Lala was in a perfectly cheerful mood—until she walked into the living room and saw it.
The dreaded mountain.
The forbidden hill.
The monstrous pile of dirty clothes that seemed to grow bigger every single day.
She stood there with her tiny hands on her hips, her brows furrowing into the most serious little frown she could manage. Socks hung off the edge like exhausted climbers. A wrinkled shirt slumped over the arm of the couch. And a towel—her favorite soft towel—was buried somewhere underneath it all. Unacceptable.
Lala puffed out her cheeks in frustration. “Dad!” she called, stomping her little feet for extra dramatic effect. “This is too messy!”
Dad peeked from the kitchen with an innocent smile. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Lala marched over, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the scene of crime. She pointed at the clothes with all the authority of a tiny general. “Dad. Look. This… this mess must go. Now!”
Dad tried not to laugh, but Lala’s seriousness made it impossible not to smile. “I see,” he said, nodding like a soldier receiving orders. “Operation Laundry?”
“Yes!” Lala declared. “Immediately!”
Without wasting a moment, she began gathering the clothes—one sock, two socks, a shirt, a towel. She scrunched up her nose every time she lifted something smelly, shaking her hand as if she had touched a frog. Dad followed behind, carrying a basket, watching proudly as Lala worked with determination.
Once everything was collected, Lala stood in front of the washing machine like a supervisor ready to inspect her worker. Dad let her push the buttons. She pressed them carefully, her tongue sticking out in concentration. When the machine began to rumble and spin, she jumped back, then laughed loudly. “It’s dancing, Dad!”
Dad scooped her into a hug. “Thanks for helping, my hard-working girl.”
Lala crossed her arms proudly. “We did it. No more mess.”
And when the clothes were finally washed and warm from the dryer, Lala wrapped herself in her freshly cleaned towel, sighing with satisfaction.
A clean home, a clean towel, and a very happy Lala.
Mission accomplished.
