“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.