Nicky was suddenly feeling really scared. The last time she'd been sent to the head he'd given a really severe telling off that reduced her to tears and he had threatened that if she found herself in his office again this year, he'd give her something she could really cry about. And here she was again. She'd failed to hand in her homework three times and her teacher had just had enough. So, it appeared, had the headmaster. She had seen the cane hanging in his office before but hadn't thought much about it because, so far as she knew, only boys were caned. But now there was no mistaking the fact that he was about to pick up a cane and that could only mean one thing. She was about to find out first-hand whether his canings were as bad as they were reputed to be. This seemed unreal. Like it wasn't happening to her. But it was. To her. The dawning realisation was almost enough to start the tears again.
