Room 2D

A nice little one-off comic strip by Paula Meadows from Janus 20 Julie must be out of her mind, coming in from badminton practice at 1.24 am. She promised her parents she’d be home by nine o’clock at the very latest. They’re terrified someone might take advantage of their daughter, who never stops flaunting her lovely body. Tempers frayed, they’ve stayed up waiting for her once again. ‘YOU’RE FOUR AND A HALF HOURS LATE, JULIE!’ her father roars. ‘WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?’ — ‘She’s been out with a boy, I’m sure!’ her mother wails despairingly, ‘Where else could she have been?’ Both completely disbelieve her pathetic cover-story. Even at 17 Julie is not too old for really strict old-fashioned discipline. Her father is determined to make her bottom sting like fury this time for her lies, her cheek and her disobedience. Right now he’s a very angry man. ‘ You’re going to wish you’d never been born, young lady! ’ he yel...

From Janus 27 Francesca utterly loathes having to do any form of physical exercise. With a figure like hers it’s embarrassing trying to compete with her fellow pupils, plus she hates the exertion involved. She far prefers stuffing cream buns into her face — which she does at every available opportunity. At netball practice she hides around a corner hoping she won’t be noticed. But who’s this coming now but the Headmistress herself! ‘What’s this?! Trying to get out of netball practice again, Francesca? You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself, you lazy girl! This is the third time this term I’ve caught you hiding around here! Do you never stop eating, you disgusting creature?! Follow me into the gymnasium at once!!’ Not for the first time today, Francesca the school fattie looks and sounds as if she’s about to be sick. ‘Over the horse with you, you useless good-for-nothing lump of lard! You know perfectly well that cuttin...

Photo-story from Janus 157 with Leia-Ann Woods When Hilary Hanbury -Boyce died recently, the village mourned. Even the girls with whom she had so uncompromisingly dealt up at the ‘big house’ felt a strange regret at the passing of this fair but firm martinet, wielder of the slipper, strap, hairbrush and cane on their tender young bottoms. The strict lady, who accepted no nonsense and punished all wrongdoers sent to her with a method and severity hardly known in these modern times, was gone. But if the village girls thought they would henceforth be safe from the kind of punitive retribution that had been dished out on a regular basis by that peerless lady, they were in for a surprise. As, indeed, was a distant cousin of Hilary’s, named Royston Arnold. Royston was a man of letters, sage, broadcaster, bon viveur and promoter of the arts. A confirmed bachelor, he hadn’t seen Hilary for several years, for they met only rarely, usuall...