Henrietta Applebaum is Upside Down

One morning, Henrietta Applebaum woke up and found herself on the ceiling. 

"Are we dreaming?" she asked her doll Abigail. Abigail said nothing.

Over her head, Henrietta could see her bed and nightstand and bookshelf and toys. Everything looked normal, except she was on the ceiling.

She jumped and jumped, but every time she landed right back on the ceiling. She could skip and dance and cartwheel. But she couldn't get down.

"Get ready, Abigail!" Henrietta cried as she launched the doll over her head. But Abigail bumped the floor above and then plopped right back into her lap.

"Mom!" Henrietta yelled. "Mom?"

But her mother had already left for work for the day.

Henrietta tucked Abigail into the waistband of her pajamas and climbed up her bookshelf. Once she reached the top, Henrietta could see dust bunnies hiding in the corners by the back legs of the shelf. But she was still upside down. She climbed back down to the ceiling and sighed.

Henrietta's little brother, Oscar, popped his head in the door. "Dad said breakfast is ready."

"I can't come," Henrietta said.

Oscar looked around the room in confusion. "Where are you?"

"We're up here," she replied, waving Abigail like a flag.

Oscar lifted his head and blinked. "Get down from there!"

"I can't!" Henrietta insisted.

Oscar rolled his eyes. "You're always playing around. You are such a show-off. I'm telling Dad."

"I'm not a show-off! I'm stuck up here!"

Henrietta wasn't a show-off.

Henrietta's father came to the door. "Get down from there," he demanded.

"I can't!" Henrietta insisted. 

Her father spoke low and slow. "Henrietta, stop acting like a silly goose, and come down from there."

Henrietta stomped her foot. "I'm not a goose! I'm stuck up here!" 

Henrietta wasn't a goose. 

"I don't have time for this today," ​​her father muttered and left.

Henrietta looked at Abigail. Abigail said nothing.

After a while, Henrietta stepped through her bedroom door into the hall. She was careful not to trip over the hall light's glass globe. In the kitchen, Grandma cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

"Grandma?" Henrietta said. "Can I have a muffin?"

Grandma spoke without looking at Henrietta. "Get down from there."

"I can't!" Henrietta insisted.

Grandma looked up and shook a sudsy wooden spoon at Henrietta. "No breakfast until you stop being so difficult."

Henrietta frowned. "I'm not difficult. I'm stuck up here!"

Henrietta wasn't difficult.

Henrietta walked through the house, exploring every room, except Daddy's office. Henrietta spied her favorite noisy game at the top of the TV cabinet in the living room, where Grandma had hidden it.

"Ha! I can reach it now," Henrietta said. She looked out through the living room windows into the backyard. If she was on the ceiling and she stepped outside, would she fall up into the sky?

"Better not risk it," she told Abigail. Abigail said nothing. 

When it was lunchtime, Oscar came to the playroom with two paper bags. He tossed one up toward the ceiling, and Henrietta caught it.

"It's a pack lunch from Grandma," he said. 

Henrietta bit into her baloney sandwich. The crumbs landed in Oscar's hair. 

"Hey!" he yelled.

Henrietta apologized. She was much more careful with her bottle of juice.

It was nearly dinnertime when Henrietta's mother came home. Henrietta was worried about what her mother would say. Would she think Henrietta was being a show-off, or silly, or difficult?

Henrietta's mother walked into her bedroom and looked around. "My whole day has been upside down!" she said.

"You too?" Henrietta asked.

That night, Henrietta's mother climbed a ladder to tuck her in for the night. She climbed to the very top to kiss Henrietta on the head." Some days are just upside-down days," her mother said. Henrietta looked at Abigail. Abigail said nothing.

"We'll dream downside-up dreams!" Henrietta said and kissed Abigail on the head. "Tomorrow will be a better day."