Read by Trish Rowland
It was twilight on Breakers Island. The light of day was almost gone. The full moon would soon light the dark night sky. For many, it was time for sleep and rest.
For others, it was time to wake. The sound of waking bats filled the cave. The pups were starting to move around in the nursery. They were getting ready to leave Winter Wind Mountain. It was time to hunt for food and water.
Nat opened his eyes and wings. He was hungry! And so were his friends. When they were younger, the bat pups drank milk. Now they were older and wanted flying insects to eat.
All at once, hundreds of bats took flight. They looked like a fast moving black cloud as they flew from the cave. The night air filled with the sound of their wings as they spread out in all directions.
Nat said to his friends, “Let’s head to the pond first.” This was a great hunting place. They liked to fly low over the pond to drink water and catch flying insects.
The frogs saw the bats coming to the pond. They croaked, “Hey, you young pups! Leave some bugs for us. Must you eat so much?”
The bats were too busy catching insects to pay any attention to the frogs. There was no time to lose. There were still so many places they wanted to visit.
After catching a fat dragonfly, Nat said, “Let’s go to Fire Fall Woods.” His friends thought Nat was a great leader. He always seemed to know the best places to find food. Soon they were flying through the tall trees. Nat tried to look after his friends. He said, “Be careful. Don’t hurt your wings in here. These tree branches are thick. Look out for the large spider webs.”
Other animals were awake in the woods. They were also hunting for food in the night. A barn owl hooted as the bats flew by her tree. A rat ran for cover when he heard the sound of the bats flying over his head.
“Nat, where to next?” they asked.
He said, “Let’s go to Farmer John’s fields.” This was a good place to visit. Farmer John liked the bats because they would catch the insects that wanted to eat his crops.
The small black bats flew so fast it was hard to see them at night. The cat and dog were on the front porch of Farmer John’s house.
The cat sat up when she heard the bats coming. She watched the bats as they flew over the house to the fields. The dog was sleeping on a mat and didn’t see them come or go.
Mrs. Baker’s apple orchard was near Farmer John’s farm. Nat and his friends didn’t want to fly there. One night, Mrs. Baker ran out of her house and tried to hit them with a broom.
Nat said, “I don’t know why Mrs. Baker doesn’t like us. Let’s keep going. There are better places to hunt.”
Some people thought the bats were a sign of good fortune and happiness. Others believed scary old stories and were afraid of bats. Nat thought, “People would like us if they knew us better.” Nat thought, “People would like us if they knew us better.”
There was only time for one last stop. Nat and his friends headed to the Secret Spring Meadow. They flew up and down through the air and caught even more insects.
Now it was time to return home. They flew low over the Summer Star River to drink a drop of water. It had been a good night. The young bats were happy with the large number of insects they had caught.
Nat liked to play games as they were flying. He called to his friends, “Let’s race home. On your mark, get set, go!” They were all fast flyers but Nat took the lead as they left the meadow.
They raced to their home in Winter Wind Mountain. Soon all the bats returned to the large cave. The young bats hung upside down to sleep in their nursery.
The morning sun was starting to rise and light the day. Nat fell asleep, dreaming of beautiful dragonflies dancing in the air.
Nat thought, “People would like us if they knew us better.”