Miss Magnolia and the Bat Bandits

In the quiet town of Brenham, Texas, folks liked their nights peaceful, their stars bright, and their sweet tea extra sweet.
But one Halloween season, something downright peculiar started happening.
Shiny things began disappearing.
First it was old Mr. Granger’s silver belt buckle. Then it was the weather vane on top of the library.
Next, Sheriff Dan’s badge up and vanished off his vest in broad daylight.
Now, Brenham didn’t have much crime, and what it did have was usually somebody’s goat breaking into somebody else’s garden.
So when this shiny crime spree kicked up, everyone turned to Miss Magnolia May—the town librarian and unofficial mystery solver.
Magnolia was a kind woman with curly hair piled high and glasses that always slid down her nose.
Her partner in crime solving was Deputy Pecan Pie, a fluffy orange cat who had more attitude than a bull at a rodeo.
One crisp October night, Magnolia took her lantern and Pecan Pie out behind the library.
“If those bandits want something shiny,” she whispered, “we’ll give ’em a show.”
She set out a mirror right in the moonlight.
Sure enough, the night grew quiet.
Then came the sound—flutter flutter flutter. From the rafters of the old red barn swooped a gang of tiny bats wearing little black bandit masks, each holding bits of shiny treasure.“Well, I’ll be,” Magnolia whispered.
“Bat Bandits.”
The bats dove toward the mirror, fascinated by their sparkling reflections.
One bat strutted like a movie star, another twirled in the moonlight, and one tried to wear Sheriff Dan’s badge like a crown.
Magnolia chuckled so hard she nearly dropped her lantern.
Deputy Pecan Pie pounced out of the shadows with a mighty “MRAOW!”
The bats scattered like popcorn in a skillet, dropping every single stolen item as they zipped back into the barn loft.
The next day, Magnolia returned everything to its rightful owner.
The sheriff got his badge back.
Mr. Granger got his buckle.
And the library weather vane spun bright again.
From then on, Brenham folks left out tiny mirrors every Halloween night.
The Bat Bandits didn’t steal anymore—they just came to admire themselves.
And if you walk behind the library late at night, you might just hear a tiny flutter and a bat saying,
​ “How do I look?”