It was so close to the scene she had imagined the night before that she wondered for a moment whether she might be dreaming. But no – her wrist was hurting where she had landed on it, and she was definitely sitting on a hard concrete surface that was glazed with ice. Hepzie was nuzzling her in concern, while Jimmy, who had been on his way to his toilet patch, merely stood patiently waiting for instructions. The slippery surface was worse than she had imagined. Ice coated almost everything in sight, making progress even more difficult than it had been in the snow. ‘This is ridiculous,’ Thea muttered, as she scrambled to her feet, looking around for something to hang on to. The donkey would be waiting for his fodder, likewise the rabbits. She had no choice but to get on with it, sliding her feet over the ground as if wearing skates. Keeping her balance required great concentration, until she reached the paddock, where the winter grass broke up the ice and made things easier.
