This is a story of the most unlikely friendship between two wild wonders: a little brown bat named Pepito, and a chubby multi-hued hummingbird named Jellyroll. It all started one early spring day when a child left his PB &J sandwich on a school bench during recess. Both Pepito and Jellyroll spied the sandwich at the same time and dove for it at lightning speed. Pepito skidded to a stop covered in peanut butter except for his eyes and Jellyroll tried but failed to reduce his speed before performing a face plant worthy of an Olympic gold medal into the deep purple center of a mound of grape jelly. At that instant, they cleaned the remains of the PB&J sandwich from their faces and realized they had to share or starve. They knew a storm was approaching.

The temperature began to drop, the afternoon sun disappeared behind slate gray snow clouds, and a strong cold front blew through the area. They found shelter from the cold in an abandoned woodpecker’s nest inside the hollowed-out part of a nearby sweet gum tree. While waiting for the storm to pass, the two chatted about their lives and found they had a great deal in common, including their new-found love of peanut butter and jelly.

“Don’t you find it odd that a bat prefers peanut butter to bugs?” Jellyroll asked.

“Not as strange as a jelly-loving hummingbird,” Pepito replied with a laugh.

They’d eaten enough to stay alive, and the two drifted off to sleep, leaning on each other for support. During the dark evening, the wind howled outside but the only sound heard inside was snoring. The whistling winds acted as a lullaby for both storm’s refugees.

They discovered a common thread that tied them closer together: they both detested bullies. Some in their community could be cruel, attacking others for being different, insulting others for not being as smart, strong, or rich as they were. The bullies referred to those who were not members of their gang as HazBins.

Pepito’s and Jellyroll’s bond of friendship grew stronger with every passing week. And as they grew older and wiser, both realized their most important attribute, empathy. It was that ability to understand and share the feelings of another—an emotional armor used to protect against the bruising contact with reality—that placed them on a higher level than most animals and many humans. These emotions would awaken them from the stupor of merely existing and move them to a higher plane where reason and understanding bloomed in abundance.

They began an oral history called “storytelling,” a verbal journal based on their personal experiences that could be passed on to their descendants. These stories became known as their “Adventures” and were part love letters to Mother Nature, part journal of their delight with life, and part fairytale.

***

Pepito’s descriptions of the night sky with its millions of galaxies and billions of planets amazed and enthralled his night hunting companions: Ollie the Owl, Corina the Crow, and Whoopi the Whippoorwill.

Jellyroll, not to be left out, commented, “I also see millions of stars and even if a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.”

“Bravo my friend,” shouted Pepito. “We are indeed gifted to live on Earth.”

“You are prissy snowflakes,” hissed Pootie the Puff Ader, a local bully who hated everyone. “Where have you found such happiness?”

Jellyroll thought hard and soon came up with a cure for the bully. “Yonder is a hole at the base of that oak tree where the squirrels sell hopium. That makes
you happy.” The hole was really the entrance to the home of Ferdinando the Ferret, who hated snakes more than a visit to the dentist.

After the screams stopped and the dust settled, Pootie exited the hole like a Patriot missile. Both eyes were swollen shut and half his scales were missing. Pootie never said another word as he departed in shame. The story of Pootie’s humiliation spread quickly about how Pepito and Jellyroll had outwitted the “superior intellect” of a bully. Ironically, the other bullies refused to grant Pootie sanctuary. He was given asylum by the group called HazBins. Early the next morning after the sun rose, Pepito and Jellyroll shared a PB&J sandwich with a glass of butterfly milk. They had exacted humiliating justice on a bully who retired from insulting people and changed his name to Fred.

***

The adventures of Pepito and Jellyroll grew into narrative histories passed on from one generation to the next. The people used these tales to teach their children morals and lessons about life. These events became tales, myths, and legends transmitted in print and in the cinema. And in the telling and retelling of the Adventures of Pepito and Jellyroll, the listeners developed an appreciation for and a desire to embrace openness, empathy, and intellectual curiosity, rather than allowing hatred and prejudice to obscure their vision.

Pepito and Jellyroll grew older together and thought their adventures would never end. However, one balmy spring day when Pepito was asleep in his roost, Jellyroll ventured out to snack on gnats and was caught in a sudden hailstorm. He became very ill and would not be able to continue his life’s journey with his friend Pepito. After Jellyroll passed on to his “next adventure,” Pepito held a celebration of life ceremony for his friend, attended by Ollie the Owl, Corina the Crow, Whoopi the Whippoorwill, and Ferdinando the Ferret.

Pepito missed his friend and one day, he flew to the Sweet Gum tree where Jellyroll had lived. The stormy skies provided a perfect backdrop for his visit. The smell of rain was in the air.

“Jellyroll,” Pepito began, “You were always there for me. I never had a chance to tell you how much I respected and admired you before you left us. You taught us that laughter conquers sorrow. And you endured tragedies, but always found something positive to get us through the bad days. You left the world a better place than it was when you arrived. But you can rest easy now, my brother.”

The first raindrops pelted the ground. Pepito turned to fly back to his roost but stopped suddenly. There in the distance was a bright, double rainbow; the likes of which he’d had never seen before. Even the sky was celebrating Jellyroll’s life.