Everything Is Backwards Day

Bex woke up and something was wrong.

Her pillow was at the foot of the bed. Her blanket was on the floor. And her cat, Potato, was sleeping in her shoe.

"Hmm," said Bex.

She went downstairs. Dad was at the stove. He had spaghetti in one pan and meatballs in another and it was seven in the morning.

"Dad," said Bex. "That's dinner."

"Not today," said Dad. He plopped a big pile of noodles on her plate. "Today is Backwards Day."

"What's Backwards Day?" said Bex.

"Everything goes the wrong way round," said Dad. He squeezed ketchup on his spaghetti and took a huge bite.

Bex looked at her meatballs. She looked at the clock. She ate a meatball. It was pretty good for morning.

"Time to get dressed!" said Dad.

Bex went to her room and opened her drawer. She pulled out her favorite pajamas — the ones with the tiny rockets all over them.

"These are pajamas," she said.

Then she grinned.

She put them on. Both legs. Both arms. She put her shoes on the wrong feet. She brushed her hair so it stuck UP instead of down.

She looked in the mirror. She looked ridiculous. She looked great.

At school, everything was backwards too.

Her teacher, Mr. Tomás, was wearing his shirt inside out. The tag stuck up by his chin like a little flag.

"Good night, everyone!" said Mr. Tomás.

"Good night!" yelled the class.

"Time for recess," said Mr. Tomás.

"But we just GOT here!" said Bex.

"Backwards," whispered her friend Cora. Cora was wearing two different shoes and a tutu over her jeans.

So they went outside first. They ran and ran and ran. Bex went down the slide backwards — climbing UP the slippery part and walking down the stairs. Cora tried it too and slid all the way down on her belly like a penguin.

"PENGUIN!" yelled Cora, and everyone started sliding down on their bellies, going "PENGUIN! PENGUIN!" until Mr. Tomás blew the whistle.

"Inside!" he called. "Time to begin."

They had story time before math. They had snack before lessons. They sang the goodbye song at the start of the day and the hello song right before pickup.

Bex raised her hand during art.

"Mr. Tomás, are there rules on Backwards Day?"

"One rule," said Mr. Tomás. "If it usually goes THIS way — try it THAT way."

Bex nodded. She picked up her crayon and drew a picture of her house. But she drew the sky on the bottom and the grass on top. She drew Potato floating in the green grass-sky, upside down, still asleep.

She laughed so hard her belly hurt.

At home that night, Dad made pancakes.

"Because pancakes are for morning," said Bex. "And it's nighttime."

"You're getting it," said Dad.

Bex poured syrup in a big swoopy loop. She ate three pancakes. Potato sat under the table and licked a tiny drop of syrup off the floor.

"Dad," said Bex. "Can tomorrow be Backwards Day too?"

"Nope," said Dad. "Tomorrow everything goes back to normal."

"Oh," said Bex.

She thought about it while she chewed.

"But Wednesday?" she said.

Dad smiled. "We'll see."

Bex put on her regular clothes for bed — a t-shirt and her jeans — because THAT was backwards too. She brushed her teeth. She climbed under her blanket, which she had put back at the right end of the bed.

Then she moved it to the wrong end again.

She put her head where her feet go. She tucked Potato under her arm. The cat purred once — a big, rumbly, warm purr — and fell right to sleep.

Bex closed her eyes.

Her rocket pajamas were at school. Her jeans were in bed. Her sky was on the bottom. And everything — every single thing — was exactly right.