`Weird Things in the Barn’

BOBBY grinned at the quilting ladies. “Bats don’t suck your blood!”

“Some of them do,” Mrs. Bolton said. “I read about it.”

“Not the bats that live in California,” said Bobby, thinking quickly. He knew his mom hated mosquitoes. “These are brown bats, and they eat loads and loads – uh, billions and billions – of mosquitoes.

“I hate mosquitoes,” his mother said.

“Me too,” said Mrs. Klein. “I didn’t know that about bats.”

Bobby remembered something else. “Mr. Keller says when we kill bats we get more mosquitoes that eat the crops and us too.” He looked around the room at the ladies and saw that several of them were smiling.

Then Mrs. Dale said, “I’m afraid they’ll get into my long hair. I’ve read about bats doing that.”

Bobby thought. “I don’t think they’re interested in us much,” he said. “They’re very shy. I mean, Mr. Keller said we mustn’t get too near because we’d scare them. But I’ll ask Mr. Keller about your hair, if you’d like.”

He went to the phone and called Mr. Keller while his mother’s friends went back to their quilting. “Mr. Keller, do bats get into people’s hair?” He could hear Mr. Keller laughing on the other end of the line.

“That old story,” he said. “No, they don’t like to get close to people. That’s an old story from way, way back when.”

Bobby thanked Mr. Keller and hung up the phone. “Mr. Keller says they won’t get in your hair because they’re scared of us guys. The bats and hair thing is just an old story. Now, who wants to come out to the barn and see the bats?” asked Bobby.

Mrs. Bolton looked at Mrs. Dale. Mrs. Fox looked at Mrs. Klein.

Bobby held his breath.

Friday: Will they?

This story will be on The Times’ website at latimes.com/kids.