Painting time! Elina puts on the paint smock and lines up the bright paint jars. Today's big plan: a great big purple dinosaur with a friendly smile. What fun this will be!
Uh-oh! One bump of the elbow and the purple paint jar tips right over. Drip, drip — a big purple splotch blooms on the cream carpet, spreading wider and wider. Elina freezes on the spot.
"Oh no, oh no!" Elina's heart goes thump-thump, thump-thump. The purple stain seems to grow bigger and bigger the longer Elina looks. Even the paintbrush lies very still on the floor.
Quietly, quietly, Elina folds the rug corner over the stain and pats it down flat. "Now… nobody can see it, right?" But one tiny edge of purple still peeks out.
But Elina's tummy feels like it's holding a big heavy stone. Elina sits on the bottom step, all alone and quiet. A hidden secret is no fun at all — not even a little bit.
Elina takes a deep, deep breath and stands up tall. Little fists squeeze tight with courage. "I'm going to tell Mom." One brave step, then another, toward the warm kitchen light.
"Mom, I spilled the paint and stained the carpet. I'm sorry." Elina tells the truth in a small, small voice, twisting the hem of the smock. Mom listens quietly, all the way to the end.
Mom opens her arms and pulls Elina into a big warm hug. "Telling the truth was the brave part," she says softly. The heavy stone in Elina's tummy melts right away.
Side by side, Elina and Mom kneel at the carpet and scrub with soapy cloths. Squish, squish, squish! The bubbles tickle, and the purple stain fades and fades, lighter and lighter.
The next day, Elina paints happily again — this time with a big old sheet spread under the easel. Swish, swish goes the purple brush. Feeling light inside feels wonderful — like floating!