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child-competence
Melissa, a scarred child stable-hand, demonstrates surprising skill and independence, challenging assumptions about vulnerability and appearance.
1 chapter across 1 book
Dreamsnake (1978)Vonda N. McIntyre
Chapter 7
In Chapter 7 of Dreamsnake, Snake wakes before Gabriel and reflects on their uneasy intimacy due to his fertility issues, gaining empathy for his loneliness. Later, she encounters Melissa, a scarred but competent stable-hand child, and confronts the stablemaster's cruelty towards her. The chapter ends with Snake being attacked and robbed of her serpent-case, which she recovers after a brief struggle, leaving her bruised but unharmed.