The missed bat

I lean against the rough, damp bark and stare hard, waiting for it to show. Unseen, a pair of beady eyes peers from a crevice and waits for me to break my gaze. I stare on. The bat reverses and puts the kettle on – it can wait.

Duh-duh-duh-duh! I tense. Is it? Just a bat flying past. I lean back into my tree and laser into the building. Will. Not. Miss. It. But what if it’s not there? I sigh, but stare on.

Suddenly, there it is! Big! Too big. Just a starling. I shift my feet, trying to get comfortable. The little eyes peer out from under a slate. Or is it the wall-head? Or flashing? Or a mortar gap? It waits. I wait.

An itch. I wriggle my nose, but no good. A sneeze. The eyes gleam and it hurtles out. “Duh-duh-duh-duh!” The detector speaks and I’ve missed it. The bat circles behind me, sniggering. It’s played the game and won. Again.

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