It was a regular afternoon when Monkey Lyly had one of her usual adventures in the backyard. She had just finished digging around in the flower pots, rolling in the dust, and exploring under the table where her mom had swept up leaves. By the time she was done playing, Lyly was completely covered in dirt—from her tiny feet to her fluffy tail. Even her little face had streaks of mud!
Her mom was inside preparing snacks, completely unaware of the little mess monster that would soon walk through the door. But to her surprise, she didn’t hear any cries for help or see dirty footprints trailing across the floor. Instead, the house was unusually quiet.
Curious and slightly worried, her mom peeked around the corner—and that’s when she heard the water running in the bathroom.
To her shock, there was Lyly… standing in the tub, happily splashing water on herself and rubbing her arms like she had seen her mom do during bath time. A small towel was on the floor, and there was even a bit of shampoo on her head—though most of it had ended up on her ears and back.
“Lyly! What are you doing?” her mom gasped, both amused and amazed.
Lyly looked up with her big, proud eyes and said, “I dirty, Mommy. I clean now!”
Her mom couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t perfect—there was more water on the floor than in the tub, and Lyly had used way too much soap—but it was the thought that melted her heart. Lyly had remembered everything her mom had taught her and tried to clean herself because she didn’t want to make the house messy.
After helping her rinse off properly and mopping up the water, her mom gave her a big hug. “You’re such a big girl, Lyly,” she said with a smile.
That night, they told the story over dinner, and everyone laughed at the brave little monkey who decided to take matters—and the bathtub—into her own hands.
