Morning Announcement

Ms Artist Platypus stretched her webbed feet as she floated above her art studio. Paint splotches decorated every surface of the futuristic mansion's creative wing. Her purple mask caught the morning sunlight streaming through the glass dome overhead.

"Another beautiful day in Down Under Metropolis," she said, adjusting her blue supersuit.

Her personal assistant, a young kangaroo named Joey, bounded into the room carrying a steaming cup of eucalyptus tea.

"Ms Platypus, you need to see this!" Joey's ears twitched with excitement. He held up his tablet showing the city's morning news broadcast.

The mayor's voice echoed from the screen. "Down Under Metropolis announces its first annual Backwards Art Contest! All entries must be created in reverse order, from finish to start."

Ms Artist Platypus nearly dropped her paintbrush. "Backwards? How does someone paint backwards?"

Joey shrugged. "The prize is pretty amazing though - a golden easel and art supplies for the whole city's schools."

The Hummingbird Interruption

Ms Artist Platypus paced across her studio floor, her webbed feet making soft tapping sounds on the polished surface. Joey the kangaroo bounced nervously beside her.

"Maybe I could start with a finished painting and remove layers?" she wondered aloud.

A tiny blur of emerald green suddenly zipped through the open window. The hummingbird crashed directly into Ms Artist Platypus's easel, sending paint tubes flying in all directions.

"Oh my!" squeaked the bird, hovering unsteadily. "I'm Ruby! I need your help desperately!"

Joey caught a rolling tube of yellow paint. "What's wrong?"

Ruby's wings beat frantically. "The contest isn't just about backwards art! Mayor Wombat just announced the twist - all contestants must work upside down while hanging from the ceiling! My nest is in the contest hall's rafters, and I overheard him talking to his assistant about something called 'Project Reverse City.'"

Ms Artist Platypus felt her stomach drop. "Upside down too?"

"There's more," Ruby chirped urgently. "He mentioned making the whole city backwards permanently if his plan works!"