Back in the attic, Daniel got straight to work on the box.
“This’ll be your sleeping area,” he explained, showing Megabat one section.
“And, over here, I’m putting three oranges, two bananas and some cut-up watermelon. And I got you these.” He held up some juice boxes. “In case you get thirsty.”
The bat licked the outside of a juice box then tried to bite through it with his front fangs.
“You use a straw, remember?” Daniel pointed to the little straw wrapped in plastic, but Megabat scoffed. He went to retrieve his own straw, then he clutched it in his wingtips and charged at the juice box, smacking into it, bending the straw, and knocking himself backward.
Daniel laughed. “You need to stick it in this little hole.” He showed Megabat the foil-covered part at the top. The bat nodded then charged again. It took many tries but, eventually, the straw went in and they both cheered like they’d just defeated the Death Star.
“Honey?” Daniel’s mom called. “What are you doing up there?”
“Umm…just reading,” he said.
“It must be a funny book. I could hear you laughing all the way downstairs.”
“Sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be,” his mom answered. “Dinner in two minutes, all right?”
Daniel waited until he heard the sound of his mom’s feet going back down the stairs. “I’ll bring you part of my jelly roll after dinner. Then we can finish making your box, okay?”
“Oka-hay,” the bat said, trying out the new word. Megabat backed up, then added a double spin twist before spearing the juice box again. Daniel grinned and shook his head. He was going to miss that crazy little fruit bat when he sent him home.
Dinner was oniony meatloaf, but Daniel wolfed it down. He didn’t want to miss a minute of his last night with Megabat. He was busy loading the dishwasher as fast as possible when the doorbell rang.
“Daniel!” his mom sang out. “It’s Talia from next door. She wants to play. Isn’t that nice?”
Daniel wasn’t sure it was “nice.” She was probably only interested in his secret fruit bat.
“Ummm…” Daniel slid another plate into the dishwasher as Talia followed his mom into the kitchen. “Maybe tomorrow. I’m kind of busy tonight.”
“Daniel!” his mom gasped. “Talia came all the way over to play.” She said it like “all the way over” was across the Sahara Desert and not just a few steps from next door.
Daniel shot his mom a pleading look, which she answered with her “do not be rude” stare.
Daniel closed the dishwasher, handed Talia a slice of jelly roll and showed her toward the stairs. He just had to hope that, by some miracle, Megabat would know enough to keep quiet so she wouldn’t find out he could talk.
“Wooohoo! Yours is broughtten smoosh-fruit!”
Megabat did not know enough to keep quiet. Not even a little bit. “Oooooooh. Double smoosh fruits.” He eyed the plate Talia was carrying. “And ladyfriend.”
“Who’s up here?” Talia asked. She dropped her backpack to the floor, then her mouth dropped open as she looked around and saw no one.
“Don’t scream, okay?” Daniel warned. He pointed to the ceiling.
“Like I’d scream.” Talia put her hands on her hips. “But I still don’t see anyone.”
“Look closer. Megabat, this is Talia. Talia, that’s Megabat.”
At the sound of his name, Megabat did an awkward upside-down bow, unfurling his wing in front of him. “It is being an honor to meeting yours,” he said formally.
Talia took a small, startled step back but didn’t even come close to screaming. “That’s a talking bat,” she said.
“Yup.” Daniel flopped down on his bed. “Trust me, he never stops talking.”
“Are you hurt, little bat?” Talia held out her hand. “I brought some bandages.” Megabat flew into her palm and started to rub his ears against her cheek like a purring cat. He obviously liked girls.
“He’s not hurt,” Daniel said. “He’s lost.” He told Talia the whole story, ending with the part about how he was going to mail Megabat home.
“That’s a good idea,” Talia said. “I mean, before anyone else finds out he’s here. I made Jamie swear not to tell, but if he learns your bat can talk, he won’t be able to keep his mouth shut.”
“It seems like you’ve thought of everything,” she said, examining the different sections of the box. Daniel felt his cheeks glow with pride. “Except…” She flipped the top flap closed. “Where are you going to mail it to?”
“I already told you,” Daniel answered. “Borneo.”
“Yeah, but where in Borneo? It’s a big place.” She paused. “Also, who’s going to open the box when he gets there?”
Daniel hadn’t even thought of that!
“I don’t know anyone in Borneo,” Daniel said. “Do you?”
“No,” Talia said. “But that’s okay.”
Minutes later, using Daniel’s dad’s phone they’d found and copied the address of a papaya farm in East Kalimantan, Borneo, and had decided to address the package to “Farmer Bambang” whose name they’d found on a blog. Finally, they wrote FRAGILE and OPEN IMMEDIATELY in big letters.
The box was completely ready.
“What do you want to do now?”
Daniel asked. There was more than an hour before bedtime.
“I don’t know,” Talia said. “It’s your last night here, Megabat. What do you want to do?”
“Megabat will be watching Star Wars,” the bat said without hesitation. “And drinking juice of the apple.”
It was exactly what they’d done the night before, but Daniel didn’t mind.
Daniel made popcorn and got Megabat three juice boxes. Talia and the bat both gasped when the Millennium Falcon went into hyperspace and covered their eyes at the parts with Darth Vader…and even though, at first, Daniel had wished that the girl from next door hadn’t come over, in the end he was glad.
