What do you mean, it moved its head?

Cam wrote a beautiful tribute to Broken Lizard, or Hooker as Sam came to call the lizard that made its way into our home and wouldn't get lost.

One morning, I opened the door to the dishwasher and in fell a lizard. I was a bit surprised but, certain it was a toy lizard, I picked it up and tossed it in the general direction of Sam.

A few minutes later, Sam said, "Check this out." I looked over and noticed the toy lizard wasn't laying where it had landed. Sam was staring at the lizard, acting as if it was alive.

I explained that I'd tossed his toy over to him. He pointed out that it moved its head.

I sort of freaked out. It hadn't occurred to me that the lizard I'd flung across the kitchen had been alive.

I'm not normally too squeamish but it weirded me out a bit. Cam got a dustpan and took it outside, releasing it. The even weirder thing was that that night, it was back. Sam held it and he and Cam made a home for it. I continued to get the heebie jeebies when I looked at it.

After the lizard spent the night in the Biosphere (despite the door being left open), I convinced Sam to move it to the front of the house so that it could get some sunlight and warmth.

Despite this attempt to help it survive, when Sam came home from school that afternoon, the lizard was dead.

Hearing about how my child mourned as he made a grave for this strange lizard reminded me of Brian from the story Hatchet.

I'm happy Sam has a heart as big as his smile.

My Flickr set of our lizard experience.

Cam's story.