English: #2000c2||French: #940025||Irish: #199400

Elizabeth tiptoed up the stairs, carrying the purple dye she had received as a present. Her parents were out with their friends and her grandparents were already sound asleep. It didn't matter about her brother, he was busy putting together some puzzles that their other grandparents had sent him.

She carefully set the bowl on the floor and poured the water from the cup in her hand into the bowl. Then, making a quick dash, she ran downstairs to put the cup in the sink before running back upstairs. Now she could start on her hair at last!

Working from the instructions on the package, she was glad that her mom insisted on her washing her hair every night while at home. Now she could just turn on her fan for a few minutes before starting. But a few minutes was a long time for her so she would have to find something to do.

Finally, she put the book she'd been reading away and walked back to the bowl. Lying down, she immersed her hair before quickly taking it out again. Then, she started putting in the hair dye. She knew by the package that it only lasted six weeks. But, she'd very carefully hidden the other package from her parents' sight so she could have more later.

After nearly an hour and a half, she glanced in the mirror by the stairs and smiled at her purple-haired self. Taking care not to spill the remaining little bit of water, she tiptoed downstairs and made sure to put the bowl in the sink before running back up. She'd showered before her parents had left so all she had to do now was lay in bed.

However, she forgot that her mom loved to hug them goodnight around their bedtime. So, when they came into the house and her mom called her down, she realized her mistake. As she slowly descended down the stairs, her mom gasped with shock and her father hid his laughter behind his coat that he had just taken off.

As soon as her mom had recovered, the first thing she said was, "You are grounded missy." Slumped, Elizabeth muttered an apology and turned to go back upstairs. "Good night hun. And please, don't do that again." Her mother said softly, and she was enveloped in a hug. "Night mum. I'm sorry." Elizabeth murmured and dejectedly dragged her feet up the stairs to bed.