I don’t like to kill lizards, unless it is a croaking lizard or ‘wood slave’ as some folks call it. Tonight a non-croaker found its way into my kitchen when I left the front door open. There it was, perched on the wall high above the boxes on my kitchen cabinets.

Normally lizards who find themselves inside a house are in an easily accessible place. I’d usually use the broom and coax it. That wouldn’t work in this case. My siblings suggested I leave it and go to bed. I decided not to, as my windows have screens so he would not have been able to get out.

One by one, I removed the boxes. On the second to last one, the lizard came down. When the box fell on the floor, he scurried away outside….or so I thought.

After getting ready for bed, I entered the bedroom to find said lizard high on my wall!

No….this was not happening! Its tail had been shortened because when the box had fallen to the floor, it dropped on top of the lizard and I guess chopped it off. I don’t recall seeing a piece of tail wriggling though. Hmmmmmm…..

Dilemna. Should I leave it in my bedroom and sleep in the living room? It was cute and I’m sure it was the one who has kept my company on a number of occasions on the patio.

Nah.

I went for the spray can, broom and dustpan. Spraying did not go according to plan. The lizard ran under the bed where there are a couple suitcases and boxes, perfect hiding situations.

Eventually I spotted it hanging on to one of the bed legs. But then I didn’t remember where I had put the can of spray. Time spent looking for it meant the lizard disappeared. Grrrr. By now I was gasping, having inhaled the spray.

I waited and listened patiently to hear some fluttering, signaling the lizard trying to extricate itself from the scent of the spray. I removed the two suitcases from under the bed. It ran from there towards the wall where I emptied out more of the spray while knocking it with the broom.

And I said sorry with each broom hit. More spray, then I put it in the dustpan, held it down with the broom while I walked quickly and deposited it outside.

Poor lizard seemed to have been on his last. But I had decided that sleep trumped my conscience. I had claimed superiority. Sometimes in life, it is just necessary.

Sorry lizard.