of the clean house

The tale of the clean house

Elena is 6 years old. She was born a preemie. Her mother had AIDS. Elena immediately went under treatment and she now is HIV-negative.
Elena was admitted to an orphanage when she was 2 years old. There, she was probably abused by a boy 3 years older than her, whom she thought was her friend.
A pair of foster parents sheltered Elena when she was 3 1/2 years old. They adopted her together with her biological sister.


Elena tells a story about a Girl, who wants to clean all the time. The Girl lives with her mother and her father. The father works as a ‘butterfly’ and folds paper butterflies, which he gives to his friends.

The Girl goes to a Christmas celebration, where she sings and dances. When she comes back home, she finds her mother. The mother is tired. She tells the Girl to clean the house. The Girl cleans the floor and sings for her mother. She wants the mother to fall asleep. When the mother is tired, she sweats and her face gets red. The mother falls asleep. The now tired Girl goes to her room to read a book. She likes reading because the letters seem very beautiful to her.

The mother wakes up and cooks pancakes. The Girl and her mother eat them silently. After the meal, the mother’s mood improves. She plays a card game, “Uno,” with the Girl. The mother wins and laughs. Sometimes, when the mother loses, she goes to the kitchen and cleans everything with a rag.

The Girl is a bit sad and tired, but she still wants to clean – her mother and father like the house to be clean.

When the father comes back home, the Girl and her mother are busy cleaning the house. They want the father to see them working. While they are cleaning, the father watches TV. Once the house is clean, they all go to sleep.

Created by Elena 6 yr.

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