The judges set the table down. One of the judges raised his arms, and the fans quieted down.
“It is now time to present the prize to the winner!” another judge announced. “But the sacred wreath for this glorious event has been stolen!”
The crowd hissed and booed.
“Indeed, it is a terrible thing!” the judge continued. “However, when we went to get the prize this morning, we found that someone—perhaps Zeus himself—had replaced the missing wreath with this very special object!”
The judge lifted the black hat. The crowd gasped.
“We believe,” he told the stunned crowd, “it is meant to be worn on the head!”
And he put the hat on. “How do I look?”
“Absurd,” said a fellow judge.
He took the hat off.
“I now present this extraordinary prize,” proclaimed the judge, “to Kyniska, Princess of Sparta, and to her driver, Earhart of Kansas!”
Amelia stood in her plane, waving to the crowd.
She pulled off her goggles and helmet. Her hair flapped in the breeze.
“Ah, much better,” she said. “First, let me congratulate the other teams for a marvelous race!”
The entire arena went silent. The judges looked at each other.
“Is Earhart a woman?” one asked.
“She looks like a woman.”
“She sounds like a woman.”
Forty thousand fans stood, staring at Amelia.
“Oops,” Amelia said, remembering the no-women rule.
“Time to get out of here,” Abby suggested.
Doc nodded. “Let’s grab the hat, too. In case it’s really Abe’s.”
“Good idea,” Abby agreed. “Well, congrats again,” she said to Kyniska.
“Thank you, children,” Kyniska said. “Hurry!”
Abby and Doc hopped onto the track and sprinted toward the prize table.
“The wreath thieves!” shouted one of the judges. “Stop them!”
Doc pulled the wreath from his pocket and tossed it. “We didn’t steal it!”
The wreath hit the judge in the nose.
Abby snatched the hat off the table.
“Put that back!” cried the judge.
“In!” Amelia shouted, holding open the door of her plane. “Get in!”
Doc dove in, followed by Abby. The judges lunged toward the door—which slammed shut in their faces. The plane jolted forward.
Judges in flowing purple robes ran after the plane, waving and yelling. Fans poured from the stands to join the chase. Drivers jumped back into their chariots and sped alongside the plane, smacking the wings with their whips.
Amelia’s plane rattled and bounced as it gained speed. But it was running out of runway, fast approaching the end of the track—and the stone pillar. With only a few feet to spare, the plane lifted into the air.
Thousands of furious faces watched the flying chariot climb, turn, and sail over the hills of Olympia.
The only one smiling was Kyniska.
“Thank you, Abby,” said Amelia Earhart. “It wasn’t bad, if I say so myself.”
Abby and Doc sat on the bench behind the cockpit. When their hearts stopped racing, they started to think about the tall black hat Abby held in her lap.
“It really does look like Abraham Lincoln’s,” she said.
“Look inside,” Doc said. “Remember how he keeps notes and stuff in his hat?”
Abby turned the hat upside down. Folded pieces of paper were stuck in the lining.
Doc took one out and read the note aloud:
“The next time someone tells me my jacket is too short, I should say, ‘Well, it will be a lot longer before I get a new one.’”
Doc looked up from the paper. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
“I think so,” Abby said. “A lot longer. Get it? A longer time before he gets a new coat?”
“I’m not putting that back,” Doc said.
He crumpled the paper and tossed it under the bench.
“It’s Lincoln’s hat all right!” Abby said, loud enough for Amelia to hear.
Amelia turned and said, “How is that possible?”
“Who knows?” Abby asked.
“We should return it,” Doc said.
“Maybe we’ll suddenly appear there, in Lincoln’s time,” Abby said. “I mean, we had the wreath, and we just appeared in ancient Greece, right?”
“Yeah,” Doc said. “That actually makes sense.”
Amelia Earhart shook her head. “None of this makes sense.”
“Okay, we’re ready!” Doc shouted. “Take us to Mr. Lincoln!”
Abby yelled into the hat. “Hello in there! Can you hear us?”
Nothing happened.
The plane flew over the rocky hills of Greece and soared toward the Mediterranean coast.