House Lizards

Friendly lizards (geckos) come inside the house, looking for bugs. They amazingly cling to the ceiling and walls, moving rapidly and as easily as if along the floor. The doors and windows are not airtight, and the lizards find places to squeeze into a room. As the temperature rises, they become more active. They are considered good luck, so no one tries to get rid of them. If you try to catch one, they will lose their tail.

They must be territorial, because I have only seen 2 specific lizards in my room. Carl has noticed 3 in his, but his room is larger. I have named mine "Orville" and "Wilbur". They are about 5 inches long. They don't like the light, and when I have tried to take a flash photo of them, they scamper into hiding. Sometimes they make a clicking sound, but otherwise, they are silent.

One night I lay sleeping lightly, the rattling window air-conditioner was barely keeping up with the hot sticky air. The ceiling fan was on, and a light sheet defended me from the draft. Suddenly, I heard a faint noise and felt a plop on my hip. Freaking out, I shook the sheet, and in the moonlight I saw a lizard sailing through the air, arms and toes outstretched in terror. I heard him land on the floor, then silence. I pulled the sheet over my head and tried to go to sleep.

The next morning, there was no sign of lizard. By the afternoon, however, 2 lizards were chasing each other across the wall, undamaged. I guessed one of them had been on the ceiling and fell asleep when he lost his grip. They say it is bad luck to be hit by a lizard -- I wonder if this counts?

The last few days, I have spotted a couple of baby lizards, each about 2 inches long. As long as they eat the mosquitoes, they are welcome to stay.