Ese paced and paced around the swimming pool, looking into its whiteness, looking into its impurity- her gaze settled on her own filthy reflection, she was covered in mud from head to toe - she squirmed at the image looking back at her.

Taking three large steps backward, she ran forward but before she could free herself into the water, she heard it.

'You're too dirty' so she withdrew and ran out of the pool area, this was the sixth time this week.

As she walked by the park, she stood for a long time, staring at the fountain. She knew how much she needed to be clean. She wanted to run into the fountain and dance in its springs, but she dared not. She looked around, and in her head, everyone was judging her—they were pointing out her filth and laughing at how ruined her garments were, so she ran from there as well.

Locking the door behind her, she took slow steps to her room and made it to the bathroom.

Staring at herself in the mirror: filthy face, tousled hair, and mud-covered all in all. Even the tears were running from her filth. She broke down and sat on the bathroom floor

'What am I going to do, I'm so filthy' she covered her face and cried into her palm.

'Take a shower Ese' she heard the voice and raised her head, scanning around the bathroom, she was the only one there.

She thought she was running crazy, she was definitely crazy because her bucket of water just answered her- she stood up and moved closer to the mirror. She tried to clean herself, she started with her hair, and the more she parted it down - the more it protested so she cried even more.

'why are you crying?"

'I cannot get myself clean' she cried even more.

'Let me'

Ese was tired, she nodded her head frantically 'Okay then, okay what must I do?'

'Go outside'

'Why?'

silence.

'Why!?' It didn't seem logical to her.

After a while, she sat on the bathroom floor again and wept, was she ever going to be clean? was the filth ever going to leave, would her impurities be purified, will her body be washed? It seemed like such a distant dream like something that just could not happen. After a while, she stood up and walked outside. The sun was bright, and the grass was green but she was still filthy- she saw the tap outside, mounted courage, and went to it- she put it on and washed her face.

'it's coming off! it's coming off- I'm doing it' she screamed as she saw the muddy water and after hours, she ran inside and went back to the mirror. The reflection broke her heart. she was still filthy.

'I said let me'

'You lied- you told me to go outside, you deceived me' she cried even more,

'Go outside and wait'

'wait for what?' she asked frantically.

silence.

'This is a waste of time'

Days went to weeks, weeks went to more weeks, more weeks went to months, and months escalated to years- Ese was still filthy, still running after the next pool or the next fountain trying to clean herself up.

After scrubbing frantically and acquiring bruises, she dragged herself out of her bathtub and went outside, she stood outside for a while.

'This is a complete waste of time' she heard her mind say.

Then she sat down on the grass, determined to wait and see.

'You're smarter than this Ese, let's go back inside- you're not even that dirty, there are people so much dirtier than you are' She shook her head and lay down on the grass.

'I will wait and see what my Lord will do, He's the only one that can cleanse' she closed her eyes.

Ese did not know when she fell asleep- the raindrop that hit her face woke her, she opened her eyes to the evening darkness- how long had she been laying on the grass for, she looked up and before she could say anything. Torrents of rain started to pour down, Ese got up laughing, she lifted her hands and the mud came off, she moved her hands through her body and the filth lost grip of her - she jumped, she cried, she laughed- she tasted the rain and finally settled on dancing in the rain- after what felt like days, she ran up to her room and looked in the mirror, she stared at perfection and perfection stared at her back.

'Thank you Lord' she muttered.

'You're welcome child'