Maggie Widener’s Most Creative Winning Entry
by Lee D. Zlotoff
October 20, 2009
You and your friend are stuck in a bat cave with no markers that lead the way out. You have have slightly backtracked along the way you came in, so you are facing toward the eventual exit of the cave. You should set up camp and begin to ration the food and water, taking turns keeping watch and taking naps. The one keeping watch should look out for large groups of bats that are flying toward you (deeper into the cave) or away from you (out of the cave). You should then wake the napping person and you should follow the bats. If you entered the cave at nighttime, and the bats are flying away from you, you should follow them because they are going out of the cave for their nighttime search for lots of tasty bugs. That should take you to your earlier markers or lead you until you are out of the cave. If you entered the cave in the day, and the bats are flying toward, you need to go in the opposite direction, as they are coming in from hunting the tasty bugs and are heading back to their roosts. You should definitely go in the opposite direction until you find your earlier markers or until you are out of the cave.
