Howling at the moon

 

Have you ever howled at the moon? Gone out in a field, or out in the open on a full moon night and howled like a wolf or a dog? 

This young lady I met at a business conference said she drives in the suburbs to a field and howls at the moon with other people as a group. She invited me to go with her once, and tempted as I was, I declined on account of my being busy with my hobby and pastime of being a coward.

She explained that about a dozen people meet up regularly when it's a full moon and they howl at it. One of them starts first and makes wolf noises then all the others join in. 

I asked her why they go out in a field and do that. She said because if they did it in town people would complain.

She also added that some of her friends are FOBs; including her. I raised my eyebrows and she smiled at my ignorance and said "Friends of Bats".

It is a preservation and protection society caring for bats; which is a good thing I suppose. 

She told me that years ago we had vampire bats in the UK.

"Here in the UK?" I asked, "I thought vampire bats lived in central and South America not in the UK."

She explained that the UK was full of vampire bats which came out at night and fed off cattle, sheep and horses. Sometimes they fed off blackcurrants and blackberries juice thinking it was blood. Then gradually they turned vegetarians and became fruit bats. 

Now in the UK we only have fruit bats and bats that eat insects.

I nodded politely.

She asked me how long I'd been a vegetarian. I told her I wasn't. She looked me up and down once or twice and walked away.

That's when I realised I was at the wrong Conference. No wonder most people, except me, were in Halloween costumes. She was wearing a pumpkin outfit and I did not realise I was in the wrong place.