Again Samantha strained with effort. It felt as if both of her arms were about to pull out of their sockets. At least this time she had Wendell helping to distribute some of the weight. Inch by inch, Samantha pulled him back. "We're almost there!" Wendell called out.
With a final scream of effort, Samantha heaved backwards. She lost her grip on Wendell's legs and fell backwards, onto her rear end. "Wendell! Prudence!"
"We're all right," Prudence said in a choked whisper.
Samantha sat up and saw her friends lying on the edge of the pit. Prudence was covered from head-to-toe in mud, but that didn't stop Samantha from hugging her. "Oh, thank God," Samantha whispered. She stroked Prudence's hair, scouring some of the mud from it. "I'm sorry, Prudence. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Let's forgive each other," she said.
"Then let's go home," Wendell added.
Samantha let go of Prudence to give the boy a hug. He muttered something and Samantha's face turned warm as she realized she was smothering him with her breasts. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's all right," he said, his eyes wide and his tongue almost wagging. Samantha dropped him to the ground on his rear.
She went back over to Prudence to help her friend up. "Can you walk?"
"I think so." Prudence toddled forward a couple of steps. "My right ankle hurts a little."
"That's all right. You can lean on me."
Samantha put an arm around Prudence, letting her friend lean against her as they started back towards the village.