Deep beneath the creaky floorboards of Grandma’s attic, where the air smelled like old library books and burnt marshmallows, there was a hidden door. Not a big door—no, no—just a tiny one, squeak, like a mouse yawning. Santiago, who was small enough to fit (and brave enough to try), pushed it open with one finger. Crack! A gust of wind rushed out, smelling of wet socks and rainbow sprinkles, and—whoosh!—Santiago tumbled into the Underground World of Lost Objects.

The ground was squishy, like walking on a giant’s tongue, and everywhere Santiago looked, there were things people had lost: a single red mitten (still warm, like it had just been dropped), a spoon with a bent handle (it jingled when he picked it up), and a sock with three holes (it smelled like peanut butter and giggles). Santiago grinned. This was the best place ever.

Then he saw it: a castle, tall as a giraffe’s neck, made entirely of lost buttons, mismatched teacups, and bent paperclips. A sign above the drawbridge read: "Welcome to the Upside-Down Castle—where today, the rules are BACKWARDS!" Santiago’s tummy did a little flip. Backwards? How could rules be backwards?

He tiptoed across the drawbridge (which felt like walking on a trampoline made of rubber bands) and pushed open the big, wobbly door. BANG! Inside, the ceiling was where the floor should be, and the floor was where the ceiling should be. A chandelier made of lost keys dangled above his head, tinkling like wind chimes in a storm. Santiago’s hair stood on end. Zap! Static electricity!

A voice boomed: "STOP! You’re doing it wrong!" Santiago spun around. A tiny knight in a helmet made of a soup can stood on the ceiling (which was now the floor). His name was Sir Bumblesnout, and he had a mustache that curled like a question mark. "You’re supposed to walk on the ceiling!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "And don’t you DARE say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’—that’s rude here!"

Santiago’s eyes widened. "But… how do I walk on the ceiling?" he asked. Sir Bumblesnout rolled his eyes so hard they nearly popped out. "Ugh, you’re hopeless! Just jump!" So Santiago jumped. Boing! He stuck to the ceiling like a fly on a jam sandwich. His socks were now his shoes, and his shoes were now his socks. "Eww," he giggled, wiggling his toes. The ceiling smelled like bubblegum and old bandaids.

Then came the real challenge: the Royal Feast. A long table stretched across the upside-down room, covered in plates of spaghetti (which was actually cold worms—blech!), and bowls of ice cream (which was just mashed potatoes—double blech!). The worst part? You had to eat with your feet. Santiago tried to pick up a fork with his toes. Plop! The fork slipped. Splat! The mashed potatoes landed on his head. Sir Bumblesnout cackled so hard he fell off the ceiling. "HA! You’re terrible at this!"

Santiago’s cheeks burned. He wanted to cry, but then he remembered Grandma’s words: "Patience is like a cookie—it takes time to bake, but it’s worth the wait." So he took a deep breath (the air smelled like freshly sharpened pencils) and tried again. This time, he wiggled his toes slowly, like he was tickling a kitten. Grip! The fork stayed put. Success!

Next came the Dance of the Backwards Shoes. Everyone had to dance with their shoes on their hands and their gloves on their feet. Santiago tripped over his own shoelaces. Thump! He landed in a pile of lost pillows (which smelled like lavender and sneezes). Sir Bumblesnout sighed. "You’re the clumsiest knight I’ve ever seen." But then Santiago started to laugh. "This is silly!" he said, waving his shoelaces like ribbons. Soon, Sir Bumblesnout was laughing too, and the whole castle shook with giggles.

At the end of the day, the castle’s rules flipped back to normal. The ceiling became the ceiling again, and the floor became the floor. Sir Bumblesnout handed Santiago a tiny golden key. "You didn’t give up," he said. "That’s the bravest thing of all." Santiago beamed. The key smelled like sunshine and birthday cake.

When he climbed back through the tiny door, Grandma was waiting. "Did you have fun?" she asked. Santiago nodded, hugging the golden key to his chest. "I learned that even when things are backwards, if you’re patient, everything turns out okay." Grandma smiled. "Just like waiting for cookies to bake."

And with that, Santiago skipped off to bed, where his lost teddy bear was waiting, smelling like warm milk and dreams.