When the boards of the lid split, a faint moan was heard from inside the coffin. At first, I thought it was an illusion — nerves, fatigue, grief. But the man standing next to me went pale and whispered:

— He… is breathing.

Everyone froze. A man ran inside, lifted the rest of the lid, and leaning over the body confirmed:
— There’s a pulse! Quickly, call an ambulance!

The crowd buzzed, people began rushing around. Astoria snorted and struck with her hooves as if urging us on. Within minutes the coffin was replaced with a stretcher, and the body — now alive — of my husband was carried to the ambulance.

Later the doctors explained: he had fallen into a state similar to a deep coma, and all signs pointed to death. Only the horse apparently sensed that he was still alive.

Now he is slowly recovering, and every time we go out to the yard, Astoria comes and quietly lays her head on his shoulder. And I have no more doubt — animals sometimes see and feel things that we cannot understand.