Prologue, Chapters 1 and 2, Luck and Petting Zoo Summary and Analysis

Lucy tells of her years as a hand for Diamond D Stables when she worked with her friend, Stephen. By the time she begins work there, she has had several surgeries and her face is oddly shaped, invariably attracting attention. Lucy says that she got the job as a result of calling on the phone and not mentioning her disfigurement; she remains there four years. While she loves being with the animals, she endures the pony parties - birthday events where she is responsible for walking the ponies around the yard with a child in the saddle. She says that each of the stable hands has to take a turn at the pony parties and that no one - even her boss, Ms. Daniels - seems to think that...