Ten Too Many

green. just... green

Sitting in the bathtub was a blob of green. It waved happily.

"Hi Wexi! I pwetty," it said.

I leaned back on the counter. "Mason? How did that happen?"

"It just happened," Jayden mumbled.

I whirled around to face them. "How does a little boy turn into a giant... asparagus in half an hour?"

Mason looked at his hands. "I don't wanna be a 'sparagus. Don't wanna!"

I felt like laughing or crying, not sure which. "Did you try washing it?"

Jordan shifted. "With rubbing alcohol, and window spray."

My eyes widened and I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay, that... Oh, never mind. Just what are we gonna do?"

They shrugged.

"Well," I said, "Hold on a minute."

I went to my room and unplugged my phone from the charger. When I was in the bathroom again, I told them, "Alright, I'll help, but you guys have to tell me what happened when we finish. Now, what kind of paint is it?"

Jayden ran down to the barn and came back with Landon in his wake. "Water-based house paint. It's really old."

I searched how to remove water-based paint and looked up to find them all staring at me. "What?"

Jordan looked away. "You're a lot calmer than we expected."

"Uh, yeah, but that is not important right now. How should we clean him off?"

Jordan shrugged. "Just run a bath I suppose."

I rolled my eyes. "Well no shit, Sherlocke."

Landon used his foot to turn on the water, and Jayden handed me a bottle of soap.

I looked skeptically at the label. "Dawn?"

Jordan grinned at me and gestured to Mason. "If they use it to clean oil off ducklings, we can use it to clean paint off this little troll."

Mason pouted. "I norra troll."

I laughed and reached to pull his shirt over his head. "You're adorable. Ok, sit down and we have to scrub this off."

He sat compliantly and Jordan squeezed bubbles into the water. "Do we use a sponge?"

I looked at him sideways. "What type of sponge are you talking about? No, I think washcloths would work."

The older twins knelt on either side of me on the edge of the tub and started scrubbing Mason's arms. I stood back for a second and then grabbed shampoo. "It better not dry in his hair or we'll never get it out."

I squeezed a pile onto his head and started working it through his green curls.

Landon giggled delightedly. "He's turning the water green."

I poured a cup of water over his head to rinse out the suds. There were specks of green n is usually blonde hair, but it would have to work. "At least he's turning less green. How did this happen anyway?"

Jordan shrugged. "Uhhh..."

I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged with a sheepish green. "Last week Mom made peanut butter M'n'M cookies for the church, and we knew where they were hidden."

I held up a hand. "Your mom has to hide things from you?"

Landon grinned and Jayden took up the story. "They were on the top shelf in the garage and none of us were light enough to climb up it. Then Mason walked in."