Chapter 176
Harvey pedaled with full force, but it didn’t take long for him to realize that he and Niamh were completely out of sync. Their tandem bike zigzagged uncontrollably across the path.
“Niamh! Stop pedaling! Just lift your feet off the pedals!” he shouted.
Instead of helping, Niamh’s frantic pedaling was making things worse. At this rate, it would be better if he handled it alone.
“Ahh! Shit! My clothes!”
At this point, Niamh wasn’t even listening to Harwy. An alpaca yanked at her sleeve while another tugged at her hair. She barely shoved one of them away before another lunged in to take its place.
“Waah! Dad! Hurry up!” Beau wailed from behind.
Harvey tried to speed up, but with Niamh throwing them off balance, they kept swerving uncontrollably. All he could do was watch helplessly as Elara and Merida disappeared from his sight.
Meanwhile, several parents and children had already completed the first challenge and were resting at the campsite, waiting for the others. Finnegan’s breathing remained steady even as they arrived at the finish line.
“We made it!”
Finnegan turned around to look at Elara and Merida but what he saw left him completely frozen. A cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
When Elara heard Finnegan’s voice, she instantly knew they were safe. Finally able to relax, she released her tight grip on the bucket and straightened up.
Just as she turned to check on Merida, she caught sight of what Finnegan was looking at. Both of them stiffened in shock.
Merida, sensing that the bicycle had stopped, glanced at both sides of her body. Her eyes widened in horror, and she immediately started shouting, “The alpacas caught up! Mommy! Protect the carrots! Uncle Finn! Start pedaling again!”
Merida In
Elara said to her, go of those alpacas,”
Only then did Merida realize what had happened. The two alpacas were pressed tightly against her sides as she had unknowingly trapped them under her arms. She was also at a loss as to when she had accidentally grabbed them by the necks.
Both alpacas looked completely exhausted. Their long tongues were hanging limply from their mouths as their eyes rolled back in defeat.
Merida instantly loosened her arms, and the two alpacas collapsed to the ground as their legs gave out beneath
them.
Still shaken, she patted her chest and let out a nervous laugh. “Haha… I scared myself.”
Finnegan was speechless. No wonder he had kept spotting two alpacas trailing behind them in his peripheral vision during the ride…
Elara stepped off the bike and handed their plastic bucket to the scorekeeper, Josie Dock. She had protected every single carrot and cabbage leaf. Josie then attached a magnetic nameplate with Merida’s name to the whiteboard.
“Ms. Jones, congratulations! You successfully protected all your vegetables. Your family earns 30 points and is
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Chapter 176
currently in first place.”
#25 BÓNUS
Rosalie’s expression darkened when she saw that Merida arel Paisley were tied for first place. “There should only be one first–place winner! Why is there a tie? We arrived first, so we should be the real winners!”
Josic forced an awkward smile and explained, “Ms. Fisher, your family started the game 30 minutes earlier. Both you and Ms. Jones managed to protect all your vegetables, but in terms of completion time, Ms. Jones’s family finished faster than yours.”
Rosalie’s voice rose in protest. “We got here first! We were the first family to reach the campsite! My husband worked hard to get a perfect score! Elara’s family arrived later, so how can they possibly deserve to be tied with us?
“But…” Josie hesitated, feeling like she was caught in an impossible situation
Hearing Rosalie’s fussing, Merida exchanged a quick glance with Elara. Then, her eyes lit up, and she dashed off. Elara smirked. She knew Merida had come up with a solution.
Moments later, Merida returned dragging two alpacas behind her, her small steps waddling like a penguin as she hauled them forward.
“Ms. Dock! I also caught two alpaca thieves! Can we get extra points for these?”
Josie’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the two defeated–looking alpacas. Their tongues were hanging limply as if they were playing dead
At the very least, this finally shut Rosalie up.
