A Day Of Weirds

The first weird thing was getting ready. I had to un-dress before I could put my clothes on. I peeled off my jacket, then my shirt and pants, each piece of cloth falling back into its place. It was a puzzle just to get dressed.

Downstairs, my cat Luna stood on two legs. “Finally, you’re up,” she grumbled, a piece of kibble flying from her mouth and returning to the food bag. “I’ve been trying to put my food away for ten minutes.”

I just stared. My dad sat at the table, his fork hovering. I watched a piece of pancake detach from his mouth and return to the fork, then to his plate. “Eat your lunch, sweetie,” my mom said as juice flowed from her glass back into the carton. “Breakfast will be ready to put away soon.”

Stepping outside was even stranger. People shuffled backward down the street. Cars moved in reverse. My neighbor un-waved at me, his hand pulling back into his body as he said “goodbye.”

The world sounded weird, too. Birds sucked their songs back in, and children’s laughs turned into quiet puffs of air. At first, I was scared. My clumsy steps backward felt like I was constantly on the verge of falling. The world felt like a movie played in reverse.

But then, I decided to go with it. I started looking over my shoulder and shuffling backward with everyone else. It was a strange kind of game. When a guy on a bicycle un-crashed from a lamppost, his bike flying back into his hands, I couldn’t help but laugh. And to my surprise, the people around me laughed in reverse, too. A moment of shared, backward joy.

The day ended as the sun began to rise. I came back into the house and said “good night” to my parents, who said “hello” in return. I took off my clothes, piece by piece, and climbed into bed. As I closed my eyes, the world grew quiet, and I fell asleep with a smile on my face. It was the strangest day of the year, but I had figured out how to have fun.