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“Liesl?”
“Yes, Father?”
“I don’t recall seeing you anywhere after dinner,” Captain Von Trapp said.
Sixteen-year-old Liesl’s heart began to beat fast as her father stared at her expectantly.
“Oh. R-Really?” Liesl stammered, her mouth going dry. Big blue eyes grew wide as she looked anywhere but directly at her father. “Well as a matter of fact, I was just—”
“Yes?”
“Well, I—I was…” Liesl bit her lip as she wracked her brain for something to say. That horrible feeling of being In Trouble hit her like a ton of bricks, stealing the air from her lungs. Her stomach plummeted and she glanced down at the floor, just to make sure it hadn’t fallen between her feet.
“What she meant to say, Captain, is that she and I were getting better acquainted tonight,” Maria interrupted, giving Liesl a meaningful look.
“Is that so?” Captain said, piercing eyes zeroing in on his eldest. Liesl nodded mutely, not daring to keep eye contact too long. Georg hummed in thought. “Well that’s interesting. Franz said he saw you slipping out not long after the messenger boy—what’s his name? Rolfe? Stopped by to deliver a telegram. But you were with Fraulein the whole evening, you say?”
Georg drew nearer to his line of children, tapping a finger against his chin in an over-exaggerated manner. His eyes never left Liesl, but he didn’t miss the anxious shuffling of the six others as he came closer. “I shall have to have a talk with Franz, it seems,” he concluded, finally stopping in front of his brood.
“F—Father, I…”
“You what , Liesl?” Captain Von Trapp prodded, his voice deadly calm. All seven of his children straightened up at that tone.
Liesl opened and closed her mouth like a fish. She was caught and she knew it. Telling any further lies would only result in a harsher punishment.
Captain Von Trapp shook his head. “I do not tolerate secrecy and the telling of falsehoods—as you well know, young lady!” he snapped. His eyes then traveled down the line of his children, piercing each one with a look that made their blood run cold. “Nor do I put up with deliberate disobedience of my rules!”
Little gasps and squeaks erupted from some of the older children, while the youngest two dissolved into quiet tears. For the briefest of moments, the Captain contemplated disciplining all seven children for their blatant rule-breaking, but ultimately decided against it. He was leaving for Vienna in the morning, and frankly , had far better things to occupy his time with than thrashing a long line of rear ends.
“You will return to your rooms AT ONCE! Anyone caught out of bed after this will go to sleep tonight with a hot bottom! Is—that—clear?”
“Yes, sir!” came the hurried reply from all seven children. Georg dismissed them—all but Liesl. “ You will go wait for me in my study,” he told the girl, ignoring the welling of tears in blue eyes.
Now only the new governess was left, and Captain Von Trapp turned to her. The image of her delicate form and shapely bottom bent over just waiting for the searing kiss of his cane arose completely unbidden in his mind’s eye. Georg cleared his throat sharply and tugged at the shirt collar that had suddenly grown too snug.
“In future, Fraulein, you’d do well to remember that the first rule in this house is discipline . I hope that by the time I return from my stay in Vienna, you will have acquired some.”
***
Liesl was pacing her father’s study, her stomach tied up in knots as she waited for the man to join her. Tears stung her eyes and she swiped a hand roughly across her face. It wouldn’t do to have her father enter to find her crying already. The man was understanding enough that tears came during a punishment; he had no use for them before or after.
The girl jumped and let out a tiny gasp as the door to the study opened without warning—she hadn’t even heard her father’s footsteps in the hallway! She immediately stood at attention, her heart pounding almost painfully inside her chest. She wondered if her father could hear it.
Captain Georg Von Trapp drew in a fortifying breath as he stepped into his study. The sharp click of the latch as the door closed was ear-shattering against the otherwise-silent space, and the air itself was thick with tension. He didn’t say a word as he crossed the room to the large cabinet behind his desk.
Liesl tracked the movements of the formidable Naval Captain out of the corners of her eyes, her hands growing sweaty as the man approached his destination. She knew all too well what the man kept in that cabinet, and she didn’t relish seeing either of the implements housed there make an appearance. She did hope for one over the other, however.
The cabinet door opened on quiet hinges and Liesl watched with mounting trepidation for her father to make his choice. Time seemed to drag on forever with the man simply standing there, seeminging lost in thought. The girl let out a relieved sigh when, finally , the man turned from the cabinet. He was holding a rubber-soled plimsoll. The shoe was massive , far too big for even her father to wear. It’s sole purpose was for smacking bottoms. Liesl hated it, but not as much as she hated her father’s rattan cane.
Georg bounced the sole of the slipper off his open palm as he stared his eldest daughter down. He didn’t miss the way the girl’s eyes twitched or how her legs had grown shaky, but still she held his gaze as was expected of her. He gave the tiniest nod of approval, then stepped towards her.
Liesl gulped and wiped her sweaty hands on the borrowed nightgown belonging to her new governess. It took every ounce of bravery the sixteen-year-old possessed not to step back as her father stopped before her. He towered over her and Liesl could feel the anger and disappointment radiating off of him in waves.
“Bend over, Liesl,” Captain Von Trapp ordered brusquely.
Liesl couldn’t stop the feeble whimper from escaping her lips even as she bent in half, her hands coming to wrap tightly around her ankles. She hated this position, but her father preferred it as it left her bottom at the perfect angle for the slipper or cane to land (not to mention the position ensured her muscles were taut so each stroke hurt that much more).
Georg took up position beside his daughter, his left arm coming to wrap around the girl’s waist to hold her steady. He felt her tense as he brought the sole of the slipper to tap at her bottom as he lined up his stroke. “What are we here for, Liesl?” he asked with a firmer tap. Liesl flinched and readjusted her position before he could scold her. Georg reared his arm back roughly half way, then swung the slipper home with a solid Thwap! in answer.
“Ah-Ow! I–I lied to you!” Liesl hissed through gritted teeth as a thousand tiny, stinging prickles erupted across her left buttock. It had been some time since her last meeting with her father’s slipper, and she’d forgotten just how much that awful thing stung. And unlike the last time, Liesl wasn’t wearing her uniform and so what little protection the tweed material offered was lost to her. The thin cotton nightgown she now wore would protect nothing beyond her modesty.
Georg delivered another stroke of equal strength on the opposite side. “We’ll discuss your lies after we finish this. For now—where were you this evening?”
Liesl’s stomach jerked violently and her breathing grew erratic as her father’s words registered in her mind. This wasn’t all? “O–Ow!” she yelped.
“I asked you a question , young lady!” the Captain’s voice boomed against the intricately-carved walls. The next stroke of the slipper met the center of his errant daughter’s sit-spots with a thunderous crack.
“Yes—Ow! Yes, sir! I’m sorry, Father!” the girl exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut tight against the growing burn. “I slipped out of the house without your knowledge or permiss—Ow! Permission. T-To meet with Rol—Oh, ow! O-Ouch, Father—Rolfe! I’m sorry! ”
Georg had settled into a steady rhythm, applying firm, even strokes across his eldest’s bottom from crest to undercurve. Liesl’s pained hisses grew more pronounced with every subsequent wallop and her position began to falter. Georg readjusted his grip on her waist, pinning her to his own hip to keep her in place.
“Sneaking around! Meeting a boy! Completely unchaperoned!” Captain Von Trapp punctuated each infraction with heavy swats that brought Liesl up on her toes.
“ Owwhoww! F-Father!”
“You know the rules and my expectations for you, Liesl,” the Captain carried on with his task, never faltering. “And you knew exactly where breaking them would land you.” The slipper cracked against the teenager’s bottom— Thwap! Thwap! THWAP!
Liesl drew in a shaky breath and finally allowed her tears to fall. Her bottom burned, a fierce inferno, and she wanted nothing more than to cry out and beg her father to relent—but she didn’t dare. Doing so would only anger the man and that was the last thing she wanted to do in such a precarious position.
“You are to stay away from that boy going forward,” Georg decreed, scorching his daughter’s thighs with precise swats. “If I see or hear of you with him again, I’ll thrash you as soon as I find you. Is that clear? ”
“Ah— Ahooww, yes! Yes, Father—Sir! It’s clear! ” the girl wailed.
“Very well,” Georg said, and finished off with six punishing whaps. He then released his hold and took a step back, surveying his work. Despite the nightgown, Georg could see a faint pink glow peeking through the material and knew underneath was a vivid, angry red. He nodded briefly; he was satisfied with the result.
Liesl cried now out of relief that the slipper was no longer falling against her poor, throbbing bottom. She knew better than to move out of position even after her father had stepped away. He may have released his hold , but she wasn’t yet dismissed. Breaking position without leave would bring her nothing but the return of the slipper’s searing cracks, and she expected she had more of that yet to come for her lies anyway—her father had practically said as much before! She wasn’t about to earn herself extras.
The seconds seemed to crawl by as Liesl waited with growing apprehension for the next part of her punishment to begin. Her tears had slowed and she had gotten her breathing back to a more-normal level. She struggled to control her desperate desire to stand, growing stronger each second, but she managed. It didn’t stop the fidgeting of feet or the quivering of her leg muscles, but it was hard to hold position for that long. She felt she was doing an impeccable job, all things considered, but oh how she wished her father would just get on with it!
She tracked the man’s footsteps as he paced the room and she wondered what he was doing. It wasn’t until a sharp, spine-chilling Swish cut through the air that Liesl understood.
Dread washed over her in an icy wave and she couldn’t help it—Liesl stood. “Father—” her voice shook as she beseeched the man, staring at him with wide eyes. “Please.”
Stern, immovable eyes flashed in anger, sending Liesl’s stomach crashing to her feet. Captain Von Trapp strode towards her with deliberate steps, swiping the cane through the air as he went. Liesl couldn’t stop her flinch and bit down on her bottom lip to keep the sob that wanted to burst forth from doing just that.
“You— know —better,” the man hissed, his words clipped. Liesl hung her head and felt several tears trickle down her cheeks.
“Bend over .”
Sixteen-year-old Liesl wanted to beg. She wanted to cry. She wanted to throw herself into her father’s arms and have him hold her like he did so long ago when their mother was still alive. Her father had always been strict, but he had once been filled with music and laughter as well. He changed after her mother had died, and now he was cold and distant. There was no more music and no more laughter. Nothing but marching, whistles, and her father’s biting discipline.
Once more Liesl doubled over, her hands wrapping around her ankles. Her bottom throbbed in time to the pounding of her heart, and her ears were flooded with the rush of her pulse, dulling the sound of her father stepping forward. She startled as his hand came to rest on the small of her back and sucked in a raspy breath as that wicked cane tapped her backside.
“You will stay in position or we will start over,” Georg said, his voice firm and unyielding (much like his cane).
“Yes, sir!” Liesl whimpered and braced herself as much as she could. Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her ankles.
“You lied to me, Liesl. I gave you every opportunity to confess and you refused. Three times. That’s three strokes,” he went on. Liesl choked back a sob.
Sentence passed, Georg lined up the cane against Liesl’s bottom a final time. Then raising his arm, he let it fly through the air. It cut down with a nasty Swish and was followed by a solid CRACK!
Liesl wailed as that line of fire zipped across the fullest part of her bottom and reinvigorated the previous burn back to dazzling brilliance.
Swish! CRACK!
“Oohoo— OWW!” Liesl howled, tears streaming down her face. Her backside was one big throbbing pain. One more. Just one more, she told herself.
Swish! CRACK!
“AHhhaOWW!” That stroke bit into her sit-spot, ensuring that the girl wouldn’t be sitting for days (at least not comfortably ).
Georg tapped the cane against Liesl’s thighs now, taking aim. “And this —” he said as he raised his arm one last time, “—is for breaking position!”
Swish! CRACK!
Liesl nearly went hoarse crying out as that last unexpected stripe of fire kissed the delicate skin of her upper thighs. Her legs wanted to buckle but she locked her knees and managed to stay still. She felt a brief pat on her back and then her father was giving her permission to rise.
Liesl choked back a sob as she straightened, the four lines on her bottom protesting the movement. She could feel her father’s eyes on her as she collected herself. Then she stood at attention, tear-filled eyes reluctantly meeting steel-cut ones.
“What was the lesson here?”
Liesl gathered herself, taking a shaky breath. “I won’t be deceitful with my actions or my words,” she answered succinctly. She didn’t miss the slight tilt of her father’s chin or brief quirk of his eyebrow; she thought she might have pleased him.
Georg studied his eldest child for a long minute, not saying a word. Then he nodded. “Good. Dismissed.”
Liesl blinked and gave her own nod. “Goodnight, Father,” she managed, and turned on her heel. She walked stiffly towards the door and then out of it, her shoulders slumping as soon as she was out of his sight.
The walk back to her bedroom was a slow and painful one. She’d made a detour into the bathroom she shared with her siblings and wasn’t surprised by the state of her bottom, bright red with a smattering of slipper-shaped marks that would no doubt mar her porcelain skin for days on end. The worst of it, of course, was the angry raised welts left by the cane— those would last for more than a week.
By the time Liesl made it to her bed and settled in on her stomach, she wanted nothing more than to cry herself to sleep. She was tired and hurting and missed her mother terribly. Her grief had always come in waves and right now, she wished her mother was here to hold her and comfort her.
She was just reaching to turn off her bedside lamp when a soft knock sounded at her door. Not wanting company or for whichever sibling it was to get into trouble, Liesl told them in a hushed voice to go away. Instead, the door opened.
Standing there, almost as if in answer to a prayer, was the beautiful young nun. Without a word, Fraulein Maria strode determinedly over to Liesl’s side and climbed into bed next to her. Her arms opened, and sobbing, Liesl flew into them.
When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad
Liesl’s tears slowed and eventually stopped as Maria sang to her in a soft, angelic tone. The woman’s arms were warm and offered quiet strength. The girl’s eyes fluttered as a delicate hand began to rub up and down her back. A calm settled over the sixteen-year-old and she breathed out deeply, her body relaxing fully as it prepared to drift off. She opened them one last time, searching out the face of the woman comforting her. In her hazy, sleepy state, she could have sworn it was her mother staring back at her lovingly. She entered her dreams with a smile on her face.