Bertram Flap was a happy little bat. He lived under the eaves of a well maintained garage in the back yard of a very nice family. His particular eave was protected from the wind by layers of ivy on one side and a huge oak tree on the other side. There was just enough space between the vines and the tree trunk to for Bertram Flap to squeeze out every evening to go on his search for bugs to eat for dinner.
This evening was particularly nice. The winter cold was finally gone and the warmth of spring had settled in for good. The fruit trees around Bertram Flap’s garage were in full bloom.
“That is good!” thought Bertram Flap, “When there are flowers there are bugs!” He flapped happily around the garden snatching up bugs and filling up his belly. He was so preoccupied with his dinner that he didn’t even notice the little brown rat standing at the corner of the garage watching him. And he especially didn’t notice how the little brown rat was sniffling a lot, like he was crying.
Bertram Flap ate a few more bugs and discovered that his belly was completely full. He decided to take a break and digest a little before heading back out for more. As he swooped down over the yard and into the garage he was surprised to see the sandy brown rat standing at the corner of the garage, sniffling. He immediately flew to the eave directly above the rat. Hanging upside down he introduced himself.
“Hi, I am Bertram Flap. Who are you and why are you crying?” He asked looking straight up, which was actually straight down.
“My name is Farnsworth,” he sniffed. “I just came to live in this garage and I have never seen a rat fly like you. Where did you get those wings?” He asked looking straight up, which was actually straight up.
“I’m not a rat!” laughed Bertram Flap as he let go of the eave and flopped to the ground in front of Farnsworth. “I am a bat!”
Farnsworth stared at the bat. His head was a little different shape and his ears were different too. But his furry body looked the same as Farnsworth’s. But he had these big long fingers that had wings attached to them.
“Wow,” whispered Farnsworth, “Maybe I can be a bat some day too! Then I can fly all around the yard and catch bugs to eat!”
“Don’t be silly,” Bertram Flap laughed. “You are a rat and you will always be a rat. I am a bat and will always be a bat. That is how we were made. But being a rat is a good thing!”
“How can being a rat be good?” cried Farnsworth. “Rats can’t fly or anything cool like that.” Tears started to flow down his little furry cheeks, slipping off his whiskers and onto the clover he was standing on.
Bertram Flap looked stunned. “Of course there is more than just flying. And there are things you can do that I can’t do.”
“There are?” Farnsworth sniffled again and hiccupped but stopped crying. “Like what?”
“Well, you can run really fast through the tall grass and dig holes to hide in, can’t you?”
“Well, I guess so, but that isn’t that great.”
“You can use your paws to grab things, I can’t do that,” Bertram Flap flapped his wings trying to grab a little moth fluttering by. “See?” he said.
“Yeah, that’s true. And I can also climb up things and I can also swim!” Farnsworth was looking much happier now. “I guess being a rat is pretty cool.” and a little rat smile spread across his face.
“We should be friends,” Bertram Flap said happily, “and we can help each with the things we can’t do. I will fly around and catch you bugs and you can dig holes for us to hide in.”
“That’s a great idea,” clapped Farnsworth and he immediately started digging a great big hole in the corner of the garage for the two of them to hide in, and Bertram Flap flew back up into the sky to catch bugs for the two of them to eat for dinner.
