Fat Bat and Billy Bob -- in the Forest

Fat Bat was a skinny tree who could walk (but not very well). Sometimes he would swell up just to look big and important -- but most of the time he liked to slowly walk through the forest.

Billy Bob is hard to describe -- he could be a crawfish, a giant lizard or a little boy. He thought that it was dangerous to be a crawfish -- he might get gobbled up -- so he only rarely changed into a crawfish. He felt safer in turning into a giant lizard but would do so when he was sure that he was alone.

One day in the forest, Billy Bob decided to turn into a giant lizard and back -- again and again -- as fast as he could. He thought that he was alone -- but Fat Bat happened to be nearby and watched these strange changes with surprise. Finally -- in a deep voice -- Fat Bat spoke up and said "Well, what are you -- a lizard or a boy?" Billy Bob was startled and without thinking said -- "Just a boy -- who are you?"

Fat Bat swelled up to look big and important and said -- "I'm Fat Bat -- the only walking tree in the forest -- I come from a long line of famous walking trees." They stood and looked at each other for awhile. Finally they decided to be friends and spoke to each other of the strange and curious things that each had done.

Fat Bat spoke first -- he talked about his dreams about getting out of the forest -- but this was impossible because no one would believe that he was not an ordinary tree. Actually, he was afraid that he would get chopped up for fire wood -- or cut up and made into a ladder or something. The thing that he was most proud of was -- that his roots could produce truffles -- very tasty little mushrooms.

Billy Bob thought about this -- Fat Bat was indeed a strange tree. On the other hand, he knew that he was not an ordinary little boy -- so he should not complain. Good friends are hard to find. He said that he did not know why he could turn into a big lizard -- he said nothing about being able to turn into a crawfish. Actually Billy Bob really liked to be a big lizard because he could see and hear much better than when he was a little boy.

The only special thing that Billy Bob could do was to carve beautiful things from wood -- but he did not dare tell Fat Bat about this. His best carving actually came to life -- but only for a short while.

From then on, Billy Bob would go into the forest and look for Fat Bat. Fat Bat would let Billy Bob sit up in his branches -- and in this way, they would wander slowly through the forest.