Some time ago (it may even have been this year), somebody made a suggestion about a "spanking monster" story ... well, it took a while, but this is what I came up with. Enjoy!

What follows is a work of fantasy intended for an adult audience that enjoys stories about spanking. If you don't fit all these categories, please read no further.

The two teen-aged girls silently eyed the stone wall. "Go on, Amelia," urged the slightly taller of the pair.

Amelia brushed her cornsilk-blonde hair from her forehead as she contemplated her upcoming adventure. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have gone within a mile of the Holcroft place; however, this was Leigh Ellison asking ...

Amelia first met Leigh three years ago, when the two started middle school together. Naturally attractive, with a magnetic, powerful personality, Leigh quickly became the most popular student in school. All the other girls, Amelia included, wanted to be her friend.

Leigh, however, quickly concluded that there was no room in her entourage for the bony, four-eyed, brace-faced Amelia. All Amelia's overtures were rebuffed; the only time Leigh or her circle paid any attention to Amelia was when they needed a butt for one of their practical jokes. Eventually, the girl realized friendship with Leigh was beyond her grasp, and gave up trying.

During her last year of middle school, and continuing through the summer, Amelia's physical characteristics began changing. Some were immediate; her braces removed, her thick glasses replaced by contact lenses. Mother Nature made some other, more subtle changes. Slowly, gradually, Amelia began to fill out in those places that boys her age (and men much older) found the most interesting. Sadly, her inner development lagged behind her outer; as she started high school, Amelia was still very much the skinny, shy, self-conscious middle schooler from years before.

That's why today's events still seemed unbelievable to Amelia. Out of the blue, Leigh approached her and started chatting as if the two were old friends. Amelia replied cautiously, wary of the old tricks, but Leigh appeared sincere. By the time Leigh concluded the conversation with an offer to "get together after school," Amelia, completely under her spell, enthusiastically agreed.

(What Amelia didn't know was that several of Leigh's cronies had moved away or were attending other schools. Faced with the prospect of rebuilding her influence from scratch, she remembered Amelia's pathetic, almost puppylike attempts at friendship earlier, and decided that, since the girl didn't look like a complete dork anymore, she might make a worthwhile follower.)

The rest of the school day seemed like a complete blur to Amelia. She paced nervously outside the school, at the appointed meeting place, greatly relieved when Leigh finally appeared. When Leigh suggested the two take a walk, Amelia, completely overwhelmed by her idol's undivided attention, went along eagerly, not even noticing where the two were headed until the brooding, moss-covered walls of the Holcroft place loomed over them.

Dr. Lawrence Holcroft had moved into his current residence several years earlier, when both Leigh and Amelia were still gleams in their respective daddys' eyes. He'd quickly become a legendary figure throughout the area. A recluse, he was almost never seen outside the walled, gated environs of his estate. There were even rumors of his being a "mad scientist", and of strange lights and sounds heard from the grounds on dark, stormy nights.

One thing everyone did agree on; he definitely had a green thumb. Last year, the papers were full of stories about how he'd submitted a rare breed of a hybrid African violet to an international flower show, and won first prize. He'd refused all requests for interviews, of course, but the rumors soon flew about his beautifully landscaped gardens ... and how they were watched over by a "creation" of Dr. Holcroft's, known only as the Guardian. Stories were whispered around town about how several people -- men, women, and children -- had strayed onto the Holcroft place, never to be heard from again.

This was the "friendship" test Leigh devised for Amelia: she wanted one of Dr. Holcroft's violets. She could just imagine the sensation she'd cause when she showed up at school with the violet in her hair. That, for sure, would restore her flagging popularity and allow her to resume her rightful place at the head of the student body.

Of course, Leigh couldn't get the flower herself; that's what she had people like Amelia around for. Leigh figured this test would prove Amelia's merit; if Amelia did get the flower, she'd obviously do anything for Leigh. If not, it was a small loss, and Leigh could always recruit somebody else.

Amelia looked around nervously as Leigh halted beneath a large chestnut tree. She'd never been this close to the Holcroft place before. "Now, listen carefully," Leigh began. "There's something I want you to do for me ..."

Leigh quickly outlined her request. Amelia's eyes grew wider and wider as the extent of her "friend's" desires became clear. "You want me to go into the Holcroft place?" she asked, incredulous.

"You know any other way to get the violet?" Leigh shot back.

"But ... what about the G-Guardian?" Amelia stuttered.

"The Guardian?" Leigh snorted. "That's just a story people tell to frighten children. You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Well, no," Amelia replied weakly, cowed by Leigh's confidence.

"If anything, he's probably only got some retired night watchman and a couple of toothless old hounds. Are you afraid of those?"

"No ... but how will I get in? The gate's locked."

Leigh pointed upwards. Amelia noted a branch from the chestnut tree extending almost to the edge of the wall.

"You can climb up the tree, out onto that branch, and drop over the wall," Leigh explained. "It shouldn't take very long to get the violet and get back here."

Amelia looked at the branch, then the wall, then the branch again. It did look possible, but still ...

"Go on, Amelia," Leigh urged.

Still Amelia hesitated, trying to build some confidence.

Leigh, used to unquestioning obedience from her underlings, grew impatient. "If you were really my friend, you'd do this for me."

Those were the magic words. Amelia slowly approached the chestnut tree, wishing she'd had time to change out of her school clothes. A white short-sleeved button-down blouse, sleeveless pink sweater-vest, and short blue-and-white checked skirt hardly made an ideal tree-climbing outfit! Still, the chestnut tree did have plenty of low-hanging branches, offering ample hand- and footholds ...

Below long, Amelia reached the overhanging branch. She inched out slowly, carefully, until she could step over onto the wall. A quick look around; nobody in sight. She lowered herself slowly down inside the wall, then dropped the last few feet, certain she could climb the wall from inside when her errand was done.

Amelia took a long, slow survey of the grounds. Part of the rumors were true; Dr. Holcroft's grounds were beautifully landscaped, with flowering plants and shrubs blossoming everywhere. Now, where would the violets be? In the distance, Amelia saw a structure resembling a greenhouse; that was as likely a place as any to start, she thought, as she set off towards the building.

A bit of a botanist herself, Amelia took time to identify and admire many of the species she passed. Her mind relaxed as she made her way further and further into Dr. Holcroft's grounds. It was no different than a visit to the local botanical gardens, she thought -- until she rounded some large shrubs and found herself face to face with the Guardian.

Instinctively, that's what she knew it had to be, although she'd never seen anything like it before. Vaguely humanoid, but certainly not human, the thing was covered head-to-toe with dark red scales. Its mouth was just a slit across its face; its nose, two holes in the center of its head. Only the Guardian's eyes showed a malevolent intelligence. It reached a three-clawed paw towards her.

Choking back a scream, Amelia turned and fled the way she'd come, running desperately for the wall. She heard crashing noises as the Guardian pursued her through the gardens. Her adrenaline flowing, Amelia managed to stay ahead of the beast. She didn't dare look behind her as she fled for her life.

Safety seemed miles away, but it was only seconds before Amelia, gasping for breath, her heart about to burst, reached the wall. She jumped and grasped the top with both hands. Making a supreme physical effort, she levered herself upward until her waist topped the wall. She could see Leigh waiting below. She'd made it! She was safe!

Then she felt the Guardian's claws gripping her ankle, and knew she was no such thing.

Amelia kicked and strained desperately, but couldn't break the beast's hold. Slowly, inexorably, she felt herself pulled downwards. "HELP! HELP ME!" she screamed. The last thing she saw before being dragged off the wall was Leigh, her face pale, running off down the road.

Once Amelia hit the ground, the Guardian wasted no time. It spun the girl around, then scooped her up over one shoulder, like a sack of potatoes. Wrapping one arm around her legs, to hold her securely in place, the beast carried Amelia off towards the garden's interior.

For one brief moment, Amelia worried that her skirt wasn't performing its intended function of covering her bottom. Then she realized she had more important things to concentrate on, such as her life. She continued screaming loudly, kicking and struggling against the Guardian's grip, and pounding both fists against its scaly back. Nothing she did had any effect on the creature.

The beast soon reached a small cement bench beside a goldfish pond. It sat upon the bench and, in one quick motion, pulled Amelia into position, face down, across its lap. It flipped up the girl's skirt, then yanked her white cotton panties down to just beneath her bottom cheeks. Amelia, near-hysterical with fear, laid paralyzed for just a moment.

The impact of the Guardian's paw across her naked rump, accompanied by a loud SMACK!, jolted Amelia into action. Finally seeing the beast's intent, she screamed "NO!" and started squirming and kicking much harder than she had before. The creature merely wrapped its other arm tightly about the girl's waist and administered a slow, steady series of spanks to her upturned behind. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Amelia's initial feelings of fear, then embarrassment, were soon replaced by one overriding sensation: PAIN! She'd been spanked by her parents until she was ten, but their spankings, as hard as they'd seemed at the time, were like soft caresses compared to the force of the Guardian. Its hard paw even outmatched the wooden hairbrush her mother sometimes used on her! She reached behind her in an attempt to shield herself from the blows, but the beast grabbed her wrist and pinned her arm behind her back, never slowing its pace. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Struggling for all she was worth, the girl screamed frantically as the sting in her bottom built to a steady burn. "Help! Help me! Somebody, please, somebody help me!" No response. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Just as Amelia felt she'd reached her limit, the Guardian paused. Was it done with her? She hoped so. Then, without warning, the assault began again. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

After the brief respite, the spanking felt harder than ever. Amelia bucked and kicked, trying to wriggle out of position. Nothing stopped the steady downpour of spanks on her burning, tender cheeks. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

After another interminable session, Amelia felt another pause. Twisting her head around, she saw the Guardian looking at its paw, then down at her bottom, then back at its paw. Then it raised its paw high, ready to start in again. "No, please, no," Amelia moaned. The only response was the creature's paw crashing down on her buttocks. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Another long series; another pause. Amelia, completely broken, laid across the Guardian's lap, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't dare hope the spanking was over. It wasn't. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

With the next pause, the Guardian released its grip on Amelia's wrist. Her hand instantly sprang back to her inflamed buttocks, astonished by the heat she felt. But the creature was still giving her no respite. It climbed to its feet, lifting the girl as it did, then wrapped both arms around her waist and started half-dragging, half-carrying her in what she vaguely realized was the direction of the main gate.

Desperate to soothe her aching rump, or at least pull up her panties (which, by now, were around her ankles), Amelia put up a weak struggle. The ever-implacable Guardian paid no heed. Then, a man's voice sounded behind the pair: "Oddjob, stop. Let her go."

The Guardian stopped its progress and released Amelia. She staggered a bit, both hands automatically going to rub her seat, as she turned to see who'd spoken. Through her tears, she saw a tall, handsome man, with graying hair and a salt-and-pepper beard. She guessed this must be Dr. Holcroft.

"I had to come see this one myself," he said, smiling. "We don't get many young ladies here. Most of our visitors are of the masculine persuasion." He stepped toward Amelia, extending his hand. "I'm Dr. Lawrence Holcroft."

Amelia recoiled before the advance. "Don't be frightened," he soothed. "Nothing further will happen to you now. Oddjob has already punished you for trespassing on my property."

The ludicrous name penetrated Amelia's still-reeling brain. She looked at the Guardian, then back at Dr. Holcroft. "Oddjob?" she questioned.

"Ah, yes," he replied, smiling sheepishly. "I named him after a character in a James Bond film."

"What -- what is he?"

"He's my own creation," the doctor said proudly. "He's been genetically engineered to patrol the grounds and punish any intruders."

"He's ... male?" asked Amelia, suddenly horrified that two men might have seen her displayed like she was earlier.

"Well, strictly speaking, Oddjob is asexual. It's easier for me to think of him as male."

Rapidly regaining control over herself, Amelia found her curiosity aroused. "Does he spank everybody who trespasses?"

"Oh, yes. Male, female, whatever age. And always on the bare bottom. I've found it's very effective in discouraging repeat transgressions."

"But ... why hasn't anybody told about this before now?"

"Let me put it this way: how anxious are you to have everyone in town know you had your panties pulled down and your bare bottom spanked, like a naughty little girl?"

Amelia saw his point. "Not very."

"And how anxious are you to have it happen again?"

"Not_at _all."

"Then you understand." He folded his arms, grinning smugly.

Amelia still couldn't believe how much warmth her rump was putting out. She twisted her head behind her, trying to catch a glimpse of her backside. Dr. Holcroft noticed her efforts. "You can probably get a pretty good reflection in the goldfish pond," he offered, pointing.

Amelia shuffled over to the pond's edge, turned around, and slowly lifted her skirt, looking over her shoulder at her reflection. She gasped when she saw her bottom reflected. Her entire fanny was a deep, dark, angry red. In fact, she thought, the color looked strikingly familiar ...

She looked at Oddjob, then at her reflection again, then back at Oddjob. Dr. Holcroft laughed. "Yes," he said, "your bottom is the same color he is. That's how he knows when to stop."

Suddenly, Amelia realized she had her skirt up and panties down in front of two witnesses. She blushed anew as she hurriedly dropped her skirt, then bent over to pull up her panties. She looked pleadingly at the pair. Dr. Holcroft got the hint and gallantly turned his back; Oddjob stood stone-still, looking directly at her. Well, he'd already seen everything she had, anyway, Amelia thought grimly as she rearranged her underwear, wincing from the contact against her tender flesh.

When she'd finished, Dr. Holcroft faced her again, arms folded and face stern. "Now, young lady, I have a few questions. Just what are you doing on my property, anyway?"

Swallowing hard, Amelia explained about Leigh and her request. "I see," Dr. Holcroft said when she'd finished. "This Leigh person, is she a very good friend of yours?"

"Well, no, not really ... " Amelia answered slowly.

"And yet, you were willing to come onto my estate, risking who knew what, to fulfill her demand. Why is that?"

"She's ... she's really popular, and she said she'd be my friend ... " Amelia said weakly, wondering if she sounded as pathetic as she felt.

Dr. Holcroft slowly nodded. He'd been an outsider all his life, and he remembered the feeling. Maybe he could set her straight. "Let me ask you this: was it worth it?"

Amelia firmly shook her head.

"Would Leigh do something like this for you?"

She thought for a while, then slowly shook her head again.

"I thought as much. Leigh is not your friend. True friends don't ask their friends to do this type of thing. Leigh is a manipulator. She doesn't care about you. She's only interested in what you can do for her. You're a attractive, bright young lady, and Leigh isn't worthy of your friendship. You can do much better than her."

Amelia blushed yet again, touched by this complete stranger's concern for her welfare. As the doctor's words sunk in, she realized they made a lot of sense. She knew now how foolish she'd been to risk her life on Leigh's whim.

Dr. Holcroft offered Amelia his handkerchief, saying, "Here. Clean yourself up, then show me how you got in here." The grateful girl wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Before heading back to the wall, she asked, hesitantly, "Doctor Holcroft? Could ... could I come back some time for a visit? You've got so many beautiful specimens here." She named off several species in eyesight, then indicated Oddjob. "Some time when _he's_ not around?"

Impressed by Amelia's botanical knowledge, Dr. Holcroft scribbled a number on a scrap of paper. "Call me in a few days," he said, handing her the paper. "I'll give you a complete tour. And we'll arrange for Oddjob to be elsewhere. Oh, and by the way: if anyone else gets hold of that number, I'll send Oddjob after _you._ Understand?"

Amelia nodded vigorously as she tucked the paper into her blouse pocket. She led the odd pair to where she'd climbed over the wall. Dr. Holcroft eyed the low-hanging branch and said, "We'll have to do something about that, tomorrow." He then went to a nearby plant and picked a flower. "I think Leigh should get her violet after all," he continued, handing the blossom to Amelia.

Highly confused, Amelia sputtered, "But this isn't a violet!"

"I know," replied the doctor, smiling broadly. "Here's what I want you to do ... "

Amelia enthusiastically agreed to Dr. Holcroft's plan. "But, do you think you could ... " and she outlined a brief addendum, pointing to a nearby grass-covered hillock.

"I like the way you think, girl. We'll do it. Now, on your way. Oddjob, help her over the wall."

The creature approached and made a basket of its paws. "One last thing," Dr. Holcroft cautioned. "If you ever do anything this foolish again ... " He looked meaningfully at Oddjob.

"Don't worry," Amelia said, stepping into Oddjob's paws, "I won't." And, she felt deep inside, she really meant that.

The creature boosted Amelia up until her waist was even with the top of the wall. As she bent over to clamber up, she felt a stinging swat on her rump. She looked back down at Oddjob; his face was as impassive as ever, but Amelia swore she could see a hint of humor in his eyes.

She soon climbed over the wall and down the chestnut tree. Her erstwhile "friend" was nowhere in sight. "Leigh? Leigh!" she called, tentatively, concealing the bogus violet behind her back.

A few seconds later, Leigh appeared from the woods on the other side of the road. "Are you all right? What happened in there?" she asked, feigning concern. She'd spent the interval hoping no one saw her and Amelia heading this way, and figuring out what story she'd tell if anyone had.

"Oh, it's okay," Amelia lied easily. "It was just a security guard. He frightened me, that's all."

"What happened? Where were you?"

"He took me to see Dr. Holcroft."

"He did?" Even Leigh sounded impressed.

"Yes. He's actually a very nice man. He said I could visit the grounds any time I wanted. But he said I had to use the tree, because he didn't want anyone to see me going in or out of the front gate."

"Really!"

"Yes. He even gave me your violet. Here." Amelia extended the flower to Leigh.

"That's not a violet, dummy!" Even Leigh's faux concern had vanished by now.

"Oh ... I'm sorry, Leigh. I'll go get another one." Amelia turned back to the tree.

"Never mind! _I'll_ do it!" Determined not to let Amelia one-up her, Leigh started up the tree. After all, if a drip like Amelia could sweet-talk Dr. Holcroft, how hard could it be?

"All right, Leigh, if you're sure," Amelia said innocently, enjoying the sight of Leigh's rump pressed against her panties as she climbed upwards. Leigh soon reached the wall and disappeared on the other side. Amelia waited, expectantly. In only a few seconds, she heard Leigh start screaming. In a few seconds more, the screams grew louder, accompanied by the familiar SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Amelia quickly scaled the tree and edged out along the branch. She peered over the wall. In the garden below, Oddjob, seated on the hillock, had Leigh positioned over his lap, skirt up and panties down, her bottom pointed directly at Amelia. Dr. Holcroft stood nearby. He looked up at Amelia and winked. She grinned in return, then both turned back to the spectacle of Leigh's bare cheeks, reddening rapidly under the steady application of Oddjob's capable paw.