Medal Mayhem (4 page)

Normally, I missed filming
Superpets
when we were on our summer break but my busy schedule with Calvin meant I didn’t have time to think about anything other than hopping, skipping and jumping. He came round almost every day to work with Susie and me, much to Mrs Wilson’s delight. Honestly, she fussed non-stop over Calvin and always seemed to be interrupting our training to offer him a cup of tea or slice of cake.

“Mum, you’re in the way again!” Susie exclaimed, when Mrs Wilson tottered into down to the sandpit for the fifth time that day in a silky dress and an impossibly high-heeled pair of shoes. “Harriet was just about to do a jump.”

“I thought you might be peckish,” Mrs Wilson said, waving a plate of chocolate biscuits around and wobbling wildly as her heels sank into the grass.

The cameraman reached out took a biscuit. “Don’t mind if I do.”

“Thanks very much, Mrs Wilson,” the sound man said and snatched one from the plate just as Mrs Wilson started to lose her balance. The biscuits flew up into the air, landing on the grass.

She clung onto Calvin for support. “Oops, clumsy me!” she giggled. “I hope you didn’t want a biscuit . . .”

“Mum!” groaned Susie, her cheeks turning rosy.

I knew exactly how she felt and covered my eyes with my paws.

Calvin shook his head. “No, thank you. We athletes have to keep trim.”

Was it my imagination or did Calvin sound a bit regretful that he’d said no to the biscuits? Maybe he had something in common with EE after all!

Mrs Wilson straightened up and smoothed her dress down. “Well, do let me know if there’s anything you need.”

She wobbled her way back up the garden and into the house, leaving the chocolate biscuits behind her. They smelled delicious and I might have been tempted to have a sneaky nibble if Calvin hadn’t been watching me sternly. That didn’t bother Smudge, the Wilsons’ cat, and he stuck out a claw to snag himself a snack. Purring, he settled down on the grass with his treasure but Susie had spotted him.

“Oh no you don’t,” she said in a firm voice as she took the biscuit off him. “Chocolate is very bad for cats.”

Swishing his tail, Smudge let out a disappointed-sounding
miaow
and swiped a paw at Susie. Then he turned his back on her and stalked over to the fence. Before you could say moody moggy, he had vanished into next-door’s garden.

“There are – ah – too many distractions out here,” Calvin said, looking at the biscuit in Susie’s hand as though he was trying not to lick his lips. “Why don’t we go and watch some recordings of my best triple jumps to get some inspiration instead?”

It sounded like a good idea to me – the smell of that scrummy chocolate was very distracting.

Susie scooped me up into her arms. “Don’t get any ideas, Harriet,” she said as she carried me into the house. “Chocolate is definitely not on the Stunt Bunny menu!”

The three weeks leading up to the qualifying competition flew by. Calvin was a great teacher, in spite of Mrs Wilson’s embarrassing interruptions. Thanks to his exercises and some special organic food he’d recommended, I was fitter and faster than I’d ever been. We trained nearly every day, as well as watching recordings of other athletes to pick up tips. Calvin even did a few triple jumps of his own to help me with my performance. Soon, I knew exactly how to hop, skip and jump so that I covered the longest possible distance. It was good fun, but sometimes I missed those lazy afternoons in my hutch!

Calvin seemed really pleased with the results. “Harriet Houdini, I do believe you’ve got what it takes to be a winner,” he said the evening before the qualifying competition. He fired a beaming smile around the Wilson family. “Well done, everyone, you’ve done a brilliant job. We’re more than ready for tomorrow.”

Susie puffed up her chest proudly, Mrs Wilson looked like she might faint and EE looked less grumpy than usual.

“What actually happens at these qualifying competitions?” he asked.

Calvin’s expression grew serious. “Animals from all over the country get together to prove to the judges they’re the best at their event.” He gazed around solemnly. “I won’t lie, it’s going to be tough. Only one animal per event will be chosen for the Animalympics to compete for Great Britain.”

Susie’s chin wobbled. “Do you think Harriet is good enough?” she asked, her voice quavering.

Calvin dropped her an enormous wink. “Oh, there’s no need to worry about this little bunny. Harriet isn’t just good, she’s the best!”

Clapping her hands, Susie’s eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait to show Gloria and the other pets what Harriet can do.”

Neither could I. If the other trainers were as good as mine, Superpets were going to wipe that medals table clean!

The qualifying competition was being held at a big athletics stadium in the city. A luxury bus picked up all the pets and their owners up from the
Superpets
studio and took us there. It reminded me of the
Superpets: Live!
tour, when we’d travelled up and down the country to perform in various cities. If I hadn’t been glad before that Doodle had left the show, I was the moment we got on the bus. She suffered from an icky tummy when she travelled and there was no way I wanted to share a seat with a pukey poodle again, let me tell you.

Gloria met us in the car park of the stadium with the camera crew. “This is it,” she said, gazing around at us animals and our owners. “Your chance to put everything you’ve learned into practice. I hope you’ve all been working hard?”

I waved my paws inside my travel basket. Next to me, Tornado Taz looked up at the women’s sprint champion he’d been training with and let out a proud purr. Lulu the chimpanzee and her gymnastics trainer twirled their silver batons into the air and caught them at exactly the same time.

Gloria looked pleased and waited until the owners had stopped babbling about what their pet had been up to. “Excellent. Then let’s get in there and show those judges exactly why our pets are super!”

I didn’t need to be told twice. Hopping with excitement, I peered up at Susie as she lifted my basket and we set off towards the stadium. It was almost my time to shine and I didn’t plan on missing a second.