On Geckos
Under the bougainvillea there was my little Pomi examining something. From far I could not make out what it was. It looked like a bit of dirt but as I came closer I realized that it was something completely different.
“Look at this.” Pomi sounded excited. “Look what I found! It looks like a skeleton.”
” It is a skeleton, Pomi, a gecko’s skeleton.”
Pomi gave me a questioning look.
” This was a house gecko, a very small lizard. They are very common all over the Mediterranean and are even mentioned in the bible in the book of proverbs : ‘And the lizard that clings with its hands and dwells in Kings’ houses’.
” And?”
” I think they are rather cute with their big protruding eyes, an almost see-through underbelly and those peculiar feet which have an enormous gripping power. They can walk up smooth surfaces effortless, scurry up walls and stick to ceilings because their feet are sticky with tiny adhesive pads that glue them down.”
” Thank you professor.” Pomi smirked. ” But what happened to this one then? How did it get here?”
” Well you see, geckos are nocturnal animals, they hunt at night, mosquitoes, clothes moths, tiny cockroaches.”
” Which is why I have never seen one. I sleep at night, you know.”
” I know Pomi and so do I. But our cats don’t. They too are up at night looking for prey. So this little fellow here must have fallen victim to one of the cats because you can see that it has no tail. Geckos drop their tails in self defense and that way manage to escape, leaving the cats with nothing but a tail in their paws.”
” This one didn’t get away. It must have been here for some time. On second thought, it could not have been because you are cleaning all the time. You are out of control.”
” Say thank you for your feet unlike the gecko’s are not self cleaning. As for the skeleton I don’t think it has been here for more than a day. Ants cleaned the carcass of all the flesh leaving only the bones. Then they left. I have seen it before. Ants are very fast workers and before you know it they disappear.”
” Sure. And by now they are probably all back in your kitchen.” Pomi giggled.
” Wait until they find your ‘secret’ supply of chocolate.”
This story is a little different from the others. If, as one writer (pity I don’t remember who) said, “childhood is the kingdom where no one dies”, then Pomi may be in a kind of transition. He’s such a clever and upbeat little fellow. I look forward to reading about his development.
An interesting sidelight is that I recently wrote a very short fiction piece featuring a gecko (and death)!! Telepathy? I’ll send it to you.
E.
I can’t wait it read your story 🙂 !
Pomi in transition? When he read this he shock his head and said: ” Noooooo!” I smiled.
Well, Pomi dear, maybe transition is the wrong word. Perhaps expansion would be better. I think you are on a voyage of discovery. 🙂
E.
🙂 !!!
( Heike, I think your friend Eva likes me.”)
She does!! 😉
Pomi is dancing around the room 🙂 !
geckos are nocturnal animals, they hunt at night, mosquitoes, clothes moths, tiny cockroaches.”
really? can you send some geckos to me? 🙂
a shock for you ,pomi, wasn`t it ?
Psst. He would never admit it, my little “Mr.Tough Guy” but he was rather silent after the ‘gecko-incident’.
Geckos in Austria? I am not sure they would last very long ;-). Too cold :-)!
🙂