Bats
By Sara Morris Swetcharnik
It was nearly dusk when we moved from the dinner table to have dessert by the swimming pool. As we sat down, our hostess explained how she missed watching the bats swoop and scim, drinking from the pool: they had not been seen them this year.
One guest expressed relief at their absence, because she is terrified of bats. Someone else mentioned that there was a rabies epidemic. I said that it is rare for bats to have rabies, and even rarer for bats to bite humans: the guests were not reassured.
About this time the bats did arrive swooping past our heads down to the pool. The nervous guests ducked, covered their heads and squealed. But our hostess clapped her hands with joy exclaiming, "Oh my dear little friends, we are so glad to have you back. We were afraid that you had all died of rabies!"