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Alicia’s Point Of View.
My palms stung and bled from where the shovel’s abrasive wooden shaft had rubbed hard, forming blisters that burst and tore. My penance for letting Sierra run flat out across our estate was shoveling manure for three days. I was also barred from riding during that time, which hurt more than my palms.
Craig, the Granger Estate equine master, approached Beauty’s stall, where I cleaned. He grinned encouragingly as I struggled to lift steaming hot piles of horse manure, dumping them into a wheelbarrow.
“How did Sierra feel when you gave her the reins?”
“Unbelievable, Mister Jenkins. I was so excited and got carried away.”
“It’s Craig, Alicia… we know each other well enough to be on first-name terms.”
“I’m sorry I did this, Craig.”
“We all did the same thing, Alicia, and every one of us paid the same price, the same way.”
“Including Mom?”
“Yeah… Miss Kate paid in blisters several times, but I never told you that.”