Running Scared Read Free Page B

Sam, whose knees were tucked under his chin. Ashley looked thoughtfully at her own knees, probably wondering how it would feel if they bent backward.
    â€œAnd bats have been around for 50 million years,” Dr. Rhodes went on. “We know that from finding fossils that old. But most of all, I want you to remember that bats are intelligent creatures and tremendously useful ecologically. If there are 400,000 bats flying out of Carlsbad Cavern every night eating bugs, can you imagine how many tons of bugs that makes in a month? In a year?
    That’s a tremendous help to farmers.”
    â€œHow much can each bat eat?” Jack asked.
    â€œConsidering the size of a bat, quite a lot. A nursing female will leave her baby tucked nice and warm with the other pups in the ‘bat nursery,’ then fly out into the night to eat her entire body weight—about 12 or 13 grams—in insects. Then she’ll return to her baby, nurse it again, and maybe fly out a second time in a single night to eat that many bugs all over again. Then back to her baby. She never leaves her baby for long. She’s a gentle, caring mother.”
    Sam, who’d seemed fascinated by Dr. Rhodes’s lesson, suddenly looked as though he were about to cry. Maybe it was the mention of “a gentle, caring mother,” which Sam didn’t have. Steven must have noticed Sam’s sad expression too, because he stood up and said, “I guess we’d better get going. I told the kids I’d take them into the cavern. Sammy’s really anxious to see Left Hand Tunnel.”
    â€œLeft Hand Tunnel? Two different species of bats live there,” Dr. Rhodes said, “the cave myotis and the fringed myotis. Both species are quite rare. We’ve counted only 354 of the cave myotis and only 12 of the fringed myotis.”
    Well, Jack thought, at least that particular tunnel wouldn’t be teeming with countless thousands of bats. He felt a little relieved.
    â€œI hope I get to see those rare bats,” Steven told her. “I’m really anxious to shoot some pictures like the ones you just showed us.”
    â€œSteven is a photographer,” Olivia explained.
    â€œOh.” Dr. Rhodes hesitated, then said, “Well, you understand, Mr. Landon, that you’ll have to use infrared film in the caves.”
    â€œUh…no! I knew I couldn’t use the flash attachment when the bats were flying out of the cavern because it interferes with their echolocation system—their sonar.
    But I figured that when they weren’t flying, when they’re just hanging in the caves, I could use my regular flash attachment with fast film.”
    â€œUh-uh.” Dr. Rhodes shook her head. “The light from a flash attachment, or any kind of light at all, really bothers the bats. That’s why we keep the lighting in the Big Room quite low, and in Left Hand Tunnel there’s no light at all. You’ll have to use infrared film and an infrared filter on your flash.”
    Steven looked crestfallen. “I don’t have any of that with me. But—do you think I can buy these things in the city of Carlsbad? Would a photo store carry them?”
    â€œI’m sure it would.”
    â€œThen I’ll just have to drive back to Carlsbad,” Steven said. “Right now.”
    â€œDa-ad!” Ashley complained, drawing it out into two syllables. “I thought you were going to take us through the cavern.”
    â€œLeft Hand T-T-Tunnel,” Sammy agreed, nodding.
    Carefully, favoring her sore ankle, Dr. Rhodes got to her feet before she told them, “Your dad couldn’t take you through Left Hand Tunnel by himself—you have to sign up to be part of a tour group. Let’s see, what time is it? You might be able to hook up with a tour, but you’ll need an adult with you. Kids under 16 aren’t allowed to tour the cavern without a parent or guardian.”
    All their plans seemed