The following story is fiction about some adults who get out of control.  The story contains scenes of spanking with paddle and strap.  If these subjects are offensive, uninteresting or if you are a minor (i.e., child) please leave now.

This work is copyright by the author and commercial use is prohibited without permission.  Personal/private copies are permitted only if complete including the copyright notice.

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Wassail Disaster

By

YLeeCoyote@juno.com

It should have been a wonderful afternoon with the family gathered for the holiday dinner.  For the first time in years everyone was there.  Nobody had claimed an essential business meeting in Timbuktu nor had to do a holiday shift in the hospital nor had to redo a term paper so as not to flunk out.  The host and hostess – now with the esteemed titles of Gramps and Granny – had their entire brood visiting.  A few short years ago the younger grandkids were miffed at being put at the kiddy table, which actually was in the hall rather than the dinning room, this time all the cousins (even those who were in graduate school) were happy to be at the third generation table and away from the constant bickering of their parents, aunts and uncles – a dozen adults all of whom held grudges going back to grade school days.

Some had arrived the day before but in the large house there was room for all but the rest arrived before noon on Christmas Day.  It was the best time for the kids of all ages for there were many presents and, especially for the older ones, the most valued gift of all – cash, checks and prepaid charge cards – to spend as one wished.  Dinner was great lasting for more than three hours.  It was after dinner that the real trouble started.  In retrospect, several thought that the wassail bowl was the triggering item although in fairness to the host it must be noted that Uncle Charley and William independently each dumped a bottle of vodka into it assuming it had been made by Granny and thus weak.  Actually it had been mixed generously by Gramps.  The unauthorized additions made it into a really potent mix.

Alcohol burns nicely both inside as well outside people.  This day it raised the temperature of several and obscured their rationality.  Discussion became argument.  Argument became fight.  Other, calmer heads tried to make peace but failed.  The situation got so bad that Granny broke down in tears and ran off to her bedroom after screaming to stop the mayhem.  Gramps even got shoved by the ringleaders after a couple of things got broken.

That was the last straw!

"Out of my house!  All of you!  Now!" he yelled.  With the cold drafts from the open door a bit of order came but Gramps had it and within the hour all the non-stay over guests were gone.  Gramps went to console Granny.  Both were disgusted with their brood.  Surprisingly the younger generation had behaved very well.© YLeeCoyote

* * * * * * * * * *

The mood was grim in the car driving home.  Kurt who had only gotten his license a few weeks ago was driving with his younger brother riding shotgun after having taken their parents by the hands and leading them out to the car following Gramps' edict.  Their parents were in the back seat.  Dad was still fuming about Uncle Charley.  It was a combustible combination of an ancient feud kept at red heat by the strong drink they had.  Stupidity is contagious for Mom was going along with Dad rather than trying to calm him down.

"That's enough from both of you.  Now not another word!" said Kurt exasperated as much as his grandfather was.  The two youths were surprised that their parents actually shut up for the twenty minute drive back home.  Once home it was time to get very serious.  Kurt started: "I have never, ever been so ashamed and embarrassed in my entire life as by your outrageous conduct this evening." he roared in disgust.

"But, but, it was Charley who started it and …" his dad responded whining.

"I don't care who started it.  It was an idiotic fight over 'nothing' that happened thirty years ago.  You disrespected Gramps and Granny – your own parents – in their own house.  There is not any excuse.  It was totally unacceptable behavior."  The terrible but true words cut deeply for both of them hung their head in shame and hid their faces in their hands.

"And if it had been my brother or I who exhibited such outrageous behavior would we wouldn't be just talking about it like this?"  When the ashamed parents did not reply, Kurt answered his own question.  "Of course NOT!  We would be bent over bare butted waiting for the paddle to teach us how unacceptable such behavior is."  His younger brother nodded in agreement.  "GO GET THE PADDLE IMMEDIATELY, young man." Kurt barked in a no nonsense voice.

The paddle lived close by in the hall closet and Dad, feeling like a most errant child, padded off to fetch and give it to his first born.  "Drop 'em and bend over the chair." commanded Kurt and Dad obeyed.  Mom, frozen in place, just watched in silence.

Kurt found the right spot and began to use the paddle.  He swung it hard and fast so that it made hard loud contact with the naughty target.  Dad yelled and Mom gasped but Kurt kept at it until he had delivered a good twenty pops.  He knew that his Dad would not forget this for several decades.  "Now get to bed both of you.  In the morning you shall write a sincere apology and arrange for it to be delivered with a nice batch of flowers for Granny.  Understand?"

"Yes, Sir." replied Dad as he and Mom went off to bed like well-chastised children after they are punished.

In the morning Dad's bottom was uncomfortable to say the least as he sat at his desk struggling to write a proper apology.  When it was done and approved, he drove to the florist and arranged for the delivery before he had breakfast.  The enormity of his foolish behavior hung heavy on his conscience for a long time.

* * * * * * * * * *

Charley and his family were among the nine stay-over-guests.  All of them were now very sober as the enormity of the rumpus became clear.  Several worked to clean up the house worrying about the upcoming morning after the night before.  It was not just hangovers that were the concern but how the family dinner holiday celebration had degenerated into a combat zone and how upset the old folks were.  Even the kids felt this.  All of them remembered how every year they would be lectured in advance about the proper behavior at the family get-together yet this year various parents were, to say the least, extremely naughty.

This thought weighed heavily on fifteen-year-old Liam as he recalled how he felt Grandpa's strap a couple of years before for a far lesser misdemeanor.  It was not a fond, although lasting, memory how Gramps had dragged him out to the woodshed for three well laid on cuts of his heavy strap.  He had cried some and had been glad that Gramps had told all his cousins to stay inside although he soon learnt that they hadn't.  He had remained outside in the cold composing himself after the ordeal.  As a side effect he now understood far better his father and uncles' stories of their own encounters with that detestable strap.  Liam brooded a long time about both the immediate past and the times long past that he had heard about ever so many times as he grew up before he returned to the house and his teasing cousins.

"Father," he asked, "if I had behaved even half as badly as you and Uncle William what would Gramps had done?"

"Taken you out to the woodshed like he did a couple of years ago." was the honest reply.

"Exactly.  And he would have been absolutely correct to do so." agreed Liam.  "It would have hurt a lot but it would have helped me get over it."  Then Liam paused a while.  "You need a trip to the woodshed.  You need it right now."  Before his father could marshal counter arguments, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the door.  Everyone was silent.  "Come along; you know that you need this for your most despicable conduct." he said as they went through the doorway.

Liam knew that the strap would be hanging in its place for Gramps told him that he put it out whenever grandkids were expected who might require its use.  It had been a long time warning and threat for him and his cousins.  Today, however, it would revisit one its older clients in entirely new way.

Once in the woodshed, Charley was ordered to get into position as Liam took down the strap.  Over the years he and his cousin had examined it in awe based on the horror stories told by their parents and uncles.  They had all played with it and most had felt Gramps' anger expressed with it.  Today was going to be different for Liam would wield it, rather then Gramps, on his grandfather's son.

Liam knew the protocol well from the stories as well as his own experience.  He found his place, raised the strap and brought it down hard.  It was a very difference experience than the previous time he had heard the awesome crack as the strap connected with the bare butt.  After a few swings Liam was much more comfortable and could even swing it harder as he was confident of his aim.  He carefully observed how his errant father's tail was turning red and his whimpering.  He stopped at forty cuts and told his father to return to the house when he was ready and to write a note of apology to his parents for his atrocious behavior.

By the time his father come back in, Liam and his kid brother had gone off to bed.  His brother wanted to know how it felt to spank rather than to be spanked.  "It hurt just like Dad says it does when he spanks us."

* * * * * * * * * *

After dealing with his father and getting ready for bed, Kurt called Liam.  Thanks to the modern miracle of cell phones they were able to talk privately.  They commiserated with each other about how difficult parents could be and discussed how they had each had gotten to the seat of the problem.  They wondered if the written apologies would be sufficient or if more was required.

The End

© Copyright A.I.L. December 23, 2015

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