Catch That Bat! by Adam Frost

Chapter 1
     
     
     
     
    Tom and Sophie Nightingale were on their way back from the cinema with their grandad. They had all been to see AstroKid v The Man-Eating Martians in 3D and were talking about the amazing special effects. They had just stepped on to the towpath that led down to the marina where they all lived, when every light in the area went out.
    The lamp posts along the canal flickered and died, the houseboats in the marina were thrown into darkness and the houses along the edge of Regent’s Park were suddenly swallowed up by the night.
    ‘It’s the man-eating Martians!’ exclaimed Tom. ‘They must be here!’
    ‘Don’t be daft, Tom,’ replied his big sister, Sophie. ‘It’s just a power cut.’
    ‘So what do we do now?’ Tom wailed. ‘How are we going to fight the Martians when we can’t even see them?’
    ‘It’ll be OK, Tom,’ Grandad replied, clapping Tom on the back and making him jump. ‘We just have to use our other senses, that’s all.’
    ‘What do you mean, “our other senses”?’ Tom asked.
    ‘Our sense of hearing, our sense of touch,’ said Grandad. ‘Millions of creatures wake up at night. Bats, owls, hedgehogs, badgers . . . and they get around just fine.’
    ‘How’s hearing going to help?’ Tom asked. ‘I can’t hear anything.’
    ‘Course you can,’ said Grandad. ‘Just listen.’ He tapped on the path with his walking stick. ‘Hear that?’
    ‘It sounds like concrete,’ said Tom.
    ‘Exactly. So we know we’re on the path. You try.’
    He reached for Tom’s arm in the darkness and placed his walking stick in his grandson’s hand.
    Tom began to tap the path and move slowly forward.

     
    After a few seconds, he exclaimed, ‘I can do it!’
    At the same time, Sophie said, ‘My eyes are beginning to adjust. I think I can see our barge.’ She reached out with one arm. ‘Yes, I can feel the railings by our section of the towpath.’
    ‘That’s the idea,’ Grandad said. He took a deep breath. ‘And I can smell the ivy that grows along the bank.’
    They all moved towards the side of the marina where the houseboats were moored.
    Tom and Sophie lived with their parents on a barge called the Jessica Rose but generally known as The Ark . If it hadn’t been for the power cut, it would have been possible to see all the animals painted on the sides of the boat. The surrounding water had been worked into the design too, so there were hippos wallowing in it, penguins diving into it, elephants drinking from it and flamingos wading in it.
    A few metres further along from The Ark , the next dark shape was Grandad’s houseboat, the Molly Magee.
    Tom gave Grandad his walking stick back and said, ‘I think I can do this last bit.’ Then he felt for the edge of The Ark with his foot and launched himself into the air.
    ‘Tom!’ Sophie exclaimed.
    ‘What?’ replied the voice of Tom in the darkness. ‘It’s fine. I’m totally used to the dark now. Come on – the door’s down here.’
    At that moment, the edge of the houseboat door glowed and opened. Mrs Nightingale was standing there, holding a candle.
     

     
    ‘Hello, you three,’ she said.
    Tom and Sophie walked carefully down the steps.
    ‘I’m going to check on my place,’ said Grandad. ‘See you in a bit.’
    ‘Bye, Grandad,’ said Tom.
    ‘Thanks for taking us to the cinema,’ added Sophie.
    As Tom and Sophie entered the living room, Rex, the family terrier, ran up to greet them, sniffing and snuffling at Tom’s shoes and trousers.
    Sophie gave Rex a quick pat and then hurried to check on her ferret and her rats. She returned after a few seconds with a rat on her shoulder. ‘They’re all fine, especially Eric. I think rats must quite like the dark.’
     

     
    In the meantime, Mrs Nightingale was rummaging in the cupboard under the sink, looking for more candles.
    ‘Where’s Dad?’ Tom asked.
    ‘Your father is out on the bank, trying to get our emergency generator to work.’ She