Midnight Herbs

It’s been a little while since I wrote a one-off story here, and I had this idea in my head of one with a witchy theme…

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“Young lady!”

Maud jumped, an icy jolt of fear shooting through her at the sudden sound of speech. It was more from the unexpectedness of the noise at all than anything else, especially with her nerves already high and her senses alert for danger in the otherwise quiet night.

She had jumped earlier too, at the distant sound of a wolf howling, and the crackling of some critter in the leaves of the forest floor as she had made her way to this grassy hill.

Half a second later, that pure fear vanished, even as her stomach dropped as her mind caught up with whom that voice belonged to.

Rosalind, Maud’s mentor, had made her approach by broomstick, as silent as an owl in the night sky. Now, she touched down lightly on the grass beside her wayward apprentice witch.

“What are you doing out at this hour?” she demanded, as Maud stood quickly and guiltily to attention beside a small wicker basket.

“I–,” Maud faltered, and then paused to begin again, trying to feel confident and sure of herself, and not like a schoolgirl caught in trouble. She was an adult witch, she told herself in her head, even if a young and not entirely qualified one. She was perfectly in her right to decide when she should be out and about, and she would tell Rosalind as much.

“Collecting herbs,” was all she managed though, gesturing a little weakly at the basket.

“Collecting herbs,” Rosalind repeated, as though she couldn’t quite believe the answer she’d been given.

“It’s just, it’s the right time for picking wolf’s tongue,” Maud hurriedly went onto explain, referring to the herb that held its highest potency when picked in those most dark and secret hours of the night, under a full moon.

“Alone?” Rosalind asked incredulously, and Maud felt herself blushing. She knew well enough how dangerous the night could be, and as much as she liked to think she had the power and skills to look after herself, there were threats she might meet that she wasn’t really prepared to face.

Usually, Rosalind accompanied her on any late-night excursions. And Maud enjoyed going with her.

But it felt childish to have to ask, and her decision had been somewhat impulsive, and made in a moment of struggling to get to sleep. She’d told herself she was only sneaking so as not to disturb her mentor, not because she shouldn’t be going out alone at all.

She hoped the silver moonlight would not show quite how much the heat had rushed to her cheeks.

“I—I can handle myself,” she insisted.

“Can you indeed,” Rosalind said dryly. “Hover, please.”

The latter command was not directed at Maud, but at her broomstick, which now hovered dutifully beside her. Rosalind sat on it sidesaddle, as if it were a sort of floating chair.

Then, she made meaningful eye contact with Maud in the moonlight, and held out her hand.

Maud stepped back.

“Ros,” she started, wincing internally at the pleading note in her voice. “Please, I’ll come home. Can’t we just go home?”

“We will go home once I’ve seen to you,” Rosalind said.

“Ros…” Maud pleaded again, but found herself shuffling over to her mentor, until she was in reach and able to be pulled over her lap. She stifled a small squeal as she went, finding it additionally disorientating on the dark hillside. 

The openness of it felt very vulnerable, and she shivered as an owl hooted overhead.

Rosalind was more than capable of handling anything that might otherwise pose a threat in the night, but technical knowledge of their safety did not make it feel any less ominous to Maud, who suddenly now felt extremely conscious of their exposed position.

There was a small part of her, which she hated to admit even to herself, that was relieved to have been so discovered. She had been struggling to keep her nerves in check.

But more than being relieved she’d been discovered, she wished wholeheartedly she hadn’t come at all. She wished she was tucked up in bed in Rosalind’s cottage, and not here feeling anxious, embarrassed, and foolish in her nightdress on a dark hillside.

The nightdress was swiftly pulled up, and her undies were equally swiftly pulled down. Maud’s fingers pushed into the grass as the cool night air washed over her bottom, and she tried to brace herself for what she knew was coming.

Then, unexpectedly, the grass slipped from her reach, and she felt herself rising. She squeaked in alarm and clutched Rosalind’s ankle for support, as she realised the broomstick on which her mentor sat now hovered several feet above the ground.

Maud’s legs briefly kicked the air, and then she held them still, for fear of somehow slipping or tumbling off as she dangled in a way that felt increasingly precarious as the broom continued to slowly rise.

Before she could barely adjust to the realisation of her situation, Rosalind began the spanking.

The loud crack of Rosalind’s palm on her bottom seemed as though it must be echoing for miles, and Maud cringed as she desperately tried to keep any noises or vocalisations of pain to herself.

As usual, it was a battle quickly lost, however, and she was soon squeaking and squealing in response to the stingy smacks. Her fear of tumbling was also quickly forgotten, giving way instead to the consuming stinging pain Rosalind’s impossibly hard palm was inflicting on her backside. Her legs kicked the empty air, and she twisted her body in an attempt to evade the continued onslaught of smacks.

Rosalind was strong, though, and her balance appeared to be implacable. She held her charge firmly and easily as she delivered the spanking.

 Then, the lecture began.

“I don’t know what you were thinking,” Rosalind scolded. “Of all the silly childish things, sneaking out at night? And for what? Don’t tell me wolf’s tongue! We’re not even running low. If you want to show me that you can handle yourself, as you say, and be responsible, this is not the way to do it! I don’t need to remind you what lurks in these woods at night. Do I?”

“No ma’am!” Maud insisted urgently. “I know, I swear! I’m sorry!”

“Sorry?” Rosalind asked. “You’ll be sorry in a while, but we’re no where near there yet, my girl. You’re lucky I woke up and realised you were gone! You might be feeling sorry for yourself over my lap now, but there are far, far worse things that could have happened to you tonight, had I not been the one who had found you!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry!” was all Maud could say to that. Her right hand flailed for a moment, as she fought the urge to try blocking Rosalind’s hand; something she knew better than to try and do, but could not always manage to fully control. The hand was swiftly caught and pinned, though, and the spanking continued without a pause, now targeting the backs of her thighs.

Maud squeezed her eyes shut as the burning heat in her bottom continued to build, each swat a new explosion of pain.

She flinched and yelped at each new swat, straining and kicking as she tried desperately to handle it.

Finally, there was a pause, but Maud’s stomach twisted as she realised it was only for Rosalind to produce her wooden hairbrush from her satchel, which hung over the end of her broom.

“Please ma’am, please,” Maud couldn’t help saying. “Please you don’t need that.”

“Clearly, I do,” Rosalind informed her.

Maud turned briefly to shoot a pleading look back, only to suddenly realise how high they appeared now to be floating off the ground. It wasn’t a mere few feet – she wasn’t even sure where the hill had gone. Normally, she was a confident flier herself, and not at all afraid of heights, but there was something about flying while dangling half upside down that felt somewhat sickening.

There was no time to dwell on it, however, as the hairbrush cracked down a moment later, and Maud shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut once more against the pain, and clinging desperately to Rosalind’s ankle with her left hand. Her right was still firmly in Rosalind’s grasp, and she felt absurdly grateful for the support, squeezing tightly back.

There was no lecture now. The hairbrush spoke for itself.

Rosalind applied it thoroughly, and steadily, and Maud found herself wailing, and then eventually sobbing as it set fire to her bottom again and again.

She made apologies and promises, as time seemed to stretch to eternity.

Then, the brush ceased to fall, and there was the grass again, right under Maud’s nose. She reached for it with her left hand, and then her right too, as Rosalind released it and pulled up her undies. For a brief moment, she felt almost as though she was in a dream.

Then, Rosalind was helping her upright, and holding her in her arms, as Maud buried her face in her mentor’s shirt and clung back tightly.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” the older witch said, and Maud nodded an agreement.

“My basket,” she mumbled, half to herself. Her bottom throbbed and ached, and she wasn’t looking forward to the journey home. Rosalind would likely make her ride behind on her broom, and that wasn’t going to be comfortable. She winced at the thought.

“We’ll get it in the morning,” Rosalind said.

Maud blinked and stepped back, finally taking in her surroundings. They were right outside the cottage. Belatedly, Maud realised they must have flown home during the spanking.

The surprise and relief of it made her suddenly laugh and start cry again at the same time, and she threw herself back into her mentor’s embrace, where she was briefly held and comforted once more.

“Bed, now,” Rosalind said firmly, and Maud didn’t need telling twice.

Within seconds, she was under the covers.

“I am sorry,” Maud said quietly, from her bed.

“I know you are,” Rosalind said. “You’re a good girl. And I know this won’t happen again. Will it?”

“No ma’am,” Maud said emphatically.

“Shut your eyes,” Rosalind said then.

“Yes ma’am,” Maud mumbled back, as she did as she was told.

It was well past the hour she’d usually be sound asleep, and with all that had happened, she could not have stayed awake now if she’d tried.

Rosalind would likely have some punishment tasks for her in the morning, but the worst of it was certainly over.

A wolf howled in the distance, but Maud didn’t shiver to hear it now. She was safe within their cottage, and Rosalind was nearby. With that knowledge, Maud slept.