Betsy's Big Itch

  "Let's play on the swings!"  Betsy called to her older sisters as they ran into the neighbourhood park.  After three days of rain, the girls couldn't wait to get outside and play.

  "Oh no, there are puddles under the swings.  Maybe we should play on the slide instead," Wendy, the oldest, said.

  "Oh Wendy, you're always telling us what to do.  We can lift our feet above the water while we swing." Lori argued.

  Betsy ignored her sisters and ran to play on the swings.  She loved them the best.  All three sisters were soon laughing and giggling together.  Soon, Betsy decided she wanted to play on the merry-go-round.  She tried to jump over the puddle but as she was jumping off the swing, it tipped backward and Betsy tumbled right into a huge puddle!  She was soaked all over.  Her sisters tried to reach toward her and pull her out from the edge of the puddle, but they fell in with a big splash.

  "We better go home and take a bath."  Wendy said.

  "That's a good idea," agreed Lori.  Betsy wanted to keep playing, but she tagged along anyway.

  When the girls got home, their mother was horrified.  "You must have a bath right now!" she said.  "Pull your dirty clothes off here in the mud room and go straight to the bathroom to clean up."  Wendy and Lori did it right away.  They always had a good time in the tub, but Betsy hated baths.  She didn't like water in her face and the soap stung when it got in her eyes, and if she splashed too much her mom would getgrumpy.

  Instead of going to the bathroom, Betsy plodded along to her room, she put on some clean clothes.  As she stood in front of her mirror brushing muddy bits out of her long hair, Betsy's mother walked past her room.

  "Aren't you supposed to be in the bathtub, Betsy?" her mother asked, looking her up and down.

  "I'm done already,"  Betsy answered.

  "You don't look very clean," Mother said doubtfully.  "Maybe you should go wash up again."

  "Oh, o.k. Mom." Betsy replied.  She went to the bathroom and looked at her sisters in the tub.  Betsy wished she liked baths as much as they did.  When her sisters were done, Betsy splashed her hand in the water, pretending to take a bath.

  The next day, the girls were playing tea party in the yard.  Betsy reached across in front of Lori for some sugar "Girl, you are really stinky!" Lori exclaimed.

  "I am not!" shouted Betsy

  "You are, kinda." Wendy agreed with Lori.

  Betsy jumped up and ran into the house, she ran all the way to her bedroom.  She flopped on the bed and hid her face in the pillow.  As she lay there, Betsy noticed an itchy place on her leg.  She scratched it.  Suddenly Betsy noticed some flakes had come off where she scratched.  Then, there was another itchy spot, when Betsy scratched that too, more flakes came off.

  "Oh!  My skin is coming off!"  Betsy exclaimed.  Betsy ran to the bathroom to look in the big mirror.  Then she remembered that Mother sometimes put a cold cloth on itches.  She decided to try it.  Betsy got a washcloth, ran some cold water over it and put it on the itchy spot on her leg.  While she pressed the cloth to her knee some water trailed down to her ankle.  There was an itch on her ankle, so Betsy put the cloth there next.  Betsy noticed that the itch on her knee was gone and where the cloth had been, her skin looked a nice rosy pink.  The rest of her skin around the spot was kind of grey and was getting itchy too.  Betsy moved the washcloth to the new itchy spot.  Then, she noticed her ankle was not itchy and it was rosy too.

  Betsy thought to herself" maybe the grey parts of my skin are dirty and that's why it itches.  I wonder what would happen if I use the cloth to clean my legs?"

  Betsy filled sink with warm water and used the soap that smelled like roses.  When her legs were clean, Betsy thought about how nice they felt and looked.  She wanted the rest of her to look and feel that way.  Betsy ran a bath with only a few inches of water in it and scrubbed everywhere.

  After Betsy dried off she started to go out to play again.  Mother saw Betsy as she hopped through the kitchen.  "My you look pretty today," She said with a smile.

  "Thanks, Mom," Betsy, giggled "I feel really good!"