On a bright, sunny morning, Kiko was bounding back and forth across the meadow, hopping and frolicking. Kiko was a foal, and she had so much energy that it seemed she could jump around all day long.
Suddenly her mother called out to her:
Kiko, sweetheart, come and brush your mane. We haven't brushed it yet today!
“Brushing again,” Kiko thought grumpily. She could wash in the pond, she liked brushing her teeth, and she could even put on her own horseshoes, but brushing was boring, unpleasant and sometimes painful.
Mom, Kiko said.
Yes, sweetheart, her mother replied.
Mom, if I don't brush, will I still be pretty?
Of course you will, you're always pretty!
Then why brush at all? It's unpleasant and sometimes painful. And boring too!
If you don't brush, you'll still be pretty, but untidy. And brushing is good for your hair.
What does “untidy” mean?
It means not neat, her mother replied.
Kiko sighed and stood in front of her mother, who began brushing her mane.
When it was done, Kiko galloped off to see her friends. The first one she met was Barnaby the peacock.
Hi, Barnaby the peacock!
Hello, foal Kiko!
Barnaby, are you a handsome peacock?
Of course I am, what, can't you see?
Why do you need such a fluffy tail?
When I fan it out, I become even more beautiful! Barnaby replied.
“So when I brush my mane, I become even more beautiful too,” Kiko thought, and galloped on.
Then she met the cat Fiona. She was sitting under a tree, licking her paw and running it over her head.
Fiona, are you brushing yourself? Kiko asked.
Mhm, purr, Fiona replied.
Why do you do that?
That's how I look after myself and get rid of fleas that might settle in my fur.
“So I get rid of fleas too when Mom brushes me,” Kiko thought.
That evening, as Kiko drifted off to sleep, she thought about what had happened.
The next day, when it was time to brush, Kiko asked her mother:
Mom, if I don't brush, will I be untidy, not so pretty, and get fleas?
Well, fleas won't appear in just one day, her mother replied.
So if I skip brushing for one day, nothing bad will happen?
Yes, her mother replied, nothing bad will happen in just one day.
Kiko grinned and asked:
Mooom. Could this be the day? Can I skip brushing today?
Her mother thought for a moment and said:
Alright, Kiko, you can skip brushing today.
Yaaay! Kiko shouted, galloping off to her favourite meadow.
But tomorrow you must brush for sure! her mother called after her.
For sure! Kiko repeated from far away.
And she galloped across her favourite meadow with her slightly tangled mane, tousled by the wind, and was a little untidy, but just as pretty.
