Sophie smiled up at me. "Behold Saint Stephanie," she declaimed. "Saint Stephanie on the cross, our sacred martyr!"
She was about to spin out the joke when there was a knock on our door. I froze. My stomach clenched with fear. The door was flung open. "Everybody out!" cried Melanie from the room next door, "We’ve all got to go down into the great hall. Come on, giddy-up girls!”
My friends looked at me, then they looked at one another.
"No time," Sophie whispered. "You must stay hanging. Quick! Down to the hall! "
They stormed out, I heard the pounding of their bare feet on the parquet floor. The door slammed. Outside feet pattered and voices could be heard, further and further away. Then I was alone. All alone. Nude. Stark naked. Tied. Helpless and defenseless in bondage – bound on a great wooden cross.
How long will they be away? Ten minutes? Half an hour? Longer? What if they’re having a lecture down there in the hall? Or watching a film? A film usually takes a long time. I pictured the girls sitting in a darkened room and watching a documentary about the historical attractions. After the film there’s a presentation, and then the next film follwos…. lecture, film, lecture, film… until bedtime!
I saw myself hanging helpless on the cross. Wriggle - writhe in agony. I was feeling the tight bondage now. It wan’t hurting – not yet, but that would come. A quarter of an hour perhaps, at most a half, I could stand. Then it would be difficult. What if the girls don’t come back until ten clock? That would mean I had to endure two hours on the cross.
I swallowed. I hadn’t anticipated this. No-one had anticipated it. Calm down, Stephanie, my thoughts said to myself, if it really comes to that one of them will secretly steal out and come up and set you free, they won’t let you soend two hours on the cross – you’ve already done a good half hour, if not longer.
Maria will come. I relaxed. Yes, Maria would come. Suddenly I liked my position again quite a lot, even if the ropes were hurting more and more. I was beginning to enjoy my crucifixion. As long as I was alone, I was able to squirm on the cross to my heart's content, nobody was staring at me, I didn’t need to feel ashamed. I decided to just wait - I couldn’t do anything anyway. Here I was, hanging naked and helpless, tied to a large wooden cross in the girls dormitory, and I just had to accept what was happening to me. Somehow that aroused me greatly. My heart began to beat violently. With a soft moan - half pain half pleasure - I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wood. I was willing to endure it, all of it, everything…
Both an interesting and exciting little turn of events...don't worry someone will come back eventually, right?