Jill wondered if she took the right decision. That same morning she was flying back home after a fantastic vacation with her friends. But apparently the flight was overbooked so the airplane company offered a large fee to those passengers who would overnight in the small republic of Finistera and continue their trip one flight later. Jill counted out that the fee would pay a large part of her holiday back. She kissed her friends goodbye, took her backpack and left the plane.



The airplane company booked her a room in a 5 star hotel and even payed her taxi. Before the taxi arrived, the local manager took her apart. He warned her about the strict rules in the country. He advised her to stay in the hotel.



So there she was, sitting all alone in her room. In fact, she fell as if she was the only guest in the hotel. Obviously the hotel standard was not very high in this part of the world. Regular power cuts made it impossible to watch TV. Worse was the broken airco-system which turned her room into an oven. And the shower produced only a small stream of brownish water. From her window she saw the most inviting swimming pool ever. Although she was not sure that it belonged to the hotel, it was just a few steps away from its back door. She watched the pool for a while but saw nobody near it. Although the words of the airplane company manager kept echoing in her mind, Jill stepped out of her clothes and jumped into her bikinis. She put her shorts and t-shirt back on, grabbed a towel and went to the outdoor. After she was sure that she was all alone, she quickly removed her shorts and t-shirt, took a deep breath and dived into the freshening water.



As Jill rose from the surface of the water, she looked straight in a pair of dark eyes. Before she realised what happened, two men grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the water. They started yelling and pointing at her. Jill tried in vain to struggle herself free. She kept asking what was going on but the men obviously did not understand her. Finally they forced her hands behind her back and cuffed them.



‘What are you doing to me? Let me go Jill shouted.



Without answering they pushed her into a waiting car. Both men sat down on both sides of her. One of the men grabbed a filthy blanket and threw it over her body leaving only her head free. Some orders were barked and the driver pulled of in high speed. Jill tried to stay calm. What else was there to do anyway.



They seemed to go to the centre of the city. As the traffic became more and more hectic, they had to lower their speed. Pedestrians glanced into the car, saw Jills red hair and started shouting and pointing at the car. More and more people grouped together. In no time the crowd around the car was so large it became impossible to drive further. Jill’s panic increased by the nervous behaviour of her capturers. Suddenly, one of them pulled his gun, lowered his window and fired over the heads of the men around the car. They ran away leaving the road free again.



Jill was still crying as the car entered the parking lot of what seemed to be an official building. She was pulled out of the car and pushed inside the building. It was indeed a large and crowded building. On their long way through the building, Jill attracted much attention. Her capturers visibly enjoyed the moment. Jill almost felt relieved as they pushed her into a large office. Behind a clean desk sat a well dressed man in his fourties. The men pulled away the blanket leaving Jill standing in bikinis. She felt ashamed and enormously vulnerable. While she was still cuffed, she could not hide her body from the gleaming eyes. The men talked nervously pointing different times at her.

A sudden order from the man behind the desk made them shut their mouth. They removed her cuffs and left Jill alone with the man behind the desk.



‘I assume you speak English asked the man in a friendly voice.



‘Yes, I do answered Jill. It calmed her down a bit now she could finally ask somebody what was going on here.



The man invited her to sit down.



‘My name is Altiba, judge Altiba to be precise he started.



‘But before we get started, I’ll call someone for some proper clothes and some drinks, shall I. It will make you feel more comfortable’.



Judge Altiba passed some orders by phone and soon one of the abductors entered with tea and a dress. Jill quickly jumped into the dress which covered her all body while the judge served tea.



‘I can imagine you have a lot of questions. Let me try to explain what happened to you he continued as Jill sat down again, feeling much more at ease now.



‘Unlike your part of the world, we have some strict rules here about decency he started. The men who arrested you are officers of the special police. It is their job to defend these rules and to punish those who break them They are pretty powerfull. In fact, although I’m a judge and thus higher ranked, I can not neglect their rapports You obviously broke the rules by walking around only dressed in tiny bikinis. Therefore you will be punished’



‘But I only took a swim in the pool! And I don’t know your rules pleaded Jill.



‘I’m afraid these arguments are not going to help you he replied.



Jill thought for a moment and then said firmly: I want to contact my embassy or talk to a lawyer’.



‘No problem said the judge. But I have to warn you that it will take some time before the consul will be here. The capital is more than one day trip away from here, you see. And meanwhile, I have to lock you up in prison. And I can not recommend the facility to a young and pretty woman as you he smiled.



Damn, Jill thought. What a mess I put myself into this time.



‘Now listen here he said I can arrange that you go to trial within the hour. I shall be the judge. If you plead guilty, I will sentence you to 30 lashes of the whip. And believe me, that’s a rather mild sentence. Later today you will receive the lashes and before the evening falls you will be back in your hotel’.



A corporal punishment, how Victorian can you be, Jill thought. She definitively did not want to go to jail in this part of the world. And 30 lashes can not be too bad.



‘All right, I’ll do it she said.