Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“Excuse me, Brother Jonash! Excuse me, strangers.” The voice belonged to a youngish man—probably in his twenties, Mia thought. He had pale blue skin and silver hair just like Brother Jonash and most of the other people she had seen in the Dome and he was clean shaven and wearing the standard white shirt and black trousers.
“Yes, Brother Enoc?” Brother Jonash said—or rather panted. Sev had been walking so fast, he had clearly been hard pressed to keep up with the big Kindred. Mia was a bit out of breath herself.
“I can see you’re in a hurry, but I desperately need your Spiritual Guidance,” Brother Enoc said. Where had she heard that name before, Mia wondered?
“Oh, well…I suppose we can stop for just a moment.” Brother Jonash looked relieved. “What can I help you with?”
Mia expected Brother Enoc to ask about some matter of spiritual piety or a particularly knotty theological problem he’d been struggling with. But what he said instead, nearly made her jaw drop.
“I fear that my wife has been very disobedient and I need to punish her,” he told Brother Jonash.
Brother Jonash frowned.
“Why don’t you just punish her then? What’s the problem?”
“Well you see, she’s been so very bad I fear I need others to witness the punishment—to bear witness to her shame,” Brother Enoc said. “Can you spare a few moments to witness for me? And you too, stranger,” he added, looking up at Sev, who was giving his best blank face, Mia saw.
“Actually, I think this is an excellent opportunity,” Brother Jonash said, nodding. “It will be good for our new converts to witness how a wife is properly punished and put in her place here in the PPP Dome. Yes, Brother Enoc, we would be pleased to bear witness for you.”
“Thank you—she’s just over here in the park waiting for me.”
Brother Enoc led them further into the parkland—which was all green, rolling hills and pleasant paths lined with colorful plants. There were occasional benches here and there too, where you could sit and enjoy the nature. Brother Enoc led them towards one of these and Mia saw a young woman was kneeling beside it with her hands clasped in her lap and her head bowed low so that her long silver hair fell in her face and obscured her eyes.
“Lisha!” Brother Enoc barked. “Get up, wife! I have brought some people to witness your punishment.”
The girl’s head jerked up and to her shock, Mia recognized her.
It’s her—the one we saw reciting the Rules of Conduct on the recording disk thing Sev found in the bathroom mirror last night! She and Enoc must have lived in our domicile for a little while at some point.
She glanced at Sev and saw a look of recognition on his face too. Damn, what she wouldn’t give to be able to talk to him right now! But he was still standing beside Brother Jonash so there was nothing she could do but keep quiet and watch.
“Oh my husband, please forgive me.” The girl—whose name was apparently “Lisha” rose unsteadily to her feet. Mia could see the blue points of her nipples poking at the see-through white fabric of her dress. Clearly it didn’t matter what color your skin was—the dresses were meant to show everything.
She wondered why that hadn’t been apparent in the PPP ad they’d seen in Commander Sylvan’s office? Probably it had been digitally altered to make the dresses appear more modest, she speculated.
“Silence, woman! State the nature of your crimes so these fine people who are bearing witness know what you’re being punished for,” Enoc thundered, breaking Mia’s train of thought.
Lisha took a step forward, her hands clasped in front of her like a schoolgirl reciting. She kept her eyes down as she spoke.
“Last night my husband’s dinner was late by five whole standard minutes,” she said in a low voice. “And when he chastised me, I sassed him about it.”
“She had the nerve to roll her eyes at me!” Enoc explained.
“Well!” Brother Jonash shook his head. “You did well to put off her punishment until someone could bear witness, Brother Enoc. Such impertinence in a wife cannot be allowed!”
“Thank you, Brother Jonash. Do you hear that, woman?” Enoc demanded, turning on his wife, who was still standing there, trembling. “You’ve smarted off to me for the last time. Come over here and take your punishment!”
He went and sat squarely on the park bench and patted his knees firmly.
“Come here,” he directed the trembling Lisha. “Over my knee!”
His wife went to him at once. She laid submissively on the park bench, face down over her husband’s lap with her bottom in the air, as though she was used to doing this.
“Good—you’ll get one less blow for coming at once instead of resisting,” Enoc told her. Then he flipped up the skirt of her white dress, revealing a plump, completely bare bottom.