At first, I didn’t notice any difference as EE took Susie and me to meet Calvin for our first training session – I saw a dog here, a cat there – but we soon started to spot the kinds of creatures we usually only ever saw on the TV. I mean, how many ostriches have you passed as you crossed the road? Exactly!
By the time we found Calvin, Susie’s eyes were as big as bicycle wheels. “We saw a koala climbing a tree, a gorilla practising the shot put and a panda – well, I’m not really sure what he was doing but it looked like judo!” she told him, after we’d said hello.
Calvin smiled. “The Animalympics is a worldwide competition. All sorts of creatures enter.”
“Including kangaroos?” EE asked, nodding across the park.
I peered up to see a tall kangaroo hopping towards us in great bounds. Next to him was an even taller lady, her hair styled into two short bunches which from a distance looked a bit like ears.
“That’s Krusher and his owner, Ruby,” Calvin said, lowering his voice. “He’s the Australian triple jump champion and I’ve heard he’s not very friendly.”
What Calvin said might be true but I was determined to give the kangaroo and his owner a chance. Krusher and I would be competing against each other in the Animalympics next week but that didn’t mean we had to be enemies, did it? So I waited until they were close and then hopped forward, a friendly look on my face.
EE must have felt the same way. As Krusher and Ruby drew level, I heard EE cough. “Good afternoon,” he said, stepping forward and thrusting out a hand. “I’m Edward Wilson, this is my daughter, Susie, and this is Harriet Houdini. Pleased to meet you.”
Ruby slowed down and looked at EE’s outstretched fingers. “Is that right?” she drawled, in a bored voice. “And what’s that got to do with us?”
Calvin’s eyes narrowed. “I believe Harriet and Krusher are facing each other in the triple jump.”
Ruby stared at me. “What, that little rabbit against my Krusher here? Is that some kind of joke?”
“It’s not a joke,” Susie said crossly. “Harriet is a great jumper.”
Krusher thumped the floor with his big back foot and his owner let out a tinkling laugh. “She’s no match for Krusher. Trust me, he’s going to wipe the floor with her!”
Still laughing, she swept past. Krusher followed, but not before firing a nasty look my way.
“Well, it looks like those rumours are true,” EE said, frowning as he watched the pair walk away. “Neither of them seemed very nice.”
He could say that again. But I wasn’t worried. Krusher might be ten times bigger than me, but he had no idea what he was up against. He’d clearly never met a Stunt Bunny before!
Luckily, my other fellow competitors were much friendlier. Coco, the cuddly koala Susie had seen climbing a tree, and her owner were from Australia too, and they had plenty to say about Krusher and Ruby. Even Pablo, whose Mexican desert rat was hoping to win the high jump, had heard bad things about them.
“They say Krusher eats live grasshoppers before every jump,” Pablo said, his eyes darting from side to side nervously as though he expected Krusher to leap out from behind a bush at any moment. “Even though kangaroos are normally vegetarian.”
Coco’s owner, Adam, nodded. “And I heard that in one competition, he knocked out three of the other jumpers with his tail. On purpose.”
Calvin pursed his lips. “It sounds like Krusher is a bit of a bully.”
“You got that right, mate,” Adam agreed. “That Ruby isn’t any better. Rumour has it she locked Krusher’s closest rival in the changing rooms in the Australian qualifiers, to make sure that Krusher would be sure to become the Australian champion.”
EE winked at me meaningfully. “Sounds like someone else we know.”
I knew exactly who he meant – Miranda and Doodle! They’d tried everything to hang on to their Superpets spot and get rid of me, from bunny-napping to outright cheating and it seemed that Ruby and Krusher were the same. But no matter what dirty tricks the pair tried to pull, I’d be ready for them. I’d bring home a triple jump medal or my name wasn’t Harriet Houdini!
If I thought Calvin had worked me hard before the qualifying competition, it was nothing compared to the training he put me through in the two weeks leading up to the finals. We were up at dawn every day, sprinting around the Animalympic village and jumping over everything in our path. The film crew seemed exhausted just watching us, and if we watched one more recording of another famous triple-jumper hopping, skipping and landing in the sand, I thought my head might explode. I was even starting to dream about triple jumping!
Krusher and Ruby, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be doing any training at all and lounged around by the pool all day. Maybe Krusher was so good that he didn’t need to practise but I didn’t think so. I couldn’t help wondering if they had an evil plot up their sleeves to cheat their way to the gold medal.
By the time the Animalympics opening ceremony arrived, I was super excited. The stadium was gigantic, much bigger than the one I’d been to for the qualifying rounds and it was filled with thousands of people and pets from all over the world. Beneath the gleaming white stands, the oval running track surrounded an island of green grass where the field events would take place. My whiskers quivered with happiness – this time tomorrow, I’d be down there competing!
The whole Wilson family came along to watch the spectacular opening ceremony. Mrs Wilson had completely overdressed, as usual. She was wearing a long velvet evening dress with pearls and she kept fluttering her eyelashes at Calvin, much to Susie’s embarrassment. Even Smudge came along. He tried to pretend he wasn’t interested, but I could tell he couldn’t wait to see Spike-tacular kick things off with their all-new break-dancing routine. The crowds oohed and aahed as the hedgehogs flipped expertly through the air and finished their act in a flurry of fireworks. Next, the Parade of Many Nations began, made up of pets from lots of different countries. In amongst the bright flags and sparkling costumes, I spotted a few more familiar Superpets faces – Dora the disco dancing-donkey was there, dressed in a silver tutu which matched Lenny the laughing lizard’s suit.
Eventually, the parade twirled its way to a halt and the band began to play a different tune. I flicked up my ears – this was the official Animalympics anthem, which meant the games themselves were about to start. The cheers of the audience died down and quiet fell across the stadium.
“Who is singing the anthem?” Mrs Wilson whispered to EE as a black cloaked figure took to the tiny stage in the middle of the stadium.
“Gloria said they’d hired a top-notch opera star from Paris,” EE replied, an expectant look on his face.
As soon as the figure threw back its cloak and the first warbling note wobbled out over the stadium, I knew EE had been wrong. That was no world-famous musical star – it was Doodle the opera-singing Poodle and she was yowling for all she was worth!
“How on Earth—” EE began, but Mrs Wilson and I blocked our ears, and didn’t hear him finish.
When the last note had faded away, people began to take their fingers out of their ears and polite clapping broke out. Cautiously, I lifted my paws from over my head.
“Bad Doodle,” Lily said, jamming her thumb firmly back into her mouth. “Naughty poodle.”
Doodle seemed completely unaware of the effect her “singing” had had on the audience, and was looking smugly around the stadium. I could just make out her owner Miranda’s enormous hair-do lurking in the background too. I should have guessed they’d worm their way into the Animalympics somehow!
“I thought you said it was supposed to be a famous opera star?” Mrs Wilson said, pulling a pained face.
EE held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. Knowing Miranda, she probably kidnapped the real singer and put Doodle in her place!”
I wouldn’t be surprised if that was exactly what had happened but I had bigger things to think about. Now that the opening ceremony was over, it was time for the first event –
the high-diving contest. Trevor and his tumbling terrapins had been preparing for weeks and I couldn’t wait to see how they did. Everyone knew that Polly the pelican, from Trinidad, was the favourite to win.
The atmosphere was tense as we took our seats around the diving pool with the other Superpets and their owners. One by one, the competing animals made their dives, twisting and looping in the air before splashing into the blue water below. Everyone seemed particularly impressed by Barry the beaver from the USA: he put on a real show for the audience. Then it was the turn of the terrapins, in their red, white and blue swimming trunks. In perfect unison, they launched themselves off the diving board. The crowd gasped as they spun in a complicated series of tucks and twirls and entered the pool with hardly a splash.
Mrs Wilson clapped her hands. “I don’t know much about diving but that looked very good to me!”
Calvin nodded and pointed to the scoreboard. “You’re spot on, Jenny, they’re in the lead. Only Polly the pelican can pip them to the gold medal now.”
Mrs Wilson turned pink and giggled. EE shook his head and sighed. The rest of us held our breath as the favourite took to the diving board. Looking very confident, she flapped her webbed feet all the way to the edge of the board and pointed her enormous bill in the air. Then she soared into the air, her wings tucked against her body. She twisted once, twice, three times – surely she wouldn’t have time for a fourth twirl? Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cherry adding up the twists. With a gigantic effort, Polly squeezed in a final spiral before hitting the water with a tiny sploosh.
The crowd cheered and got to their feet. I stared at the scoreboard anxiously. Would the judges award Polly the highest marks or would Trevor’s tumbling terrapins bring home the first gold medal for Great Britain?
For a few long seconds, the scoreboard didn’t change. When it did, I could hardly bear to look but I needn’t have worried – the terrapins had done it! Susie swept me up in her arms, laughing and cheering, and both Taz and Smudge purred louder than I’d ever heard before. Even EE seemed pleased and I couldn’t blame him – Team Superpets were off the mark and in the medals!
It seemed as though the terrapins’ success had inspired the rest of the Great Britain team. Lulu spun and twirled her way to a silver medal, narrowly losing out on the gold to a flamingo from Brazil. Hamish the otter from the highlands of Scotland, won us a bronze in the swimming. The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric and I didn’t even mind when Coco the koala snatched gold in the pole vault for Australia. By the end of the first day, Great Britain was second on the medals board and Gloria was delighted.
“A brilliant performance by the British team so far,” she exclaimed, gathering us all around at the end of the day. “It’s very close. Australia is in the lead at the moment and the USA isn’t far behind us. But if Great Britain gets more medals in the track and field events tomorrow than both of them, we can top the medals board!”
I glanced over at Taz and he blinked at me. With his speed and my talent for jumping, we couldn’t fail to win. Let Krusher and Ruby just try to stop us!
After the events had ended, Susie, EE and I said goodbye to Mrs Wilson, Lily and Smudge and made our way back to the Animalympic village with the other competing Superpets.
“I’ll certainly sleep well tonight,” Tim said, as we reached our apartments. “All that excitement has tired me out.”
“I don’t think Harriet and Taz will,” Susie said, reaching down to give my cheek a gentle stroke. “They’ll both be too nervous about their events tomorrow for that.”
Taz threw me a worried look.
“Nonsense,” Tim replied, ruffling Taz’s fur. “Animals don’t get anxious.”
EE wasn’t listening – he was staring at a parcel sitting on the mat by our front door. “What’s that?”
He reached down and picked the package up.
“To a brave little bunny,” he read from the label. “Good luck – you’ll need it!”
Ripping open the paper wrapper, he peered at the contents. “Belgian truffles? Who on Earth sends a rabbit chocolates?”
There was no point in asking me – I’d have preferred a nice crunchy carrot! And I didn’t have the faintest idea who had sent them, maybe one of my fans had discovered where I was staying. I glanced around for clues. The door at the end of the corridor closed suddenly, leaving me with the vague idea that two sets of eyes had been peering out of the crack.
Tim checked his doormat. “No one’s left any chocolates for us,” he said, staring at the box in EE’s hands and sounding disappointed.
EE clutched the truffles tightly to his chest and licked his lips. “I suppose I’d better look after these. We don’t want Harriet getting fat before her big day!”
Tim’s face grew hopeful. “I don’t suppose you want to share with m—”, he began, but EE didn’t seem to hear. Instead, he opened the front door and pushed Susie and me inside.
“See you tomorrow,” he called cheerily, and closed the door in Tim’s hungry-looking face.
“You’re not going to eat all those chocolates yourself, are you, Dad?” Susie asked in a suspicious voice. “You know Mum’s always saying you’ve got to lose some weight.”
There was a rustling of cellophane and it was a moment before EE turned round to look at Susie. “Hmph?” he mumbled, swallowing hard. “Of course I’m not. Now, isn’t it time you two were in bed? Busy day tomorrow.”
Huh. Somehow I didn’t think there’d be many Belgian truffles left by the morning. And from the look on Susie’s face as she locked me into my travel basket, I could see she thought the same. I knew something was wrong as soon as I woke up. Susie usually brings me a fresh carrot for breakfast and there was no sign of her. EE wasn’t up either. I felt the first flutter of panic. If they’d overslept, we were in big trouble. I didn’t want to miss Taz’s big moment but, more importantly, I didn’t want to miss mine. If they didn’t wake up soon, Krusher wouldn’t need any dirty tricks to beat me to the gold medal!
Peering through the bars of my basket, I searched for something I could use to make a noise. Getting out was a no-no – after one or two of my previous adventures, EE had bought one that was practically escape-proof. It was time to think outside of the basket. My eyes came to rest on an empty can on the coffee table, next to the chocolate box. It would make just the clatter I needed – all I had to do was find a way to knock it over.
Rummaging around, I discovered a carrot top I’d saved to wedge in my ear and block out EE’s snoring. If I could fire it with enough speed, it would tip the can over and wake everyone up. Carefully, I lined the left-over carrot up with the edge of the bars and turned around. With a powerful kick of my back legs, the carrot shot out of the basket and pinged off the tin can. Yes! Exactly as I’d hoped, the can clattered onto the table and fell to the floor with a loud clang.
There was a rustling from Susie’s room and she yanked her door open, a look of horror on her face.
“Oh no!” she cried. “We’ve slept in. Hang on, Harriet, I’ll go and wake Dad up.”
Moments later, she was back, dragging a very sleepy EE behind her.
“Wassamatter?” he mumbled, one eye closed and the other gazing blearily around.
Susie hurried over to my basket. “We’re going to be late, you have to get ready!”
EE staggered over to the sofa. “Inna minute. Jus’ need to rest ma eyes . . .”
Seconds later, his eyes were shut and he was snoring gently.
“Dad!” Susie said in dismay, tugging his hand. “Wake up!”
With a snort, EE stopped snoring and opened his eyes. “Nyurgh.”
Susie’s eyes filled with tears. “Please wake up! Harriet is going to miss her competition.”
When it looked like EE was going to doze off again, Susie grabbed a glass of water from the table and threw it into his face. I held my breath, expecting him to be cross but, instead, he yawned.
“Sorry, Susie, I don’t know what’s wr
ong with me,” he said, water dripping onto his stripy pyjamas. “I ate one or two of those chocolates last night and must have fallen asleep straight afterwards.”
I peered hard at the empty truffle box. Call me suspicious, but I was starting to wonder who had sent them. Was it an accident, or someone trying to make me late for the competition?
Susie looked at the clock and bit her lip. “Can we still make it in time?”
EE gave himself a brisk shake. “Of course we can! You get Harriet ready, I’ll get dressed.” He wiped the last of the water off his face. “Stunt Bunny isn’t down and out yet!”
The dressing room was empty as we hurtled into it. I tried not to fidget as Susie pulled my vest and shorts on, but I couldn’t help glancing at the clock. Taz was due to race in a few minutes’ time and we had to get out of the changing rooms and into the stadium – there wasn’t a second to lose!
EE was no help, of course. I looked up to see him leaning against the wall with his mouth open, fast asleep. I grew even more suspicious of those chocolates. As lazy as EE could be sometimes, I’d never known him to fall asleep on his feet!
Susie shook his arm and his eyes snapped open.
“Fnargle,” he said, closing his mouth and blinking like an owl. “Sorry, must have dozed off there.”
Susie finished tugging my headband into place and scooped me up in her arms. “Come on, we need to get to our seats!”
EE rubbed his face and gave an enormous yawn. “OK, let’s go.”
Out in the tunnel, I could hear the roar of the crowd. Susie heard it too and started to run. EE lumbered after her but we all came to a screeching halt when a security guard stepped out in front of us. He wore a crumpled grey uniform, with trousers that showed his hairy ankles, and had a badly-fitting hat pulled low over his curly blond hair.
Medal Mayhem Page 3
