Subject: Z-Story: Sunflower
From: Carolina Jim <carolinajim@greenvillenc.com>
Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 19:25:16 -0400
"Mom, Sharon didn't come straight home from school like you told her to!", Vicky blurted. The 12-year-old had been dying to tell on her big sister all afternoon.
Sharon looked up from her perch on the couch and stared icily at the precocious tattletale. "Darn you...", she hissed under her breath.
With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, Eve Darwin closed the front door. This was not what she wanted to hear first thing after a long day at work. "Is that true, Sharon?"
"I only went over to Cindy's.", the 18-year-old responded, with just a hint of remorse.
"Look, young lady...", Eve lectured, hands on hips, "you were told to come right home for a reason. You're being punished for not cleaning your room last weekend like you were supposed to - or have you forgotten? I'm sick and tired of you ignoring me. Now go upstairs and go to bed and stay there until tomorrow morning. There will be no supper for you tonight, either. That will give you plenty of time to reflect on your behavior around here lately."
Sharon jumped up from the couch. "But Mom! That's not fair!"
Eve was in no mood to listen to her oldest daughter's whining. She'd heard far too much of it in the last few months. "Do you want a spanking?", she snapped, to Vicky's silent delight.
Sharon's lower lip quivered. "No, Ma'am..."
"I didn't think so. Now get upstairs to bed. I don't want to hear another word out of you. And I'm putting you on notice that you're on very thin ice around here, Missy. That little bottom of yours is going to be mighty sore if your attitude doesn't change in a hurry."
Her ears burning, Sharon stormed up the stairs. She could almost hear Vicky smirking. "I hate them!", the high school senior whispered as she entered her bedroom. She thought about slamming the door, but wisely thought better of it. A spanking was not an idle threat in the Darwin household.
Sharon undressed, slipped her nightgown on over her tall, thin frame, and got into bed. Like a lot of teenagers, she felt the world - especially the adult world - was against her. "Do this...don't do that.", her mother would say. Or "I don't care what the other kids are doing, you're not." No wonder she had so few friends, Sharon thought. It was bad enough she was just average looking, but to have a mother like that only made it worse. "Clean your room. Do your homework." It was always something. And then there was Vicky; little Miss Perfect and the apple of her mother's eye. "Snot-nosed little brat.", Sharon hissed. "She NEVER does anything wrong..."
Loathing her existence, she threw the teddy bear on the night table next to the bed across the room and turned on her transistor radio. "If you come...to San Fran-cisco...be sure to wear...some flowers in your hair...Summertime...will be a love-in there..."
Sharon felt her body relax as she softly sang along. Funny how a Scott Mackenzie song coming through a tinny radio could have such a soothing effect. "Gee, it must be neat being a hippie.", she thought. "Nobody telling you what to do, no school, make love, not war, do your own thing..." She sat up, her mind whirring. "Why not? I'll show them!" She jumped out of bed, took a small suitcase from the closet, and packed a few clothes. "The hell with Mom and Vicky. I'm going." That night, when her mother and sister were sound asleep, Sharon took the forty-three dollars and eleven cents from the family cookie jar and went out into the night...
A lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling provided the only light in the squalid, one-room apartment in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Posters of the Beatles, Stones and Jefferson Airplane adorned the bare walls, hiding some of the cracks in the plaster. A dark blanket covered the only window and effectively blocked out the mid-afternoon sunshine. The smell of cannabis was overpowering. On the tattered couch, a girl known only as Sunflower was sprawled out. Half-asleep and half-stoned, she wore only a headband, a dirty t-shirt, and a pair of bikini panties that covered only the lower half of her bottom. Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her were three girls and two guys, all in various stages of undress and passing around a joint. An Electric Prunes album played in the background, psychedelicly complaining about having too much to dream last night. Nobody paid any attention to the girl sitting on the floor in the corner by herself, tears running down her face.
Sharon had reached her breaking point. Hungry, tired and alone, the 18-year- old had seen enough in five days to last a lifetime. Her billfold and money, almost all spent on a one-way bus ticket to San Francisco, were gone. She had eaten only twice in those five days, if you consider day-old french fries and a cheeseburger a meal. All the clothes Sharon had she was wearing, the rest "borrowed" by the other girls in the apartment. Someone had taken the suitcase and probably sold it. There was no running water, either. She hadn't taken a bath or shower since she got there, and it was an absolutely miserable feeling. A trip to the bathroom meant finding a store with one or a hopefully deserted alley. No, this wasn't exactly what Sharon had in mind when she ran away. All she wanted now was to go home. Her mother and sister didn't seem so bad now. Neither did her soft bed, her teddy bear, or watching Ed Sullivan on Sunday night with her family. All that went through her mind as she buried her face in her hands and wept.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Sharon felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Sunflower standing beside her. "Yes...I'm fine.", Sharon sniffled, fighting back more tears.
The tall blond sat down next to her. Although Sunflower was the same age as Sharon, she looked much older. "I think someone's ready to go home, isn't she?", she said softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
That did it. Sharon put her arms around Sunflower and sobbed uncontrollably. "Yes, I want to go home...I miss my mother and sister...", she cried.
Sunflower comforted her the best she knew how. Maybe because she had twice been through the same thing, or because Sharon seemed so naive and innocent, that the flower child felt a special affinity for her. Or perhaps Sunflower felt a little guilty, for it was she who saw the scared-looking girl wandering the streets that first day and offered her a place to crash, humble as it may be. Actually, there was nothing to feel guilty about. Whether Sharon realized it or not, she was still a virgin only because Sunflower protected her from the soldiers of the sexual revolution. Who knows what would have been her fate if the two had never met.
The tears kept coming. Sunflower cradled Sharon in her arms until she fell asleep, gently stroking her hair and whispering everything would work out for the best. Eventually, Sunflower placed a pillow under the sleeping girl's head and put on a skirt and a pair of sandals. She took a small plastic sandwich bag containing some pot, stuck it down the front of her panties, and left the apartment...
Sharon was still asleep on the floor when Sunflower returned a little while later. She gave her a gentle nudge. "Wake up!", she urged ever so softly.
Slowly, Sharon opened her bloodshot eyes. Once again, Sunflower was kneeling beside her. "What's the matter?"
"Come on...you're going home." Her guardian angel produced a handful of bills. "If we hurry, you can make the 5:00 bus..."
They were at the bus terminal in less than thirty minutes. True to form, Sharon's bus was delayed. She and Sunflower took seats in the waiting area. "Why don't you go home, too?", the newly-energized girl asked.
Sunflower shrugged her shoulders. "I tried that once. It didn't work." It was clear she didn't want to talk about it. There was a few moments of awkward silence. "What's going to happen when you get home? I bet your mother and father are really going to be pissed off at you."
That was an understatement. The faint smile Sharon carried faded away. "My Dad's in the Army.", she explained. "He's in Viet Nam. But you're right - Mom is going to be mad, that's for sure."
"Do you think she'll spank you?"
The question caught Sharon off guard. She felt herself blushing. "N-No, of course not...", she answered, trying to sound convincing when she knew that she was in for the spanking of her life when she got home. "W-Why do you ask?"
"Just curious, I guess." Sunflower paused, debating whether to tell Sharon her story. She decided to. "I was 14 the first time I ran away. I was gone about four months before I was arrested for shoplifting. I was 15 by then. Anyway, instead of prosecuting me, they sent me home. I thought for sure my parents would give me a good whipping when I got back - I really deserved one. Instead, they told me how glad they were that I was OK, and then took me out to dinner. They didn't even yell at me. The next day, it was business as usual. My parents didn't even know I was around. It made me think Mom and Dad didn't give a shit about me. I wish they had spanked me, at least I would have known they cared." She looked away. "Who knows...I probably wouldn't have run away again six months later." Her eyes were moist.
"I wish you could come home with me.", Sharon said. And she meant it.
Sunflower took a deep breath and sighed. "So do I...so do I. Look, your bus just pulled in."
The girls said their goodbyes. "You take care of yourself.", Sunflower whispered. "I never want to see you again - not under these circumstances, anyway. Finish school and make something out of yourself. Don't turn out like me."
Tears clouded Sharon's view as she boarded the bus. At that moment, there was nobody else she wanted to be MORE like. She took her seat and looked out the window. Sunflower flashed her the peace sign before wiping away the tears streaming down her own cheeks...
Home. Sharon felt like she was back on her own planet as she walked the quiet, tree-lined roads. There wasn't a soul about. "Everyone must be at Church.", she thought when she turned onto her street. Her house was right in front of her.
Sharon's heart was pounding as she tried the front door. It was unlocked. She peeked in. The television was on, but she didn't see anyone. "Mom...Vicky...anyone home?"
Footsteps pounded in the hall upstairs. "Sharon?" Her Aunt Jane nearly fell running down the stairs. "Oh, Sharon! You're all right!", Jane cried, nearly squeezing the life out of her niece. "We've been so worried!"
"Where's Mom?", Sharon finally managed to ask.
Jane dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "She and your sister are at Church. I stayed here in case someone called with news about you. They should be home any minute now." They heard the sound of a car door slamming in the driveway. "That must be them! They're going to be so happy you're home!"
Less than a minute later, mother and daughter were reunited. Eve opened the door and froze. Her prayers had been answered. There, not ten feet away, was Sharon. She was thin and pale, and looked extremely tired, but that was OK. Her little girl had come home.
Sharon broke into tears. Her mother looked like she had aged ten years in six days. "Oh, Mom...I'm so sorry.", she said before embracing her. Then she bent forward to hug Vicky. "I missed you a lot..."
"PEEEEE-UUUUUU!", Vicky shouted, taking a step back. "Boy, do you stink! When was the last time you had a bath!"
It was time for Sharon to explain. She, Eve and Vicky sat down in the living room while Jane called friends and relatives, then made her niece a couple of sandwiches. Sharon''s grandma said she'd be right over. "Well, you better go upstairs and get cleaned up.", Eve said after hearing about her daughter's odyssey. "Your grandmother is coming over. But rest assured we WILL talk more about this when she and Aunt Jane leave."
All the comforts of home seemed like luxuries to Sharon. A hot bath, clean clothes, even sitting on the toilet were like rediscovering old friends. Her room, which before was no better than a jail cell, looked like a palace. "I better wear something nice...", she thought. The tone of her mother's voice earlier sounded ominous. "Maybe if I wear a dress she won't be so mad."
Sharon was sitting on the edge of her bed pulling on a pair of pantyhose when Vicky came in. "I hope you're happy!", the 12-year-old scolded. "Mom cried the whole time you were gone. She had the police looking for you and everything. We didn't know if you were dead or alive. Reverend Felcher even said a prayer for you in Church today."
Everything the pre-teen said was true. "I AM sorry, Vicky. I feel terrible about it. I really do."
Vicky smirked at her older sister. "If you think you feel terrible now, just wait until later. I overheard Mom tell Aunt Jane she's going to spank you until you're black and blue after everyone leaves. I hope she does, too. I hope you can't sit down for a month after what you put Mom through." She left the room in a huff.
The sandwiches Sharon had wolfed down churned uneasily in her stomach. She knew she was in for a real thrashing, but hearing it verbalized like that made her dread even more what was in store for her. She felt an unpleasant tingle in her buttocks, and found herself reaching back and rubbing the condemned orbs.
Grandma arrived soon afterwards. The visit wasn't a long one. Like Eve and Aunt Jane, initial relief quickly dissolved into outright anger and disgust. She lectured her eldest granddaughter long and scathingly, leaving Sharon on the verge of tears once again. "I'm going home now...", her grandmother stated, "so your mother can give you what you so richly deserve. I love you dearly, but I have no sympathy whatsoever for either you or your backside. You put your family through Hell with what you did."
"I'm sorry, Grandma...", Sharon cried, unable to hold back the tears, as her grandmother started to leave. The older woman's only response was to slam the front door on her way out.
"I better be going, too.", Jane said. Sharon's heart started pounding when she saw her aunt pick up her pocketbook. "I'll give you a call tonight, Eve."
Now there was only Sharon, her mother, and her sister in the living room. The time to atone had arrived. Eve looked at her daughter and pointed to the stairs. Sharon hung her head and trudged across the room. "You stay right here.", Eve ordered Vicky, and followed her up the steps.
Sharon watched helplessly as she watched her mom take the hairbrush from the top of the dresser in the master bedroom. "I don't think I need to tell you what I'm going to do, or why I'm going to do it.", Eve said softly while taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Pull down your pants and get across my lap."
Trembling, Sharon reached under her dress and lowered her pantyhose and panties to mid-thigh. Then, on legs that quivered like Jello, she hobbled towards her mother. Offering no resistance, she was placed face-down over the maternal lap. Up went the back of the dress to the small of her back, leaving two very pale bottomcheeks very bare and defenseless.
Sharon tensed her buttocks and closed her eyes, waiting for the first spank. The wait wasn't long. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! The back of Eve's wooden hairbrush seared into her bottom, indeed, her very soul, as her mother began to extract six days of torment from Sharon's behind. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The overwhelming heat building up in Sharon's squirming backside took its toll early on. Legs kicked and feet drummed the carpet as the hairbrush painted a scarlet image on the twin cheeks. "AIEEEEE! MOMMMMY I'M SORRRRRY! AIEEEEEE! OHHHHHHHH! NO MORE! PLEEEEEASE!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"You'll think twice before running away again!", Eve lectured while raining spanks on Sharon's purpling bottom. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I'm going to see to that!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I intend to spank you until my arm gets tired!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"AIEEEEE! AIEEEEE! I WON'T, MOMMMMY! AIEEEEEE! AIEEEEEE! I PROMISE!"
Sharon had been spanked before, but never as hard and long as this time. For over five minutes, the brush landed continuosly on her upturned behind. Eve's arm was indeed tired when she delivered the final blistering smack. "All right, young lady. Get on your feet and pull your pants up."
Sobbing, Sharon stood and pulled her pantyhose and underpants up over her swollen and welted bottom. Her hands remained under her dress, trying desperately to rub some of the fire from her engulfed seat.
"Now I want you to go downstairs and apologize to your sister. She was as worried about you as anyone. Then you will call Grandma and Aunt Jane and apologize to them as well."
Sharon did as she was told. With tears falling freely and both hands on the seat of her dress, she told a grinning Vicky how sorry she was. She also called Grandma and Jane and apologized to them. "Tell Grandma how you were punished.", Eve ordered while she was on the phone with her.
"I got a spanking...", she sniffled, "with the hairbrush....yes, she pulled my pants down..."
When the phone calls were completed, Eve stood with hands on hips and grounded the 18-year-old for a month. "I ought to spank you again after you're able to sit down for taking the money from the cookie jar, and I will if you don't mind your P's and Q's around here. Now go to bed."
When Sharon got home from school four days later, her mother handed her a letter. It was addressed to Sharon Darwin, and all that was written in the return address was "Sunflower". "This came for you today.", Eve said, resisting the temptation to ask who Sunflower was. Eve had done some soul- searching herself the last few days. Instead of grilling Sharon, perhaps it was time to loosen the apron strings a little. Maybe both mother and daughter had learned something...
Sharon took the letter and went to her bedroom. Sitting quite carefully on her still-sore bottom, she opened it. Inside were her driver's license, social security card, and a letter. "Dear Sharon, I guess you got home OK if you're reading this. I did some digging when I got back to the apartment and found these. They were going to make copies and sell them. By the way, how is your rear end? You're not a very good liar, you know. I could tell by the look on your face your mom was going to spank you when you got home. You're lucky; she must love you very much. Well, got to go. I met a guy named Charlie and I'm going with him to LA. He lives in a commune out in the desert. Peace and Love, Sunflower. PS - We'll probably never see each other again, but I'll never forget you."
Sharon looked wistfully out her window and sighed. "I'll never forget you either, Sunflower..."
THE END