Bat

The cat came in through the flap with that brisk mix of pride and defiance which indicated that he had caught something. But, rather than the usual vole, he carried a bat in his mouth.

This was as unexpected as if he had brought back some animal from the depths of the ocean. And the bat seemed equally as exotic. And just as much out of its element. The cat was tricked into releasing the bat with some tuna out of a tin.

The bat, alive and unmarked but clearly hurt in some way, was installed in a cardboard box filled with grass and a small bowl of milk. Its velvety fur was at odds with the broken-umbrella wings which fascinated the children. They were eventually persuaded away and to bed.

In the morning, the bat was dead. It received a burial with full honours in the far corner of the garden with the handful of hamsters and the cat's predecessor.