The Gymnastics Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “Of course,” said Irina. “Gymnasts are used to spectators. Katya will warm up and stretch first. Then she will go through her sets on the balance beam and the uneven parallel bars.”

  Taking off her blue-and-white jacket, Katya laid it on a bleacher seat. Then she stepped out of the pants and took off her shoes and socks.

  Dressed in a matching blue-and-white leotard, the girl seemed tinier than ever, Violet thought. But her legs and shoulders looked strong.

  Katya joined the other members of her team. The Aldens found seats in the bleachers near where the team was working.

  “I have to condition first,” Katya told them from the mat. “If I don’t, I could pull a muscle and hurt myself.”

  She did sit-ups, push-ups, and ran around the arena. When she returned from her run, she sat on the mat and stretched.

  “These exercises keep my muscles limber,” she said, sitting so her legs were straight out to her sides. “This is called a straddle split.”

  After warming up, Katya went over to the balance beam. The Aldens were in awe as Katya leaped lightly onto the narrow beam and performed tricks on it. Her coach stood nearby, in case she fell.

  Next Katya did her routine on the uneven parallel bars. These were two bars set at different heights. Katya rubbed chalk on her hands so she wouldn’t slip, then swung from the lowest bar. Her legs split as she flipped completely over, catching her hands on the higher bar.

  “Look at that!” gasped Benny.

  “She’s great,” Henry agreed.

  When the session was over, a breathless Katya joined the Aldens. She immediately pulled on her warm-up suit.

  “So my muscles will not get cold,” she explained.

  “Can you teach me to do that?” Benny asked.

  Katya laughed. “Well, maybe one or two things.”

  “Yippee!” Benny was delighted.

  They left the arena and walked out to the curb, where Grandfather was waiting in the station wagon.

  “How did it go?” he asked.

  “Katya is the best one,” Benny stated. “She’s going to teach me to be a gymnast, too. How long will it take?”

  “About five years,” Katya replied.

  “Oh,” said Benny thoughtfully. “Can you stay with us that long?”

  Grandfather, the older Alden children, and Katya burst into laughter. Benny looked disappointed.

  Back home, they all sat down to a lunch of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Katya explained how she had been training since she was younger than Benny.

  “I won my first competition when I was six,” she said.

  “That’s how old I am now,” Benny said, dismayed.

  “But Katya had been training for years,” Grandfather reminded him.

  Jessie tried to imagine being so good at something at such a young age. “How do you train?”

  “I go to the gym every day,” Katya replied. “I work with Irina at least five hours. Then I go to school. After school, I work another hour or two at home. My father built a low balance beam, only a few inches off the floor. So I can work without worrying about falling.”

  “Whew!” Henry commented. “That’s a lot of hard work.”

  “Yes, but I enjoy it,” said Katya. “My home—” She broke off suddenly.

  “What about your home?” Violet urged.

  Katya stared into her soup bowl. “It is nothing. I am chattering too much.”

  Grandfather reviewed a sheet Katya’s coach had sent him. “Katya is supposed to rest after lunch. Then we’ll take her back to the arena for her afternoon workout.”

  “Do you have to do this every day?” asked Violet.

  Katya nodded. “It is the way our team prepares for competitions. But I have free time after my second practice.”

  “We’ll do something fun,” Jessie promised. “You can’t work every second!”

  When Katya went upstairs to take a nap, the Alden children cleared the table.

  “I wonder why Katya quit talking about her parents,” mused Violet. “She hasn’t told us anything about her home in Russia yet.” Henry stacked soup bowls. “She hasn’t had much time, Violet. Maybe she’ll tell us tonight when we go out.”

  But Violet remembered yesterday when she asked Katya the same question. Why did Katya avoid talking about herself and her life back in Russia? she wondered.

  The afternoon session at the arena was just as hectic. Boys and girls twisted, flipped, and spun around on bars, rings, beams, and mats.

  Once again, Katya removed her warm-up suit as the Aldens found seats nearby on the bleachers.

  An American girl about Katya’s age was stretching on the mat. She was close enough to the bleachers that the Aldens could hear her speak to Katya.

  “Hi,” said the girl.

  “Hello,” Katya replied.

  “My name is Denise,” said the American. “I think our teams are competing against each other.”

  “We are in the same class?” asked Katya. “Well, I wish you the best of luck.”

  At that moment, Denise’s mother swooped down from the bleachers. She took Denise by the hand and led her across the room.

  The Aldens came to the edge of the mat where Katya was now stretching alone.

  “What happened?” asked Benny. “Why did she make Denise leave?”

  “Some people think we should be enemies just because we are competing on different teams,” Katya replied matter-of-factly.

  Irina came over then and helped Katya perform different vaults over a leather-padded, barrel-shaped piece of equipment about chest high. Irina called it a horse. The Aldens held their breath as Katya ran as hard as she could toward the horse, then sprang off a short board. After pushing off the horse, she tucked her body tightly into a ball, spun once high in midair, and then untucked and came down lightly on her feet, her body straight as a pole.

  When she landed, arms up, she took a small step back to catch her balance.

  “Stick the landing. You know, stand firm and still when you land,” Irina chided. “The judges will subtract points if you step off.”

  Katya nodded. “I will do better.”

  Her last workout was the floor routine. While music played from a tape deck, Katya turned, cartwheeled, and somersaulted across the wide blue mat.

  “That’s what I want to do!” Benny declared.

  Katya came over, mopping her face with a towel. “Did you enjoy that? My coach and I worked very hard to put together a routine to that piece of music.”

  “It looks so hard,” Violet said.

  Their guest grinned. “It is actually the most fun.” She reached for the pants of her warm-up suit, then frowned. “Where is my jacket?”

  Violet spotted the blue garment crumpled on the floor. When she picked it up, she saw the jacket was wet.

  “Oh, no,” groaned Katya. “There is water all over my jacket. How will I keep warm now?”

  “You can borrow mine,” Henry offered. His coat was too big, but at least Katya wouldn’t catch cold.

  Jessie found Katya’s water bottle under the bleachers.

  “Look,” she said. “The bottle is empty, but the cap is on! Someone must have poured water on Katya’s jacket, then put the cap back on.”

  “Why would anyone do that?” asked Violet.

  As the Aldens left, Jessie scanned the bleachers around the arena. She didn’t see Denise’s blond mother, only a red-haired woman wearing blue sweatpants and matching sweatshirt. The woman was watching them.

  Could she have poured water all over Katya’s warm-up suit? Jessie wondered.

  If so, why?

  CHAPTER 3

  Katya’s Secret

  “Mmm! This is very good,” said Katya as she nibbled on a slice of pizza.

  “Joe’s has the best pizza in the town square,” Jessie agreed, sampling a piece of pepperoni.

  “I like everybody’s pizza,” Benny put in. He had cheese stuck to his chin.

  Violet laughed, handin
g him a paper napkin. “That’s true. Benny hasn’t met a piece of pizza he didn’t like.”

  “What do you think of our town?” Henry asked Katya.

  “It is very pretty,” Katya replied.

  The children had decided that Katya would enjoy walking around the town square after her long day of practice. Mrs. McGregor had fixed a light supper so they wouldn’t be too full for treats like pizza and ice cream. Then Grandfather drove them into town, giving Jessie spending money.

  Although it was dark outside, the square was brightly lit and all the shops were open.

  The children walked around, gazing into shop windows. Then Benny said he smelled pizza and didn’t it smell great. They all agreed and followed their noses to Joe’s Pizza. The delicious pizza smell had made them all hungry again.

  “I could sleep in here, it’s so nice and warm,” Benny said after finishing two slices.

  Katya laughed. “I agree, though I do not mind the cold so much. Our Russian winters are far worse.”

  “Tell us about your hometown,” Henry asked.

  “There is not much to say,” Katya replied vaguely. “I come from a small place. I have parents, a brother, a sister, and grandparents.”

  “What are they like?” Jessie wanted to know.

  “They are not very interesting,” Katya said, shredding her napkin. Jessie wondered why the girl was so nervous all of a sudden. “Could I have a glass of water?” Katya asked.

  "Of course." Henry got up to fetch Katya some water.

  Jessie went with him, carrying paper plates. Away from the table, she whispered, “What’s wrong with Katya?”

  “I don’t know,” Henry said in a low voice. “Whenever we ask her anything about Russia, she changes the subject.”

  “It’s pretty mysterious,” Jessie said.

  “We’d better get back,” Henry said. “The others will wonder what we’re talking about.”

  Outside again, the children strolled around the square. Katya was fascinated by a shop that sold only teddy bears.

  “Look at that bear with the big red bow,” she remarked, pointing at a large bear in the window. “He is so cute!”

  “I have a stuffed bear,” Benny told her. “Watch is jealous of him.”

  That made everyone laugh.

  As they walked along, Henry had an odd feeling. The streetlamps cast long shadows in front of them. Henry noticed a sixth shadow apart from their group.

  Whenever they stopped to look at something, light footsteps behind them stopped, too.

  Using the reflection of a jewelry store window, Henry saw a figure in a baseball cap hiding behind a tree. They moved on again, the figure trailing them.

  They were being followed! Suddenly Henry whirled around. Just as quickly, the figure ducked inside a yogurt shop.

  “What are you doing?” Violet asked her brother.

  “Someone is following us,” Henry told the others. “Let’s wait. The guy has to come out sometime.”

  They pressed up against the wall of the yogurt shop so they couldn’t be seen from the inside. The figure in the baseball cap came out a few moments later. When the person spotted the Aldens, he or she dashed across the square.

  Jessie recognized those blue sweatpants. “I bet I know who it is!” she declared.

  “Who?” asked Benny.

  “I don’t know who exactly,” Jessie said. “But I saw her at the sports arena this afternoon. She was sitting in the bleachers, watching us. She had on blue sweatpants.”

  “We can’t be sure if our follower is a man or a woman,” Henry stated. The runner was just a flash of blue sweatpants and brown trenchcoat. “With that coat and baseball cap, it’s impossible to tell.”

  “Why would two people in blue sweatpants spy on us?” Jessie asked. “Why would one person?”

  “Something is definitely weird,” Violet agreed.

  Benny’s face was solemn under the streetlamp. “Looks like we’ve got another mystery to solve!”

  When Grandfather joined them, the Alden children had decided not to mention the follower. After all, as Henry had reasoned, they couldn’t prove the person was actually following them.

  Benny tugged at his grandfather’s hand. “Katya told us she would teach us some tricks. There’s a mat in that store over there like real gymnasts use.”

  “Let’s take a look at it,” said Grandfather.

  The blue mat in the sports store was smaller than the mats they had seen at the gym.

  “It’s just right for our basement,” said Violet. Like Benny, she wanted to learn to flip through the air.

  “Yes, it is,” James Alden agreed. “I think it’s a fine idea to learn a new sport.” He bought the mat, which folded into sections. Then he and Henry loaded it into the back of the station wagon.

  At home, they spread it on the basement floor.

  “Will you teach me how to jump up and land backward?” Benny asked Katya.

  She laughed. “A backflip? That’s a pretty hard trick. Let’s start with some basic tumbling.”

  One at a time, the Alden children tried a simple forward roll.

  “Keep your chin tucked in,” Katya instructed Jessie. “And don’t let your neck touch the mat.”

  When everyone had learned forward rolls, Katya showed them backward rolls.

  “This is hard!” said Henry, laughing. He pushed off with his hands but flopped sideways.

  Violet and Benny mastered forward and backward rolls quickly. “You both could be gymnasts,” Katya praised them. “Jessie and Henry are taller, so it’s harder for them, but they will learn, too.”

  Mrs. McGregor came down to remind the children of their bedtime.

  “Katya needs her rest,” she said, heading back upstairs. “Tomorrow is another long day of practice.”

  “Before we go, could you do a backflip?” Benny asked Katya.

  “All right.” She performed a perfect flip, her hands never touching the mat.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Jessie. “It looks so easy.”

  “We will try a cartwheel,” Katya told Benny. “It is more simple. I will spot you.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I will stand right by you, so you won’t hurt yourself.” She got into position beside him. “Place your hands on the mat, kick your feet up, and make them travel in a straight line like the spokes of a wheel.”

  Benny tried but toppled over. He kept on trying but got worse with each attempt. Soon everyone was giggling.

  “We will practice every day,” Katya promised him. “You will get it, Benny.”

  Then they went upstairs to say good night to Mrs. McGregor and Grandfather.

  Katya told the Alden children good night and softly closed the guest room door.

  Just beyond the stair landing was a small sitting area. A deep window seat with flowered cushions overlooked Mrs. McGregor’s rose garden.

  “We need to talk,” Jessie said to the others.

  They all piled into the window seat. Outside, bright stars were shining in the dark blue sky.

  “Katya is so nice, but there’s something strange about her,” Jessie said.

  Violet nodded. “I’ve noticed it, too. It’s almost as if she has something to hide.”

  “But what?” asked Henry. “She’s an athlete. She travels all over the world to gymnastic competitions.”

  “She’s practically famous,” Benny chimed in.

  “But she doesn’t talk about herself,” said Jessie.

  Henry fiddled with the cord that held the draperies. “Maybe she’s modest.”

  “Maybe,” Jessie said, unconvinced. “But I still think she’s keeping a secret about something.”

  But what? she wondered.

  What could their tiny, talented guest possibly be hiding?

  The next morning, Mrs. McGregor brought in the mail.

  “Here’s a special airmail delivery letter for you, Katya,” the housekeeper said, handing her a blue-and-red-bordered envelope.

>   “Oh, thank you.” Katya pushed aside her oatmeal bowl to open her letter. She slit the thin envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper covered with Russian writing.

  Benny stared at Katya’s letter. “Those sure are funny-looking letters.”

  “It’s Cyrillic,” explained Grandfather. “That’s the Russian alphabet.”

  Katya read silently for a few moments. Then, as she turned the page over, something fluttered to the floor.

  Violet reached over to pick it up. It was a newspaper clipping in Russian. Someone had written in pencil all along the margins of the back and front of the clipping. In the center were two photos.

  As the family photographer, Violet was always interested in pictures. One photo showed a huge house. The second, smaller photo showed a miniature box on a table. Even in the black-and-white photograph, Violet thought the box was made of gold.

  “You dropped this,” she told Katya.

  Katya’s cheeks had gone bright red. “Thank you,” she said, and hastily stuffed the letter and newspaper clipping into the pocket of her warm-up suit.

  “Aren’t you going to read the rest of your letter?” asked Benny.

  “I do not want to be late for practice,” Katya said, excusing herself from the table.

  Jessie glanced at the clock. It was still early. Katya wasn’t going to be late for practice. She obviously didn’t want the Aldens to see that letter.

  Who had sent the airmail letter from Russia? And why was Katya so nervous about it? None of the Aldens, not even Grandfather, could read Russian.

  What did Katya have to worry about? And why had someone been following them? So many questions, Jessie thought. And no answers.

  CHAPTER 4

  Mystery Man Returns

  The sports arena was crowded this morning, Henry noticed as they walked inside with Katya. More athletes and coaches had arrived overnight.

  A press center had been set up between two sections of bleachers. Men and women with badges that said PRESS walked among the gymnasts stretching on the blue mats.

  Irina, Katya’s coach, came over. “You will do your beam sets first this morning. And, Katya, you must hit your mark on every routine today. The competition is three days away.”