How the bats found some rest.

Tales from paradise

The tree at the centre of the world sung with life, day and night. The collective chorus of every new species became a cacophony that the serpent came quickly to despise. It disturbed his waking hours, it disturbed his sleep and he had plans to make.

Perched high in the branches of his tree the snake could see from the base of the tree to the far horizon, from the beginning of all things, to the end of time. From this vantage, the snake discovered a dark depression in this terrain.

A deep, dank, quiet cave.

The snake descended from his tree to find a tranquil place to think. After a short journey, the snake arrived at the yawning maw of the dark cave, and thought it a suitable resting place. The serpent skulked inside, to marvel at the great vaulted stone ceiling visible in the dim light that penetrated a short distance into the darkness.

And yet, as the snake explored deeper into this first cathedral, once again a chattering could be heard. A bickering disagreement between hundreds of piping voices. The quarrelling dispute of thousands. Grumbling grievances whined and moaned back and forth across the cavern. Snivelling, complaining, moaning reproach seeped from the walls of this deep crypt.

This new cacophony grew ever louder as the snake sank ever deeper into the cave, subduing the serpent’s spirits. Something must be done.

Peering into the dark, the snake’s keen eyes could see the cause of this caterwauling. Hundreds of tiny furry heads could be seen in the gloom, bundled together on rocky outcrops on the cave wall. Each small platform accommodated a little group of bickering bats, who nudged and jabbed one another with spiny elbows. Leathery wings would occasionally burst into a flapping dispute.

The snake worked his sinuous body up the cave wall, to arrive at a rocky outcrop, shared by five small bats in a space that could only accommodate three.

The moment the snake’s scaly head reared up over the edge of this ledge, the dispute ceased immediately. The little bats cowered in silent terror.

“What’s the cause of all this unrest in this dark, quiet cave”, the snake enquired.

The snake’s deep enquiry resounded around the cave, ending in moments the dispute that filled the cave. The cave fell silent. The little bats on the ledge maintained their muted dread, forcing the snake, in irritation, to repeat his enquiry. One small bat, whose grievance eventually defeated her fear, plucked up the courage to speak,

“He’s taking up all the room in our perch!”, squeaked the little bat.

This only provoked the others to continue their dispute.

“It’s not me! She’s taking more space than she deserves!”, whinged another.

“You are both pushing and shoving!”, whined yet another.

At this, the dispute across the whole cave resumed, filling the space once more with complaint. The snake offered a suggestion.

“This cavern is vast”, the snake began, “Why not rest upon the ground?”

The first and most fearless bat shouted it’s response over the collective conflict.

“Then how do we launch ourselves to flight?”, enquired the little bat.

The little bat had a point. They might rest upon the ground, if their little legs could propel them into the air. They must rest upon this rocky ledge, as birds might nest upon the branches of a tree. The bats must rest upon the meagre spaces of this cavern cliff face, and fling themselves into the abyss to take flight. The snake considered more options.

“Where could you rest where you cannot rest at all?”, enquired the snake.

The little bat looked around, to eventually fix her eyes upon the vast empty roof of the cave.

“The vast roof of this grand cave offers to you a perch that you could share in comfort”, suggested the snake.

The little bat rolled her little eyes in exasperation. “How could we make our rest upon a perch that we cannot rest upon at all?”

The snake did concede that little bat had a point. It’s own sinuous body could insinuate itself amongst the jagged fangs of rock that reached down from the cavern roof. The little bats would find no such rest.

A puzzle indeed. The bats must rest upon the vast vaulted ceiling, without resting upon the ceiling at all. The snake addressed the little bat once more.

“How could you rest upon a perch from which you will immediately fall?”

The little bat thought hard, assuming that her answer might offer some reprieve to their fate at the hands of this hungry looking snake.

“If the cave were upside down, I might rest upon this roof”, she began, “ we might find some room if only our rest was inverted”.

And at that the little bat launched herself from the rocky ledge, to stretch her leathery wings into a glide that soon transformed into a flap flap flap that lifted her to the rocky ceiling.

Grabbing the rocks with her little claws, the bat hung upside down, wrapped her wings around her body and quickly fell into a restful sleep.

At this, all argument immediately ceased and all eyes lifted to the roof of this vast cave. A moment’s collective realisation, and the cave exploded into a flapping cloud of leathery desperation as all made their way to find a suitable place to hang from the cave. Quickly, every bat found its place, and the clamour subsided as the bats all found their collective rest.

When all had settled, the snake worked his way to the cave floor, to coil himself into a satisfied sleep.

Solution 13. Do it in Reverse: Reverse a function. Implement the opposite action. Place an object the other way around or upside down or inside out. Start at the end, and work towards the start.

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