It was a big bat, an ugly bat, with a wingspan of at least two feet, but it moved through the air as fast as a cat after a toy, fluttering and flying, weaving and diving, one moment up high near the ceiling, the next dive-bombing down one of the endless aisles.

The commotion drew Finn and Amanda, running. Philby hurried from the back. But it was Maybeck who proved to be the shrewd thinker. He grabbed a butterfly net from the props section and came after the bat like a lacrosse player, swinging the billowing net with remarkable agility.

“Find the lights!” he shouted, following the bat down a row of grass skirts. “Bats don’t like light!”

Where the others might have been satisfied with scaring the bat out of the building, Amanda and Finn understood the tension in Maybeck’s voice. Finn had seen a huge bat at Amanda’s. The same bat? Not a great believer in coincidence, he, too, wanted to catch it. Clearly Maybeck also believed it was no ordinary bat.

“Philby,” Finn shouted, “the lights!” He had no idea how to turn on the lights in a building this size, but if there was a switch, Philby would find it before anyone else.

True to form, the overhead lights came on only seconds later, and the warehouse lit up like the school gymnasium. As the lights flashed on, the bat dove as if it had been shot, and there was Maybeck, lunging through the air. He swung the net. The bat swooped. The two met in a tangle of nylon mesh, high-pitched squeals. Maybeck skidded down the smooth concrete floor like a base runner diving for home plate. He twisted the net, throwing it over itself and trapping the prize inside.

The kids let out an unplanned cheer.

They had taken a prisoner.

17

MAYBECK APPROACHED the employee pedestrian entrance to the Animal Kingdom holding a pillowcase that wouldn’t stay still. The Cast Member entrance—employees only—was a revolving door of steel tines that moved only clockwise and required the employee card to open. The unattended entrance—he was grateful for that—required him to swipe the ID card the driver had provided. A red light turned green, and Maybeck pushed through the turnstile. Use of the pillowcase prevented the contents from being seen: the bat. Still, it was too close for comfort, and he was only too happy to dangle it away from his side as he cleared the entrance.

The pillowcase danced again.

“Settle down!” he said harshly, aware that he was speaking to a white pillowcase. Or more precisely, its contents: a Rousette fruit bat.

To his surprise, it quieted.

Willa, an animal lover, had identified the bat the moment Maybeck had caught it. This led to a group discussion of what to do with the thing. Charlene wanted it released and out of the building as quickly as possible. Philby suggested doing something to it that wouldn’t have been approved by the SPCA, and while Willa thought it was “cute” and that it might make an interesting pet, Maybeck and Finn came up with a solution that seemed to please everyone—except Philby, of course, since it meant keeping it alive.

“We can’t let it go,” Finn had said. “I know it’s completely ridiculous to think it might be Maleficent…” Willa groaned at the mention of this. “But what if it is? Or what if we’ve captured Maleficent’s spy? Amanda and I saw a bat at her house. What if that was this same one?”

“If it is Maleficent, don’t you think she’d turn back into herself and do something bad to us?” Willa suggested sarcastically. “I’d say this would be a good time for that.”

“Good point,” Charlene said.

“Wayne told me the heat slows the powers she uses to transform herself. It’s like her kryptonite. We don’t know what she’s capable of,” Finn said. “I just don’t see how it’s worth taking any risks.”

“It’s not,” said Maybeck. “We’ve got to lock it up…do something with it, so it can’t follow us.”

“You all know what I think we should do,” said Philby.

Everyone ignored him.

“It’ll be light out soon. Bats don’t fly around in the daylight. The main thing is: we don’t want it to find us or Maleficent.”

“Why can’t we just hide it among the other bats?” Maybeck said. “Have you even seen the bat enclosure? This thing won’t be going anywhere. And it’s not like Maleficent can walk in there and take it out.”

Finn said, “That’s brilliant!”

“Earth to Maybeck. It’s just a bat. It is not Maleficent, or she’d be in our face right now,” said Willa emphatically.

“So you’d just let it go?” Finn asked.

“Not me,” Maybeck said, speaking directly to Finn. “At the least it deserves a bat jail. I can bluff my way into the bat enclosure.”

Maybeck rarely lacked self-confidence.

“And if you’re stopped?” asked Charlene, always the cautious one.

“I’ll tell whoever stops me I’m returning a bat that was sick. You think anyone’s going to want to get up close and personal with this thing?” He jiggled the pillowcase. The bat turned and flapped its enormous wings and tried to nip at Maybeck through the fabric.

“Okay. That’s settled,” said Charlene. “Let’s just get it out of here.”

And now Maybeck, inside the Park, was telling the contents of his pillowcase to settle down, and much to his astonishment—it obeyed. He told himself that his tone of voice was responsible, that the bat had responded to his anger. But what if it had actually understood him?

At a few minutes past 6 AM there were more Cast Members in the Park than he would have expected. He realized that employees must arrive between six and seven because they were suddenly everywhere: sweeping, opening up attractions, zipping around in golf carts. It was a frenzy of activity. He followed a road to his left, a road he’d seen a number of Cast Members take, not entirely certain where he was. He’d entered to the left of the main entrance—that much he knew. He sneaked Philby’s map out of his back pocket. Philby had done his homework, supplying both a Disney illustrated map with a key and a Google Earth satellite view of the area. On the satellite map he’d drawn and labeled some red circles, including DeVine’s entrance gate, the two monkey temples, the Conservation Station, the Park’s main entrance, and the group rendezvous spot.

Once on Discovery Island, Maybeck headed for Asia and the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

Some birds called out from the top of a tree. He moved a little faster.

He crossed Discovery Island, to the right of the Tree of Life, aiming for a bridge to Asia. He texted into the DS.

mybest: i’m inside, on the island.

Finn: okay.

With each of the kids checked in to the chat room, they could all follow the conversation.

Maybeck then wrote to warn them about how many Cast Members were already in the Park.

mybest: until park opens u will stick out unless dressed as a cast member.

Had Maybeck looked back and slightly to his left, he would have seen that what had started as six or seven birds was now many times that number. They flew to the next tree and settled there. Then more joined them, and they flew to the next tree.

Finn: will wait 4 park opening, discovered something useful, meet us @ home base?

mybest: need to play bat boy first, will meet u after park opens.

philitup: agreed, will meet @ home base after park opens.

willatree: how’s the bat?

mybest: quiet for now.

He was glad the bat had stopped moving so much. He didn’t dare inform the others that he thought the thing understood what he said.

He crossed the bridge—the entrance to the Maharajah Jungle Trek just ahead. A cacophony surrounded him; he could barely hear himself think. He looked up to see two trees full of birds. For a moment, it seemed as if they were following him.

Na…he thought. Couldn’t be…

Finn had heightened Maybeck’s curiosity. What had they discovered in the short time it had taken him to enter the Park?