This story is written by David, please send comments and appreciation to voondave@yahoo.co.uk

Oh,how sweet life can be,for those fortunates of whom Fate smiles upon. But,oh,how humiliatingly,agonizingly,soul crushingly despairing,and exquisitely cruel life can be,for those unfortunates for whom Fate’s beneficent gaze does not,or ceases to light upon. As I was to find out,and to exist henceforth,in the most abject,and unremitting torment and cruelty,and my memories of the blissful happiness that I had once known and lost,would serve only to rub salt in my wounds,and to exacerbate my crushing misery,100 fold.

My life changed forever,and my fate was sealed,from the moment I set foot on the steps to board the Arabia Airways flight to Wadi Ya Meen,deep in Arabia,for then,I had passed the point of no return. One moment,I was the happiest man in the history of Mankind,as at the drop off area at the airport,I kissed,hugged,and said my goodbyes,to the sweetest,most adorable,and most beautiful girl in the whole world,Sandra,my fiancé,who was expecting our baby in 3 months time,and to whom I was engaged to be married,next week,when I returned home from my business trip. A golden,happy future lay ahead of me,and I had everything to live for. The next moment,though of course I did not know it at the time,I climbed the aviation steps and walked away from all of the joys and happiness,that a lifetime with my sweet love,Sandra,would have brought me. Unknowingly,I turned my back on the imminent bliss,that married life with my angel would,I knew in my heart,have blessed me with. For,Fate cruelly decreed that I would never come to know that blissful happiness,and decreed that I walk a different path,and that I should know a different existence,and that I would come to so cruelly and callously break my darling’s heart,and,in that very same moment,my own heart would die,and crumble to dust within my breast,and in that place,where it beat only for my sweet Sandra,my lovely and loving angel,there would be a vast nothingness,a cold,numb,dark,bleak emptiness,with only the aching memory,like a distant and fading echo,of the bliss that once was.

I felt a hand grip my wrist,with a sort of possessive authority. “Hi,Sandra. Sorry to cut the luvvy duvvy stuff short,I’m sure,but we’re running late. Come on,david,or you are going to make us miss our flight”,said Miss Susan Smith,my boss,who had herself only just this minute arrived at the airport,by train. After a final hug and kiss (and,oh,I did not know it was to be my final hug and kiss,from my sweet darling),I replied,respectfully,”I’m just coming,Miss Smith”. As soon as Sandra,my fiancé was gone,Miss Smith ordered me,bossily,”go and find a trolley for our luggage,david,and be quick about it,too!” “Yes,Miss Smith”,I replied,obediently. This was the first time that my boss,Miss Susan Smith,had taken me with her on a Company business trip,and if all went well,I could be in line for a promotion,I hoped. The extra money would certainly come in useful,too,especially now that I would soon be getting married to my darling sweetheart,Sandra,and starting a family with her,I mused to myself in happy reverie,as I searched for a luggage trolley in the very busy Departures Terminal. As I could not immediately spot a vacant luggage trolley,I made my way to the front of the queue at the Arabia Airways check in desk,and I grabbed the next trolley to be unloaded onto the baggage conveyor belt,and I returned with it to my boss,Miss Smith,as quickly as I could. Not quickly enough,though,for Miss Smith. “How dare you,david,keep me waiting here for you all this time? I certainly hope this is not an indicator of how much use you are going to be to me on our business trip!”. Concerned,at getting off to such a poor start,I tried to apologise,”I’m very sorry,Miss Smith,but,as it’s so very busy in the Departures Terminal,there are so few vacant trolleys,and--------“ “oh,just shut up,david! I don’t want to have to listen to your pathetically lame excuses all the time,and,if anything is vacant,it is your thick,stupid head. Well,come on then! What are you waiting for? A formal invitation? Get this trolley loaded up,so that we can join the check in queue!”. I hastily obeyed my superior,and we were soon being checked in.

I suspected an altogether different reason,to account for Miss Smith’s tetchy,irritable mood,for her snappy,sniping,bitchy way with me,and, as we sat down in the Departure Lounge,she confirmed my suspicions,when she said,vindictively,”I have absolutely no idea,david,what Sandra sees in you. She is absolutely,totally wasted on you,david”. Yes,I thought as much. It was an open secret at the office,that my boss,Miss Susan Smith was a lesbian,and I knew that she fancied my Sandra,and had ‘designs’ on her,from the first moment I had introduced them,last year,at our office Christmas Party. Sandra had told me,later,that Miss Smith had been ‘hitting on her’,at the party. And Miss Smith had told me,later,that she “knew” that Sandra was bisexual. She could “always tell”,she claimed. She had also assured me,and openly declared,that she would be “working on her”,to take her away from me. “Sandra will be mine,david. You’ll see”,she had promised me. She was wasted on ‘the likes of me’,she told me,with utter contempt. Such was the certainty of her conviction,as to Sandra’s bisexuality,that I did not deny the truth of it,telling her instead,that,”it’s me that she loves. We are going to be married,and start a family”. To which she had replied,ominously,”no,david. I won’t let Sandra squander herself on you”,and I had felt a superstitious chill of dread,at the truth,and of the destiny of her prediction,and,for the first time in my life,I had been acquainted with cold,real fear.

About 30 minutes later,we had boarded our Arabia Airways flight,which would make 1 scheduled stop en route,at Wadi Ya Wan,for the purpose of changing the Air Crew,before continuing on to it’s final destination of Wadi Ya Meen,where my boss,Miss Susan Smith and I,would be attending a series of business meetings. I sat in an aisle seat,and Miss Smith sat next to me. The first thing she did,once seated,was to kick off her black,office pumps,releasing the rather pungent aroma of her decidedly stinky feet,and the man in the seat in front of me turned around and glared at me,as Miss Smith settled herself comfortably,for the long flight ahead. About 1 hour into the flight,2 Arabia Airways air hostesses arrived at our row of seats,pushing a refreshments trolley. I thought that both of the young ladies,attractively attired in their Arabia Airways uniforms,and looking sophisticated and elegant with their hair worn up on top of their heads,were probably very beautiful. I say probably,because it was difficult to be sure,as they wore veils,as was the custom of the females of their country. Their veils were of a white,gauzy,semi transparent material,that made their features difficult to discern,though this seemed to make their eyes,which were uncovered,all the more expressive,and they seemed to emanate an enchanting,almost hypnotic air,of Eastern mystery,and mysticism. Although they wore their veils,I imagined,upon a closer scrutiny of their faces,that I feared was very close to outright rudeness,that I could discern enough of their faces to convince myself of the reality of their beauty. And,judging by the looks of Miss Smith’s eyes bulging out of her head,so could she! At seeing the looks of blatant,undisguised lust that were plainly evident on her face,I found myself thinking that a veil would not come amiss,now,to cover up her own face. Miss Smith seemed especially taken,and enthralled by,the air hostess who was serving my meal,who was regarding me with such a withering look of disdain,and with a profound contempt in her eyes,that she should find herself in such a demeaning position of having to serve,as Miss Smith would put it,’the likes of me’,and whose name,according to her name tag,was Claudia.

Unnerved,by the power of Claudia’s spiteful stare,I said,politely,”thankyou,Miss Claudia. That is very kind of you”. The way that Claudia’s eyes glittered,dangerously,clearly suggested that she thought I was being sarcastic,and Miss Smith,fully understanding this misunderstanding,so to speak,was very pleased with the withering,disdainful stare that Claudia levelled at me. But,worse was to follow,when,as the 2 air hostesses moved on with their trolley,Miss Smith mischievously leaned across me,and she sharply pinched Claudia’s very shapely bottom. This so startled Claudia,to the extent that she almost jumped. Then,she whirled around,in the throes of an outraged,white hot anger,in an almost homicidal fury,that ‘the likes of me’ should have the towering temerity,and such impertinent audacity,to touch her person in such an inappropriate,demeaning,and insulting manner. Yes,ME!. For,my boss,Miss Susan Smith,was a picture of sweetness and innocence,and her facial expression suggested that she had not the faintest idea at all,what the sudden problem was. Claudia glared at me,thunderously,and her eyes told me,in their silent,though highly eloquent language,that she would like nothing better,than to deal my offending face not just one,but a sharp series of punishing,stinging,humiliating,tear inducing slaps,for my appalling display of insolence. Indeed,such was the unmistakable eloquence of Claudia’s furious stare,that her worried colleague,sensing that Claudia was on the very edge of a violent physical outburst,that would inevitably result not only in her immediate dismissal from Arabia Airways,but would also make her,to all intents and purposes,unemployable,by any other Air Lines,too. For long moments,Claudia stared at me,wordlessly,venomously,clearly frustrated with the force of her pent up emotions,at her inability to unleash her barely restrained violence upon me,while I,for my part,could only helplessly stare back at her,in my absolute horror,at her innocent misapprehension of the incident,and at her misplaced,indignant fury. I perfectly well realized,that trying to place the blame where it rightly belonged,at Miss Susan Smith’s door,was not an option. It simply wasn’t. It would be both futile,and counter productive. Futile,because Claudia already clearly and firmly believed that I was the offending miscreant,and any attempt to deflect the blame onto Miss Smith,would seem cowardly in the extreme,and would cause Claudia to lose any respect that she had left for me,not that she had any respect for me in the first place! Counter productive,because I would most certainly be talking myself out of my job,as Miss Smith would surely take the very greatest of malicious pleasure,in firing me from my job. Probably on trumped up charges of bringing the Company into disrepute,as soon as we returned to England . In other words,she would delight in making me ‘carry the can’ for her own saucy misdeed.

 When Claudia,seemingly calmed by something that her concerned colleague was urgently whispering into her ear,reluctantly moved on,as soon as her shapely bottom passed out of Miss Susan Smith’s view,Miss Smith looked at me,and she brazenly stared into my face,and her features composed themselves into such a malicious grin of sadistic glee,for,such was the measure of her ecstasy,of the thrilling,naughty pleasure she felt,at my being so unjustly blamed for her own wrong doing,for what was to her,a wonderfully excitng,titillating,and deliciously successful little prank. But,worse was to come. Much worse. For,Miss Susan Smith’s deliciously successful little prank was far,far more deliciously successful,than she could have hoped for,or could have ever imagined,in her wildest dreams.

When the aircraft landed en route,as scheduled,at the small city of Wadi Ya Wan,in a rather more remote part of the Arabian interior,for the purpose of changing the air crew,as I was seated in an aisle seat,I saw the lady Captain of our Arabia Airways flight,stride down the aisle with a business like air of purposeful intent,accompanied by her lady First Officer,and all the rest of the female air crew,with Claudia and her colleague,in closest attendance. Of course,at first I thought nothing of it,(after all,all the passengers had been informed as to the reason for the scheduled stop),until the party of female air crew all stopped,when they reached my seat,and the lady Captain then directly addressed me,her manner bereft of any vestige of friendliness,or even  politeness,and her voice rang loud and clear,with the stern tones of her official authority,and I was shocked to the core,at what she had to say to me,as the rest of the passengers looked on,and listened with greatest possible interest.

“A very serious charge,of sexual impropriety,has been lodged against you,by one of my crew”,the lady Captain informed me,as she helpfully but needlessly indicated Claudia,as the said sexually molested member of air crew,in question. The lady Captain continued,acidly,”you will vacate your seat immediately,and you will accompany me off the aircraft,to be escorted to the airport Police Station,where you will be formally charged”. So dumbstruck was I,from the effects of my disbelieving shock,that I could only vacate my seat,as ordered by the angry looking lady Captain,wordlessly,and she looked even more convinced of my guilt,by the very fact that I did not protest my innocence,for,I had decided to ‘take the rap’,and pay the fine,as I thought that it surely couldn’t be any more serious than that,just for a pinched bottom. Though,having said that,I fully appreciated Claudia’s point of view,and I,personally,would never dream of so insulting a lady,in that,or in any other manner,and I fully understood that this was a matter that could not go unaddressed,though I also believed in a sense of proportion,too. Then,I was stunned even more,and sickened,when I turned to my boss,Miss Susan Smith,to see the look of poisonous pleasure that radiated from her wicked face,and I knew,beyond a shadow of a doubt,that any meagre hopes I may have entertained of her intervening in my behalf,were truly dead and buried,as I watched the ecstasy that she felt,shine out of her eyes,her ecstasy at my predicament,a predicament that she herself had caused,and landing me in trouble with the Arabian Authorities.

At the Police Station,however,it was not long before the true seriousness of my situation began to dawn on me,and that I would not be getting off so lightly as being fined,when Claudia formally accused me of committing an act of sexual impropriety upon her person. For,a female representative from the British Embassy,who also seemed to believe in my guilt,informed me that,as the custom in this part of the Arabian interior,where I was being ‘tried’,there was a presumption of guilt,unless innocence could be proved,and that,as I could not prove my innocence,I would now,without ceremony,be formally charged,convicted,and sentenced. Then,after serving my sentence,I would be deported,with a criminal record, from Arabia . Also,as was also the custom,in this part of the Arabian interior,in the Province of Wadi Ya Wan,the victim of a crime was given,by the ‘Court’,a number of choices,to decide as to how the perpetrator of the crime against them was to be punished,to their satisfaction,and to their particular sense of appropriate retribution. After reading the ‘menu’ of punishment choices that were open to her,Claudia then formally and officially read aloud to the ‘Court’,the nature of the punishment that she wished me to suffer,and also of the ‘corrective chastisement’,to ‘rehabilitate’ me,from my apparent disrespectful,and chauvinistic attitude towards females.

“I,Claudia,pronounce my righteous sentence upon my transgressor, the convicted criminal,david. I,Claudia,decree that the convicted criminal, david, shall suffer the punishment of ‘A Thousand Suns’,in ‘Humility Square’,in my home village of Wadi Ya Noh. I,Claudia,decree that I,and the other females of Wadi Ya Noh,shall be his scourge. I,Claudia,decree that my transgressor, the convicted criminal,david,shall learn repentance at our hands,and humility at our feet. This,is the sentence,of I,Claudia”.

Now,having passed the sentence of her choice upon me,Claudia gave way to the ‘Court Official’,who was the arbiter,presiding over these summary prosecution proceedings. “The righteous sentence of Claudia,upon the convicted criminal,david,is hereby approved and passed,by this Court,and,after his sentence has been served,he shall be deported from Arabia ,with a criminal record”,announced the Court arbiter,officially,as casually and as carelessly as a Station announcer,announcing the arrival of a train. Somewhat mystified,by these rather arcane judicial proceedings,I enquired of the female representative from the British Embassy,”er,excuse me,Miss,but,what is going on? What is happening?” To which she replied,to my absolute horror,” ‘A Thousand Suns’,means 1,000. days,david”. “What!”,I cried,with incredulous dismay. “ But that’s that’s……”,I stammered,as I feverishly tried to calculate,”but,Miss,that is equal to 2 years and 9 months! Oh,please,Miss,please, you’ve got to stop this! You’ve got to help me! You’ve got to do something!” “The rule of law has been passed,david. The Court has spoken. I cannot help you. There is nothing I can do for you,david”. In the throes of my extreme agitation,I asked her,”what was all that other stuff,about scourges,and repentance and humility?”. “Well,david,perhaps I should leave you to discover that for yourself. You are in Claudia’s hands,now. You are at her mercy,for the next 2 years and 9 months”. At her words,overwhelmed by my panic and fear,I parted company with my dignity,as I desperately tried to reverse my decision to ‘take the rap’,to ‘carry the can’,for the misdeed of my boss,Miss Susan Smith. “Oh,Miss,please! Please! I am innocent! This is all a big mistake!” “You made your “big mistake”,david,when you committed your act of gross sexual impropriety upon this young lady”,she said,indicating Claudia. “But,Miss,it wasn’t me! It was my boss,Miss Susan Smith!” The female British Embassy representative looked at me,in deep disgust,and said,”oh! That’s it! I have heard it all,now. Why can’t you take your punishment like a man,david?” In tears now,at the realization that this horrible, heinous nightmare was becoming a harsh,miserable,soul destroying reality,I pleaded,and poured out my heart to her,”because I am innocent! Because I am getting married,next week! Because my fiancé is having our baby,in 3 months time!”. But,she responded to my heartfelt pleas coldly,and dispassionately,and again indicating Claudia,she said,”well,david,perhaps you should have thought of all that,before you sexually assaulted this young lady, shouldn’t you? Do you know,david,men like you make me sick. But,you are not in England now,david,you are in Arabia now,and so you are certain to suffer the punishment that you so richly deserve. All I can do for you now,david,is to officially notify your fiancé of your crime,and as to the attendant tariff that has been imposed upon you,by the Court. It is men like you,david,who make me ashamed to be British. You so carelessly commit your crimes while abroad,in the conceited belief that you won’t get into trouble,smugly thinking that your Embassy will ‘get you off’. Well, you know differently now,don’t you,david?”. The injustice of her harsh words totally crushed me,and I knew it would be futile to make any further pleas,and so I tried to accept the reality of my situation,as the decision of the Court was final,with no right of appeal.

Then,it was Claudia who stood in front of me,and she stared into my eyes for long moments,and her eyes shone,with a vengeful triumph. Then,without warning,she delivered a sharp,stinging slap to my right cheek,and,while I was still registering the sudden,unexpected pain and shock of her powerful blow,she followed it up with another resounding slap,to my left cheek. Then,she stood back,with a look of exultant satisfaction,as she watched the tears that I could not prevent,of pain and of humiliation,well up from my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I knew that these were the slaps that she had so yearned to administer to me,aboard the Arabia Airways flight,but she had resisted that very powerful impulse,in the interests of keeping her job. But now,she had the Court’s blessing,to punish me with impunity, and it seemed to me,that the very fact that she had had to wait for this moment to deliver her retributive slaps to my face,made them all the sweeter,and satisfying to her. Then,I stared into Claudia’s large,dark eyes,that glittered with the promise of revenge and cruelty,and her eyes,and her voice held me in thrall,as she spoke to me.

“For ‘A Thousand Suns’,david,you will be in my power. In my home village of Wadi Ya Noh ,you will have many female teachers,who will teach you your lessons of repentance and humility. And you will learn them well! It is unfortunate for you,david,that you are an Englishman. There are many women in Wadi Ya Noh,who had been made promises of marriage by English oil workers,promises to rescue them from a lifetime of poverty and desolation in Wadi Ya Noh,promises to give them a better life,back in England,as their brides. Only to have their promises cruelly and callously reneged upon! Broken promises! Lies! False words,out of English mouths! Many of these women were left with child,and these women were despised,and shunned,and ostracised from the loving busom of their society. And I,Claudia,am the child,the tainted fruit,of such a woman. But now,david,in my home village of Wadi Ya Noh ,for ‘A Thousand Suns’,in ‘ Humility Square ’,you will pay for those sins,committed against them. As an Englishman,you will be the focal point,for all of their rage and hatred,and it will be for you,david,to pay for all of the misdeeds of your despicable countrymen. Also,david,it will be of the sweetest piquancy to us all,to know that you will now miss your forthcoming marriage,next week,and also the birth of your child in 3 months time,while we teach you your lessons of repentance and humility. We have a saying in Arabia ,david,that ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’. Well now,the spurned females of Wadi Ya Noh shall taste their revenge! They have waited a long time for their dish of revenge,their appetites are whetted,and now,I am going to serve you up to them,david. Now,come! We waste time,here!” “I’m really very sorry about what happened to your Mother,and the other ladies,Miss Claudia,but,……”. I got no further. I was stopped by another vicious,tear inducing slap from Claudia’s hand. “you will be silent,cur!”,she yelled. Then,she roughly ‘manhandled’ me into the back seat of the waiting Police vehicle,and then she got in beside me. Then,the Police driver started the vehicle,and set off for Claudia’s home village, of Wadi Ya Noh.

I had never believed that such a bleak,cheerless, and desolate landscape that we travelled through,could exist on Planet Earth,as we made the short,bumpy,dusty10 mile journey to Claudia’s home village of Wadi Ya Noh,and the depression of my spirit was relieved,albeit slightly,upon seeing the scant,sparse,water starved vegetation,that told me that we were approaching our destination. But,upon our arrival at Claudia’s home village of Wadi Ya Noh,although we had left behind us a barren,featureless,cheerless landscape,that depressed my spirit,and that offered little or nothing to relieve the bleak,barely changing desertscape,I was appalled to discover that the extremely primitive village of Wadi Ya Noh,was  scarcely any better,and my heart sank lower still. I felt as if I had been taken back in time,to the Middle Ages. Wadi Ya Noh was,in a manner of speaking,a ‘one camel town’,consisting of just a couple of dozen of extremely primitive dwellings. These decidedly modest homes were arranged so as to form a perimeter to the Village Square,such as it was,so that in this fashion,all of the inhabitants of these impoverished,and pitiful little dwellings,at least enjoyed a fine view of Humility Square,and of the sufferings and the torment of the current miserable incumbent of Humility Hole,and could relieve the monotony of their day,by watching the convicted criminal demonstrate his respect and humility,to the females who presented their feet to him,though,of course,the females could and did,personally participate in his punishment and rehabilitation themselves,every day. The Police driver guided his vehicle between 2 of these poor homes,and then drew to a stop,near the centre of Humility Square . The Police driver sounded his horn twice,and then switched off his engine. Then,Claudia turned to me,and said,”welcome to Wadi Ya Noh,david,my home village,and now,for ‘A Thousand Suns’,your home,too. Now,get out,david!”. Once we were standing on the dusty,hard baked ground of Humility Square,I noticed that many shapeless figures,who were the females of Wadi Ya Noh,emerged from there poor dwelling places,and inquisitively shuffled their way towards us,dressed,as custom dictated,in their black garb,which I thought was a style of burka,as it covered the whole body,except for the eyes. I got the distinct impression,that nothing had changed here for many hundreds of years,and it was easy for me to believe,that the poor,primitive inhabitants of Wadi Ya Noh,had never even heard of electricity. Later,I would come to learn that the poor village of Wadi Ya Noh,was comprised entirely of female inhabitants,and,that they themselves, had not shunned the many comforts and enjoyments and pleasures and life enriching and labour saving devices, that modern progress could provide and bless them with,but that,instead,they had been denied all of these modern wonders,by their local Tribal Lord,and there was not so much as a cheap,tinny radio,or even electric light,in the village,and was thus stuck,as though in a time warp,of some primitive,long ago era.

When 25 or 30 black garbed,shapeless figures had gathered before us,one of them stepped forward,and she kissed Claudia on both cheeks. Claudia turned to me and said,”david,this is my blessed Mother,Meena. She was one of the ‘lucky’ ones. At least,the faithless wretch who spurned her and abandoned her,as soon as he learned of her pregnancy,left her enough money to give me a decent education,at the airport town of Wadi Ya Wan . In her misplaced gratitude,she named me Claudia,after his own Mother. Even now,my Mother will not tell me his name,for I have vowed to find him,my wretched,faithless Father,and make him pay,in the way of our own tradition,and that is the day that I live for,the day when I shall face him,and bring him to account. On that Fateful day,he,my Father, shall come to know of, and to face the wrath,of I,Claudia. Now,enough time has been wasted! We must begin your punishment and rehabilition,david,at once!”. Now,Claudia addressed the poor,cruelly repressed females of Wadi Ya Noh,in their own tongue,after first informing me what she was going to say to them all,sentence by sentence. It was not long,before the expressions in their eyes turned from inquisitive,to hateful,and spiteful,and vengeful,and their eyes,which was all that I could see of their bodies,struck fear and panic into my heart,but,as soon as they heard Claudia speak the word ‘Englishman’,I knew an almost bowel loosening terror,as they emitted an unholy,female hullabaloo, a  Godawful,frightening noise,a sort of eerie,keening, yodelling,nerve shredding wail,that froze the blood in my veins,just to hear it. The Police driver, apparently no more enamoured of the fearful,dreadful,blood freezing,nerve shredding wailing being emitted by the females of Wadi Ya Noh,than I was,decided that this would be a good time to take his leave,of us. Before he had left us,though,he was witness to the spectacle of these cruelly and callously wronged, and betrayed and abandoned females, roughly stripping me of all of my clothes,until they had left me without a stitch on. I looked on,horrified,as they tore my clothes to shreds,threw them to the dusty ground,and then they stamped on them,and trampled them,as though they thought they were stamping and trampling on the faithless wretches who had deserted them,all the while,emitting their dreadful,terrifying,nerve shredding,blood freezing wailing. Then,for the first time,I noticed that there was a small,but deep hole,right in the centre of Humility Square . Now,a long wooden pole,that I thought probably used to be a palm tree,was brought,and the females lowered it into the small hole,and I saw that about 6 feet of it now protruded from the hole. Now,the females forced me to stand over the hole,and to face the pole,then,Claudia tied my hands,in front of the pole.

Once I was thus secured,Claudia appeared before me,and she was holding in her hands,the instrument of my chastisement,which was an extremely wicked looking sort of cane. The dreadful looking cane seemed to me,to be about 8 feet long,and gradually tapering almost to a point at the end. It looked very flexible,and it made a hideous,awful,whistling,blood curdling shriek,as it carved a path through the air,as Claudia made a few practice strokes,while she enjoyed seeing my mounting fear and dread,as she watched my terror stricken face. “Now,david,your time has come! For you to pay! You will pay for your own sin,against me,and you will pay for the sins of your wretched,faithless,accursed countrymen!”. Then,Claudia stepped behind me,and moments later,I heard the cane announce it’s inevitable and unstoppable approach,when I heard the fearful,dreadful,whistling,blood curdling shriek,that has haunted  my  dreams ever since,in the moment before the wicked,long,flexible cane savagely bit into the cheeks of my bare bottom. Instantly,I was acquainted with an exquisite form of anguish,as nothing could have prepared me,for the introduction of that white hot explosion of pain. It was utterly intolerable. I cried out,and screamed,at the fire,of the explosive,devastating agony,again,and again,as Claudia,vengefully administered the cane,6 times in all,to my bottom,my back,and my legs. This sent the awful,yodelling,blood freezing wailing of the females,into a spiralling,tumultuous, clamourous frenzy ,that almost stopped my heart,just to hear it. Then,Claudia handed that wicked instrument of exquisite torture to her Mother,Meena,who,after administering an agonising,scream inducing stroke of her own,passed the cane onto the next vengeful female,and this went on,until all of the females had dealt me a wickedly aimed,and devastating stroke of their own.

I was a shaking,babbling,trembling,crying wreck,when Claudia,who had stood and watched the features of my face crumple and contort,as the story of my agony and anguish unfolded before her,again addressed me. “That was just a small taste,david,of what you can expect. That was just your first caning,and you will be caned again,on each monthly anniversary of your ‘A Thousand Suns’ sentence,of 2 years and 9 months”. Then,I was untied,and the pole was removed from the hole,and taken away,until it would be brought back again,in 1 month. Then,Claudia addressed me again,translating as she went,sentence by sentence,so that all would understand her words. “My sentence upon you,david,was that,for ‘A Thousand Suns’,you will learn repentance at our hands,and humility at our feet,to punish you,and to rehabilitate you. You have just been taught your first lesson of repentance at our hands. Now,you will learn your first lesson of humility,at our feet. Unlike your lessons of repentance,though,which we will teach you only once a month,as we must allow your skin to heal,you will be taught your lessons of humility,at our feet,on a daily basis. Every day,david. For ‘A Thousand Suns’,every day,from dawn until dusk,we will lower you into the Hole Of Humility,so that only your head will protrude out of the hole,at the level of our ankles. Many times, throughout every day,you will be called upon,by the females of Wadi Ya Noh,to show them that you are truly repenting,that you are remorseful,that you are respectful,and that you are learning humility,and that you wish for nothing more,than to be allowed,by the females of Wadi Ya Noh,an opportunity to show them,and to demonstrate to them,the truth and the sincerity,of your respect and of your humilty  towards them. And,be warned,david. If any female feels that you have not shown her sufficient respect and humility,at her feet,then she can demand extra strokes of the cane,to punish you,at your next monthly caning. So now,david,I shall instruct you,as to how you must always conduct yourself,and,david,I counsel you to learn well!”.

Then,the females of Wadi Ya Noh,wrapped a turban around my head,to protect me from the sun,and then they lowered me into the Hole Of Humility. When my feet touched bottom,only my head protruded out of the hole,with my chin,3 or 4 inches above the edge,and the females all towered above me,seemingly 10 feet tall,and they all gathered round,to watch Claudia,the female who had delivered me to them,instruct me as to how I was to always conduct myself towards them,and how I was to show them my respect and my humility. Then,after one of the females had placed a bowl of water beside my head,Claudia,who had by now changed into the traditional dress of custom,the monochrome garb,won by all of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,stood,with her back to me,directly in front of my face. Then,she slipped her brown,rather shapely,and dainty right foot,out of a leather sandal, a sandal  that,to me,seemed ancient,and as though it may have been passed down through many generations. I saw that it was indented,by the heels and the toes,of it’s many wearers,and black,telling eloquently,of the dirt and the grime and the female foot sweat of ages. Then,I watched Claudia’s own right foot,as she reached behind her,and found my nose,and then I felt the grip of her toes,as she cupped my nose,and then,immediately,the not too unpleasant aroma of her foot,invaded my head,and filled my brain,and became my world,as all of the other females looked on,in an unconcealed excitement of anticipation,in the knowledge that their turn would soon come,and that the aromas of their feet,too,that their own,unique,personal perfumes, of their own foot odour,would also invade my head,and fill my brain,and become my world. And,their sweetest of all moments,to have me breathe in their own,personal foot perfume, I was soon to learn,was always immediately after they had taken the cane to me,and administered my cruel,agonising,and devastating monthly punishment.

Now,as I inhaled the pungent fragrance of her foot odour from her toes,Claudia instructed me. “As you smell my foot,david,as you inhale the stale,stinky sweat from my toes,you must look at my heel,david. This is the same,for every female,david,every female. When you breathe in the aroma from her toes,david,you must look at her heel,focus on her heel,concentrate,on her heel,nothing matters,but her heel. When the heel of a female is in front of your eyes,david,the way that my heel is in front of your eyes,now,all that matters to you,in the world,in all of your worthless existence,is that female heel,david,that is where it belongs,right in front of your eyes,so that it is all that you can see,as it is all that you deserve to see. The female foot,but,especially the heel,david,especially the heel,is the object,and the focal point,and the symbol,david,of the heartfelt outpouring of your sincere respect and of your humility towards us. Now,david,as I place the various places of my bare sole to your lips,this is your chance to show me,to prove to me,your true respect,and your humility towards me,through your lips,david,by the sincerity of your kisses,to my feet,that will demonstrate your repentance,your remorse,your respect,your humility,and your craving,for my forgiveness. Now,show me now,david,demonstrate all of these things now,as you kiss the many places on the soles of my feet,as I place them to your lips,and,it is the same for all females,david,for all females,and we shall know of the sincerity,or of the falsity,of your respect and your humility,at our feet,we shall know,david. Now,david,show me again,with my other foot,I want to,and I must,feel,and know of,the sincerity of your respect and humility,in every kiss,david,in every single kiss,and,it is the same,for every female,david,for every female. If you are thirsty,during your long days of repentance and humility,david,you must beg us females to allow you to drink,remembering,that you are always at our mercy,for we may not allow you to drink. Are you thirsty now,david? If so,ask me for water”. Not being accustomed to such heat,in this hot,dry,desert climate,I was by now,very thirsty,and so I said,”yes,Miss Claudia,I am not used to such hot weather,and I am very thirsty indeed. Could I have some water,please,Miss Claudia?”. “Do you wish to die of thirst,david? Do you call that begging,david? I told you that you must beg,at the feet of the female,for her mercy in allowing you to drink”. “Please,Miss Claudia,I humbly beg you,please show your kind mercy upon this wretched convicted criminal,and please,I beg you,Miss Claudia,please allow me to drink”. “That’s better,david. Now,I will allow you to drink,by this traditional and time honoured method,and it is the same for every female,david,for every female”.

Now,Claudia dipped her brown,rather dainty,and shapely foot into the bowl of water beside my head,then,she offered me the sole of her dripping wet foot. “Drink then,david,you may drink the water from the sole of my foot. Unless you want to die of thirst,david,during your long days in the Hole Of Humility,this is how you will drink your water. Then,you must always give your thanks to the female,for her kind mercy,and for allowing you to drink your water,from the soles of her feet”. Fully believing in the truth of her words,I thirstily lapped my tongue at Claudia’s wet,right foot. I started at the tips of her toes,as I was appalled to see that precious drops of water were dripping from them,and going to terrible waste,as they dropped upon the uncaring,ungrateful,barren,hard baked dusty ground of Humility Square . I licked her toes,and I plunged and delved my tongue in between them,not wanting to miss out on a single drop of the life sustaining precious liquid,and then I continued licking,I was so thirsty,and I thought that water had never tasted so good as it did now,as I licked it and lapped it up from Claudia’s proffered,wet bare foot. I made my relentless and unstoppable progress,up Claudia’s footscape,in turn,I attacked and ravished the pitifully small amount of precious moisture,from the ball of Claudia’s foot,then her arch,then finally her heel,where I licked and lapped,and then sucked,as if trying to draw the moisture out of her flesh. Then,Claudia slipped her foot back into her ancient,’pass me down’ leather sandal,and then she slipped out her other foot,from her other time worn leather sandal,and she dipped it into the bowl of water,and then she offered me the sole of her foot once again,dripping wet,to my face. I was quickly coming to understand,that my very survival could depend upon how much of this precious water,I could lick and lap and suck,from the soles of the bare feet of the females of Wadi Ya Noh. So,knowing that my survival could depend upon it,I started licking and lapping immediately,so as to lose as little water as possible,and Claudia spoke to me,as I gratefully accepted her merciful gift,and I thirstily licked the moisture from the sole of her glistening,wet foot. “Remember,david,it is always the same,for every female,and,in this method of time honoured tradition,we are also granting you the honour,of washing our feet for us,as you drink from them” Then,Claudia removed her foot from my face,and slipped her now dry,clean foot back into her old leather sandal. “Thankyou,Miss Claudia”,I said. When she remained silent,I understood,so I added,”and,I am honoured,Miss Claudia”. Then,Claudia gave the signal, that the rest of the females of Wadi Ya Noh had been waiting for,the signal for them to take their turns,at having me show,demonstrate to them,the extent and the sincerity of my respect and my humility at their feet,and,having me wash their feet,by means of me licking and lapping and sucking my water from them,the water that,in their kind mercy,they allowed me to drink. The first female to step forward and stand with her back to me,just in front of my face,was Claudia’s Mother,Meena. As,without ceremony,Meena cupped my nose in the toes of her right foot,and I inhaled the smell of them,and focused on her heel,and studied it,and became absorbed by it,as instructed by Claudia,as I fully believed that it was imperative,that I do exactly as she told me,always,the aroma of Meena’s personal foot odour,her own unique perfume,invaded my head,and filled my brain,and became my world,along with the sight of her heel. All I could smell,was Meena’s toes,and all I could see,was Meena’s heel. This was the moment, when I found out,that Claudia’s rather dainty,shapely,and not too unpleasant smelling feet,were,among the females of Wadi Ya Noh,’the exeption that proved the rule’. For,Meena’s feet,in common with most of the other females of Meena’s age,and older,were calloused,and worn,and dried out,and had deeply ingrained dirt on the soles of their feet,and with dirt encrusted toenails,and,in some cases,they were as hard as the sun baked ground of Humility Square,and had the rough,dry texture,of a pair of ancient leather satchels. Now,as I breathed in the rank,sickly smell of Meena’s toes,and as I studied her heel,it was blatantly obvious,that it had been some considerable time,since they had last seen water. And,as I contemplated that Meena’s dusty,dirt begrimed bare feet would very soon now be seeing water,and that I would be licking and lapping and sucking that precious moisture from them,and,in the process,licking them clean,Claudia informed me,as she rejoiced at the sight of me,an Englishman,in Humility Hole,at the begrimed bare feet of her Mother, Meena,in so abject a fashion as this,she said to me,in the greatest possible satisfaction,”in my country,david,it is the greatest possible insult,to show someone the soles of your bare feet. And so,it is in this way,david,that we can also add our insults,to your injuries”.

At dusk,I was pulled out of Humility Hole,and I was allowed to sleep on the floor with the camels (there was more than 1!),in a sort of lean to,and it was a great relief to be off my feet and be able to lie down,until dawn. Then,some of the females would come to fetch me,to take me back to the hole in the ground where I was to spend so much of my time,in demonstrating the sincerity of my respect and humility,at the feet of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,by smelling their toes as I studied their heels,and by kissing their feet,and by licking their feet clean,as I gratefully availed myself of what little water that the soles of their feet so mercifully afforded me. The females who returned me to Humility Hole at dawn,were the first females of the day,to have me sincerely show them my respect and humility,and to have me lick their feet clean. The females would repeat this activity,many times throughout the day,(as if they had nothing better to do,in Wadi Ya Noh!),never tiring of having me kiss their feet,and sometimes,some of the females,particularly Claudia’s Mother,Meena,were very fond of having me lick their feet clean,without first dipping them into the bowl of water,thereby not only denying me a drink of much needed,precious water,but also making me even thirstier,by making me use up what little moisture I had on my tongue,to lick their dry,dusty,leathery feet clean. Despite the acute levels of my abject misery and despair,at the soul crushing circumstances in which I found myself,and at the appalling and humiliating conditions of my cruel and primitive incarceration,and at the ever present,nagging sense of cruel injustice,at the disproportionate severity of my sentence,for what was,after all,a wrongful conviction,in that it was actually Miss Susan Smith who had committed the offence,despite all of these soul destroying cruelties and injustices,I did not consider the idea of an escape attempt. For one thing,where could I have escaped to? For another,I was a convicted criminal,after all,undergoing a due legal process,and serving my lawful sentence,of punishment and rehabilitation. And,for another,I was in fear and dread of the wrath of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,who no doubt,would have construed an escape attempt,as a demonstration of the absence,and of the sincere lack,of my respect and of my humility,towards them.So,no,I did not think of escape.  Living out my miserable existence as I was,it would surely be something of a classic understatement,to say that time passed slowly. And,not only did time pass slowly,it also passed unrecorded,as far as I was concerned,and it was only by the events of my monthly canings that I was aware of the painfully slow passing of the months of my 2 years and 9 months,or,33 months sentence.

Then,after 6 months,6 months that to me,had seemed like 60 years, completely out of the blue,and shockingly unexpected,Claudia put forward a proposal to me,and,although I was fully aware, that to accept her proposal was tantamount to agreeing to serve a life sentence,to serve Claudia,that I  still,with the greatest possible reluctance, accepted Claudia’s proposal,simply because,knowing now,that there was a way out of serving the remainder of my sentence at Wadi Ya Noh,for another 27 months,I simply could not face it,even though I knew that I would be a free man again,after that time. But,another 27 months of this? I just could not face it,in the knowledge now that there was a way out,albeit,with the most stringent of conditions attached,to say the least,and so I accepted Claudia’s ‘get out of jail card’,and she immediately slipped her right foot out of her ancient,leather sandal,and she placed the sole of her foot to my face,so that I could demonstrate to her,just how incredibly grateful I was to her,through the sincerity of my kisses.

What had prompted Claudia’s sudden,out of the blue,amazing proposal,was a letter,for me,from my fiancé,Sandra,that Claudia had picked up from the airport Post Office,upon her latest return from her flight duty. Claudia had opened and read my letter,before reading it to me,and so she was aware of it’s devastating contents,before I was. Waving my letter from my fiancé,Sandra,at me,Claudia had so calmly and coldly said,”it’s news from England ,david. Your fiancé,Sandra,remember her,david?,says she has dumped you. She says she can’t believe that you have done this to her,leaving her alone,with a new baby,and everything,and that she now believes that you have never loved her,or you would never have destroyed her life,like this. She says that she has moved out of your house now,and that she and your former boss,Miss Susan Smith,are now living happily together,at Susan’s house,with the baby.She says that she never wants to see you again,and that you are history,david. So,in view of this wonderful,and very convenient development,I have a proposal for you,david. A marriage proposal. I have it in my power,david,as the victim of your crime,to cancel the remaining 27 months of your sentence here at Wadi Ya Noh,in your little hole in the ground,Humility Hole,here in Humility Square . In return for my showing you such mercy,david,you will ask me for my hand in marriage,and we will return to England ,as husband and wife,and we will live in your house,which shall become my Domain,and where you shall live under the rule of my strict command,and you shall obey me, in all things. I,at least,david,I,Claudia,shall have that better life in England,the life that you shall provide for me,and also,for a time,at least,you shall also provide, for all of the spurned and cruelly abandoned females of Wadi Ya Noh,as they shall take turns,6 at a time,to come to England on a 3 month visitors visa,and they shall stay with us,and we shall provide all accommodations for them , at our house. Of course,I shall no longer work,and you will work to support me,and to pay for the flights for our guests,and to look after them all while they are staying with us.Also,david,you will do all of the house work,except for cooking,which we will wish to do for ourselves,though,of course,you will do all of the washing up,after us. Also,david,you will buy a comfortable people carrier vehicle,large enough to carry all 8 of us,and you will be our driver,and take us to the places that we direct you. Now,david,you have heard me outline my generous proposal,and my conditions. Now,it is time to make your choice,and,I counsel wisdom,david. You can serve the remaining 27 months of your sentence,where you are now,in Humility Hole,here in Humility Square ,if you choose. But,I promise you,david,I shall not be very happy with your choice,and,neither will the females of Wadi Ya Noh,when I tell them that you have cheated me out of a better life,in England,and that you have also cheated them,out of their nice,long,3 month holidays in England,staying with us,at our house,as our extremely welcome,and highly honoured guests. Again,I counsel wisdom,david. Take a moment,to reflect upon what your remaining 27 months will be like,here in Humility Hole,in Humility Square ,were you to deny us all,the females of Wadi Ya Noh. Does it bear thinking about,david? Or,david,you can ask me,properly,for my hand in Marriage. But,david,only if you fully accept all of my terms”.

 Well,I was in absolute shock,at Claudia’s amazing proposal,and by all that she had just said to me,in the last few minutes. My mind was in a whirl,and I was distraught,that my fiancé,Sandra,had ended our relationship,and that she had gone to live with my former,lesbian boss,Miss Susan Smith,the woman who was responsible for my hellish predicament,in the first place,and that Sandra had taken our baby with her,where they would bring it up together,and the very fact that Sandra had not even told me whether our baby was a boy or a girl,spoke volumes to me,and what those volumes said to me,was that she wanted me to have nothing to do with our child. Then,on top of that,this outlandish,astonishing,diabolical marriage proposal of Claudia’s,and her underlying threat of the unthinkable repercussions,in the event of my choosing to turn down Claudia’s marriage proposal. Claudia had given me a choice,yes,but it was a sort of ‘Hobson’s Choice’,for sure. I was brought out of my reverie,by the sound of Claudia impatiently shuffling her timeworn leather sandal about,in front of my face. She was waiting for my answer. There was only one answer that I could give her,and,I thought to myself,at least I would be returning to England . Claudia was looking down at me,and down on me,in Humility Hole,when I made my decision,and gave her my answer. “Miss Claudia,may I please have the very greatest of honour,of asking you for your hand in marriage,and,of asking you to become my dear,blessed,beloved,and beautiful wife?”. (Though,I had never seen Claudia’s face,or for that matter, the faces of any of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,and I had no idea whether she was beautiful,or as plain as the back of a number 14 bus.) To which Claudia responded,“ I accept your marriage proposal,david. I shall now make the necessary arrangements for us to be married tomorrow,at the airport. Then,we shall fly to England ,for my better life,as husband and wife. Now,david,you may kiss my feet,to show me how sincerely grateful you are to me,for cancelling,and sparing you from the remaning 27 months of your sentence,right where you are now,at my feet,in Humility Hole,here in Humility Square. Remember,david,I,Claudia,and all of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,shall always know of the sincerity,or of the falsity of your kisses of respect and humility,at our feet. Kiss my feet,then,david,and convince me, of the sincerity of your kisses,of every kiss,david,of every single kiss. Then,I will tell all of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,of the happy occasion of our marriage,so that they also may rejoice,and so that they may make the most of you,the very most of you,david,on what will now be your final day here,in Humility Hole”. Claudia was as good as her word,for,the females of Wadi Ya Noh did exactly that. Until dusk,my face was full of their brown,calloused,dried out,leathery,dusty,untidy feet. For the females of Wadi Ya Noh,pedicure attentions were not at the top of their list of priorities.

So,after 6 months of physical and mental torture, and soul crushing,humiliating treatment,at the hands and at the feet of the females of Wadi Ya Noh,deep inside the hot,dusty, cheerless,depressing,and monotonous wastes of the Arabian interior,I returned home to England,with the woman who had instigated my torture and humiliation,and who was now my wife,Claudia. We were accompanied by her Mother,Meena,and 5 of the other spurned,and cruelly abandoned females from Wadi Ya Noh. My house has 3 bedrooms. Claudia commandeered the largest,which,on this particular visit,she shared with her Mother,Meena,and the other 4 females used the other 2 bedrooms as twin rooms. Claudia dictated,that I would sleep on my folding camp bed on the living room floor. On the day of our arrival,at my house,there were a lot of raised eyebrows, from my neighbours,and from the pedestrians who had stopped in their tracks,in total astonishment,when they saw the shuffling group of shapeless,black burka wearing females,completely covered,from head to foot,except for their eyes,including my new wife,Claudia,who,now that she no longer had to go out to work,  preferred to dress in accordance with the traditional custom of her own homeland. I had opened my front door,and the females from Wadi Ya Noh all shuffled past me,like a single entity,like a black,amorphous single minded organism,into my house,and,Bob and Liz,my next door neighbours,could only look on,in absolute,total amazement,and they were both too speechless,to even reply to my “hello”,before I closed my front door on them,and I followed the females from Wadi Ya Noh,as my new wife,Claudia dictated that I must always follow them,behind them,when out of doors with them,at a distance that would convey my sense of sincere respect and humility towards them,a distance of about 5 yards.

In the severe economic downturn prevalent at that time,I was exceedingly concerned about my prospects for finding a new job,and quickly. Although,very fortunately,I had no mortgage to pay,as I had managed to pay it off early,while I had been earning a decent salary,I still had a lot of female mouths to feed,and utility bills to pay,and flight tickets to save up for,and a “comfortable people carrier” to buy,and spending money,for the shopping sprees,outings and excursions,and other sundry expenses,for the visiting females of Arabia,from the remote,primitive,impoverished,bleak,dusty village,of Wadi Ya Noh. But,my new wife,Claudia,was ahead of me there. To my total surprise,and my utter shock,Claudia told me that she had already phoned my former boss,Miss Susan Smith,after obtaining her Company contact number from the passenger manifest, from our Arabia Airways flight,whilst at the airport at Wadi Ya Wan,to make the necessary arrangements for our marriage, the following day,and asked her if she would consider re-employing me,assuring Miss Susan Smith,that I would come back to work for her,under any terms and conditions that she might care to dictate. My former boss,and my then new boss to be,Miss Susan Smith,agreed immediately,telling Claudia to consider it a wedding present,and that she was glad,that I was now officially ‘out of the picture’,as far as my former fiancé,Sandra,was concerned.And,it was then,that she admitted to my new wife,Claudia,that it was the least that she could do,since,it was actually her,and not me,after all,who had pinched her bottom,on the Arabian Airways flight. Sorry!  So,Miss Susan Smith’s prediction,and promise to me,that she would “work on”,and take my fiancé from me,my Sandra,had come to pass,after all.

So now,instead of the wonderful life of happily married bliss that I had envisaged,with my former fiancé,my lovely and loving angel,my Sandra,I was a slave to my new wife,Claudia,an Arabian woman,and also to our “extremely welcome,and highly honoured guests”,the ‘conveyor belt’,or ‘relay’ of females from Wadi Ya Noh. On the first evening, when we had arrived home,and also on the subsequent first evenings,when the latest batch of almost completely covered females arrived at our house,every 3 months,the females of Wadi Ya Noh would have a ‘traditional celebration’,one of the main highlights of which,would entail viciously caning me,with a long,wicked looking,very flexible cane,that looked to me,to be about 8 feet long,and that gradually tapered almost to a point at the tip,and that made a hideous, dreadful,fearful,whistling shriek,as it carved a path through the air on the journey of it’s trajectory,and that bit wickedly,and explosively,and intolerably,into my exposed flesh,upon contact. Then,after all of the females had participated in this most splendid of entertainments,I would be commanded to kiss the feet of our guests,the females of Wadi Ya Noh,to show them,and to demonstrate to them,that I had Iost none of the sincerity of my respect and humility towards them. And,to gaze solemnly at their heels,as they cupped my nose in their toes,and as their own personal foot odour,invaded my head,and filled my brain,and became my world,from my lowly viewpoint,my very own Humility Hole,that my new wife,Claudia had commanded me to dig,in our own back garden. In our very own, Humility Square . I live under the all powerful tyranny, of my wife,Claudia. In our house,her word is the rule of law,and I live in a constant fear and dread of her,a woman who’s face I have never seen,and also of her Mother,Meena,and all of the other females of Wadi Ya Noh,of whose faces I have also never seen. But,what of that,when I know so well,their eyes?  And,also,what of that,when I know so well,and am so intimately acquainted with,their brown,calloused,dried out,hard skinned,leathery,untidy feet?

On the following morning,after the very first evening of our home coming,when I was leaving our house to report to my new boss,Miss Susan Smith,for my new job,Liz,my next door neighbour,said,”david,what was all that  God awful,frightful noise,last night? It sounded like the hideous, whistling,shrieking sound,of a terrible,wicked whip. And,there was an unholy hullabaloo,too,of an eerie sort of female keening,yodelling,howling,nerve shredding wail,that froze mine and Bob’s blood,just to hear it?”. When I had remained silent,as I could not think of a single thing to say,in answer to Liz’s queries,as to last night’s ‘traditional celebrations’,my next door neighbour,Liz,had said, “well,david,just keep the noise down,in future”