Backwards Day

Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Tom who lived in a village far from here. Tom worked for the lord of the castle, but he often daydreamed about having an easier life. He didn't really like doing chores and sometimes wished for a magical solution to all his work.

One summer evening, while Tom was walking through a field, he heard a strange sound. It was like a baby crying, but it seemed to be coming from under a big, flat stone. Tom, being a curious and caring boy, decided to investigate.

He lifted the heavy stone and found a tiny, strange-looking creature underneath. It had bright yellow hair all over its body and a wrinkly face that looked both young and old at the same time. The creature introduced itself as Yallery Yarn.

"Thank you for freeing me, Tom," said Yallery Yarn in a high-pitched voice. "I'll grant you one wish as a reward. What would you like? Money? Lots of friends?" He winked. "Maybe you want to be the lord of the castle?"

Tom thought for a moment and then said, "Well, if there's one thing in the world I don't like, it's doing chores. Could you help me with my work?"

Yallery Yarn agreed but warned Tom never to thank him. "If you do," he said, "you'll never see me again!"

At first, Tom was thrilled. He would wake up to find all his chores done like magic. The stables were swept. The kitchen floors were scrubbed. The knights' armor were polished. Tom had nothing to do but enjoy some relaxation time!

But soon, strange things started happening. While Tom's work was finished, his friends' chores were left undone or messed up. They began to avoid him, thinking he was playing tricks on them.

Tom felt lonely and guilty. He tried to do his own work, but every time things would go wrong. Tools would slip out of his hands, and simple tasks became impossible.

Finally, Tom couldn't take it anymore. He called out to Yallery Yarn and thanked him, hoping the creature would leave him alone. But Yallery Yarn just laughed wickedly.

"Oh, Tom," he said, "I warned you not to thank me. Now I won't help you anymore, but I also won't leave you alone. From now on, nothing will go right for you!"

Tom realized he had made a big mistake. From that day on, things started going wrong not just for him but also everyone else in the village.

One day, as Tom watched Yallery Yarn turn Farmer Joe's neat rows of carrots into a jumbled mess, he noticed something curious. Yallery Yarn always did the opposite of what anyone said. An idea began to form in Tom's mind.

The next morning, Tom went to the lord of the castle and told him everything that had happened since he freed Yallery Yarn. The lord was very upset with Tom for trying to avoid his duties, but then Tom told him his plan: Backwards Day.

The lord twirled his mustache thoughtfully. "A Backwards Day? What do you mean, young Tom?"

Tom explained his plan, and the lord decided to go with it.

The next day, the village awoke to a peculiar sight. Everyone came out of their houses saying, "Good night!" They wore their pajamas and walked backwards down the streets. Children went to school after eating desert for breakfast, and the baker sold yesterday's bread, promising it would get fresher by evening.

Yallery Yarn appeared, ready to cause his usual mischief. But as he tried to tangle Mrs. Green's laundry, she exclaimed, "Oh, thank you for messing up my clean clothes!" Confused, Yallery Yarn found himself straightening the laundry instead.

All day long, Yallery Yarn grew more and more bewildered. When he muddied the village fountain, people cheered and jumped in happily. When he tried to topple Farmer Joe's hay bales, the farmer complained that they were too neatly stacked.

As the day went on, Yallery Yarn's magic backfired again and again. The more he tried to make mischief, the more he ended up helping. The village had never been so clean and organized!

By evening, Yallery Yarn was thoroughly muddled. His yellow hair stood on end, and his wrinkled face was creased with confusion.

He began to seek something familiar, anything that made sense.

Tom had anticipated this. Earlier, he had cleaned around the stone where Yallery Yarn first appeared. He left it slightly ajar, with a sign next to it saying, "Do Not Enter."

As the sun began to set on the strangest day the village had ever seen, a frazzled Yallery Yarn spotted his old home. Desperate for something normal, he ignored the sign and dived into the hole.

Quick as a flash, Tom leapt from his hiding spot and pushed the heavy stone back into place. The villagers, who had been watching quietly (because it was still Backwards Day, after all), began to cheer – softly at first, then louder and louder.

Lord Wise patted Tom on the back. "Well done, my boy! You've done it!"

From that day on, the village held a Backwards Day every year, remembering their victory over Yallery Yarn.

And though they kept a watchful eye on that old stone in the fields, the only golden yarn they saw in the village was in the shops, ready to be knitted into warm scarves and cozy socks.

As for Tom, he learned that doing his own work, even when it was difficult, was much better than relying on magical shortcuts. And he always smiled when he passed by a certain stone, knowing that sometimes, the best way forward is to go backwards – just for a day.