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While young stellar objects sometimes undergo bursts of accretion, thesebursts usually occur sporadically, making them challenging to studyobservationally and to explain theoretically. We build a schematic descriptionof cyclical bursts of the young stellar object EC 53 using near-IR and sub-mmmonitoring obtained over six cycles, each lasting $\approx530$ days. EC 53brightens over $0.12$ yr by $0.3$ mag at 850 $\mu$m, $2$ mag at 3.35 $\mu$m,and $1.5$ mag at near-IR wavelengths, to a maximum luminosity consistent withan accretion rate of $\sim8\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The emissionthen decays with an e-folding timescale of $\approx0.74$ yr until the accretionrate is $\sim1\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The next eruption thenoccurs, likely triggered by the buildup of $\sim5\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ ofmass in the inner disk, enough that it becomes unstable and drains onto thestar. Just before outburst, when the disk is almost replenished, the near-IRcolors become redder, indicating an increase in the geometrical height of thedisk by this mass buildup. The reddening disappears soon after the initialburst, as much of the mass is drained from the disk. We quantify physicalparameters related to the accretion process in EC 53 by assuming an$\alpha$-disk formulation, constrained by the observed disk properties andaccretion rate. While we can only speculate about the possible trigger forthese faithful eruptions, we hope that our quantified schematic will motivatetheorists to test the hypothesized mechanisms that could cause the cyclicalbuildup and draining of mass in the inner disk.

Young Faithful: The Eruptions of EC 53 as It Cycles through Filling and Draining the Inner Disk