Once upon a time, in a cozy little cottage surrounded by rolling hills, there lived a mother cat named Tabitha Twitchit and her three curious kittens: Tom, Mittens, and Moppet. It was a bright and sunny day, and Tabitha wanted her kittens to look their best. She dressed them in the cutest little outfits: Tom in a blue suit, Moppet in a pink dress, and Mittens in yellow. "Now, stay clean while I prepare lunch," she told them. "And remember—no messes!"

The kittens nodded, but as soon as Tabitha turned her back, they giggled. Being neat and tidy wasn’t much fun, and the garden outside looked so tempting. Off they went, their tiny shoes clacking on the path.

First, they marched through the garden beds. Tom tried to avoid the flowers, but he tripped over a bush and landed with a squish in the soft dirt. "Oh no! Your suit!" cried Mittens, but she ended up stepping in a puddle herself. Soon, Moppet joined the chaos, slipping and sliding through the mud. Before long, their beautiful clothes were covered in smudges, stains, and little bits of leaves.

Suddenly, they heard a loud "honk-honk!" The kittens looked up to see three waddling ducks making their way toward them. "What’s all this mess?" quacked the biggest duck, eyeing their muddy outfits. "Don’t you know how to stay clean?"

Tom, thinking quickly, said, "We’re—we’re playing! Yes, it’s a game!"

"A silly game," chuckled the duck. "But if you’re having fun, carry on." And with that, the ducks went splashing through a puddle, spraying water everywhere. The kittens squealed with laughter and joined in, jumping and splashing until there wasn’t a dry spot on them.

But their giggles died down when they heard a familiar voice calling, "Tom! Mittens! Moppet! Where are you?" It was Tabitha Twitchit, and she didn’t sound happy. The kittens froze. They looked at each other, then at their clothes. They were a mess! There wasn’t a single clean button left on their outfits.

Panicking, they ran to the tool shed and shimmied out of their muddy clothes. They hid the messiest parts behind a rake and tiptoed back into the house wearing only their fur. When Tabitha found them, her whiskers twitched. "Where are your clothes?" she asked suspiciously.

"They... um... must’ve run off!" Tom stammered. Mittens nodded vigorously, and Moppet tried to look as innocent as possible.

Tabitha didn’t believe them for a second. She stepped outside, followed a trail of muddy paw prints, and found their soggy outfits in the shed. She sighed but couldn’t help smiling a little. Kittens will be kittens, after all.

That afternoon, she let them play without their clothes, and they tumbled through the garden as happy as could be. When it was time for tea, Tabitha gave them a good scrub and made sure they were warm and dry. "It's not about staying perfectly clean," she said as they snuggled together. "It’s about enjoying the day—just maybe not ruining your clothes next time!"

And from then on, the kittens always remembered to ask before jumping into puddles... most of the time.