girl’s eyes, if worry, hope, or just tease. It felt bad, though, and her head started spinning. The woman leant back on the armchair and ran hands through her hair.

“I...” On the carpeted floor, Anna realised she’d pushed it a bit too far, and sighed. “Sorry, Mum.”

Laura sighed too. “This is hard for me. Do you realise that, Anna?”

“Well it is for me too.”

“I know, and if we fight, we’re not going to get anywhere. Can we quit please?”

The girl nodded. “O-okay... I’ll be quiet.”

“Good. Now. How long have you had this... feeling?”

From her words, it might sound like Laura knew what she was talking about and had a clear idea of what she needed to say and ask and... but she didn’t. She simply had better practice at improvisation.

“... a while.”

“A while, a while years? Months?”

“Months...”

“Okay.” Laura tried to imagine to be still on the phone with ‘Deborah’, but of course it wasn’t easy.

“Um...”

“What?”

“Okay. More like years...”

“Oh my...”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that...”

“No, no, it wasn’t a rebuke. I’m just sorry you wouldn’t say.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t really realise till this year anyway... you know...”

Laura didn’t ‘know’, but she still nodded, afraid that more questions would feel prying to the girl.

“Anna, you’re old enough, so I’ll be honest.” The girl looked up at this, and a hint of smile curved her lips. “I don’t really know how to deal with this. I’ve heard of people who... well, yes, enjoy spanking, and... and I admit it can be a fun game and all, but... what you were talking about isn’t a game...”

The girl shook her head and brushed away a straw of hair plastered to her face. Then, all of a sudden, she stood and walked to the armchair, and literally plopped down on her mother’s lap. Laura held her close. Soon the little girl was nestled on her lap, her baggy animal slippers tossed aside as she curled up in a position she loved, and that she knew had been denying herself a lot as of late.

“I just... you know... wanna know how it’s like.”

Laura nodded. “You said you wanted to feel closer to me, hon, and...”

“Yes, but...”

“Wait. I want to tell you this.” Laura took a deep breath. “If you feel the need to be closer to me, then I haven’t been doing a very good job of keeping you close...”

Anna’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. “Nooo Mum I didn’t mean...”

“I know what you meant, and it’s okay. You’re twelve, not a child anymore. It’s only right you have your own space and stuff, and that ‘Mummy’ doesn’t always fit there... but I wish it didn’t take something as... well, yes, weird, as a spanking to make you feel closer.”

The girl stared at her own hands playing with the hem of her sweater. The last thing she wanted was to weigh down on her parents any more than she was already doing, being that she was such an independent young lady to begin with. It was just unbearable to know she would be giving them problems.

Anna shifted on Laura’s lap, sighed heartily, and rested her head on her mother’s breast. She listened to the heartbeat, and the heaving of the chest with every breath, two things that would always soothe her, ever since she was a toddler.

“How long have you worked there?”

“Just a few days. Trial period.”

“Oh... okay...”

“Just thought I’d dust off my unused degree.”

Laura had a minor graduation in childcare services, which was useless in her job as a book reviewer.

“Okay... well yes, the girl I told you about on the phone is Ginny. I asked her if she felt the same as me,” Anna said in a little voice, “but she looked at me funny and asked if I was feeling good.”

“Oh...”

“Yeah. It hurt. Made me feel weird. Well, weirder.”

“I’m sorry, hon. Ginny gets spanked for real, so it’s understandable.”

“Yeah.” Laura looked up. “‘Deborah’ was lying a little, anyway. I never saw Ginny cry... just heard her get it. She didn’t cry.”

“It’s okay. I lied a little too,” said Laura. “There is really a law. You can’t spank your kids, I checked before leaving the call centre.”

Anna gulped and sat up, holding onto her mother’s shoulder for balance. “Really?”

“Yes. It’s very recent. Nothing more than two or three warning smacks, and without disrobing.”

“Wow... I didn’t expect that... You... you guys think it’s right, right?” Anna licked her lips. “I mean, since you never spanked me... you must think it’s right.”

Laura shrugged. “I don’t think it’s the State’s duty... or anyone else’s, for that matter... to tell parents how to raise their kids. But since some parents do harmful things, then better to have a rule than not.”

“You gotta protect the stupids...” Anna said absentmindedly.

“Huh?... and it’s ‘stupid’ anyway.”

“Whatever. Mr Owen says that some laws are there to protect the stupids. Like, you gotta wear a helmet when you ride a motorbike. The stupids won’t do that and they’ll kill themselves, and I was like ‘well it’s their business!’, and he said that no, laws also need to protect those who aren’t smart enough to see wisdom for themselves... or something like that.”

Laura found herself nodding at her daughter’s words. She knew she was merely reporting a sentence, but this told her two things: one, that that brain worked fine; and two, that Anna could actually listen in class besides drawing horses and dolphins!

“Your teacher is right,” Laura said. “In this case, the rule isn’t supposed to be for the parents’ safety, though. I think it’s more for the kids.”

“Wouldn’t parents know best?”

“To a point.” The woman shrugged. “It’s complicated. Many adults don’t know what to think exactly, so don’t expect to figure it all out so soon.”

Anna nodded. Everything was so confusing, and as hard as she tried to understand, there was always something escaping her. Such as, for example, why she and not everyone had this ‘desire’. The taste for spanking stands somewhere between election and eccentricity, but she couldn’t grasp that concept.

“I don’t care for laws anyway... *I* want to be spanked... who cares about others.”

Laura sighed. “It’s not that simple. If I spank you, I’ll still break a law, but more importantly, I’ll do something I don’t feel right... I don’t know, honey. Dad sure wouldn’t agree, then.”

~*~

Anna and Laura stayed on the armchair for several more minutes, not really talking, as both felt that they weren’t going to get anywhere. This was new to both, and they needed time. On the phone, behind the cover of anonymity, everything had been easier, but not now.

Eventually Laura headed for the kitchen to make dinner. Both her husband and son would be out for at least another hour, so she only put two small towels on the table.

At dinner, Anna plucked at her steak absentmindedly, and for once, Laura did too. Conversation was limited to the occasional “can I have more water?” and “please pass me the salt”.

Anna was starting to think she’d have to give up every hope of seeing her wish granted, and on the other hand, she wasn’t so sure now she wanted her gift granted by *Mum*. It was starting to feel weird to picture herself across her mother’s lap, maybe not even fully dressed, getting spanked. On the phone she’d said nudity wasn’t a big deal, but was ready to take it back now. One thing was the pool locker rooms or the bathroom in the morning, but this was so different it made her head spin.

And then, one thing she was sure of: no way she wanted to associate *some* of her feelings with her mother. As she retreated to the living room to play another round on her videogame, the girl blushed hotly: she’d rather die instead of having to talk to her mother about some... grownup things.

What she didn’t know, is that Laura felt more or less the same. While loading the dishwasher, she couldn’t help but wonder if her daughter was ‘normal’. She knew well that there are many kinds of ‘normality’, but everything she would suggest to others didn’t quite fit when it was applied to her own child. She didn’t dread talking to Anna about grownup things. When the time had come to explain sex and sensuality, she’d felt natural doing it... but this was so different it made her head spin, too.

And now she wished she’d never told ‘Deborah’ that it was okay to talk to her mother about this! What if Anna was developing a will to feel pain? Or even... a will to be belittled and hurt? She’d heard of kids like that. It was scary. Laura had to admit, though, that she knew little or nothing about this all.

When the dishwasher was loaded and started, Laura went to the study she and her husband shared.

She switched on the computer and started on a review, but it didn’t come out right. It didn’t come out at all. Was avoiding discussion really the best thing to do? “I’m not avoiding it. Just biding out my time,” she said to herself, but that didn’t sound right either. A part of her wanted to wait, do research, and talk to her husband. Not that he was usually good at that, but Anna was his daughter too.

On the other hand, she felt an impulse to test the waters. Anna wanted to be spanked? Fine. She’d change her mind as soon as she felt how much it hurt. Laura had been spanked as a child, very rarely, yes, but enough to know it wasn’t pleasant. Then again, what if it was exactly what Anna was after? Laura would not indulge that, nor she would change her discipline approach, no matter how much her daughter thought it would be good.

After several minutes of thinking in circles, the woman let out a heavy sigh, shut down the computer and stood. She took a minute to straighten her hair. The clock on the wall read 7:30. About one hour before the rest of family would be back.

With all the determination she could muster, Laura made her way to the living room, where Anna was sitting on the carpet, again playing her game.

“Anna?”

“Hmm?” the girl said without raising her eyes from the screen.

“Please look at me.”

The girl paused the game and obeyed, her face somewhere between annoyance and sad resignation.

“Anna, go to your room and wait for me there. We’re going to have a... talk.”

Anna blinked. She wasn’t sure she’d heard right. She’d never been ordered that: when her parents punished her, it was usually a grounding. Time-outs were spent sitting in a corner, and she’d been six the last time that happened.

Actually, she didn’t know whether this was punishment or... what... but sure sounded like one.

“I... M-Mum what...?”

“You heard me, Anna,” Laura said, trying to sound firm but not overly so. “Go to your room. I... I think it’s time for that spanking you’ve been looking for.”

*That* sent shivers down Anna’s spine, and her whole head started spinning so hard the whole room became a blur. Was she serious??

“I... uh... are... are y-you serious?”

“Very. Now please, don’t make me repeat that a third time.”

Anna’s eyes grew wide. Faster than light she dropped the joy pad, bolted to her feet and sprinted to her room, closing the door behind herself.

Okay. First the promise of a spanking. Then a threat. Had her mother gone nuts??

She’d pushed it too far, she just knew it. This was all her fault. Now everything would change, and... well, her mother hadn’t said she would be punished... she’d said she would be *spanked*. “It’s time for that spanking you’ve been looking for.” The words replayed in the girl’s mind again and again as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest.

Did that mean this was... what... a trial spanking? A trial something? That she was on trial? Anna shook her head and gave a nervous giggle. She sat on her back, leaned back on the horse-themed wallpaper and hugged her light blue ‘Flipper’ pillow.

Her mother would come in from that door... talk to her... then sit on the bed and spank her.

Or would she sit on Anna’s very own chair instead? Maybe she wouldn’t sit at all, and have her bend over something instead. And what about her clothes?

Anna’s hand reached back to rub the seat of her pantyhose, thick enough that they were actually a pair of tights. She had underwear beneath. Would they both go? Only one? None? She thought about rushing to the dresser and take out a pair of jeans, but thought back of it. And then, she’d been told to just go to her room and wait on her mother, not to do anything else, so she wouldn’t have.

Anna shivered, but somehow, the anticipation wasn’t all bad. She was scared and thrilled at the same time. It felt like when Buffy fought a bad guy on TV... vampires were scary but also, somehow, weirdly fascinating. That’s what it felt like. Only, a million times bigger!

And then, didn’t Buffy always win the fight? And wasn’t it always a *good* fight?

All of a sudden the girl felt a wave of relax wash over her. Yes, it would be okay. Whatever would come, would come. That was her mother anyway. What bad thing could ever happen? She wasn’t the closest to her mother, true, but it was still *Mummy* and Anna felt safe with Mummy.

It would be okay...

** knock, knock **

... not! Anna gasped, and shivered all over again as she said a meek: “Come...”

– to be continued... –

This story does not necessarily represent the author’s point of view about anything. It is simply a work of fiction. The characters herein portrayed are invented and do not resemble reality to the best of the author’s knowledge. This account is entirely fictitious. Any similarities to other persons, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

This story is written for the sane amusement of adult readers. It does not intend harm and does not promote violence of any kind, including spanking. No offence is meant to any group, ethnicity or individuals.

The author does in no way endorse the non-consensual disciplinary spanking of actual children and/or teenagers.

Copyright © 2005 Haley Brimley. Contact for information and/or feedback.