Last week his teacher had posted a big calendar on the bulletin board. It had a square for every day in January. And every square was a holiday. Johnny could not believe his eyes when he saw National Nothing Day on the calendar.

At dinner that night, Johnny said, “Guess what next Wednesday is.”

“Laundry day,” Mom sighed.

“Ballet lesson day,” Marcy Beth said.

“Garbage day,” Dad grumbled.

“Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1780,” Gramps said. “I memorized all those Revolutionary War battles back when I was in school.”

“No,” Johnny said with a big grin. “January 16th is National Nothing Day.”

“You don’t say!” Dad said.

“Well, I’ll be switched,” Gramps said.

“How should we celebrate?” Mom asked.

“Let’s have cake?” Marcy Beth said.

“Let’s dress up and have a parade,” Johnny said.

“Good idea,” Gramps said. “I know just what I’ll wear.”

When Johnny woke up on National Nothing Day, Gramps was already dressed in his World War II Army uniform. Gramps smiled and rubbed a finger across the shiny brass bar that read “Private 1st Class Jonathan Nothing.”

© 2008 Cynthia Becker. Original for CCF (Becker grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).