Episode 5: Selky's Memories

Just like at any zoo, there's good days and bad days. Today we will take a journey into the past, seen through our columbian tegu, Selky's eyes. She's been through a lot, but she is one of the calmest, most loving lizards I know...

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Selky, the tame columbian tegu, stared after her not-so-tame brother as he stomped around their house and jumped furiously at the ceiling, bouncing off and splashing into their small pond of water. Sometimes, when he landed in the water, he would become young for a moment and close his eyes or splash his long claws in the water, but, today, Buddy would have none of it.

Selky sighed, wishing he would just calm down; he was attracting that large fluffy thing to their window, and every time Buddy would jump the fluffy thing would make a very loud harsh screaming noise that Selky just wished would stop.

She burrowed deeper under the newspaper as though she was trying to cover her head with a pillow. I have a headache, an awful headache, a headache that is making me want to smack Buddy…

She thought about whipping Buddy with her tail, but he was so much more wild than her, he usually won that game just based on his level of crazy. Selky was a pacifist and usually could ignore Buddy when he was in his moods, but today was different.

Today was the anniversary of Leo’s death. Leo was Selky’s mate; he had passed away a very long time ago, it felt to Selky. Although she knew Buddy was only about two years old, still a youngster compared to Selky’s five years, so really Leo must have passed only about two years ago.

Selky’s love for Leo was not puppy love, though she was young when they were together. Selky loved Leo with all of her might… she began to ignore Buddy’s craziness as she drifted off into her memories of Leo………

Leo Outside

Leo---the gentle giant of the tegus: an argentine tegu--- used to be littler than Selky, and she would watch over him. He was so timid, at first, he would hide more than her, if that was even possible. The humans seemed to love him, taking him out with her a lot, probably trying to grow Leo’s confidence level.

Well, it worked. In a few weeks, Leo was bigger than Selky and he had taken to cuddling with her when they slept.

                                     

They had a silent understanding in their tameness, and enjoyed trips outside, food, and even long, warm baths together. Her ward, the male human, used to help her around the bath water by using his large paw as a raft. Selky would cling to his fingers and let herself be boated around the water while Leo watched. He was too stubborn to let any human help him swim. Selky knew how to swim, but she loved the attention from her ward. In a few more weeks, Selky no longer needed her ward’s large paw to float calmly on the warm lake, she had Leo’s tail to ride on instead.



Leo and Selky in bath



Leo had grown so large that Selky would just cling to his humongous whip of a tail and hang on as Leo masterfully swam through the water. She became so used to riding Leo’s tail, that she would even cling to it when he walked around their house. He never seemed to mind, and would get her back when she was sleeping by flinging his huge body onto hers and sleeping with his tail on her head. She didn’t really mind this either. You didn’t mind much when you were in love.

Leo grew too big for their house, but Selky got to visit with him a lot, but one day, he never came back. She noticed her male human crying and the female human holding him the way Selky would hold Leo’s tail, and Selky realized, in her actually complicated lizard brain, that Leo wasn’t ever going to come back. She grew sad, and refused to eat... until her ward opened the door to her house and in came wild Buddy…....



Big Leo



Selky blinked out of her reverie as Buddy stomped on her head. “Okay, that is enough, Buddy.” Buddy lifted his huge claws off her head, poking her in the eye as he went. He moved his large, stubborn triangular head and stared at her.

“I don’t understand why I can't jump out of here.” Buddy said huffily.

“Because that is our roof, Buddy, and it only opens when the humans want to open it, which, thanks to you, they don’t open it as much now.”

Buddy blinked. “Gosh, Selky.” He was suddenly bashful. He always got like this when Selky actually expressed annoyance. “Why are you so moody?”

“Leo.” Was all she said.

Buddy, her sibling from a different father and at least three clutches removed from hers could never truly replace the love she had felt for Leo, but her ward had been correct in understanding Selky needed someone to take care of and love, someone to keep her from being lonely. Although Buddy was a rough character, she loved him and was grateful for his moment of youth as he nuzzled her nose with his nose and licked her in the eye…. okay, he has a problem with poking me in the eye, but I can forgive that.

He apologized and snuggled under the newspaper with her. The large fluffy creature outside their window seemed to get bored and go away. Good, Selky thought, now I can spend all day remembering Leo in peace…



Baby Selky says, "See you next time at Zoomahouse!"