The clouds remain dark overhead. A young boy dressed in a yellow raincoat stomps through the mud in red boots. A mangy mutt chases after him, circling and barking at the boy. The boy giggles and runs after the dog, stomping in every muddy puddle as he does. The dog barks more and runs, leading the boy further into the rain and mud.
The dog rolls in the mud a few yards away. When the boy reaches him, he drops to the ground and rolls as well. Once the boy and dog alike are caked in mud, the boy stands and runs back the way he came. The dog rises and bounds after him. The boy reaches the house with the white picked fence before the dog, slamming the gate closed before the dog can enter the yard. The boy shakes his finger at the dog who barks at him in return.
The boy turns and runs through the yard, then up the stairs to the front door. He turns the handle to find the door unlocked. He enters the house and runs directly to the bathroom, leaving muddy footprints behind on the wooden floor. He quickly strips out of his raincoat, boots, shirt, and shoes until he is bare. He turns to look at the white tub to see a woman kneeling next to it with a smile on her face.
The boy climbs into the tub and turns on the faucet and plugs the drain. The woman watches him. He reaches for the bottle of shampoo and rubs the suds between his hands. He dunks his head under the water and slathers the suds into his hair as he rises back up to sit. The woman takes over scrubbing the soap in his hair as he lathers his body with soapy suds, turning off the faucet when the water reaches halfway. The boy leans into the woman’s touch as she massages his head with the shampoo, his eyes drifting closed.
“What did you tell you?” a man’s voice barks down the hall.
The boy’s eyes snap open. The man is standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a scowl marring his face.
“You know better than to track mud all over the house!” the man growls.
The boy nods and turns to look at the woman. She is gone.
“Clean it up,” the man demands, turns, and leaves.
The boy sinks down into the water and scrubs the shampoo out of his hair.