breath, ready to get to work. But the critter made a lunge straight at another bug display, and Martin had to snatch it away.
“Hey! What did I just tell you?”
The lizard made a great big fuss, dancing and squeaking up a storm.
“Okay, I get it! Don’t be such a brat.”
He got up and grabbed his bug net. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”
He darted out of the barn and headed for the woods, but stopped short when he thought of something.
This guy has such a big appetite…I could spend the rest of my days chasing bugs. Maybe there’s an easier way…?
He turned right around and ran up to the house, where he retrieved a half-empty package of baloney from the fridge. His hunch turned out to be a good one: when he took the leftover lunch meat back to the barn, the lizard wasted no time digging in. It ripped and chomped and gobbled the stuff like a hungry hyena feeding on a zebra carcass.
Martin watched the whole thing with wide eyes. “Wow. You can really put it away, huh.”
While the lizard worked on the baloney, Martin combed through the reptile book. There was some pretty interesting stuff in there, all right, but none of the lizards looked anything like this one. Mainly it was those deformed legs. The front ones were really tiny, and although the back ones were plenty big and strong, the feet looked like a bird’s—three toes in front, one in back. There was one exotic lizard in the book that could run on its hind legs, but it didn’t look at all like Martin’s friend. Maybe being frozen in that egg for all that time had somehow mutated its genes, he thought.
As he leafed through the book, he kept talking to the lizard, as though somehow it might suddenly speak up and explain what was going on. “How come you don’t look like any of these?” “Nah, you’re way too big to be that one.” “If you drop that baloney on the floor, I’m throwing it away.”
But of course, he was talking to a reptile, and the reptile seemed perfectly happy to feast on the meat, wander around on the workbench, and completely ignore everything Martin said.
Still, Martin was thoroughly captivated by the little creature, and he couldn’t help but smile as he watched it explore the tabletop like a curious kitten.
The blissful mood was instantly wrecked when his mom opened the door and stepped in.
“Martin, your room is a mess. You were supposed to pick it up.”
Martin jumped to his feet, doing his best to block her view of the creature. “Oh, um…I forgot. Sorry.”
“I need you to do it before dinner.”
“Okay.”
He was doing all kinds of twisty contortions to keep his frisky friend hidden, and his mom gave him an odd look. He smiled innocently, and that seemed to do the trick; she headed back out the door. But before she was gone…
Squeak.
The sound stopped her in her tracks, and she turned around to see the lizard trying to take a bite out of the reptile book.
“What in the world is
that
?”
“What?”
She gave him a withering look.
“Oh, this? It’s, um…a lizard.”
“I can see what it is. What’s it doing in here?”
“I found him in the woods. His egg, I mean. He hatched.”
“Martin, you know you’re not supposed to bring wild animals in here.”
“Actually, he’s very tame.”
“You know the rule: you can use the barn for your hobbies, but no pets, period.”
The lizard was about to rip a page from a perfectly good library book, so Martin picked the little guy up, which it didn’t seem to mind at all. But when his mom leaned in for a closer look, it
hissed
at her, backing her off.
“What’s wrong with it? It looks deformed.”
“He could be a mutant.”
“Well, put it down, for gosh sakes. It could have all kinds of germs.” She picked up the cardboard box from the floor. “Put it in here.”
Martin didn’t care for the direction this was taking, but he did what she said and gently put the lizard in the box. He felt a gray cloud
“Hey! What did I just tell you?”
The lizard made a great big fuss, dancing and squeaking up a storm.
“Okay, I get it! Don’t be such a brat.”
He got up and grabbed his bug net. “I’ll be back in ten minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”
He darted out of the barn and headed for the woods, but stopped short when he thought of something.
This guy has such a big appetite…I could spend the rest of my days chasing bugs. Maybe there’s an easier way…?
He turned right around and ran up to the house, where he retrieved a half-empty package of baloney from the fridge. His hunch turned out to be a good one: when he took the leftover lunch meat back to the barn, the lizard wasted no time digging in. It ripped and chomped and gobbled the stuff like a hungry hyena feeding on a zebra carcass.
Martin watched the whole thing with wide eyes. “Wow. You can really put it away, huh.”
While the lizard worked on the baloney, Martin combed through the reptile book. There was some pretty interesting stuff in there, all right, but none of the lizards looked anything like this one. Mainly it was those deformed legs. The front ones were really tiny, and although the back ones were plenty big and strong, the feet looked like a bird’s—three toes in front, one in back. There was one exotic lizard in the book that could run on its hind legs, but it didn’t look at all like Martin’s friend. Maybe being frozen in that egg for all that time had somehow mutated its genes, he thought.
As he leafed through the book, he kept talking to the lizard, as though somehow it might suddenly speak up and explain what was going on. “How come you don’t look like any of these?” “Nah, you’re way too big to be that one.” “If you drop that baloney on the floor, I’m throwing it away.”
But of course, he was talking to a reptile, and the reptile seemed perfectly happy to feast on the meat, wander around on the workbench, and completely ignore everything Martin said.
Still, Martin was thoroughly captivated by the little creature, and he couldn’t help but smile as he watched it explore the tabletop like a curious kitten.
The blissful mood was instantly wrecked when his mom opened the door and stepped in.
“Martin, your room is a mess. You were supposed to pick it up.”
Martin jumped to his feet, doing his best to block her view of the creature. “Oh, um…I forgot. Sorry.”
“I need you to do it before dinner.”
“Okay.”
He was doing all kinds of twisty contortions to keep his frisky friend hidden, and his mom gave him an odd look. He smiled innocently, and that seemed to do the trick; she headed back out the door. But before she was gone…
Squeak.
The sound stopped her in her tracks, and she turned around to see the lizard trying to take a bite out of the reptile book.
“What in the world is
that
?”
“What?”
She gave him a withering look.
“Oh, this? It’s, um…a lizard.”
“I can see what it is. What’s it doing in here?”
“I found him in the woods. His egg, I mean. He hatched.”
“Martin, you know you’re not supposed to bring wild animals in here.”
“Actually, he’s very tame.”
“You know the rule: you can use the barn for your hobbies, but no pets, period.”
The lizard was about to rip a page from a perfectly good library book, so Martin picked the little guy up, which it didn’t seem to mind at all. But when his mom leaned in for a closer look, it
hissed
at her, backing her off.
“What’s wrong with it? It looks deformed.”
“He could be a mutant.”
“Well, put it down, for gosh sakes. It could have all kinds of germs.” She picked up the cardboard box from the floor. “Put it in here.”
Martin didn’t care for the direction this was taking, but he did what she said and gently put the lizard in the box. He felt a gray cloud
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