Robbie Remembered

4:6

Mutters of confusion arose from the crowd of kids. Robbie got up out of his seat and clasped his hands together, giving them a couple small shakes to mark his victory.

"No need for applause, to win is a reward in itself." Robbie strolled around the table and untied the bib from his neck. He dabbed away a few stray crumbs from the corners of his mouth, obscuring his smirk. "I'm sure all you kiddies will be going home shortly anyway."

"What?" Stingy squawked.

"We had a deal, didn't we?" Robbie leaned one arm on the podium. "After all, a bet's a bet, and I won fair and square."

"What bet?" Sportacus looked between the children and Robbie with a wrinkle in his brow. The kids avoided his gaze.

"You didn't win, you cheated!" Trixie shouted. Robbie placed a hand on his chest at the accusation.

"What would ever give you that idea?"

"You said something to Ziggy," Trixie said, "I saw you talking to him!"

"Am I not allowed to talk to Zippy?"

"Ziggy!" Stingy turned to the smaller boy. "What did Robbie say to you?"

"He said... the pies..." Ziggy's stomach lurched with an audible gurgle far more ominous than the rumblings that Trixie's belly had produced before. He covered his mouth and turned away. Stephanie rubbed the boy's shoulders. His words came stifled through his hand. "Like... a fish..."

"What does that mean?" Stephanie asked.

"Is it a riddle?" Stingy asked.

"Guys," Sportacus said, raising his voice above the growing clamor, "what's going on here?"

"Robbie's up to his tricks again!" Trixie glared daggers at the smug man on the stage.

"He said if we all lost, we couldn't play outside anymore," Ziggy whimpered.

"He what?" Sportacus shot an incredulous look at Robbie.

"They all agreed with the terms," Robbie said with a shrug. "There's no call to be sore losers about it."

"No way, Robbie," Trixie said, "all bets are off."

"Oh?" Robbie arched an eyebrow at the pigtailed girl. "And if I had lost, would you still be saying that?"

"You did lose," Trixie said. "Cheaters never win."

"Is that what you all really think?" Robbie asked. He looked from one kid's sullen and sour face to the next, turning last to Sportacus. "If I lose everyone else wins, is that right?"

The hero's exasperation was plain on his face. "This isn't about winning or losing, Robbie. You can't use the festival games as some kind of..."

"Scheme?" Robbie supplied the word. Sportacus crossed his arms and frowned at him.

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Sounds accurate to me," Pixel said under his breath.

"You can say that again," Stingy muttered.

"Say what?" Robbie put his hand to his ear. "Why don't you speak up so everyone can hear you, Pretzel?"

"The name is Pixel," Pixel said at full volume, "and I was just agreeing with you, Robbie. You can't do anything around here without it being part of one of your schemes."

"And how can I help it," Robbie asked, "when you all make it so easy?"

"Perhaps we should move on to the next activity," Milford mumbled into the microphone.

"I've got an activity," Trixie said. She ran over to Bessie's food stand and snatched a plate of apple cobbler off of the counter. Turning to face the stage again she cocked her arm back, holding the dish aloft. "Here, Robbie, catch!"

"Trixie!" everyone gasped and shouted, but she was too fast for anyone to stop her. She hurled the cobbler up at the stage where Robbie stood.