NOTE: Just for clarity, all characters in this story are Over 18.

Chynna was home from boarding school for the weekend. She had no idea that she wouldn’t be going back…!

“Well, mum, I’m here!”, she said, cheerfully, but a little bored. “You said you had something special to show me?”

“Yes, sweetie, it’s out here”, her mother said, opening the door to the back garden.

Puzzled, Chynna followed her out into the garden.

They both walked down to the far end; as they did, Chynna caught first sight of what looked like a very large dog kennel.

“Oh!”, she said. “Have you got a new pet?”

“Sort of”, said her mother. “It’s the new home for an animal, at least.”

They stopped outside it.

“Well? Where is it?”

“You’re standing in front of it.”

“Mum…?”

“This is a bitch kennel, not a dog kennel. It’s for you…!”

Chynna gasped.

“What the hell, mum! There’s no way I’m going anywhere near that!”

Her mother slapped her.

“Get undressed. Now! Animals don’t deserve to wear clothing.”

Chynna whimpered but made no move to get undressed.

“Hurry up! Otherwise, I’ll just rip your clothes off. After all, you should be used to it, the way you’ve been behaving at boarding school.”

Chynna went white as a sheet. Her mum knew! She knew that she’d been ‘sleeping around’ with her classmates…!

“If you’re going to behave like an animal, I’m going to treat you like one”, her mother said, starting to pull her clothes off.

“Mum! Please! I’m sorry!”

“Too late for that”, her mother said. “This kennel cost me a lot of money, and it’s getting used.”

Chynna struggled, but her mother soon had her stripped naked, and she stood shivering in the garden.

“It’s nice and warm in your kennel”, her mother said. “I’m not a monster. There’s a nice blanket waiting for you in there. Oh yes, one other thing…”

She reached into the kennel and pulled out a solid-looking collar attached to a chain. This was fastened round Chynna’s neck and locked shut. The nametag ‘Bitch’ swung from it.

“There you go”, she said. “All done. Now, you must be tired after your trip. Go in and have some rest. I’ll bring you out some food and drink later.”

“Mum, please….! I’m sorry…!”

“So am I. I never believed my daughter could behave like that. Parties and sex every night, jumping out of one bed only to slide into another. Your own bed was hardly used. Anyway, you’ve proved you don’t need a bed of your own, so you no longer have one here. All you have is your kennel and a blanket.”

Chynna’s mum turned and headed off back to the house, carrying Chynna’s old clothes that went into a bin. Chynna tried to follow, but the chain attached to her collar pulled her up short.

“Mum! Mum!”, she cried, clutching at her neck. “Please…! I’m sorry!”

“You will be…”, her mum said, shaking her head, as she walked back into the house.

In shock, Chynna staggered back to her kennel. How could her own mother treat her like this?

She ducked down and went into the kennel. She had to enter it on all fours; it wasn’t tall enough for her to stand up in, despite being very large.

She found the blanket, wrapped it round herself and snuggled up in a corner, crying. Every sound outside made her jump; she was so used to sleeping in a double-glazed room, with soft sheets and her radio beside her quietly on.

She shrieked and nearly brained herself on the ceiling when a fox poked its head in. The fox, just as surprised, ran off…

She missed having a light to see by; once it got dark, it was dark. Full stop. Also, what was she supposed to do about going to the toilet?

She asked her mother this when she came down later with her ‘food’; she brought a bowl of dog kibble (at least that’s what it looked like, it was actually special food for ‘human dogs’) and a bowl of water, which she left just outside the kennel.

“There’s a patch of freshly turned earth for you just over there”, she said. “Either that or you can just go in the corner of your kennel, I don’t care which. I’d suggest not mucking up the place you sleep in…”

“Mum, please! You can’t treat me like this!”

“I can and I will. You’re not going back to boarding; I’m home-tutoring you now, because of ‘health issues’; Dr Crandall has written me a letter to back me up, as he is disgusted by your behaviour as well. Until you earn my trust back again, this is where you will stay.”

Chynna was horrified. She was never going to see her friends again…!

She fought and struggled, yanking at the chain and pulling at her collar.

“No! No! No! You can’t do this to me…!”

“It’s a done deal. Get used to it.”, her mother said, turning and going to walk away…

“Mum, you can’t! I’m pregnant…”

Her mother jerked but carried on walking.

Chynna had a little to eat and drink, trying not to be sick with revulsion, then slowly crawled back into her kennel…

Back at the house, Chynna’s mother was crying herself. She didn’t want to treat her daughter like that, but the sheer fact that she was pregnant (or thought she was) proved she couldn’t be trusted.

Her family had a history false pregnancies; Chynna was probably going through one of those. Some of them actually lasted for some time but came to nothing.

She walked back out to Chynna’s kennel and tossed her a pregnancy test kit.

“Here; take some responsibility for yourself, for a change. Do this, now. Our family has a tendency to false pregnancies…”

“Fuck you!”, came from inside the kennel, and the box came flying out again.

“That’s the behaviour I expected from you”, said Chynna’s mother. “Disrespectful and arrogant. It’s anyone else’s fault or problem, not you.”

Chynna suddenly came hurtling out of the kennel and knocked her mother flying. She then sat on her chest.

“Right; how’s this for taking responsibility. If you don’t unlock this damn collar now, I’m going to punch and kick the crap out of you!”

“You don’t think I’d be stupid enough to have the keys on me, do you?”, Chynna’s mother said. “They’re shut in a safe in the house; it can only be opened by me and Dr Crandall, and we must both be there at the same time as it is a biometric lock.”

“Damn you!” Chynna said, rolling off. She then vanished back into her kennel.

Chynna’s mum threw the pregnancy test box in after her.

“Do the test!”, she cried.

She walked back to the house, trying to ignore the sound of her daughter sobbing. She failed…