Medal Mayhem (3 page)

Mrs Wilson froze like a statue for a moment, taking in his smart black tracksuit, sporty sunglasses and the camera behind him pointing straight at her. Then she blinked and smiled. “Hello, mai name is Mrs Wilson. You can call me Jenny.”

Still looking confused, the man lowered his sunglasses to peer at the number on the wall beside the door. “Have I got the wrong address? I’m looking for Harriet Houdini.”

Susie scooped me up into her arms and hurried forwards. “This is Harriet.”

The camera zoomed in on me and I waved my paws in welcome. The man in the tracksuit smiled. “I recognise her from the TV,” he said. “I’m Calvin Cross, Harriet’s new personal trainer.”

Mrs Wilson held out her hand and giggled. “How lovely to meet you, Calvin. This is mai daughter, Susie.”

Calvin shook her hand. “Great to meet you.” He winked at me. “And the amazing Harriet Houdini.”

There was a bad-tempered rustling sound from the direction of the sofa. “Don’t be fooled by the cuteness,” EE called grumpily from behind his newspaper. “That rabbit has teeth like razors.”

“That’s my dad,” Susie explained as the camera swung towards EE. “He’s Harriet’s old trainer.”

Calvin managed to pull his fingers out of Mrs Wilson’s hand. “Good to know,” he replied. “Now that we’ve all met, why don’t we go and get a few shots of the garden, Susie? Then Harriet and I had better get to work – gold medals don’t win themselves!”

I wriggled with excitement at the thought. Calvin Cross was used to aiming high and so was I. Something told me we were going to go a long way together!

The back garden is EE’s pride and joy. He spends every Sunday afternoon out there, tending to his little vegetable patch and pruning his rose bushes. I’ve even heard him talking to them, when he thinks no one is listening. And I suppose it must have an effect because those roses are the tastiest I’ve ever nibbled on. Not that I’d ever tell him that, of course.

So when Calvin Cross looked around the garden with a disappointed air, EE’s mood got even worse.

“There’s not as much room as I’d like,” Calvin said to the film crew. “But at least we can use that sandpit if we move it to the bottom of the path.”

“It’s always been big enough before,” EE muttered, glaring at Calvin. “She’s only a rabbit.”

Mrs Wilson elbowed her way past the sound man to stand a teensy bit too close to Calvin.

“Can I get you a drink, Calvin?” she asked in a breathy voice. “Or a little snack?”

I frowned. Had she changed her dress? I was sure she’d been wearing black before and the one she had on now was bright red and frilly.

“Er, no, thanks,” Calvin said, stepping back and patting his flat tummy. “I’m on a strict diet.”

Mrs Wilson looked him up and down. “I’m sure you don’t need to watch your weight,” she trilled.

“Why do we need the sandpit?” Susie asked Calvin, doing her best to ignore both her parents.

“The triple jump has a long run-up and Harriet will be moving very fast,” Calvin explained. “The sand is there so that she doesn’t hurt herself when she lands after the jump.”

Susie looked at me doubtfully. “I’m not sure Harriet will like getting her fur dirty.”

She had that right – the last thing I wanted was to get sand in between my claws. But if that’s what it took to bring home a medal then I’d put up with it.

“Triple-jumpers wear special shorts,” Calvin continued. “I’m sure we can get some for Harriet. But first, I want to see what she can do. How about showing the camera some of those famous backflips?”

I didn’t need to be asked twice! Quicker than you could say ‘super somersault’, I was wriggling out of Susie’s arms and scampering down the garden towards Lily’s mini trampoline. Flattening my ears against my head the way I’d seen Tornado Taz do, I picked up speed and hit the trampoline fast. I sank into its springy surface, bouncing high into the air and spinning into a backflip. Upside down, I saw Calvin’s mouth drop open into an astonished O. Wait until he saw my next move – his jaw would hit the ground!

As I began to fall, I aimed towards Susie’s bright orange space hopper, thinking I would bounce off. But instead of sending me soaring upwards again, my claws sank into the shiny rubber. There was a loud pop and a sigh of escaping air. The next thing I knew, it was zooming across the garden like a deflating balloon, taking me with it. I caught a glimpse of Susie’s shocked face as I flew past and light spun off the camera lens as it whipped around to follow me. EE stuck out a hand to catch me but the space hopper suddenly zipped off in another direction.

I clung on tight as the whizzing space hopper climbed high into the air, and hoped I’d land somewhere soft. Then, with a final whine and a
pffffft
noise, the last of the air inside the space hopper was gone and I spiralled towards the ground. Seeing my chance, I leaped off and aimed for the sandpit. I landed squarely in the middle of the squishy yellow sand, ears pointing straight upwards and whiskers quivering like I was a gold-medal-winning gymnast.

There was a stunned silence, then Calvin turned to the film crew. “Tell me you got all that.”

The cameraman checked his tiny screen and nodded.

Calvin clapped his hands, beaming. “Bravo, Harriet, that was a real show-stopping performance!” He leaned towards EE. “Do you think she meant to do that?”

EE picked up the limp remains of the space hopper, a strange look on his face. “It’s hard to say for sure, but with Harriet, anything is possible.”

“Dad!” Susie said, hitting EE on the leg. “Of course she meant to do it. She is a Stunt Bunny, after all.”

“Well, whether she meant it or not, I don’t need to see any more,” Calvin said, as I hopped out of the sandpit and shook myself off. “I think Harriet is going to be a terrific triple-jumper!”

It was exactly what I wanted to hear. The space hopper shenanigans might not have worked out quite the way I’d planned but they certainly seemed to have impressed Calvin, and the viewers of the
Team Superpets
TV show would love them. Now the real work could begin – turning me from a Stunt Bunny into an Animalympian. And I was ready. I’d bring home a triple-jump medal or my name wasn’t Harriet Houdini!