The following morning, Melissa's father had taken Layla to plow a section of the wheat field.
Melissa led Addison to the other section of the field and with a look of apology in her eyes, she hitched Addison to an iron plough.
"This is one of the reasons my father wanted some donkeys," She told Addison as she finished securing the hitches. "I know that this plough is pretty heavy for a little donkey but my father prefers to use young than adult donkeys. He thinks he'll be able to cut expenses because a young is worth up to four times less than an adult and does not eat much."
Addison wanted to protest that she wasn't really a donkey – she just looked like one, but instead, She sighed heavily and let Melissa finish her task.
"Don't worry," Melissa smiled warmly. "It won't be that bad, really. I have already cleared the stones and weeds away from the field with my own hands, now I will guide the plow and I will sow wheat seeds that are on my bag in the ground. You will harrow the ground before the seed is planted and then we will harrow it afterwards, and that's all."
Melissa then hopped up on Addison's back, much to the jenny's surprise, and clucked her tongue twice. Guessing that Melissa wanted her to move forward, Addison obeyed.
So, the plough pulled by Addison started moving. It had a sole long to keep it going straight and to manage stony, wet or heavy ground.
Melissa guided Addison through the field, telling her which way to turn by gently tapping either her left or right ears. Addison found herself starting to like Melissa, who seemed more interested in her new donkey's welfare than maintaining some breakneck pace.
Afterwards, Melissa gently tugged on Addison's mane, telling her to stop. Melissa ordered the jenny to turn around.
Turning around, Adisson could see the long furrow that she had just formed in the ground. The first of many.
Ploughing was only the first stage in getting the land ready for sowing. Now Melissa and Addison had to go through the same path with the plough to drop the wheat seeds and to make sure that the ploughed land had been fully turned over and could drain off any trapped surface water.
Addison had to do the same activity dozens of times, but she realized that a huge ranch with large fields had to use its terrain to have many crops. She also understood that producing a good furrow required skill and Melissa was an expert at it. If the furrow was too ‘open’ the seed would get buried and would not germinate.
Already in the afternoon, Melissa removed the plough from Addison and led her to another point on the farm: the field of crops.
There, Addison saw several boys and girls, wearing only grimy-looking clothes, all of them smeared with dust and sweat, were busily cultivating and harvesting plant crops to feed the ranch's animals, such as hay, wheat, barley and other cereals.
There were also donkeys and even horses, all with bridles and harnesses. And Addison would be no exception. Melissa, with her usual sweetness, had to put a harness on Addison and then she hooked it to a wooden cart. As the other animals, her job now would be to move the harvest in carts.
Melissa began filling the cart with the oat grains that she recollected, pulling softly the jenny's bridle to move. A thin but tough-looking man lazily sitting on a chair and supervising the kids' work output, idly twirling what looked like a club in his hand. Hanging from his belt was a coiled whip.
The sight of it made Addison swallow apprehensively.
"It's about time you got this ass here," drawled the supervisor.
Addison cringed at the sound of the word 'ass', knowing that it was meant for her, feeling mortified by it.
"We had to prepare the new field for the next harvest, sir," Melissa informed him. The supervisor only snorted.
As Addison watched, Melissa continued filling the cart with more hay, which they then would unload in a big barn near there.
Hours passed as Addison watched Melissa and the others working, and mused that compared to working in that place, she had had it relatively easy living on her human form.
She remembered her constant complaining about not having new clothes to wear or her mother's usual scolding for not obeying her, and felt ashamed when she looked at the hard toil Melissa was enduring.
Every so often, when Melissa noticed Addison staring at her, she’d offer a bright smile and a knowing wink. Even such harsh conditions as this ranch didn't seem to dampen Melissa's natural optimism, a trait which Addison found herself admiring.
Addison didn't know how many hours had passed before the supervisor informed the kids that was dinner time.
All boys and girls eagerly ran toward the farm's dinning room, all of them having worked up an appetite. But Melissa had to take the cart back to the barn, but she never even complained.
Melissa hopped up on Addison's back again and clucked her tongue. Addison took the hint and began to walk, momentarily startled by how heavy the load had turned out to be.
"What's the matter?" Melissa asked, when she felt Addison struggling. "Is it too heavy?"
Addison brayed once, and Melissa got down from her back. The weight immediately lighter, Addison managed to pull the cart forward, but slowly.
"Hey, it's okay," Melissa assured her ten minutes later. "This is your first day, and I'm guessing you're not used to pulling such heavy loads. You'll get used to it."
Addison looked apologetically, feeling sorry for Melissa having to walk all the way through the crops, instead of being able to take a break and get off her feet, but Melissa noticed the stare and responded with another smile and a wink.
"You know, my father isn't big on naming our animals, other than the horse," Melissa said at one point. "But I like you, donkey. I want to give you a name."
Addison smiled, wishing she could tell Melissa her real name.
Melissa decided to help out by getting behind the cart and pushing.
From the strength Melissa seemed to exert against the cart, Addison guessed that this wasn't the first time the girl had had to do this either.
When they reached the barn, Addison heard an angry shout greeted them both.
"What took you so blasted long?!"
"Sorry father," Melissa said, cringing away from the livid man. "Had to help the jenny get the load up. It's her first."
"Same thing happened with the other donkey," growled Melissa's father. "Looks like that fat man ripped us off."
"They're just not used to our workload yet, father," Melissa offered. "Give them a little time."
His father sighed as if deeply put upon, but nodded. "Fine. Unload the cart, and get something to eat. But I want the full day's quota met by the end of the afternoon shift, or there'll be hell to pay."
Melissa nodded and guided Addison to a large series of bins, most of which were already more than half-filled with grains.
"What do you think of Adelyn?" Melissa asked as she began unloading the cart.
Adelyn? Addison considered this – it was actually a variant of her own name. She nodded, braying happily at the moniker, relieved that Melissa had actually guessed so closely to her real name.
When Melissa had finished unloading the cart, she released Addison from the cart and led her over to a corral where Layla was greedily munching down all the straw she could manage.
Addison anxiously joined her partner, feeling the pangs of hunger in her own stomach, while Melissa quickly latched the gate to the corral and ran off toward the mess hall.