To the Lighthouse

Our next 'Story of the Week' is To the Lighthouse by Neil which has been recommended by LSF member, Mads:

"Rachel accepts a job as warden in charge of a wildlife reserve on the very northern rim of the Scottish mainland. The closest neighbour, Duncan, a retired teacher comes to help most days. Duncan's strong Scottish accent is brilliant in the narrative For example: "ah maucht hae it aroond somewheer. Ah'll bring it in for ye". I could almost hear it being read aloud. Rachel shows a growing curiosity in the Scottish tawse or belt. What could be better then, as to have a retired teacher at hand. The two develop a kind of friendship and become able to communicate with few or no words. We learn the characters well during the story.

"As expected from Neil, the story is lighthearted and humorous - the twist at the end is hilarious."
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Synopsis:
A young woman takes a job on a remote wildlife reserve in North Scotland, and discovers a taste for the tawse which leads to an embarrassing incident one dreary day.

Thanks to Mads and of course Flopsy for facilitating this. No resemblance to Virginia Woolf's novel!

I had decided to write a spanking-cum-birdwatching story, and based it loosely on South Stack RSPB reserve near Holyhead, Wales. The only problem was that this isn't nearly remote enough for the action, so I transported it to a fictitious location as far North as I could. Then there was the question, do I make the local protagonist speak dialect, and what in fact is the dialect in those parts? This required quite a bit of online research into Sutherland and Caithness vocabulary so I'm very glad it seems to have paid off!

Just a request. I often find myself clicking on the title of the SOTW expecting something to happen because it's in bold text. Would it be possible for this to be a link to the story in question ?

Thanks! I think this is an excellent effort as the library is quite extensive nowadays, it helps to get a guiding hand pointing some diamonds out in the haystack. It doesn't have to be to everybody's taste all the time, it is supposed to bring new impulses if you ask me.

Thanks for highlighting this charming story. I especially liked Rachel's natural progression toward indulging in her obvious interest and Duncan's positive yet careful response. The ending is almost worthy of Saki.

I just read the story of the week and found it irresistible. It really caught the loneliness out there and how nature can rage with cold and wind, with a strong contrast tot he heat she after some initial pondering decide that she wants to feel in her rear. I liked the tension that built up to the initial spanking, I just wish that the build up had been a little longer before she made her mind up. So, to the point, that is actually aimed at Flopsy and Ferbus; I managed to miss the previous story I think and I have completely forgotten which one it was. Can you make a list indicating previous 'story of the week' or point me in the direction of it, should such already exist here? Thanks!

"To the lighthouse" has always been a favourite of mine, too. I'd also recommend checking out Neil's latest story "Alison Gets It."