Crack Free

 Looks oily, says the Kroombit tinker. When you go back, don't run.

Okay, says Sweetpea.

He replaces the stopper in the olio santa vial and steps out of the little room, slowly.

His feet smell so nice.

He steps forward boldly.

And slides.

Crash! He lands on his little stone bottom.

Ooh! says the Kroombit tinker. Are you all right?

Yes, says Sweetpea, getting up and looking down at his glistening feet.

Maybe it wasn't water, says the Kroombit tinker. I'll look for a towel.

She goes back to the little room.

Sweetpea continues his slow walk back to the Madonna, leaving oily footprints on the mosaic floor.

The Kroombit tinker comes out of the room with a hand towel.

She starts wiping the floor.

And is promptly noticed by a guard.

A frog in the cathedral doing something suspicious!

The guard calls a policeman.

Sweetpea arrives back at the Madonna.

He climbs up to his seat beside her.

You smell better, says the Madonna. But I think you used the wrong water.

I know, says Sweetpea. It was oily. I slipped over and crashed.

I thought I heard heard a noise, says the Madonna. Are you cracked anywhere?

No, says Sweetpea. I landed on my bottom.

Let me see, says the Madonna.

Sweetpea is just showing her his crack-free bottom, when a policeman enters the Cathedral.

Over here, says the guard.

The policeman follows the guard to where the Kroombit tinker is wiping up oily footprints.

I'll leave you to it, says the guard.

The policeman stares hard at the tinker.

What? asks the tinker. It's only a spill. I'm dealing with it.

An Australian frog! says the policeman.

What of it? asks the tinker.

How did you get here? asks the policeman.

On the train from Nice, says the tinker.

The policeman puts two and two together.

You were that frog on the bicycle, says the policeman. The one that won the time trial.

You saw it? asks the tinker.

I did, says the policeman.

Arthur and Nicolo come over.

Victor! says Arthur. Why are you here?

Vittorio to you, says Victor. I'm here on an international officer swap program.

Lucky you, says Arthur. This is Nicolo, my ex-teammate. And this is the tinker.

She shouldn't be here, says Victor.

We know, says Arthur. We're taking her back.

That might not be so simple, says Victor. She has damaged the floor of Florence's largest cathedral.

I'm wiping it up, says the tinker.

You have chipped it, says Victor.

His eagle eye has spotted a chip in the mosaic tiling.

It looks like an old chip, says Nicolo.

But Victor is determined to do the right thing.

The Kroombit tinker must be arrested.