It was one of those quiet, lazy afternoons in the countryside, when the sun hung lazily in the sky and the only sounds came from chirping birds, rustling leaves, and the occasional giggle from the backyard of Farmer Cutis’s house. And right in the center of that giggling? None other than Lala—the mischievous little golden dog—and Thuy, the ever-patient caretaker of the farm’s animals.
Thuy had just finished feeding the baby goats and was sitting on the porch bench, enjoying a moment of rest. She had a small mirror in her hand and a tube of lipstick she’d taken out from her tiny pink pouch. She wasn’t applying it—just admiring the color. It was a rich cherry red, something she’d picked up at the market weeks ago but rarely wore.
Lala, ever the curious companion, trotted up the steps, tail wagging. She tilted her head and stared at Thuy, then at the lipstick. Her nose twitched. What was that shiny thing?
“Lala,” Thuy laughed, “this isn’t food, silly.”
But Lala didn’t care. She jumped up next to Thuy and sniffed the lipstick curiously, then gave her signature cheeky bark.
Thuy chuckled. “No, no, you’re not getting any lipstick, missy.”
But Lala had other ideas.
In the blink of an eye, the clever pup leapt off the bench, ran behind Thuy, and gently snatched the lipstick tube from her hand. Before Thuy could react, Lala had dashed inside the house with her prize.
“Lala!” Thuy called, half-laughing, half-worried. “Come back here!”
Inside, Lala was already up to mischief. She had seen Thuy twist the bottom of the lipstick tube earlier, so she pawed at it, rolled on it, and somehow managed to uncork the red lipstick. She looked at the shiny, smooth color, and with a doggie grin, she decided: this was too fun to ignore.
By the time Thuy caught up with her, it was too late.
Lala was sitting proudly on the kitchen table, lipstick tube in her mouth, and Thuy’s face? Well, that was a whole other story.
In Lala’s excitement, she had managed to smear bright red lipstick all over Thuy’s cheeks, chin, and even across her forehead. It looked like a toddler had gone wild with a crayon on a clean wall.
Thuy stood there, stunned for a moment, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. She picked up a nearby spoon to use as a mirror and stared at her reflection.
“Oh my goodness,” she gasped between laughs. “Lala! I look like a walking tomato!”
Lala wagged her tail triumphantly, tongue lolling out in a proud smile. She gave a happy bark, clearly pleased with her makeup artistry.
The sound of her laughter drew Farmer Cutis from outside, who peeked into the kitchen with a puzzled expression.
“What’s going on in here—?” he stopped mid-sentence when he saw Thuy’s face. His eyebrows raised, then his mouth twitched, and finally, he couldn’t help but roar with laughter.
“Thuy! Did you lose a bet or something?”
“No! Your dog decided I needed a makeover!”
Farmer Cutis wiped a tear from his eye as he watched Lala dance proudly around the kitchen, clearly reveling in the chaos she had caused.
From that moment on, Lala was dubbed “The Lipstick Bandit.” The story of her makeover prank spread quickly through the village, and soon, everyone wanted to see the pictures Thuy had taken afterward. There was one where Thuy posed with her messy, red-smeared face next to Lala, who sat proudly with the lipstick in her paw like a trophy. The photo went viral on the farm’s social page. People commented things like, “The next Picasso,” and “Move over, makeup artists!”
But the fun didn’t stop there.
Thuy, being the good sport she was, decided to get playful in return. The next day, while Lala napped in her little sunspot by the porch, Thuy gathered some dog-safe paint and a few ribbons. With the gentlest touch, she painted a little heart on Lala’s forehead and tied a pink bow to her collar. When Lala woke up, she looked positively regal.
“Princess Lala!” Thuy declared.
From then on, the two became known as the farm’s funniest duo—always up to something, always spreading joy.
On some days, they held pretend “makeup parties” where Thuy would sit with a mirror and pretend to apply blush to Lala’s furry cheeks, and Lala would bounce around, licking her paw and smearing it on Thuy’s face like she was returning the favor. It became a game—a tradition, even.
Even the other animals got involved. The goats bleated louder when they saw Thuy holding the lipstick tube, as if cheering for round two. The chickens clucked wildly whenever Lala pranced around with her bow. The baby monkey, Lu, peeked curiously from a tree, occasionally reaching for the lipstick too.
One day, a group of children visited the farm for a school field trip. Thuy and Lala put on a little show, reenacting the infamous lipstick moment. The kids laughed so hard they fell over in the grass, especially when Lala tried to “apply” makeup to Thuy again—with a fresh red marker this time (uncapped by accident, of course).
Thuy looked at the children and smiled warmly. “Sometimes, the best memories are the messy ones.”
Lala barked in agreement, as if saying, “And the funniest, too!”
