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Felicia as the girl with a million freckles
Mom as the girl's mother
Dad as the girl's father
Grandma as the girl's grandmother

Felicia had freckles. Millions and millions of freckles. Everywhere.

Felicia had freckles on her elbows and freckles on her nose. She had freckles on her fingers and freckles on her toes. Felicia even had freckles between her toes. She was sure she was the only person in the whole world with freckles BETWEEN her toes!

“I have more freckles than anyone in the WHOLE WORLD!” Felicia wailed. “I wish they’d all go away!”

Felicia’s Mom and Dad always tried to be cheerful about Felicia’s freckles.

“Baby seals and baby deer have freckles,” they told her. “But they outgrow them and so will you.”

They were always so cheerful about Felicia’s freckles. Of course, it was easy to be cheerful if you didn’t have millions of freckles.

Felicia’s Grandma was always cheerful about Felicia’s freckles, too.

“I had freckles when I was your age,” Grandma told her. “But they all went away.”

“No they didn’t,” Felicia said, pointing to the brown spots on Grandma’s hands.

“Those aren’t freckles,” said You Grandma. “Those are liver spots. You get them when you grow old.”

Felicia thought that was a good name for them. Because eating liver was almost as bad as having millions of freckles.

Felicia was always trying to dream up new ways to get rid of her freckles.

One day she tried tomato juice.

“If tomato juice can take the skunk smell out of a dog’s fur,” Felicia thought, “then maybe it can take millions of freckles off a kid’s skin.”

Felicia filled the bathtub with tomato juice from the pantry. She used eight cans. Then she added some warm water.

“Here goes,” said Felicia. She took off her clothes and climbed in.

The tomato juice was thick and oozy. Felicia felt like a meatball floating in a big pot of spaghetti sauce. “I hope this works,” she said. Then she sank in right up to her ears.

After ten minutes, Felicia peeked at her feet. Millions of freckles were still there.

“I guess it isn’t working,” Felicia said. She licked tomato juice off her lips.

“OH NO! Felicia!” her Mom said, when she found her in the tub.

“My freckles didn’t go away,” Felicia said.

“Can’t you understand that we like your freckles, Felicia?”

“I know. But I don’t,” said Felicia. Then they both cleaned up Felicia and the mess.

One day Felicia tried lemon juice.

“Lemon juice keeps the apples from turning brown in Mom’s fruit salad,” Felicia thought. “Maybe it will take millions of freckles off a kid’s skin.”

Felicia poured a whole bottle of lemon juice into the bathtub. She added three cans of lemonade that she found in the freezer. Then she added some warm water.

“Here goes,” said Felicia. She took off her clothes and climbed in. The lemon juice felt cold and tingly. Felicia had a little sip. It tasted sour. “Needs sugar,” she said.

“OH, Felicia! Not again!” said her Mom when she found her.

“My freckles didn’t go away,” Felicia said.

Felicia’s Mom wrapped a big, fluffy towel around her.

“We like your freckles, Felicia. We really do.”

“I know. But I don’t,” Felicia said.

Then one day Felicia found a jar of vanishing cream on her Grandma’s dresser. The label said “apply sparingly to spots”.

“Grandma must use this on her liver spots,” Felicia said. “Maybe it will work on a kid’s freckles.”

Felicia rubbed a little on one hand, just to test it. She couldn’t believe it - her freckles disappeared!

“It works!” Felicia said. “It really works!”

`Felicia rubbed the cream on her face and neck. She slathered the cream all over her arms and legs. She rubbed it all over, even between her toes.

“That should do it,” said Felicia. Then she looked in the mirror. Felicia’s freckles were gone.

SO WAS FELICIA!

“OH NO” she wailed.

Felicia’s Mom and Dad came running to Grandma’s room. Grandma came running too.

“Felicia? Where are you?” said her Mom.

“I’m right here,” Felicia said in a small voice.

“WHERE?” everyone asked.

“DON’T PLAY SILLY GAMES, FELICIA,” her Dad said in a loud voice.

Felicia’s family was scared. They looked everywhere in Grandma’s room. They looked in the closet and under the bed. Then they searched for Felicia all over the rest of the house.

“It’s no use,” Felicia’s Mom said. “We can’t find her anywhere. All we have left is her voice!”

Felicia started to cry.

“I’m right here,” she said. “I just wanted my freckles to go away. I used Grandma’s vanishing cream.”

“VANISHING CREAM!” everyone said.

“Well that explains it,” said Grandma. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait for it to wear off, dear. And next time, remember to read the label more carefully!”

Then Felicia had an idea. She went into the bathroom and filled up the tub. She made the water nice and warm. She added her favorite bubble bath, the kind that smelled like grape bubble gum.

Felicia climbed in. She squeezed her eyes shut and sank in right up to her ears. She let the warm water wash all over her. Then she peeked at her feet. They were there! Two small feet with millions of freckles. Even between her toes!

“Yipee! I’m back,” Felicia cried. “I’m back!”

Felicia’s Mom went dashing in. She wrapped her in a big, fluffy towel and hugged her tightly. Dad, Grandma crowded into the bathroom behind them.

“Well, look who’s here!” said Grandma.

“Welcome home, sweetie,” said her Dad.

“I’m back,” Felicia said. “Freckles and all!”