For the next four months, Amanda and Chloe worked as salt miner`s donkeys. The former girls rarely saw the light of the sun, they spent all day on one level or another of the mine, pulling heavy cartloads of salt. They worked long and hard hours each day until they collapsed onto the dirt ground to sleep every night. Sunday was better when they slept the day away in the warm early autumn`s sun rays until supper. Sunday was the only day that Amanda could actually enjoy being a donkey, because to Amanda, sleeping naked in the sun actually began feeling good and pleasurable. Though when a breeze passed by her, he shuddered at the reminder of her lack of clothing.
Every day, Chloe and Amanda were fed with hay. At first, Amanda only ate hay to stave off hunger, but as time went on she began to like it. Chloe's situation was different, from the beginning she’d liked to eat hay. Amanda thought that because Chloe was younger and smaller, she was adapting more quickly to her new ass life. That worried her, would they stay like that forever and would they gladly accept their fate?
However, there were things that neither Amanda nor Chloe could get used to: annoying flies, ticks, whips, and that bald, bearded man who made fun of them because he knew their true identity. "Thought it would all be fun and games, did you? Brats! That's what you are, you donkeys!" the man taunted them with a cruel laugh that echoed in their donkey ears. “Your mulishness has brought you to this, my little donkeys. Which is your own fault, of course, not mine or anyone else's.”
When nightfall came and they rest of the donkeys were asleep, Amanda would dream her dreams. Where she could be human and happy- but by the time they were awoken to be taken down to the mind shaft – those dreams became distant memories. From what she could remember from the dreams was what she kept her spirits and hopes alive and well. In the darkness of the salt mine shaft, she would standing , day-dreaming about what the day would look like when she could walk and run on two legs , and she could spend every day out of the mineshaft and stay happily in the sun as a human being forever. But that idea remained a dream for a long while.
One day of late November, the chilly winds of near winter hit them. Fur was the only thing that kept Amanda and Chloe from freezing when they were carrying salt up from the deep downs of the mine shaft. That day, Clara was looking particular ill looking, than usual. Bags circled her eyes, and she tiredly dragged her cart from the surface, giving sickly hee-haws. In the mine shaft that day, she didn`t talk much, and remained rather quiet that normal.
Chloe asked if Clara was okay, but the elder female donkey only answered "I`m fine, don`t spend your time worrying about me," Still, Chloe felt as though there was something she needed to be concerned with.
As soon as they reached the surface, Clara collapsed and fell to the ground, motionless. "Come on Clara, get up" Chloe encouraged. Then, a miner came and began to kick and whip Clara’s body but Clara wasn`t budging, her body refused to move. The man patted Clara with his whip again and again until he discovered that Clara was dead. None of the miners seemed to care much, though. Clara's limp-lifeless body was dragged to away and the younger jennies resumed their own work.
That night, Amanda and Chloe were surprised to see that the bald, bearded old man was the one taking them to the shelter. “You two will watch this”, the man said as he removed the halters and bridles on them. Then, he bound the jennies together with one rope and stood poking them with his whip handle. Terrified, their tails between their legs, their heads bowed, their ears drooping, Amanda and Chloe stood there whining.
"Ha ha! Stupid little asses. Come on! Move!" The man drove them along until they came right to a plain outside the mine where the miners was cremating the dead donkey`s body in a large bon-fire. Several of them asked the man why he took Amanda and Chloe out but the man explained that it was because they were Clara’s friend, although his real reason was for them to see the scene and be terrified.
Indeed, the shock when Chloe found out it was Clara horrified her and made her cry and bray loudly. But Amanda watched solemnly as she could faintly see through the flames Clara's body turn to ashes and met away. For all she knew - she could suffer Clara`s fate very soon and what would Chloe do? Or worse – what would happen if that was Chloe.
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”, Chloe continued braying sadly. Then, the bearded man gave Chloe a lash of his whip across the back. "What are you crying for that dead donkey, you donkey? I am the one who now has to spend more money to buy more donkeys from the Coachwoman. In the meanwhile you will carry double load. And I don't care how many lashes we have to give you, you two will obey or I'll make sure you're next after this old beast.” The man said pointing Clara.
That made Amanda's blood boil, who annoyed gave to the man a strong bite on his hand that made him release the rope that was holding the young donkeys.
“Run, Chloe! Run! It’s our chance!”
“Catch them! Don't let them escape!” the man yelled.
Amanda and Chloe dodged the miners as they tried to grab them. The jennies ran into the prairie.
“Get the donkeys! They’re getting away!”
“Keep running, Chloe! Don’t stop!” But they had to stop when they found themselves in front of a rushing river. “Hurry up, Chloe! We have to jump.”
Amanda and Chloe splashed into the river and the current began to pull the jennies down the river. They struggled to keep afloat, gasping for air, but the rapids pulled them under the water many times. They spun in circles, resurfaced and collided with rocks, but they finally got away from the miners.
Hours later, Amanda and Chloe got up on the lower part of the river where the current was calm and they were able to move towards the shore.
“Chloe? Are you all right?” Amanda asked shaking to dry her fur.
“Yes...” Chloe said coughing. “I thought we'd never escape from there.”