Mollie began to lead Clover towards the main house on the property. Clover neared the lights of the house and began to shake.

"Where are we going? I can't go there - I'm scared."

Mollie understood and turned to her.

"Stand over there in the shadows. I'll show you how life can be."

Mollie boldly walked to a window at the house and tapped on it loudly with her nose.

Clover ducked behind a bush in fear.

Immediately a light went on, the window was flung upwards and the excited face of a young girl and a gentle-faced dog appeared with their hands and paws on the windowsill.

"Mollie!" Amy cried. "Are you okay?"

Amy disappeared momentarily and returned to the window with a sugar lump.

Mollie accepted the sugar and nuzzled against Amy's hand.

Then Mollie stood back and began scratching in the dirt with her hoof. Amy disappeared again from the window and returned to shine a torchlight on the dirt at Mollie's hooves.

Slowly and laboriously Mollie scratched at the dirt, her face furrowed with concentration, and lips sucked in with focus.

Amy stayed at the window and waited patiently, softly murmuring words of encouragement.

After what seemed an eternity, Mollie finished. Amy could tell it was a message but, to her, it was upside down. She jumped through the window with the dog and torch and stood beside Mollie.

It was a bit rough and difficult to read, but Amy persisted and finally said with awe, "Boxer's friend."

Mollie nickered quietly and out from the bushes stepped a trembling Clover.

Clover heard an intake of air and a squeal of delight as Amy raced towards her with arms outstretched.

Clover automatically stepped back with fear.

"Don't be afraid Clover," Mollie said. "She won't hurt you."

Clover slowly put her head forward to Amy's hand and sniffed her fingers. Gradually she relaxed.

After a while, Mollie walked to the bedroom window and nodded towards something on the bedside table. Amy knew straight away what she wanted and clambered through the window again, returning with a book in her hand.

"I know what Mollie wants to show you," Amy said. "Let's go down to Boxer's stall and have a look."

With her torch guiding the way Amy led Mollie, Clover and the dog down to the barn.

Having reached the barn, Amy and Mollie tiptoed, so they would not awaken the other sleeping animals. But one animal woke and hurled itself toward Clover with frightening intensity. Clover's throat tightened and, out of instinct, she reared up in terror. For running toward her at the speed of light was a pig.

Her hooves landed on the barn floor with a loud clatter.

Unlike at Animal Farm, the noise didn't seem to bother the sleeping animals. Some of the animals raised their eyes sleepily, saw Amy, Mollie and the pig, and peacefully went back to sleep.

"Jeremy," called Mollie. "This is Boxer's friend, Clover. She is afraid of pigs, so please give her some space."

Jeremy immediately stood back to give Clover some room.

"I'm so sorry to have frightened you," he said to Clover.

He tried to move further back and act calm, but his wiggling tail belied his excitement.

Amy led Mollie and a shaking Clover to a stable stall. Above the door to the stall was a sign with a painting of a horse, unmistakably Boxer, with a white stripe on his nose and his name in beautiful gold writing.

Amy settled herself first on the floor. The dog and Mollie went next and lay down gently near Amy. Tentatively Clover followed suit and lay down.

Jeremy, the pig, hung anxiously at the doorway, his tail still wiggling in excitement.

"Just be patient Jeremy," Amy called.

So he stayed where he was.

Once everyone was seated Amy shone the torch at the book in her hands, making sure both Mollie and Clover could see it.

When Amy opened the book Clover expected to see words she couldn't understand. Instead she saw photographs. Her heart jumped and ached at the same time.

The first photo showed Boxer the day he had arrived at the farm – in this very stable - weak and exhausted, with Amy and Mollie by his side. He looked broken in the photo, years of hard work and illness etched across his face.

"It hurts to look at this photo," said Amy sadly. "He was treated so badly."

She turned the page and another photo appeared.

"This was taken a few weeks later," Mollie said. "Look at his eyes - he had life in them for the first time since he arrived."

Clover looked closely and could see the spark that Mollie spoke of. She could see in the photo that a music box was behind Boxer and he was standing tall.

"Beasts of England," Mollie nickered.

The next photo made Clover catch her breath. In the photo Amy, Mollie and Boxer were lying together in the stall. Amy was reading a book to Boxer and showing him a picture. Boxer had his nose pressed right against the picture and was smiling broadly. But what shocked Clover the most was that tucked into Boxer's arm, was a tiny, sleeping piglet.

"That was Jeremy as a baby," Amy pointed to the photo. "He was the runt of the litter. His mother abandoned him, so he slept with Boxer who kept him warm and safe."

Clover looked towards the doorway where Jeremy stood, his eyes glistening, trembling still with his emotions.

Clover stared at him for a long time.

Finally, Jeremy said, "I loved Boxer, too." His voice wobbled. "And he loved me."

Clover's eyes softened and she held out her hoof.

"Come," she said. "Please sit with us."

Jeremy didn't need a second invitation. Before Clover could blink he had thrown himself into her arms and tucked himself in. Clover could feel his heart madly beating against her own.

There were more photos. Photos of Amy hugging Boxer; one of Mollie and Boxer quietly talking; one of Boxer, Jeremy and Mollie with their heads thrown in the air laughing.

"He tried so hard to get better," said Amy.

The next set of photos showed Boxer getting stronger.

"And then Boxer learnt to write," said Amy proudly.

The photos showed Boxer scratching in the dirt as Molly had done earlier. Some showed crude A, B and C's, while others recorded symbols.

"Look Clover, this was Boxer with a four-leaf-clover he drew," said Mollie.

"He said he loved Clover," Jeremy told her, pointing to another heart-shaped symbol.

It all became too much for Clover, overwhelmed with emotion. She sobbed out loud, her emotions completely taking over.

For a long time they sat crying, all of them overcome with memories of Boxer.

"There's one more photo," Amy said after some time.

"This is Boxer's message," said Mollie. "He finished this the day before he died."

Amy turned the page.

Boxer stood so proudly in the photo. It reminded Clover of his younger days, such a strapping, muscly, beautiful boy.

In the dirt a single word was scratched. It was a long word. Clover recognised it started with a 'c'.

"I don't know what that word is," she told Mollie. "What does it say?"

"Choices," said Mollie. "It says choices."

Clover knew the word, but she struggled to comprehend what meaning Boxer had been trying to convey.

"It was the last thing that Boxer and I ever talked about," said Mollie. "He said he wished he had made different choices in his life. He wished he hadn't made the choice to work so hard for the humans or the pigs. I told him I wished I hadn't been so silly and vain when I was younger.

But Boxer decided that choices could be changed. He wanted to get better so he could come back and tell you that in person. He wanted all of the animals at Animal Farm to know that there were still choices you could make."

"Boxer told me that he made a choice to love me always," said Jeremy with pride.

"Yes, he did," said Mollie, stroking his head. "And he promised to try and watch over you always."

Jeremy's eyes struggled to stay open and within minutes he was asleep in Clover's arms. Every now and again his eyes would twitch and a little snort would erupt from his snout as he tried valiantly to stay awake.

"He's so beautiful," said Amy, looking at Jeremy fondly as she began to softly sing the alphabet to him.

The night of action finally caught up with Clover and, along with Mollie, she found herself also drifting off to the soothing lullaby.