The five jennies were in the field by early morning. The sky was clear, the air was crisp. The sun had come up and was burning the dew off the grass. And Molly and Penny watched Samantha, Kaitlin and Harper eating grass.
“We’d better join in,” Molly said. Penny nodded. The two former girls began tasting some of the grass. And it was delicious!
“Eat well, girls. We will work all day,” said Kaitlin.
“Will it hurt?” Penny asked.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it,” Harper said with a mouthful of grass.
They continued grazing until the farmer and his daughter arrived.
“All right, let's see what the new ones can do.” The farmer Nielsen said approaching Molly. Molly looked up at him as he petted her head to put a bridle around her head. Molly brayed in protest at first, but Miss Nielsen could calm her caressing her mane. After a while, Molly had her reins placed.
Learning the farmer's intentions, Penny started running around the field because she did not want to use reins. At that moment, Penny discovered that she was very fast running now on four legs. And that annoyed the farmer because he could not reach her.
"Come back here, you ass!" Mr. Nielsen shrieked. The other four donkeys began to bray telling Penny to obey Mr. Nielsen. Penny did not have more remedy to return, planting her bottom firmly on the grass in front of Miss Nielsen.
"I told you that now these donkeys were very disobedient." The farmer said as he put the reins on Penny.
"Dad, she’s only a baby donkey. She's not full-grown yet"
After Samantha, Kaitlin, and Harper meekly let their reins be put on, father and daughter drove the five jennies along until they came to the barn where they took everything they needed to work.
Minutes later, they were inside of a wheat field where mature and tall wheat was ready to harvest. Mr. Nielsen and his daughter were mounted on Kaitlin. Samantha and Harper were hitched to a grain binder to cut wheat. And Molly and Penny were carrying several ropes on her backs to tie the wheat that they were going to load.
“Ok, let’s go.” Miss Nielsen slapped Samantha and Harper on their rumps to pull the grain binder. “Hee-haw!” Harper brayed in annoyance like she always did when Miss Nielsen slapped her, unlike Samantha who was used to it and remained silent. The two jennies began to move the binder leaving cut wheat behind them.
“Ebony! Biscuit! Walk faster!” The farmer yelled. Mounted on Kaitlin, the Nielsens guided Samantha and Harper through the field until they finished the first section.
Then, the Nielsens began to reap the wheat crops gathering them into piles and loading them onto Molly’s back. After a while, Molly was carrying heavy bundles of crop on herself.
“Hee-Haw.” Molly brayed slightly, complaining about the weight of the crop. After that, the farmers led the five donkeys to the second section of the wheat field. There, they did the same work as in the first section, but now the bundles of crop were loaded on Penny’s back.
“HAW! HAW! HAW! HAW! HAW!” Penny protested. It was too much weight for her to carry. The Nielsens ignored her braying at first. But when they were ready to move to the third section, Penny lay down in the field.
“Come on, little one, get up. We have to go.” Miss Nielsen said grabbing Penny by her reins but Penny ignored her, swatting a fly with her tail instead.
“What’s happening?” The farmer got off Kaitlin to see what the problem was.
"It's the little one. She doesn't want to get up. I think we load too much on her."
"I told you she wouldn't be capable. But now she’ll have to move." The farmer took off his hat and hit the little donkey with it. Penny tucked her tail and looked up at the man in terror.
"Get moving.” Miss Nielsen pleaded but Penny didn't move.
“You'd better get up if you know what's good for you!" Mr. Nielsen went into a rage. He raced toward her, stopping and pulling back his foot to kick her.
“Dad, NO! You'll hurt her!” Miss Nielsen screamed. But at that moment, Penny was standing over her now. With her legs trembling, Penny managed to get up fully and walked.
“That’s better.” The farmer said. Penny decided to obey the farmer completely, no matter what happened.
“It’s humiliating. I’m a girl, no a donkey!” Penny thought. “But I don’t want to be kicked.” So Penny walked carrying the heavy load to the third section (its crops were loaded to Kaitlin’s back), then to the fourth section (the crops from there were loaded to Samantha) and finally to the fifth section (where on Harper’s back were loaded the last crops).
The five jennies were tired and thirsty, especially Penny. But they still had to weigh with the heavy load of wheat to the mill. But before they got there, Penny collapsed under the weight of her load.
“HAW-HEE! HAW-HEE! HAW-HEEEEEEEE!” Penny brayed as tears of pain squirted out of her eyes.
"That animal can't do anything right?" Mr. Nielsen yelled clenching his fists. Then, he grabbed Penny’s nose, squeezing it shut so that she couldn't bray. His face was a beet-red. "If you don't be quiet, I will kick you. Now get up!”
Penny got up and walked slowly with tears still in her eyes. Miss Nielsen and the donkeys could do nothing but watch. Later, they arrived to the mill where the loads of bundles of wheat were taken from the jennies.
After that, Miss Nielsen took the donkeys in front of a drinking trough full of water so that they could quench their thirst. Immediately, they put their muzzles into the trough and started to suck and swallow large amounts of water. As Penny drank, she saw that Miss Nielsen started to curry her as a way to calm her down, finding it certainly relaxing. After a while the farmer and his daughter left the mill leaving the donkeys alone.
"Well, at least it's over," Molly said confidently dripping some water from her mouth.
"Not so fast, when they come back from lunch the work will continue." Kaitlyn warned.
"What? That was not all?" Penny asked in surprise.
"Of course not," Harper answered somewhat irritably. "Now we have to grind the wheat. Why do you think we are here, inside the mill?"
"Hey, don't yell at Penny, Biscuit...errr, Harper." Samantha said correcting her mistake in mentioning Harper's donkey name. "She's had a rough day."
"But Harper is right." Kaitlin continued. "We will grind the wheat with that wheel." Kaitlin pointed her right front hoof at the large grist on a spindle beside them. "We have to pull it round."
"But I'm still tired," Penny pleaded.
"There's a salt lick in the corner. Lick it and it'll give you some energy," Samantha advised. Penny walked over to the corner where she saw a lick-worn block of salt and started licking it. It wasn't unpleasant for her, but she didn't feel stronger.
"And after the grind, we have to load in sacks the wheat flour to the surrounding towns." Harper kept talking. "When this season is over we have to plow the soil for the next crop, plant the seeds, water them daily, put compost on them, pull out the weeds... it's an endless cycle!" Harper lowered her head.
"I hate going to towns," Kaitlin remembered. "Not only do we have to carry heavy sacks for hours, but we also came upon aroused male donkeys there."
“Yes but remember that these perverts can be warded off by giving them a good kick in the snout.” Samantha lifted her hind legs and kicked at the air.
“It's not that easy while you’re carrying loads of heavy sacks. And you know it very well.” Harper replied.
“It was only once. Do you have to remind me?" Samantha started to get angry. "At least I tried to defend myself that time. Not that you encourage them to approach you, braying at them, playing with them and lifting your tail to show them your...”
“Stop, Ebony... I mean, Samantha! I already told you that I don't know what happens to me when I see a handsome male. Maybe it’s natural feminine instinct.”
“You are human, Harper! And they are real donkeys!” Samantha yelled.
“Well, I certainly don't look like a human, do I?” Harper replied.
“Girls, girls! Stop fighting." Kaitlin pleaded to the two jennies while Penny continued licking the salt rock.
An hour later, Mr. Nielsen and his daughter returned to the mill. They harnessed each jenny with a shaft attached to the heavy oak beams that were connected to the mill wheel. Because of their small size, Molly and Penny had to share the same shaft.
As Miss Nielsen harnessed Molly and Penny, she whispered in Molly's ear. "Your name will be Peanut." Molly was surprised, she knew that in that place when they gave you a name it meant that you would already be part of the farm. "My dad told me that he is pleased with your work, Peanut. He appreciated your strength despite your young age. I can't say the same for your friend, I hope she works better soon or he will have to return her to the donkey vendor."
Due to her long ears, Penny heard the entire conversation perfectly. If she didn't work well now, she would go back to the Coachwoman. That thought terrified her.
With the wheat already prepared and placed, Mr. Nielsen uncoiled a whip that he was carrying and cracked it on the floor. The five jennies understood that they should start walking around a track to turn the mill wheel. Then the grist began to grind the wheat.
For hours, the five donkeys walked in circles. They only stopped when the mill had to be loaded with more wheat. It was a hard and boring work. But then the predictable happened: little Penny collapsed again but this time due to exhaustion causing all the donkeys to stop.
"You again?" The farmer approached the little donkey lying on the floor. His face was purple with rage. "Get up, lazy ass."
Mr. Nielsen took his whip and gave the jenny a hearty blow across the legs. But that didn't make her get up. Her eyes were closed and her tail was tucked firmly between her legs as she desperately looked for a place to hide.
"Get up, Penny," Molly pleaded. "If not the master will give you more blows."
"Master? Did Molly just call the farmer 'master'?" Penny thought, though she immediately stopped thinking about it when Mr. Nielsen cried sharply, "Walk!"
The man cracked the whip three times on the floor, very close to Penny. That only scared her more. Samantha, Kaitlin and Harper started to bray savagely to Penny in warning. But the brays were all suppressed by more cracks of the whip. Penny felt herself fainting, her eyes filled with tears, and she wept bitterly.
"You have to obey our master," Molly repeated.
"No way. I've had it. The last straw! This ass goes back to the donkey farm of that crazy woman this night, and we're demanding our money back." The annoyed farmer angrily threw his whip to the floor and left the mill. Miss Nielsen took off the shaft from Penny and began petting the jenny back.