欧宝娱乐

“On Friday the 13th of April 2029, an asteroid large enough to fill the Rose Bowl as though it were an egg cup, will fly so close to Earth, that it will dip below the altitude of our communication satellites. We did not name this asteroid Bambi. Instead, it's named Apophis, after the Egyptian god of darkness and death. If the trajectory of Apophis at close approach passes within a narrow range of altitudes called the 'keyhole,' the precise influence of Earth's gravity on its orbit will guarantee that seven years later in 2036, on its next time around, the asteroid will hit Earth directly, slamming in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. The tsunami it creates will wipe out the entire west coast of North America, bury Hawaii, and devastate all the land masses of the Pacific Rim. If Apophis misses the keyhole in 2029, then, of course, we have nothing to worry about in 2036.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Afraid you won鈥檛 be able to keep up,鈥� needled Volant, interrupting. 鈥淚 thought you were The Fastest Flier in the Sky?!鈥�

鈥淩eally,鈥� said Gabby. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how you鈥檙e going to play this?鈥�

鈥淵ep, slowpoke, that鈥檚 how I鈥檓 going to play it.鈥�

And without another word, Volant the eagle launched into the air, pointed south, with not so much as a glance back.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“Thank goodness,鈥� said Gabby after all the bats had landed. Then the seagull crept to the edge of the perch where he and Volant rested, and leaned far out and over, ducking and twisting his head to peer below the branches and almost tumbling into space. Straightening back up, Gabby exclaimed, 鈥淭alk about a head rush鈥攖he bats are all perched upside down!”
― Scott Bischke

“Reluctantly the four people backed away from the fence, the young man shouting to the young woman and cupping his hand to his ear as if holding a phone. The young woman shook her head yes, then turned to walk back up the coast, holding the small girl鈥檚 hand, the uniformed man close behind.

When the young woman looked back over her shoulder one last time, the small girl broke away, sprinting out onto the beach. The young woman raced out and caught the small girl, but not before she had scattered a flock of seagulls into the sky.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“Wow, so much to learn!" said Volant the eagle. "Fish-eating bats, pale bats, bats with little ears, bats with long noses, bats with noses that look like leaves鈥� Next thing you know, you鈥檙e going to tell me there are bats that drink blood like vampires!鈥�

鈥淭here are those, indeed, as well,鈥� said Sully the Leaf-nosed bat.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“Some of the guard bats hung from the tall card贸n cactus that partially blocked the entrance to the cave; some guard bats hung along the edge of the cave entrance. The presence of these burly guards, along with the big card贸n cactus, created a formidable boundary, a wall of sorts that could be used for controlling entry to the cave.

And for the Pallid bats controlling who could enter the cave was precisely the goal.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“The people said there might be disease in the cave," said Gabby the seagull. "They seemed really worried. They kept talking about how people can give the bats something called COVID and how bad that would be because even if the bats don鈥檛 get sick they can pass it on to other animals or right back to people later. And also they talked about a fungus and white noses and feeble bats and bats flying off-kilter and about how bat colonies around the world have been wiped out.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“Once she鈥檇 lifted the bat out of the cage, the younger woman turned slowly, lifted her hands high, then said, 鈥淭ime to go home, little one鈥� as she opened her hands.

The bat hesitated for a moment, as if unclear it was free to go, then it fluttered away. The people watched by headlamp as the bat circled them twice, before disappearing into the sky.

All the while, the older man with the camera had been positioning himself to record the moment. His photo caught the young scientist silhouetted on one side of the image, the dark outline of the island on the other side, just as the bat took flight into the orange sunrise glowing across the water.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“As they moved to push off the boat, a loud squawk sounded near at hand. The people pulled up short in time see the outline of a seagull fly past, the bird chattering wildly. Before anyone could speak, another bird took flight from the palapa. This bird, far larger than the first, passed overhead as a dark apparition. The big bird made no sound, save the gentle whoosh from its massive wings.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions

“I鈥檝e always wanted to go to Australia," said Volant the eagle. "Just think of it: kangaroos and koala bears, wallabies and wombats!鈥�

鈥淐ool enough,鈥� returned Gabby the seagull. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e always wanted to see a platypus. Sort of a beaver with a duckbill?! How can that possibly be?鈥�

鈥淣othing surprises me much anymore,鈥� said Volant. 鈥淪eems like almost anything is possible.”
― Scott Bischke, Bat Cave: A Fable of Epidemic Proportions