SSC 2004: The Collaborator, by Joe Whatever

THE COLLABORATOR (EDGE)  (M/F)

THIS STORY IS SET IN FRANCE DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION.  PRETTY EDGY,
HUH?

I am Paulette's riding crop.

Paulette purchased me for her pony rides around her estate.

Before long Paulette began to use me on her servants.

Her favorite target was Otto, the family chauffeur.  Paulette was
constantly whacking him for his "stupidity" and "clumsiness".

Once she accused him of spying on her while she was undressing. 
Paulette told him that unless he dropped his trousers and shorts she
would call the police!

Paulette and I really taught Otto a lesson in humility that day!

When the war broke out Otto returned to Germany.  Paulette's father, who
was a General in the French army, fled to London with the servants when
the Allies were surrounded at Dunkirk.

Paulette spent too long packing, and the two of us were trapped in
France!

Paulette and I were stunned the day Otto returned to the estate wearing
a German General's uniform.  Paulette and I were shocked when he told us
that he had taken all of her father's secret defense plans back to
Berlin.

Later that day I saw Paulette in her French maid's uniform for the first
time.  The skirt barely covered her ruffled panties.   Otto called her
"delicious French tart".

Otto loves to use my tip to playfully lift up her skirt while she dusts,
or teasingly stick me down her cleavage.

And of course Otto and I give her a good WHACK! when she is too slow!

Paulette didn't like it when Otto turned the house into a brothel for
German soldiers, especially when he announced that it would be Paulette
and her spoiled rich friends who would be "entertaining".

Paulette hated prancing around her former living room in skimpy lingerie
and flirting with the Germans.  But Otto and I "persuaded" her that it
was for the best.

Otto joked that I had been "seized for the German war effort".  It was a
time of war, and everyone had to do their duty.  I made sure Paulette's
stripes were laid on smartly!

Otto carries me all of the time now.  He says French girls are lazy and
stupid, and it is our job to keep them in their place.

I am Otto's riding crop, and I do my job well!

I love Otto and the Germans.  But if Germany loses the war, I'm sure the
resistance will deal harshly with Paulette and the other collaborators.

I'll be ready to do my part.

Alex Birch email

It's an interesting concept to tell a story through the 'eyes' of a riding crop and such a 'Vicar of Bray' riding crop with no moral principle at that (g) The idea is a very good one but my one criticism is lack of flow. I note that the author used only 400 words for this which is a pity because the extra 100 could have been used to link sentences and make the story read a little less like staccato bullet points.

I can see why the author chose the 'Edge' category here but it's a very gentle 'edge' I think. There are some really good ideas here. I just think they could have been blended a little more smoothly.

Eric

There is something very appropriate in using a diary format for a story set in war-time. Concise and pruned, the sentences and paragraphs of 'The Collaborator' reminded this reviewer of the entries that a writer in an occupied territory might make. Comparisons with the diary of Anne Frank are probably not valid, but 'The Collaborator' manages to provide the same tension and poignancy as the story from wartime Amsterdam. 'The Collaborator' is a nice mixture of nostalgia and erotica.

Haley Brimley email

Stories seen from the implement's point of view are a rare treat. But in this one, the peculiar POV is, ironically, the lest important choice. The whole story, enriched by the many turnings of the tables and the accurate historical portrait, is entertaining and very well-written. I particularly like the title, very fitting. I'm not sure this qualifies as "edgy" story, though of course it may to some. But regardless of this, the author of "The Collaborator" managed to write something intriguing and -- a most rare event -- original.