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Which kind of sucked because it had been hot. When she’d offered to let him hurt her, Laura had assumed she’d just get through it. Her mind shied away from the memories, but they assailed her anyway. The day she’d gotten her first period, her mother had marched her into her stepfather’s office.
Becoming a woman, they called it. Both a time of celebration, but also of caution lest her baser instincts take over. After a physical that determined she should have no difficulty bearing children later in life, they had forced her to attend an extra church service every Friday evening that was only for adults.
That night, at the age of twelve, she’d decided she wouldn’t stay. No matter how much she loved her mother and her brothers, she could not do it. Not after what they’d done to her.
Laura stood in line with the other girls, all ranging from ages eighteen down to nine. Poor little Esther Helms had started her period the same month, and she was just a baby to Laura’s twelve-year-old mind. Not so to the church.
Pastor Wendell, her stepfather, had stood and opened his arms wide to the congregation. “Brothers and sisters, we gather this evening for our weekly cleansing service. We know God has made us in his image, but in our fall from Eden, our baser instincts are now in control, and we may at any time fall into sinful ways that would take us from our Lord. We therefore take this opportunity each Friday to take preemptive action against that temptation.”
A murmur of agreement had run through the crowd.
“Since a woman caused the fall, we will purify each of you who do not yet have a husband to guide you each week to ensure your purity and keep your thoughts focused on your lord and savior.”
Laura couldn’t make heads or tails of what Wendell was trying to say, but the fact that many of the girls around her were shaking or crying silent tears, she didn’t think it was going to be something as simple as praying.
“We will start with the two newest women among us. Laura, Esther, please step forward.”
No one had tried to warn them or protect them as they walked toward Wendell. When they were in front of him, he kissed them each on the lips, which made Laura want to puke. She knew he wasn’t good at remembering to brush his teeth, and his breath always smelled.
“This is for your own good, my daughters,” he said, cupping each of their chins.
Laura knew he didn’t mean that literally. He called all the women of the church his daughters, including her mother, his wife. Weirder, but Laura didn’t ask questions. Girls weren’t allowed to ask questions.
“Of course, Pastor Wendell,” they intoned together, knowing what he expected of them. Then the two of them had been pulled to a long bench that wasn’t usually there.
“Place your hands on the bench,” Pastor Wendell ordered. So, of course, they had. Laura felt the grainy texture under her hands and realized it had a low lip around the edge that held rice inside it.
A hand clamped down on her neck next so she couldn’t move. “Take your cleansing as a woman of the church and it will go well for you, my daughters.”
What?
She’d jerked when her dress had been pulled up from the back and her underwear pulled to her knees, but she’d bit her lip to keep from making a sound. Esther had not. She whimpered.
“No, my child, not like that. In silence, thank you.”
Then the leather had struck. Laura couldn’t help but yell out. Whatever they were using was made of leather. It struck over and over again until it felt like her butt and legs were on fire. She cried and screamed, but that got her no respite.
“Stop,” Wendell ordered after a few minutes. “Since you cannot accept your cleansing in Godly silence, you must be punished. I take this on myself.”
They did it to Ester first. Laura darted a glance sideways and saw a thick wooden paddle lift and fall, smashing into the younger girl’s bottom. It seemed to go on forever. When Esther finally collapsed, her knees giving out, the man who had been holding her in place picked her up and, without righting her clothes, sat her on the bench. Esther howled as the rice pressed into skin that Laura had briefly seen was red and bruised, even bleeding in a few places.
Laura braced herself but couldn’t stop herself from crying out after the first the few times the wood smacked into her. They continued until she too collapsed before sitting her throbbing bottom on the rice. It was just as much torture as she’d imagined.
She watched in horror as each girl received the same treatment. Some took it in silence. Others got the paddle as well. Then they sat for hours in the rice while the congregation prayed for them.
After that night, they had taken her from the children’s dormitory and started her training as a wife and mother. She’d thought eventually at least she’d have Harper with her, but that day never came.
