ONE FINE NIGHTby Courtney Kennedy

One fine nighta megabat traveled through a great rainforest.When he reached the other side he was very hungry.

He saw a pile of fruit that a gatekeeper had set downwhile she protected what was beyond the gate. Before she noticed the bat,he had guzzled down most of the fruit.

The gatekeeper became so angry that she grabbed her wandand put a spell on him so he would never eat again, and the bat began to cry.

“Please, angry gatekeeper, let me eat again. Reverse the spellor I will starve to death.”

“Give me back my fruit,” she said, “and I’ll let you eat again.”

So the megabat dried his tears and went to find a fruit tree.

“Dear fruit tree,” he begged, “please give me some fruit so I can give it to the angry gatekeeper so she will reverse the spell and I can eat again.”

The fruit tree replied, “I’ll give you some fruit if you bring me some soil.”

The megabat called to the field, “Oh beautiful field, give me some soil.I’ll take it to the fruit tree and she’ll give me some fruit. ThenI’ll take the fruit to the angry gatekeeper so she will reverse the spelland I can eat again.”

The field called back, “Bring me some vegetable seeds.”

The megabat flew to the vegetable garden and begged for some seeds,and the garden answered, “Bring me a bag.”

The megabat found a fair maiden. “Sweet maiden,” he said,“please give me your bag so I can fetch some vegetable seeds to give the fieldto get some soil to feed the fruit tree to get some fruit to give the angry gatekeeper to reverse the spell so I can eat again.”

The maiden smiled. “If you find a purple jewel for me,” she said, “I will give you my bag.”

So the megabat found a jeweler and said, “There is a pretty maiden down the road and if you give me one purple jewel for her she’ll bepleased with you and pleased with me. Then she’ll give me her bagso I can fetch some vegetable seeds to give the field to get some soilto feed the fruit tree to get some fruit to give the angry gatekeeperto reverse the spell.”

But the jeweler was not taken in by the promise of a pretty smile or the cleverness of the megabat and he replied, “Pay me some milkand I’ll give you a jewel.”

The megabat went off and found a cow.

“Cow, dear cow, please give me some milk to give to the jewelerin payment for the jewel to get the bag to fetch the vegetable seedsto give the field to get some soil to feed the fruit tree to get the fruitthat I must give the angry gatekeeper in return for the spell to be reversed.

The cow mooed. “I’ll trade you some milk for some wheat.”

The megabat was getting desperate, and when he found the scarecrowhe began to cry.

“Oh kind scarecrow, please give me a little grain. I have to trade itfor the milk to pay the jeweler to get the purple jewel to give the maidenin return for her bag to fetch the vegetable seeds to give the fieldto get the soil to feed to the fruit tree to get the fruit to give the angry gatekeeper so she’ll reverse the spell and I can eat again.”

The scarecrow was a sympathetic scarecrow and felt sorry for the megabat.So he gave him the wheat to give the cow to get the milkto pay the jeweler to get the jewel

to give the maiden to get the bag to fetch the vegetable seedsto give the field to get the soil to feed the fruit treeto get the fruit to give the angry gatekeeper to reverse the spell.

The megabat returned to the angry gatekeeper and gave her the fruit.Then she carefully reversed the spell.

and off he flew to join his family on the other side of the rainforest.