3 Keeek! Keeek! Ack!

Chapter 3 KEEEK! KEEEK! ACK! "Looks like ghosts!" said Judy. The bat flew close to one of the spooky balls. Insects were swirling around it. "I can see right through it!" said Andrew. meep… "Swamp lights!" said Thudd. "Sometimes called foxfire. Sometimes called, um, swamp farts." Andrew laughed. Judy rolled her eyes. meep… "Lotsa dead stuff collect under swamp water," said Thudd. "Bacteria eat dead stuff. Burp up stuff called swamp gas. Swamp gas make big bubble. Bubble pop up to top of water. Swamp gas catch fire! Make light!

"Swamp gas come from dumps and landfills, too," Thudd added. "Sometimes humans collect swamp gas. Use to cook. Make heat for house." Andrew watched the bat scoop up mouthfuls of insects. "There are so many bugs around the light!" said Andrew. meep… "Lotsa bugs fly to light," said Thudd. "Nobody sure why. Maybe it's cuz bugs think light is moon. Lotsa bugs use moon like map. Help bug fly in right direction." The bat flitted away from the bouncing, flickering lights. Ahead, the sharp peak of a mountain clawed the moonlit sky. The bat was flying straight now. It wasn't hunting. Andrew could see other bats heading in the same direction. "I think our bat is going home," said Andrew. "Oh, great," said Judy. "We'll end up in a disgusting cave where we'll get eaten by snakes or lizards or giant spiders. Maybe there are vampire bats in there!"

"Oh, come on," said Andrew. "We got back from the beginning of the universe, we can get out of a cave." meep… "Oody not have to worry about vampire bat," squeaked Thudd. "Vampire bat live in South America." As the bat flew closer to the mountain, Andrew saw a jagged crack near the bottom. That must be an entrance to the cave, thought Andrew. The bat swooshed through the crack into deep darkness. ch-ch-ch… caw… thwerp-thwerp… ka-ka-ka… Andrew couldn't see a thing, but he could hear the chattering, buzzing, and clicking of bats. "What a racket!" said Judy. "I thought bats made sounds we can't hear." meep… "Bat use super-high sounds for hunting," said Thudd. "Bat talk to other bat with sound humans can hear." Their bat was slowing down.

meep… "Bat gonna land on ceiling," Thudd squeaked. "Gotta fly slow, slow, slow. Then use foot claws or thumb claws to grab on to ceiling of cave." For a second, the bat seemed to stop flying. Suddenly Andrew felt himself flipping over! "YEOW!" he hollered. "Hang on, Thudd!" "Yaaaaaaah!" screamed Judy. The bat had landed. It was hanging from the ceiling by its feet. Andrew was struggling to keep his grip on the bat's fur as he dangled in the darkness. The bat swung forward, grabbed on to the ceiling with the claws on its wings, and began creeping along. Eeek-eeek… kuh-kuh-kuh, their bat squawked. meep… "This bat is mom bat," said Thudd. "Look for baby bat by sound, by smell. Mom make sound, baby answer. Every baby smell different."

"Babies smell stinky," said Judy. "Erg! I can't hang on much longer. I'm gonna try to get under her wing. Ooomph!" "Me too," said Andrew. After Andrew climbed under the wing, he unhooked his mini-flashlight from his belt and shoved the back of it against his forehead. He had fitted it with a suction cup. That way, he could see and use both hands. He turned on the flashlight. "Wowzers schnauzers!" cried Andrew. As far as he could see, every inch of the cave ceiling was crawling with tiny, noisy bat babies. "There must be thousands of bats here!" said Andrew.

meep… "Maybe millions," said Thudd. "Too many," said Judy. Chirping and squeaking, their bat crept across the crowded ceiling like a fly. Now and then, she'd stop to sniff a pup. Keeek! Keeek! Ack! chirped a baby bat nearby. Their bat stopped to sniff it. This time she let go of the ceiling with her thumb claws and hung upside down by her feet.