Who Flutters Through the Dusk?

Only twenty-one days until Halloween. Puschel and Flauschi stood on the familiar garden path. Above the trees, the sky was still bright enough to see the leaves. Their paper ghosts and three paper bats waited on the fence. The middle bat still hung upside down. Indoors, the party map and the drawn spiderweb lay safely with their other papers.

Suddenly something darted through the air. Puschel looked up. Puschel‘Our bat has flown away!’ Flauschi looked at the fence. Flauschi‘The paper one is still there.’ They both looked up again. A little brown animal flew over the garden, made a tight turn and briefly disappeared against the darker edge of the leaves. Puschel‘Then that’s a real one,’ Puschel whispered.

They stayed on the path. A moment later, the bat appeared in the open sky again. Flauschi‘It flies quite differently from our garland,’ said Flauschi. Puschel‘The garland has a very short journey,’ Puschel replied. Puschel‘To the bow and back.’ Flauschi giggled quietly. The real bat kept flying. It needed neither a bow nor a place on the fence.

Puschel held a paw near his chest. Puschel‘Can we follow it to get closer?’ Flauschi‘We can watch from here,’ said Flauschi. Flauschi‘We won’t touch it or try to make it come to us. It has its own evening.’ Puschel nodded. He stayed beside Flauschi. No paw reached into the air, and nobody ran into a flower bed or between the bushes.

The bat made another curve. Puschel tried to trace it in front of him with one finger. First left, then up. At the last turn, his finger landed on the tip of his own nose. Puschel‘Oh. My flight path has bumped into a nose.’ Flauschi‘Luckily, only yours,’ said Flauschi. Puschel laughed. He lowered his paw before he ended up turning right around himself.

Puschel‘That could be an idea for the party,’ he said. Puschel‘We trace a flight path in the air. Without actually flying.’ Flauschi nodded. Flauschi‘With plenty of room and good light. And anyone who would rather watch can watch.’ Puschel‘Then my curve will end before it reaches my nose,’ Puschel decided. Puschel‘Perhaps I’ll draw it on paper first.’

Above them, the sky slowly grew darker. The little bat flew on and soon disappeared from sight. Puschel stood quietly for another moment. Puschel‘Will it come back?’ Flauschi‘Perhaps. We don’t need to look for it,’ said Flauschi. Flauschi‘Let’s go indoors now.’ They followed the short clear path. The bushes and every possible animal hiding place stayed undisturbed.

Indoors, Puschel placed a blank sheet with the party papers. Puschel‘For a flying idea,’ he explained. Puschel‘Not a new garland.’ Flauschi smiled. Flauschi‘Our three paper bats are enough.’ Puschel gently touched his nose once more. Puschel‘And the real one can fly wherever it wants.’ Perhaps that was the nicest thing about their little evening visitor.