ANOTHER PRISONER ON SCENE July 16, 2012
A few weeks ago, I came running no, crawling, out of my bathroom screeching to Alba that she must come over there fast to get some animal “thing” out of my deep bath tub. It couldn’t crawl out on its own — and I was not about to touch that “thing” to help it out. She answered back that she would take care of it, and went right on doing whatever she was doing at the moment — cooking dinner, or washing dishes, whatever.
I didn’t return there for several hours, figuring it had been done away with, or for all I knew the little creature may have escaped, and it’s too bad it didn’t, come to think of it. The Warden has declared this animal her prisoner, as if she doesn’t have enough guarding to do already with me. So there this little guy is assigned to the deep tub, and she provides food and water for him/her.
I don’t know what this baby is — he could be a baby iguana for all I know, or maybe a gecko — he’s about 3 inches long. He could be related to a crocodile, and that’s what frightens me.
Sitting in the corner of the bathtub there is a pothos ivy plant which I keep growing somehow — it’s the only plant which I seem to be able to propagate without much trouble. There are always a few little gnat-like things around there, and that is what the Warden is serving her new prisoner for food. He actually loves it when she splashes a little water around. His foot pads are supposed to be made with some kind of gluey stuff for him to climb straight up a wall, but he can’t manage that. Maybe he was deprived of that feature at birth.
He could be the little green guy that walks upright on TV, except he’s not even trying to walk straight up. If he had a mother here, she would probably teach him things like that. He just lays there, waiting for some stupid gnat to come into his little world for his 4 o’clock “happy hour.”
I have been pleading with the Warden that this little creature is being held against his will, and it amounts to cruel and inhumane punishment, and that she should carefully transfer him outside to the huge foliage at the back of the house where he can join up with family. The Warden maintains that he is right at home and quite happy to be lounging around in 80º temperatures instead of 115º outside. Maybe she has a point there. He looked very happy, even smiling when I was taking his picture today. My only concern now is that when outsiders hear of this, they may march up and down Dandelion with placards proclaiming 79613 is holding prisoners. It would be mayhem if the Cruel to Animal people got a hold of it. What would their placards say? And if a few 99ers butted in there would be a few tents out there.
We haven’t named the kid yet because the Warden hasn’t figured out if it’s a “him” or a “her.”
—– and now it’s time for MY happy hour!
Melitas Forster
