Ilene's senses were in so much thought of her coming sixteenth birthday and Peter's visits, that there seemed to be no other concerns. She loved Peter and that brought a smile. Work still had to be done each and every day. The mist of the day never came, but the snow storm offered its appearance in replacement of it. Ilene thought the barn should be quickly cleaned before it became more difficult. Sam was let out of his stall and into the coral. The wheel barrow was placed by the door and the cleaning was quickly under way. Suddenly there was a squeal from Sam. Ilene turned slightly to see what she might be able to see. Sam came slamming into the stall out of the white out of snow. Ilene went crushing into the front of the stall. Her head and shoulder were slammed into the manger. The fork handle broke off, thrusting a broken piece into her thigh. The pain was intense, as she fell to the ground. Her last thought was seeing Sam turn and rear into the air, just outside of the door to the stall. Ilene lay there for an unknown amount of time. It was only one eye opening to see what was going on. The other eye wouldn't open. The one eye saw a lion lying on the ground about eight or ten feet away. The lion lay starring back at her with a mouthing snarl, but no sound came from it. The cold was fierce and penetrating. She couldn't move and she was all alone. Even tears could bring no comfort.
