The driveway smelled like a mix of green apple dish soap and swamp water. Leo’s mission was simple: get Barnaby the Golden Retriever clean before Mom got home. The only problem? Barnaby liked being a mud monster.
About this story
Barnaby the golden retriever has wrestled a mud puddle and is now brown from nose to tail. Leo grabs the hose and his sister Chloe pours half a bottle of apple shampoo into a bucket. Barnaby takes one look at the bucket and runs.
Ages: 5–9 · Reading time: about 4 minutes
Moral: Even a chore can be fun if you do it together.
Leo gripped the garden hose like a firefighter. The sun was baking the asphalt, making the air feel thick and humid. In front of him stood Barnaby, a Golden Retriever who had recently decided to wrestle a mud puddle. He was no longer golden; he was a crusty, earthy brown from nose to tail.
“Initiate Operation Bubble-Bath!” Leo shouted. His little sister, Chloe, dumped a half-bottle of “Apple Blast” shampoo into a bucket. Glub-glub-fizz! The bubbles rose like a fluffy white mountain. The air suddenly smelled like a candy shop, but Barnaby wasn’t buying it. He let out a low wuff and his ears flattened. He knew that look. He knew that bucket.
Leo turned on the water. Hiss-shhh-spray! The cold water hit Barnaby’s paws. Barnaby didn’t bark. He didn’t growl. He simply turned into a furry ninja. With one giant BOING, he leaped over the bucket and sprinted toward the backyard, leaving a trail of muddy paw prints on the white fence. Slap-thud-slap-thud!
The Great Bubble Shake
“He’s headed for the rosebushes!” Chloe screamed, waving a giant blue sponge. They cornered him near the porch. Leo managed to get a handful of suds onto Barnaby’s back. Squish-scrub-rub. For a second, everything was calm. Barnaby looked like he was wearing a soapy white tuxedo. He looked dignified. He looked clean.
Then, the “Vibration” started. It began in Barnaby’s nose and traveled all the way down his spine. “Cover your eyes!” Leo yelled, but it was too late. Wiggle-waggle-whirr! Barnaby shook his entire body with the force of a hurricane. A cloud of apple-scented bubbles flew everywhere. They hit Leo’s glasses. They hit Chloe’s hair. They even hit the mailman, Mr. Higgins, as he walked by. Splut-splat-pop!
Chloe wiped a glob of foam off her nose. “Well,” she giggled, “at least the driveway is clean now.” Barnaby, now mostly golden again, let out a happy sneeze and sat down on his haunches, waiting for his treat. His tail went thump-thump-thump against the wet concrete.
Leo looked at his soapy sneakers and his wet shirt. He didn’t mind. The mud was gone, the dog was soft, and the whole driveway smelled like a fresh orchard. He realized that the best part of a chore wasn’t finishing it—it was the bubbly disaster that happened along the way.
___By the time Mom pulled into the driveway, the kids were dry and Barnaby was napping in a patch of sun, smelling like a prize-winning apple. Leo hid the empty shampoo bottle behind his back and gave a thumbs-up. Mission accomplished.
