The Legend Of A Lizard!

Sita is our housemaid and is a peculiarly funny creature. She would often shriek out at shadows of pots or mantlepiece or particularly any non-living item. She would even start at the sound of a bottle fallen from her own hands and then would make stories around how and especially ‘who’ broke it. Out of all those funny incidents, one stood out due to its quirkiness and still makes my ribs tickle!

One fine day, after a light monsoon shower happened in the morning, out of an immediate urge to get out of their safe havens, many reptiles and insects crawled along the garden walls and on the front porch. Sita, unexpectedly, was in a very delightful mood that day. My mom asked her about the reason behind her ecstatics. She, in a hurry, trotted towards the front porch to pick her bag; but suddenly, a long and dirty lizard with its popping red eyes plummeted from the front door, directly beside her. It was sudden and shocking for all of us, but more of all, we were dumbstruck because of the fierce and shrill laughter coming right from Sita’s direction. ‘She probably must have lost her mind out of fear’, we all thought to ourselves. Although, it was not the correct reason.

“ You all can’t fool me today. I have read in today’s newspaper. It is the first of April that is celebrated widely as the April Fool’s day. Didi, take your toy lizard away. For the first time in my life, I’ve not made a fool of myself!” said Sita slyly and went and picked up her bag.

“ See, I’ve also brought one toy insect made of rubber”, and saying so, with one swift motion, she took out the rubber worm from her bag. while doing so, the toy tipped and fell from her hand to the ground.

Whether the modern-day lizards like playing with toys or the lizard boy had considered the toy as its first meal of the day (whichever may be the reason), but as soon as the toy fell on the ground, the dirt-brown lizard, with its long and pointy tail, plunged at the toy worm. It was then that we were tensed about Sita. She will now shriek again. and so she did.

There was first a shriek and then a loud thud, and, Sita was laying on the ground, unconscious. We took her inside and gave her some water to drink. Finally, she became conscious, after some time. After gaining back consciousness, in a very groggy manner, She said, “ Today is the first day that I have seen a ghost in my life, that too of a lizard!”