Strange, strange dream on Tuesday night…

Scene: a large room – a hall, school gymnasium or similar

Furnishings: three whipping benches

The cast: three girls tied tightly over aforementioned benches, three punishment officers, an assembled crowd of onlookers and dignitaries watching proceedings

Props: one birch rod, one cane, one prison strap

Storyline: an experiment is being conducred to assess the efficacy of different implements as a means of punishment. The girls are flogged simultaneously, each receiving 50 strokes with one of the three implements. The punishment officers and others present then discuss their reactions and inspect their marks.

Now I have no idea where or when this was set: sometimes dreams are light on details. But on subsequent reflection, I’m guessing that it must have been a newly-opened Victorian reform school for girls. The master needed to determine how his inmates would be punished, and so decided to conduct a little test with the first three young ladies sent into his care by the courts.

And the dream was quite inconclusive as to the outcome of the research. I’m rather guessing that the cane would have won, but it must have been a close-run thing…