By Hannah Carter
“Haddie Underwood, I always knew someday I’d have to post your bond.” My elder sister Zelda peered at me from the other side of the bars before her gaze slithered over to the man beside me. “But you. I can honestly say I never expected to bail my own father out of jail. What in all of Kingland happened?”
Dad and I exchanged surreptitious smiles before he answered. “You see, your sister just wanted me to have a good Father’s Day…”
***
“Haddie, you shouldn’t have.” Dad’s eyes widened behind his wire-rimmed glasses. We stood together in my gold-encrusted bedroom, more my mother’s style than my own. Mouth agape, Dad inched toward his Father’s Day gift on my bed: a new broomstick, tied with a large red bow. He reached out to touch it reverently, a spark of hunger in his eyes. “This is the brand-new Merlin model.”
I grinned, rocking back and forth on my heels. “You don’t say. Can’t be why I picked it out.”
“This goes even faster than the old Arthurian I had in my dueling club days.” Dad touched the sleek metal handle. “Did I ever tell you that I set the speed record by a whole second? I’m sure someone has beaten it now, though…”
“Then it’s time to reclaim it.” I strode to my closet door and threw it open. The twin of his new broom seemed to wink at me in the afternoon sunlight. “How about a duel?”
Dad’s eyebrows shot up. “Haddie! You bought two? Do you know how expensive that is?”
In honor of Father’s Day, I stifled a sarcastic response and answered, “But you can’t officially break the speed record again without it being an official duel.” I carried the broom out of the closet. “If we open the balcony and do one quick lap, Mom will never be the wiser. And we’ll be prim, proper, and miserable in time for her fancy four-course dinner.”
Dad pushed his glasses up. “Well…”
I opened the glass balcony door. Sunlight streamed in, and a warm summer breeze buffeted my hair.
Dad ripped the bow off and straddled his broom. Immediately, it started to hover, and he crossed his ankles. “You remember everything I taught you?”
“Yup.” I mimicked his stance on my ride. “I know all your tricks. It’d be a real shame if I beat you on Father’s Day, don’t you think?”
He smirked. “You can try.” He leveled his wand at me. “Haddie Underwood, I challenge you to a duel.”
The rules would be standard: two minutes to cover the most distance. Harmless firecracker spells could be used to hinder the other, and our brooms’ buzzers would go off when time was up.
“Kristopher Underwood, I challenge you to a duel.” Sparks flew from our wands—the official start.
Dad vaulted into the air. My first spell detonated with blue-and-red shimmers, and he fell into an upside-down roll to avoid it. He returned a volley before I’d gained much altitude, but I veered to the right—almost hitting a tree—and rose again.
“You’ve lost your edge, old man!” I aimed my next firecracker high to catch him unaware, but the explosion didn’t faze him. He shot back a blast which took off my shoe and made me squeal. Helplessly, I watched as my Oxford clattered to the ground at least twenty feet below while bystanders scurried away.
He guffawed. “Doesn’t look like it!” Another burst of speed put him a fair bit ahead of me.
I bent down, flush with my ride. Wind stung my cheeks, but my smile widened. I cast another spell which clipped the back of his broomstick. That might have caused a more inexperienced rider to go into a tailspin, but Dad swiveled around, in total control, to face me as his broom flew backward.
“No fair! You can’t fly backwards! I’m a rookie!”
“Then don’t challenge a pro!” Dad fired off another firecracker, which would have probably knocked me off the broom if I hadn’t dropped into a dive. There’d be no speed record for me, but it wasn’t Haddie Day, anyway.
By the time I crested, Dad had disappeared into a cloud. I zoomed by the side but didn’t dare go in—low visibility and all. Instead, I used a large blasting spell to detonate the whole thing. Rain exploded on both of us and the ground below, dousing everyone in our immediate radius with a sudden shower. Soaked, I slowed my broom down, sputtering from my own attack.
But Dad kept going, turned right-side around. “I didn’t ride through the Hurricane of ‘74 for nothing!”
The beeper on my broom went off: ten seconds remaining.
Dad’s coat and hair flapped in the wind, several meters ahead of me. Even if it were Father’s Day, I wasn’t going to let him win easily. I sent five blasts ahead, one of his signature moves back in dueling club. Whether he stayed still or dodged, I’d land a solid hit on him.
He glanced over his shoulder, but instead of moving, he took one blast right into the back—and used it to propel him ahead even farther. I leaned forward, willing my broom to go faster.
Three… two… one…
Sirens blared behind us.
“Land your brooms immediately, by order of the Kingland Cops!”
***
“You got arrested for dueling?” Zelda’s eye twitched.
“And causing an illegal rain shower, and for tossing a shoe from a moving broom.” I leaned my head against Dad’s shoulder. “But you know what makes it all worth it?”
Zelda crossed her arms. “Let me guess. You avoided Mom’s dinner?”
“No, that’s just a bonus.” I smiled at Dad. “Guess who now holds the record for fastest dueling speed again?”
Zelda rolled her eyes and stomped off in a huff, probably to go post our bail.
Dad leaned over and patted my hand. “Thanks for everything today, Haddie.”
“Of course.” I snuggled closer to him. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Oh my gosh this was so sweet, I loved it!!
Thank you so much, Abby!! <3 So glad you liked it!! ^_^
GREAT father’s day story!
Thank you so much, Laurie!! <3 I had a blast writing Haddie and Kristopher's interactions. ^_^
I loved this SO MUCH! What a sweet father-daughter story. I love seeing where Haddie gets some of her rebellious streak, hehe, and would love to see more stories with her parents involved as well. Maybe a prequel about how her mum and dad met? ;-)
Hehehe, thank you SO MUCH, Beka!! <3 And it was fun to me to discover where Haddie's chaos comes from, too. And hmmm…you know, you may just get your wish. That does seem like a fun story to write! ;)
This is great, Hannah! I love the daddy-daughter relationship and the fun magical setting!
Thank you so much, Vanessa!! <3 I had a blast discovering a little bit more about Haddie's family, and it made me want to incorporate them into more stories! ^_^
Fun story! Maybe I can challenge my daughters to a race when I get home!
Thank you so much, Arlan!! ^_^ If you do race your daughters, I can only hope it ends slightly better than Haddie’s and her dad’s did! ;)
Wonderful story like always, Hannah!! ☺️ Seems like we know where Haddie gets all of her crazy decision making from! 🤣 Loved seeing the family grow and offer a little more background on an already great character!! 😊
Thanks so much, Andrew!! ^_^ As I was trying to figure out where she got it from, I realized that she would have had to get it from her dad, who carries the Underwood name, since its a well-known fact that the Underwoods are up to no good! xD
I was waiting for a banana peel or a blue shell 😂🤣 Love seeing where Haddie gets her spirit!
This story delighted my soul! SO FUN!
💖That was one of the best stories yet about Haddie! Finally, I see where she gets it from…