Part 1
Metro Saves the Day
It had been another beautiful hot and sunny summer’s day in the park. Yet the grass and trees were becoming increasingly dry and shrivelled because of the lack of rain.
Encouraged by the lovely weather, many local people had been using the park throughout the day. The most popular activities were family picnics, playing sports and swimming in the central lake.
The Paper Bat family had spent the day trying to remind visitors about keeping their park safe. They did this by using their special ability for altering the writing on their wings to show messages.
Grandpa Times and Granny Guardia had pretended to be posters, clinging onto the park keepers’ lodge next to the south entrance gate. This was ideal for them, as they could stay still throughout the day and go to sleep.
PICTURE 1
Mother Indy and her daughters, Sunny and Express, each had pretended to be pieces of paper on notice boards at the north entrance gate. This had been an ideal location to be seen by all the visitors to the playground and lake.
As usual, the twins Metro and Tel, had decided to have some fun. They spent all day acting as wind-blown rubbish, unravelling near to sunbathers and picnickers in the hope people might read the information on their outstretched wings.
Even Jack had been helping his Paper Bat friends by putting up notices that he had written himself.
Herald, father of the Paper Bat family, had organised the family. He had been very pleased with all their hard work.
By late afternoon all the Paper Bats were finally back at their tree home. Herald was thanking them. “You were all great today. I am sure many humans saw your information to keep the park safe and clean.” But none of the other Paper Bats were listening to him as they were all very tired.
MAP of Paper Bats’ local park
Jack yawned, “I’m going home now. I don’t want be late, as my mum will have cooked dinner for me.” He started to slowly walk home.
Unfortunately for Herald, he still had to finish his final job for the day and check the park was all safe for the night.
He flew out of the tree hole and towards the children’s play area at the north of the park, passing the swings and roundabouts, before flying onto the central lake. As he flew around the lake, he noticed- or rather he smelt- something was wrong. The smell put fear into him, as it would for any Paper Bat. It was smoke from a fire! But from where?
Using his sensitive nose, Herald quickly searched for the source of the fire, sniffing one way and then the other. ‘I must find it as soon as possible, so it does not spread’ he thought to himself.
Herald flew back towards the northern gates- but nothing. Then he flew across the grass area at the top of the park - again nothing. Finally he flew down through the centre of the park along by the far side of the lake. In front of him Herald could see a large statue overlooking the water that was a popular place for picnickers. Then he spotted some smoke and flames. It was only a small fire at the moment, but he knew that fires can quickly grow. It probably had been started from a Barbeque left by some thoughtless picnickers earlier in the afternoon.
A fire would be a disaster for the park and its buildings, as everything was so dry. The fire needed to be stopped quickly, but with the park closing there was nobody around to notice it. Herald wondered how he could put it out himself without being burnt.
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Herald flew down around the central lake towards the park keepers’ lodge at the south gate. It was an old, small bungalow where the park keepers met to eat their lunches, and store their tools. However they never slept there, so it was usually empty at night. Herald hoped it was not too late in the day for the park keepers still to be there.
As he flew towards the lodge, he was very relieved to see a light still on. Herald now had to get the park keepers’ attention and warn them of the fire in the park. This was going to be a problem.
Then Herald had an idea. He flew up to the front door of the lodge and slipped under it, like a wind blown piece of paper. He hoped that the park keepers inside would notice.
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Herald did not have to wait long. One of the park keepers spotted him and promptly picked him up.
“Did you see how that piece of paper blew under the door? I told you there was a terrible draft in here,” said the younger park keeper.
The older keeper briefly looked up. “Just throw it in the bin and finish tidying up. I want to get home.”
Just as the young keeper was about to crunch Herald into a tight paper ball, the keeper noticed the headline on Herald’s wings-‘Fire in the park by the statue’.
“Look at this,” the young keeper said to his companion, and showed him the headline.
“Someone’s trying to play games with us, or maybe it’s an old newspaper report on that fire we had last month.” The older park keeper then walked over to the door, throwing Herald in the bin. “I’m just going to lock up the tool shed, it will be getting dark soon. Let’s go home.” The two park keepers then left, locking the door behind them.
Quickly unravelling his crumpled wings, Herald then slipped under the door. He was very disappointed that his plan to warn the park keepers had not worked. There was nobody else around that could now put the fire out. At that moment he realised that his Paper Bat family would have to put out the fire by themselves!
Herald flew as fast as he could back to the family tree home to alert the other Paper Bats. If there had been any people walking through the park, they would have thought it odd to see a piece of newspaper moving so fast through the air when there was so little wind that evening.
“There is a fire in the park!” Herald squeaked at the top of his voice as he arrived home, “I need help urgently.”
Bleary-eyed, all the Paper Bats woke up suddenly from their sleep. Granny Guardia was so alarmed at the squeaking she fell off her perch, and Grandpa Times jumped with such surprise, his glasses dropped off his nose.
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Herald quickly started to organise every-one. “Express, would you please fly as fast as you can over to the north gate near the newsagents shop and try to find Jack. He can then tell other humans that a fire has started by the statue near the central lake.’’
Express fluttered down from her sleeping perch, still half asleep. “No problem dad, I will fly there as fast as I can,” she said, before flying out of the tree hole.
Herald turned to Metro and Tel. “I need you both to go and get the fire beating brushes and bring them to the statue by the central lake to help put out the fire.
Tel looked worried, saying “are you sure there is no other way? The fire brushes are so dangerous for us to use.”
“I know, but there is nothing else we can do,” added Herald as he flew off.
So Tel and Metro raced off to the storeroom where the fire beating brushes were kept.
Then Metro suddenly stopped. “Did dad say the fire was by the lake?’’ Metro asked Tel.
“Yes,” replied Tel as he started to collect up several of the fire beating brushes in his claws.
Metro did not collect any. Instead he just raced out of the storeroom squeaking, “I have an idea. Don’t wait for me, I will catch you all up at the lake.” And with that comment he disappeared towards his inventing area of the tree home.
PICTURE 5
At the statue next to the central lake, there was frantic activity going on. Tel, Grandpa Times and Herald were now busy using the fire beating brushes to try and reduce the fire in the grass and stop it spreading.
Unfortunately, all this activity was not having much success in stopping the fire. Herald was getting worried that they may not be able to put it out. And there had been no news from Express trying to warn anyone else!
However Express had remembered Jack was on his way home out of the park, and so had quickly fluttered up to the north gate. She had been just in time to catch Jack as he was about to cross the road. A gust of wind helped her flutter towards him, where she landed on Jack’s face.
Jack’s eyes could just see a furry paper face and a large pair of eyes through her wings. He mumbled something. But the wings were also over his mouth.
Carefully pealing her paper wings off his face, Jack looked at her in his hand. She was still breathless from all that flying. “Hello, are you alright?” Jack said in a surprised manner.
“It’s an emergency. A fire has started by the lake,” Express said in a worried squeak.
Holding onto Express, Jack turned around and quickly ran back through the park gates and towards the central lake. He soon arrived breathless. In front of him were several Paper Bats dangerously trying to put out the fire, still leaping up out of the grass.
But Metro was still not there. Where had he got to?
Then finally, Metro appeared flying very slowly and awkwardly.
“Here comes Metro, and he is carrying something” Jack said to Express and the other Paper Bats.
In Metro’s claws he was clutching lots of small buckets. He finally flew to where the others were, collapsing with near exhaustion.
“What have you got there?” asked Herald in a surprised manner.
“Looks like a load of old buckets to me,” giggled Tel. But Tel, knew that Metro had a plan, so he was eager to try whatever idea Metro had come up with. And indeed it was one of his new inventions he had been working on over the past few days.
“I have brought each of you a special fire fighting bucket,” he squeaked. “Using water from the lake, you can fly over the flames, and then release this lever.” Metro pointed to a little handle. “It will make the bottom of the bucket open, so the water falls onto the fire.”
Metro then added, “this is safer for us as well, as you don’t have to get close to the flames, you can fly above them,” he proudly announced.
All the Paper bats watched as he demonstrated how his invention worked.
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For a few seconds all the other Paper Bats were astonished by Metro’s idea, but then realised how useful it was.
“OK, everybody do as Metro suggested,” squeaked Herald loudly to make sure everybody could hear.
So for the next ten minutes they all busily scooped up water from the nearby lake and then dropped it onto the fire as fast as they could manage. Slowly the fire got smaller and smaller, before eventually it died out.
“It’s finally out,” gasped Tel as he flopped to the ground exhausted. All the other Paper Bats also collapsed around the base of the statue, very relieved.
Metro still had a little water in his bucket, so he sprayed it all over everyone.
“Aah!” they all squeaked, “it’s cold.”
“Well everyone looked so hot and tired, so I thought it would revive you,” Metro added squeaking with laughter.
But they forgave him, as his invention had been such as success.
“That was a great invention of yours Metro,” said Herald, who was very impressed with his son’s idea.
PICTURE 7
Just at that moment, they could hear a noise coming from the path by the lake. It was the two park keepers. Apparently they had eventually seen the smoke coming from the direction of the lake just as they were leaving the park and decided to check it out.
“Look, over there,” shouted the young keeper. “There was definitely a fire here. I can see the grass is burnt around the statue.”
“Obviously some careless picnickers,” added the older keeper. “They are so thoughtless. Look, they even left all their paper rubbish around the statue!”
Then they saw Jack, still wet from splashing water over the fire. “What are you doing here lad?” asked the older keeper, looking at Jack.
Jack had to think quickly for an answer. He did not want to steal the credit for putting out the fire all by himself, but he also did not want to give away the Paper Bats either. “I was leaving the park when I saw the fire. Nobody else was around. So I splashed some water on it to put it out.”
The guards looked at Jack and nodded. “Well done lad. You saved us from what might have been a nasty fire as the park is so dry. We will tidy up here. Go home now as it is getting late.”
“I will just tidy up all these bits of newspaper lying around the statue before closing the gates,” the young keeper added, bending down to pick the bits of newspaper up.
“No, leave that until tomorrow. It’s too late now. We can do that in the morning,” suggested the older park warden, to the relief of Jack and several nervous Paper Bats.
And with that the two keepers left.
The Paper Bats then unfurled their tired wings and left for their tree home, quietly waving to Jack to thank him for his help.
None of the Paper Bats spoke on the flight back, as they were so tired.
Granny Guardia was waiting for them with special ointments to heal any burns and some moth soup. She was very pleased, but surprised, that no one was injured, due to Metro’s invention.
It wasn’t long before the soup was all gone and for them all to be on their perches fast asleep. It had been an eventful day and night, and thanks to Metro’s invention, everyone was safe.
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