STRANGE KIDS - AN OCCASIONAL SERIES #1

Philip came back into class after the morning break. 'Playtime' it was known as then, at St Anne's Catholic Primary School in Newtown in the late 1950's. Philip had a secret. It was warm and comforting and he wanted to share it with everyone.
When everyone in the class settled down at their desks with their slates in  front of them at the ready, Philip remained standing. Sister A (the Terrible) looked up and noticed Philip and told him to sit down. Philip refused. Sister A then commanded Philip to sit down and once again he refused. Incensed, Sister A stormed down the class room to the back where Philip's desk was and told him again to sit down. Philip, wanting to cry but also wanting to share his secret, again refused. Sister A used the long leather belt she wore around her habit as a strap and whacked Philip around the legs. (The nuns wore belts that had a trailing end that reached to the floor.)

 Philip yelped and climbed up onto the desk. This 'refuge' only made his legs an easier target for Sister A and she repeatedly strapped him with the belt and smacked him with her ruler. Philip cried and alternately tried to shield his legs and his pocket which didn't go unnoticed. "Philip. What have you got in your pocket?" asked Sister A. The rest of the class looked down or away. They all knew what Philip's secret was. After repeated prompting Philip eventually put his hand in his pocket and withdrew something and handed it to Sister A.

She gasped and whacked his legs again. In Philip's hand was a now cold and slightly squashed turd.