This is Ria. Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People. Tiny people, do you like to get messy?

Raise your hand if you like to get messy. I bet some of you are not so into getting messy. Raise your hand if you like to stay clean.

Either way, it's cool. I think some of us are just born loving, mud, and dirt and paint on our fingers. And some of us are not.

My guest today is someone who is always clean. I tried to think, who is always clean? It came to me. A fish, a fish lives in water.

Okay, so it could be dirty water, but a fish and a fish tank, clean. Anyway, so I have this fish here. His name is Darius.

After I invited Darius on the show, I realized something that might create a little bit of a hiccup. Fish aren't the most conversational animals.

They kind of stare straight ahead. It's not really clear if they're looking at you or know that you're even there.

Clearly, I didn't think this through. So, yeah, Darius is here. He's a nice-looking beta fish, and he has a beautiful tail that swirls through the water.

As he swims around. Darius, I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions. And if the answer is yes, just look me in the eye.

Can we? Okay, let's just try this. Darius, do you like stories? I think he's... is he looking at me?

Ah, yes, he's looking at me. Or over my shoulder, but I'm counting it as a yes, because I mean, that was a giveaway question.

Everyone likes stories. Darius, it seems like you're content to live in a clean environment.

But do you think it might be fun to sometimes get messy? He just looked away. Let me just... let me just move slightly.

Okay, I'm kind of leaning just, you know, to give him more of an option to look at me. He's not looking at me.

Okay, that's a no. He is really set on this cleneless thing, apparently. That's your right, Darius. You do you.

Swim on, my friend. Tiny people, today's story is about a poodle who also likes to stay clean.

Remember, there are no pictures. You have to imagine the pictures in your mind. You can imagine them

however you want. Okay, here we go.

Louisa rose from her satin pillow, perched in her home's large bay window.

She scratched her ear with her foot.

Oh my, she gasped, seeing her paw covered in soot. She licked it, brushed it,

dabbed it with a tissue. Careful not to leave one speck of residue.

...