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her. Jennifer smiled as she saw her.
    â€œYou’re just in time, Maddy. We’re cleaning up. Mum’s worked today.”
    â€œHum,” Maddy said.
    She remembered the days when her mother worked. It was always chaos, with lots of yelling to hurry up as they scrambled out. Their father left very early because he had to get to work by public transport so their mother could use the car on her work days. She then drove them to school and collected them on her way back, and they always came into the mess of the upheaval they had rushed off and left in the morning.
    Merry and Milly were drying dishes and singing at the tops of their voices. The television was roaring in the lounge with no one watching it, the ancient stereo in their bedroom was belting out a song by their favourite pop group, and the vacuum cleaner roared up and down the passage. Maddy sighed blissfully. This was home!
    â€œI'll keep collecting dishes, and you can take over washing them,” Jennifer said.
    Maddy started to say she didn’t come around to do other people’s dishes, but the words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t be nasty to Jennifer. Besides, she was actually glad to have the familiar chore of washing dishes in front of her. It had felt funny to be at the Walton’s and never, ever do dishes.
    There was a silence as Milly and Merry waited, tea towels poised. They had caught up with all the dishes, and the dish rack was empty. This was unusual as they usually dried dishes as slowly and resentfully as reluctant snails.
    â€œYour turn to start the next round,” Milly said.
    â€œAnd keep up with us, cause we can dry faster than you can wash,” Merry said happily.
    â€œThat’s what you think,” Jennifer said. “Three blind mice,” she sang as loudly as she could as she crashed more dishes into the hot soapy water and flung them into the dish drainer.
    â€œThree blind mice,” squeaked her excited sisters, as they dried dishes and clattered away the cutlery.
    â€œThree blind mice,” bawled Maddy as she scrubbed down the table and benches and wiped down the chairs.
    In no time, the kitchen was unnaturally clean and spotless and doing it had actually been fun. It was very odd! Maddy watched her sisters out of the corners of her eyes. Milly and Merry were being much more helpful than they usually were, and looked as if they enjoyed helping for a change.
    Jennifer danced into their big, back bedroom off the kitchen, still singing. The others followed her. They had to sing even louder to be heard over the pop group. Maddy kept getting the giggles as the pop group beat muddled their tune. Jennifer sang even louder, trying to beat time with her hands as she shook out doonas and fluffed out pillows.
    Merry picked up all the dirty clothes and trotted out to the laundry with them. Milly picked up and folded discarded pyjamas and tracksuits, and stacked away books and games. Maddy moved around making beds and folding the extra rugs and blankets away in the cupboard. Their bedroom had never been so tidy before.
    The tape ended and they sang the last verse of “Three Blind Mice” with gusto. Except for the television roaring in the lounge room, everything was suddenly quieter.
    â€œWhat were all the extra rugs doing out?” Maddy asked. “It wasn’t that cold last night.”
    â€œWe were playing cubbies,” Jennifer explained.
    â€œWigwams,” little Merry said as she came in. “I was Pocahontas.”
    Their mother put her head around the door. “You all make a very good team! Time for afternoon tea?”
    They moved into the kitchen and sat around the table. Jennifer started putting out the plates and mugs and bread and jam while their mother poured the tea. This afternoon there were no scattered papers, unfinished sewing, over-looked shopping waiting to be put away, or any of the usual clutter on the table.
    Maddy looked at the big refrigerator.