She emphasised her concern that I had taken a downward turn over the last several weeks and that this incident was just a minor part of a bigger problem. She added that she had every intention of doing what she could to fix the situation, and her solution was the use of the slipper.

She instructed me to bend over her desk and grab hold of the other side, with a strict warning of horrible repercussions should I let go before I was permitted. I obeyed her, feeling a strange sense of terror and comfort at what was going to happen.