Where Does the Sun Go?

Betty Bat yawned loudly and stretched her wings wide. All around her the other bats were waking up too. Everyone was getting ready, so no one noticed as Betty snuck to the front of the cave. It was her favorite part of the day. She nestled into a hole in the rock and watched.

The forest shone beautifully in reds, golds, purples. Each color faded to the next. She could see the first stars peeking out as purple filled more and more of the sky. Sunset. She had heard the humans say this word before. The time the sun disappeared.

“Betty, what are you doing here?”

Betty jumped as she heard someone next to her. It was her friend Billy. He sat next to her and hid his eyes with his wings.

“Gosh, Betty. How can you stand the light?” He asked. “I can’t see anything when it’s like this.”

“Well I can,” she said proudly, “and it looks beautiful.”

Billy shook his head but sat with Betty as the light grew dimmer and dimmer. Finally, Billy let out a sigh of relief and uncovered his eyes. He blinked a couple times and smiled, his tiny teeth glowing in the softer moonlight.

“See, this is good light,” said Billy. “It doesn’t hurt your eyes or make your body feel hot, it just helps you catch bugs and avoid the trees.”

“It’s so dark,” grumbled Betty. “I can’t see the leaves on the tree branches, I can’t see the colors of the forest, I can’t see anything but shadows.”

Betty wished she could spend more time watching things in the sunlight, but it wasn’t possible. All her food came out at night, and she ate until very very early in the morning. On her busy nights, she could just barely see the sun peeking out before she went back to the cave. She slept most of the day, so she missed the biggest part of the sun, but at dusk, she could come to the entrance and see all the colors that were hidden at night. She wished there was a way to have more sunlight.

“Billy,” she said thoughtfully, “where do you think the sun goes at night?”

“Duh, behind the trees,” he said.

“Yeah, but where?” Betty asked. “I never see any light in the trees when we fly, only the fireflies”

“Maybe it’s sleeping,” Billy said, shrugging. “Who cares?”

“I do,” said Betty, jumping up. “You know what? I’m going to find the sun! Then I’ll be able to see everything!”

“What?!” Billy cried.

The other bats had started leaving the cave by this point. Betty spread her wings, ignoring Billy’s surprised face. She wasn't worried about dinner, she would just eat whatever bugs came her way. Tonight, she was going to find the sun. She jumped from the mouth of the cave and flapped her wings into the night.

Billy was right, the sun disappeared somewhere behind the trees. Betty had never been to the edge of the forest, she wondered how long it would take to get there. Betty flapped and flapped her wings until she became too tired. She was almost at the edge of the forest, but she still didn’t see the sun. She landed on a tree branch to rest.

“Who?” She heard from next to her.

She turned. There was an owl on the branch too. It stared at her with glowing eyes.

“Who- who are you?” The owl asked again.

“I’m Betty Bat,” she said cheerfully. “Excuse me, Mr. Owl, but do you know where the sun goes at night?”

The owl turned his head around on his body, looking in all directions. He turned back to Betty and blinked.

“I’m not sure exactly, but when I wake up I usually see it hiding behind the hills,” he said, shrugging.

“Thank you, Mr. Owl. I’ll check there next.”

With that, Betty spread her wings and started to fly again. She flew over the last trees and towards the big, grassy hills. Betty had never been this far before, surely the sun couldn’t be much farther. At least she hoped so, she was getting hungry.

Luckily, as she got closer to the hill she found a lot of mosquitoes and tasty moths flying around. She flew around for a bit to catch a snack. Before she knew it, she had chased the bugs right over the hills, but there was no sun. A large, empty field stretched for miles. All she saw were shadows.

Betty felt sad. Where could the sun be? She landed on the hill and let out a big sigh. Maybe she would never find it. The sun was just too good at hiding. She let out a long yawn. She was starting to get tired too. Betty looked sadly at the empty field. Maybe it was just time to go home.

“W-w-wait!” She heard a voice pant from behind her.

She turned to see Billy. He panted and flapped with all his might, he looked about ready to collapse. Billy flapped down next to her and laid back in the grass, exhausted.

“Billy, what are you doing here?” Betty asked.

“I-I came to help you f-find the sun,” he panted. “I’ve been chasing after y-you all night.”

“But why? You don’t even like the sun,” she grumbled.

“But you do,” said Billy, finally catching his breath. “That’s a good enough reason for me.”

Betty was happy Billy was there with her, but it didn’t matter. The sun was hidden away somewhere, and she didn’t know where. They might never find it.

“Betty!” Billy shouted, sitting up. “Look! Look! There it is!”

Sure enough, the first rays of the sun’s light began to flood the field. The whole thing suddenly came to life with dozens of beautiful colors. Emerald grass, bushes full of ruby berries, and wildflowers of every color. Everything became bathed in the sun’s warm light as it crept over the horizon. 

Betty sighed happily as she saw it. Even if she didn’t find where the sun hid, it was worth the journey to see this. She looked over at Billy. He was covering his eyes with his wings.

“Oh, Billy!” She cried out. She forgot how the sun hurt his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Billy said, smiling. “Take an extra minute, we’ll go back when you’re done.”

Betty Bat smiled and turned back to the field. It was beautiful, and she was happy to share it with her very good friend. Whether he could see it or not.