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Carminha was an 8-year-old girl who loved to play outside in Zona Norte do Brasil. Every day, she ran around barefoot, having adventures with her friends. At night, her mother always insisted she wash her feet before bed. Carminha hated this and refused to do it. Her feet were always dirty, and her mother worried about her health.

One evening, Carminha’s mother tried to get her to wash her feet again. Carminha crossed her arms and shook her head. Her mother sighed and reminded her of the importance of cleanliness. Carminha didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. She just wanted to go to bed.

The next day, Carminha tripped over a rock while playing. Her friends gasped as she fell. She got up and saw that her foot was bleeding. Her friends told her to go home and wash it, but Carminha was stubborn. She didn’t want to admit that she might need to clean her feet.

That night, Carminha’s foot hurt more than ever. She couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Her mother came into her room and saw the injury. Carminha began to cry, feeling helpless. She told her mother she didn’t know what to do.

Her mother gently explained how dirt could cause infections. Carminha listened closely for the first time. Her mother cleaned her foot and bandaged it. Carminha felt immediate relief and realized her mother was right. She promised to wash her feet every night from then on.

The next morning, Carminha woke up feeling much better. She happily told her friends what she had learned. They all agreed to wash their feet after playing. Carminha’s mother was proud of her daughter. From that day on, Carminha never went to bed with dirty feet again.