Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 A week later, Abbi, Lydia, and Daniel were on the front lawn of the castle, near the moat bridge. Barkley was napping in the last patch of late-afternoon sunlight on the grass. Park Ranger Woo was back! She was here to release the little brown bat. As planned, she had taken the bat to the vet, who suggested plenty of rest and a steady diet of insect goodness. And now the bat had a clean bill of health and was ready to move into her new home!

"Do you think she'll like it?" Lydia asked, looking up at the castle walls. Abbi nodded. "Definitely! Bat houses are specifically made for bats!" The bat house was simple. It was a plain wooden box about two feet high and four feet wide. It was painted black to absorb the heat from the sun and keep a bat warm, especially during its winter hibernation. Abbi and Wallis had debated a lot over where to place the new bat house. With some advice from Park Ranger

Woo, they had finally decided to install it under the eaves on the third floor. Daniel pointed to the window closest to where Park Ranger Woo was carefully balancing on a tall, sturdy ladder outside the castle. "Isn't that gonna be your new room, Abbi?" Abbi grinned. "Yep! As soon as the new elevator gets up and running."

Once Wallis had learned how unhappy Abbi was about being stuck on the first floor, she had sprung into action. She had called someone about upgrading their elevator the very next day! It would take a while before it was finished, but Abbi didn't mind waiting. Soon she'd have the same view as their new bat neighbor:

overlooking the castle's moat and the dense forest, all the way to the horizon. Lydia plopped down on the ground. They'd been out here for a while. Her legs must have gotten tired. Not everyone got to bring a comfy chair with them everywhere, as Abbi did! "Do you think more bats will join ours?" Lydia asked. Daniel sat on Abbi's other side. "Can we really call her ours? She's not a pet."

Abbi's actual pet, Barkley, glanced at them sleepily. Then Abbi watched him drift back to sleep. "You're right," she said. "She's not a pet. Ours or anyone else's." Lydia made a humming noise, as if she was thinking. "Can't we give her a name, though? Everyone deserves a name." They all thought quietly for a moment. Park Ranger Woo seemed to be tightening the final screws. Behind them, the sun was sinking quickly, throwing long purple shadows over the lawn and onto the walls of the castle. "What about Emory Scott?" Abbi asked. "Or just Emory for short." "Like the ghost?" Lydia asked with a shiver. Daniel reached up and gave Abbi a high five. Just then, Park Ranger Woo called out to them, "Here we go! You all ready?" They whooped in response and pulled out their phones. Lydia and Daniel were going to take pictures, but Abbi had her bat-recording app open.