“Sleep tight, darling boy,” his new guardian murmured quietly, “Tomorrow’s going to be a humbling, bottom-blazing experience for you, as your one-time daughter’s planned it.”
Cartlton did rest peacefully from that point on, until he was abruptly awakened by his new big sister nine hours later.
“Carltie, it’s time to rise and shine,” Nantessa announced in a singsong voice, gently shaking his shoulders. “Your bottoms are going to rise after every swat from my paddle, and they’ll be shining a candy-apple red by the time I’m finished smacking them!”
“Oh, Nannie…” He drowsily sat up, feeling somewhat confused, then noticed that she was gripping the rounded handle of a rectangular-headed poplar paddle in her right hand–its smooth striking surface was almost 6″x 4″ in size, with rounded edges, and it was three-eighths of an inch thick. The ash blonde wood had some scarlet lettering on its surface, but Carlton couldn’t read it clearly with his blurrily-focusing vision.