Megabat Is a Fraidybat

by Anna Humphrey

  “Yours is like Diamond Foot!” Megabat remarked. “Only with yours’s face!”

  “You read Diamond Foot too? That’s my favorite graphic novel series. Actually…” He dug around in his backpack. “I just got this.”

  Daniel gasped. “No way!”

  The cover of the book showed Diamond Foot battling a five-headed lizard while kicking his way through a brick building to rescue a screaming lady.

  “That’s being the dumbbell in distress.” Megabat pointed to the lady. He felt clever for knowing the special words that meant “person who needs rescuing.”

  “He means damsel in distress,” Daniel corrected. He looked at the book with awe. “This doesn’t come out for two more weeks though!”

  Irwin winked. “My mom’s a librarian, so I’ve got connections. You can read it if you want.”

  “Seriously?” Daniel’s eyes had gone wide.

  “Of course!” Irwin said. “Be my guests.”

  Daniel used careful fingers to open the cover, and then all three of them leaned over, reading together. The story began with a strange rumbling noise coming from the ground in Carbon City, where Diamond Foot lived and fought crime. As a purple mist drifted out of a sewer, one of the lizard’s fearsome heads emerged.

  The boys and the bat got so busy reading that they barely noticed the bus bump-bumping along. In fact, they didn’t even look up until they got to the panel where a skunk passed out because the lizard’s breath smelled so bad. Irwin and Daniel both laughed.

  “Aha!” Megabat pointed with his wingtip. “Mine sees fun!”

  “What?” Daniel asked, still laughing.

  “Daniel is having one fun! Ours only needses nine mores.”

  Then, because Irwin didn’t know yet, Megabat explained how Daniel was afraid to go to camp, and how the driver had promised them the Ewok bobblehead if he had ten kinds of fun.

  “Don’t worry,” Irwin said. “You’ll easily have more than that. This is my third year at Wildwood. It’s the best.”

  The bus turned down a gravel road so narrow that tree branches brushed the windows on either side. Irwin closed the book. “Anyway, you’ll see for yourself soon. We’re here!”

  Megabat peered out the window as the bus emerged from the trees and rolled to a stop.

  Twelve red-roofed cabins stood in a semicircle surrounded by towering pines. There were larger buildings too, and a fun-looking ropes course, and beyond all that lay a glistening lake.

  “Daniel!” Megabat turned. “Is yours seeing this?”

  But instead of admiring the beautiful spot, Daniel was slapping at a tiny ant that had crawled up his arm. He scratched the spot where it had been and blinked hard, like he might start crying all over again.

  FRUIT POPS AND OTHER FUNS

  As soon as the kids got off the bus, they were sorted into cabins. Daniel and Irwin were in Cabin 8, along with two boys who looked like copies of each other—except that one had long hair and one had short hair.

  “These are the twins,” Irwin said. “Gus and Rusty.”

  They also met their counselor—a tall, skinny man with a hairy face. “I’m Vijay.” He extended a hand. From inside Daniel’s pocket, Megabat watched as his friend reached out to shake it, then jumped back a second later—still holding the hand!

  “AHHH!” Megabat shouted. Luckily, Vijay was too busy laughing to hear him.

  “What the—?” Daniel dropped it.

  “The old plastic-hand gag.” Vijay wiped a tear from his eye. “New campers fall for it every time.” He poked his real hand out of his sleeve to show where it had been hiding all along, and Daniel smiled nervously.

  “Vijay’s famous for his pranks,” Irwin explained. “But don’t worry. We’ll get him back before the week’s over. Anyway, come on!” Irwin took off across the field at a run. “I want to get a top bunk.”

  It was dark inside Cabin 8, but as soon as Megabat’s eyes adjusted to the dimness, he saw that it was cozy too. There were four beds—two top ones and two bottom ones—a bathroom and a separate room that said Counselor’s Quarters on the door.

  “I think we should choose a lower bunk,” Daniel said to Megabat as he set their things down. “That way the roof won’t leak on us when it rains at night.”

  “Hmmmmm.” The bat leaned back in Daniel’s pocket, trying to get a better look at the ceiling. The top bunks seemed more fun. They had ladders and a little nook for storing things. Maybe they could have one if Megabat could reassure Daniel that there weren’t any holes in the roof.

  “Lets mine inspect for leakies.” He flapped up to the bunk above.

  “I call top bunk!”

  Unfortunately, the twins picked that moment to arrive. Gus—the long-haired boy—launched his overflowing duffel bag up onto the mattress. Megabat barely managed to flap out of the way in time to avoid getting crushed.

  “Hey! Watching where yours chucks stuffs!” he yelled indignantly.

  “Huh?” Gus stopped in his tracks. “Who said that? Was it you?” he asked Daniel. Daniel shook his head, and the boy climbed the ladder to look around. Megabat edged into a dark corner.

  “Irwin?” the boy asked. “Did you say that?” But he didn’t wait for an answer. “Oh, I get it! It’s one of Vijay’s practical jokes. Good one, Vijay,” he called loudly. “Where are you hiding?”

  “Uh…” The short-haired twin was standing in the doorway holding his bags and a butterfly net he’d brought from home. “Vijay’s still at the bus welcoming campers with his fake hand,” he said. “I can see him from here.”

  “He must have left a recorder then.” Gus started ripping the sheets off his bed. “It’s gotta be here somewhere.”

  Irwin sighed. “We should probably just tell them,” he said to Daniel.

  “Tell us what?” Rusty asked.

  “That Daniel brought his talking fruit bat to camp,” Irwin answered.

  Rusty laughed. “Yeah. Right.”

  “Nice try, Irwin,” Gus added. “But we’re not dumb.”

  “It’s true. There’s a bat up there. And he can talk!”

  Megabat couldn’t help but take offense. “A-hem! Excusing mine!” He flapped out of the corner and came to perch on the edge of the bunk. The twins jumped back.

  “Mine can do mores than talking! Megabat is alsowise a splendiferous dancer.” He tap-tapped his feet to show them. “And mine can do headstandings!” He demonstrated that as well, nearly falling off the bunk. “And make a pop-pop-pop noise for an extremely longish time!” He popped his lips to make his fun noise.

  “Megabat!” Daniel warned. “Please don’t start that again. You’ll drive everyone crazy.”

  “Oooookay, then. That’s a talking, dancing, popping bat,” Rusty admitted. His brother Gus didn’t seem ready to believe it though.

  “Are you sure it’s real?” He poked Megabat in the tummy. Megabat poked him back in the forehead. “Yup, it’s real,” Gus conceded.

  “Don’t tell anyone else, okay?” Daniel pleaded.

  “You have to promise!” Irwin urged. “None of the other kids can know he’s part of our cabin. And we especially can’t let Vijay see him.”

  “Let me see who?” They all turned to find their counselor standing in the doorway. He was looking down at a clipboard, which gave Megabat just enough time to hide behind Gus’s duffel bag.

  “Uhhhhhh…my bear.” Daniel reached into his bag and pulled out Teddy—the old brown bear he slept with. He sounded a little embarrassed to be showing it in front of the other boys. “I—um—don’t want you to tease me or do any pranks with it.”

  “Not to worry,” Vijay reassured him. “Bears are cool. And they’re strictly off limits for pranks. Now, guys, bathing suits on! The first cabin with all its campers in the lake gets free treats from the Tuck Shop. Do we want to win, or do we want to WIN?”


  The other boys rushed to change, but not Daniel. He put on his bathing suit slowly, muttering about bloodsucking leeches. Irwin had to drag him out by the arm (with Megabat wrapped up in a towel), and even then, while Irwin did a huge cannonball off the end of the dock, and the twins splashed in up to their necks, Daniel only got his toes wet.

  “It still counts!” Irwin said, treading water. “We win!”

  Kids from other cabins groaned, but there was lots of splashing around from Cabin 8. Even Daniel joined in when the other boys cheered, “Cabin 8 is super-great!” Plus, he seemed to relax when, after they got out of the water, he and Megabat found a quiet spot on the beach to check his feet.

  “None leeches!” Megabat reported.

  Next, it was dinner. There was spaghetti, garlic bread and a salad bar—but no fruit. “What about this?” Daniel slipped a slice of tomato to Megabat, who was hiding underneath his napkin, but Megabat wrinkled his nose.

  “Scientifically speaking, a tomato is a fruit because it has seeds,” Rusty explained. He seemed to know a lot about nature. All the same, Megabat turned up his nose. “Mine’s not snacky,” he said, although his tummy rumbled.

  “Suit yourself,” Daniel answered between bites of garlic bread. “I’m starving. I was expecting gray slop. But this food is actually pretty good!”

  “Wait’ll you try Cook Martina’s award-winning waffles tomorrow morning,” Gus answered.

  After dinner there was free time. Some kids went swimming. Others hiked the trails. But the boys from Cabin 8 made straight for the Tuck Shop to get Popsicles and ice cream.

  They were all sitting under a shady tree, Daniel and Megabat sharing licks of a delicious fruit pop, when Daniel leapt up and started shaking his arm.

  “Something’s crawling on me!” he shouted. “Get it off!” Megabat, who’d been hanging out of Daniel’s pocket, flapped away in alarm.

  “Relax.” Irwin got to his feet. “It’s just a bug.” He removed it with one finger.

  Rusty leaned over. “Actually, it’s a marmorated stinkbug. You can tell by the bands on its antennae. They’re pretty rare around these parts.”

  Except for a few flies, this was the first bug Megabat had seen since getting to camp. “Oooooh!” he landed on Irwin’s shoulder to get a better look. “Can mine keeping it for mine bug collection?” he asked.

  “You don’t have a bug collection,” Daniel pointed out.

  “He does now!” Rusty licked the last bits of ice cream from his container, then lifted the bug off Irwin’s hand and put it inside. “Just be careful not to scare it,” he warned. “Stinkbugs fart in self- defense.”

  Even Daniel thought that was cool. He came closer to look at the beetle and helped pick some leaves for it to munch on. Megabat named his stink beetle Whiffy. And that reminded Gus and the other boys of some rude jokes they knew. Soon everyone was laughing.

  “Hey, Daniel,” Gus said, catching his breath after an especially gross one. “Know any?”

  “Nah.” Daniel looked down at his shoes and, for a moment, Megabat felt sad for his friend. “I mean, I could try to tell a fart joke…but it would probably stink.”

  All of Cabin 8 burst out laughing, but Megabat laughed hardest—not just because Daniel’s joke was funny but because he was relieved to see his friend having fun.

  Later, as the other boys walked ahead to get ready for the campfire, Daniel scritched Megabat’s ears. “Thanks,” he said.

  “For whats?” Megabat asked.

  “You kept telling me camp wouldn’t be scary. And you were right. Actually, I kind of like it here. Even the bugs are pretty neat.” Daniel held up the stinkbug’s ice-cream-container habitat. “There are no leeches…and I haven’t been bitten by a single mosquito yet!”

  “Ha! Mine told yours!”

  Megabat grinned, then he sighed. The moon was peeking out from between the pines. The stars were twinkling. It was a perfect evening and—what’s more—Megabat had counted at least three more funs to tell the bus driver about: fruit pops, new friends and fart jokes. Megabat had never been more content.

  But that was before he heard the ghost story.

  THE GHOST STORY

  “This happened a long time ago,” a counselor began. Flickering flames lit up her face as she leaned forward. “At this very camp.”

  The boys and girls were huddled together on logs around a campfire. They’d already sung songs and roasted marshmallows. And now Fiona, the counselor from Cabin 3, was trying to frighten them before bedtime.

  It wasn’t going to work—at least not on Megabat—who was relaxing inside Irwin’s upside-down baseball cap. “Mine’s not ascared,” he muttered. After all, there’d been nothing scary so far. They’d just sung a song about a bunny named FouFou and done an equally silly chant about frogs on a log.

  “It was a clear night, like this one.” Fiona’s long black hair swung back and forth as she glanced around at the trees, like she was expecting something to jump out. “Cook Martina was walking through the woods. She’d been out hiking, and she was on her way back to the kitchen to clean up after a big spaghetti dinner.”

  “Daniel,” Megabat whispered, poking his friend’s thigh. “Ours had passgetti tonight!” Megabat liked stories that reminded him of himself.

  Daniel leaned down. “Shhhh,” he whispered. “I know.”

  Fiona went on: “Everyone else was at the fire pit—which was exactly why Cook was surprised when—crack, crack, crack—she heard the noise of twigs snapping. It sounded like someone was coming through the woods behind her. ‘Who’s there?’ she said, but nobody answered. She quickened her steps. Woooooo. Woooooo. There was another noise. Was it just the wind, rustling through the tall pines? She couldn’t be sure, so Cook broke into a run.

  “Soon, she reached the safety of the mess hall. She slammed the door behind her and went into the kitchen with a sigh of relief…but not a moment later…CREEEEEEAK—”

  Two girls from Cabin 6 clutched each other’s hands.

  “From inside the kitchen, Cook heard the mess hall door open. Then, clomp, clomp, clomp…footsteps crossed the floor.”

  Megabat scoffed. “Squeakish doors and stepping feets aren’t ascary,” he muttered to himself.

  The counselor went on, “Cook told herself it was no big deal. Probably just a camper coming in for a snack. She turned on the tap to wash some dishes, but suddenly…” The counselor sat up taller and made wispy shapes with her hands. “She heard a ghostly voice just behind her.”

  “What did it say?” a girl with braids asked.

  “It said…‘I am the ghoooooost of the past. Aaaaaaaaahhhhh.’ ” Fiona almost whispered the words.

  Megabat hunched his wings up. He still wasn’t afraid, but he didn’t like this story quite as much anymore.

  “Cook whirled on the spot. BANG BANG BANG!” the counselor shouted. “All around her pots and pans started rattling, and the voice came again: ‘I AM THE GHOST OF THE PAST. AHHHHHHH!’ ”

  “Daniel,” Megabat whispered. He didn’t want to hear anymore. He was ready to go back to the cabin.

  “Shhh, Megabat,” Daniel said, “I want to find out how it ends.”

  “ ‘Wh-wh-what do you want, ghost of the past?’ Cook said. ‘I’ll give you anything!’ But the voice only answered, ‘I AM THE GHOST OF THE PAST. AHHHHHHH! I AM THE GHOST OF THE PAST. AHHHHHHH!’ ”

  Fiona leapt to her feet, making almost everyone scream. Suddenly, her voice switched from scary to friendly. “ ‘I am the ghost of the pasta. Can I please have some leftover spaghetti with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese?’ ”

  Some of the kids laughed right away. Others took a little longer to get it.

  “The ghost of the past, ahhhhhh. The ghost of the pasta. Get it?” Irwin explained to Gus, who was still looking puzzled.

  A boy from Cabin 5 groaned.
“Tell us the truth!” he said. “You just made that up, didn’t you?”

  “And it’s your corniest campfire story yet,” Irwin added.

  The counselor gave a little bow. “Did I make it up though?” she said. “Can you be certain?” Then she pointed to the pathway. “Okay, back to the cabins to bed, guys!”

  The kids lit flashlights and made their way through the shadowy woods.

  “She had me going for a while there,” Gus admitted, while the boys were all putting on their pajamas.

  “Not me,” Irwin said.

  “Me neither,” Daniel said. “Not at all.”

  “Sheesh! Ghost of the pasta!” Megabat scoffed in agreement. He hung himself upside down from one of the slats above Daniel’s bunk to settle in for a sleep. “Much unscary,” he added, as he tried to hide the little shiver that ran down the back of his wings.

  “All right.” Vijay popped his head in from his counselor’s room. “Lights out.” He flicked a switch and the cabin went dark.

  Megabat tried to drift off, but the bunk slats felt different from his usual roosting spot in the shed at home. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep without Birdgirl’s comforting, cooing snores. And he couldn’t stop thinking about the pasta ghost.

  “Daniel!” Megabat whispered into the darkness.

  “Yeah.”

  “Mines not sleepy.”

  “Try counting sheep,” Daniel suggested.

  It was dark in the cabin, but the porch light was on, so he could see well enough to count. “None,” Megabat reported. “There’s being none sheep.”

  “No, I mean, imagine sheep in your head, then count them.”

  Megabat didn’t see how that was going to help.

  “Daniel!” he whispered again.

  “What, Megabat?” Daniel sounded a little impatient.

  “Let’s playing Would Yours Rather. Mine will going first! Would yours rather…hmmmmm…never watching Star Wars movies again or never eating buttermelon for the resting of yours’s life?”