Episode 6: In Memory of Buddy

Buddy came to Zoomahouse so young that he didn’t have much of a personality yet, but he developed quite a personality from events throughout his life. He had a long, full life filled with adventure and love. I will let him tell you about his experiences…

***

Buddy basked in the hot sun. The humans had let him and his sister out on the sealed in porch. They were able to roam around free. Selky loved to climb the thin wall and hang from it as she sunbathed. Buddy preferred the ground. He was pretty particular about things. Everything had to go exactly how he wanted. He wasn’t always this way… He began to think about the first time he ever saw Selky as she let out a little squeak from above him and fell, her tail slapping him in the face. She chuckled, but Buddy did not think it was funny so he stepped on her head. She squirmed out from under him, huffed and stomped away. Buddy may pick on her, but, he thought, I do love her… very much… Although he understood he could never take her old mate’s place; she had made that clear the first day they had met…

When Buddy Met Selky

He was put in a sack and rudely taken from his little family. He was already moody from the heat, but  after a long trip in a bag, he felt incredibly feisty. He was let out into a giant house with wonderful smelling cypress mulch spread out on the ground and a pink little house near the back wall. He scuffled his little claws in the wood and felt happy suddenly… He had been in pine wood before, which is not  good wood for lizards, at least, that was what he thought after one of his siblings had accidentally eaten some and became very sick. This wood was better, he wasn’t going to try to eat it though, but he did want to dig in to it and hide. He looked up as he heard human voices talking over him.

“Look, Erik! I think he likes it… Where’s Selky?”

Selky, he thought… What’s that?

He heard a huffing noise and out of the pink house came a slightly older tegu like him. She gazed at him, her eyes confused. “You’re not Leo.” She said.

“No…” He looked at her. “Who’s Leo?”

“You’re my kin…” She flicked her tongue on his face; he blinked his eyes avoiding her tongue and shifting his little body.

“I am?”

“Yes.” She said indignantly. “Can’t you tell by the scent?”

“No.”

“Well, you’re just a baby. Leo was my mate. I suppose my ward got you so I could feel less lonely, but it won’t work. You are not Leo.”

“No. I’m…”

“I’m naming him Buddy.” He heard from above as the roof closed.

“I guess I’m Buddy.” He finished, looking at Selky eagerly, hoping she would accept him as he realized she was now his new family.

Over the next few weeks, he tried his best to get close to Selky, but she sulked and cried and wouldn’t look at him or speak to him. He knew she was very sad about Leo; she had loved him very much, and Buddy wanted her to love him like that.

One night when it was very cold, he saw Selky standing by the glass of their house, her nose resting against the glass as she looked out. She looked so sad, Buddy forgot his youthful need for acceptance and marched up to her, a glimmer of his future self, and placed his foot on her head. “Hey, stop moping! I’m here for you now, and I will never leave you. Not ever.” He felt determined as he squished her head with his little foot. She squirmed out from under him and laughed. Buddy blinked in surprise. She’s laughing, he thought.

“Oh, Buddy. Thank you…” She looked at him gratefully; the sadness was still in the back of her eyes, but at least it was in the back.

Suddenly, the roof lifted up, but it wasn’t the humans that he had grown used to in his few weeks… it was a stranger. He heard harsh laughing, “How much you think that big one will get us?”

“I dunno. Just grab her.” Buddy felt fear; he realized he was in the shadows and they hadn’t seen him. Selky whipped her head up and started to shake her tail like a rattle snake.

“Buddy, I don’t know them. Go! Hide!”

He immediately turned around and shoved himself into the wood. Flicking his back feet he pushed under until he was completely covered by their water bowl. Through the ripples he watched the strangers roughly pull Selky out. No, he thought, I don’t want to be alone. But Selky whipped her tail at the strangers, smacking them in the face. They both cried out, but held on. She bit the man holding her body. Squirming violently, she bit again. He dropped her. The other man had her tail still, having grabbed it after she had whipped him. She used her strength and lifted herself into a v-shape biting his finger until he let go. She landed outside their home, and looked back to Buddy. The men tried to grab her again, but she ran… And Buddy didn’t see where.

When Buddy Loved Selky

Buddy waited for days. His humans had been very upset, guessing someone had broken in to steal Selky as the lock had been broken… At least that was what he thought he heard them say. He found himself standing by the window, his nose pushed against the glass consumed with sadness exactly how Selky had always been. He realized he loved Selky, and, if she came back, he would never be a coward again. He would always protect her from now on.

The next day, the roof lifted up and he gazed up listlessly. “I can’t believe we found her!” He heard one of the humans say. “She went right to the neighbor’s shed. She was so smart, Erik! She knew she wasn’t met for the wild… She was too used to her house.”

“Yeah, Vinny said he has absolutely no more bugs in his shed, that’s for sure.” Laughter followed.

Buddy looked at them angrily. Why are you happy? He wanted to yell. “Selky is gone!” He cried out loud.

“No I’m not!” He heard Selky. He must be hallucinating. After all, he had refused to eat since she had disappeared. But he looked up anyways and was filled with happiness when he saw Selky wrapped around her human’s neck, content and smiling.

“Selky!” Buddy couldn’t believe it. “You didn’t leave me!”

“How could I leave you? You promised you would never leave me and it goes both ways.” She plopped into the house next to him and he immediately stomped on her head. She laughed, “We have got to teach you a new way to show affection…” But she never did…

Buddy’s Final Act of Love

I still stomp on her head, he thought happily. He heard a loud buzzing noise and looked up incredulously. A wasp? He turned his head to the side in confusion. Selky’s tail began to vibrate next to him.

“How did that get in here?” She exclaimed. “It looks angry!” The wasp seemed to lunge down, and Selky darted away quickly. Buddy immediately felt angry. How dare that wasp try to hurt Selky, he thought. The wasp lunged at Selky again aiming right for her head, but Buddy pushed her out of the way, full of bravado and was stung instead. The wasp stuck into the side of his face and struggled to buzz back into the sky, but Buddy used his long claws to pull the wasp off his face and stomped the wasp into the ground. “No, Buddy.” Selky gazed at him. The sadness from the past jumped to the front of her eyes.

“What?” He looked at her. His face started to hurt badly. “I’m fine.”

“No, Buddy.” Selky said again. She went to him and squeezed her body up next to his. “I don’t think we can handle getting stung by a wasp… Thank you, Buddy, please stay with me.”

He looked at her, thinking she was silly, but he felt his body stiffen. Something is happening to me, he thought, but I can’t let her know. “I told you I would never leave…”

“But you also said you would always protect me and you did.” Selky whispered. “Thank you, Buddy. It’s okay if you need to leave. I’m stronger now.”

Buddy felt cold and hot. His face felt weird and he closed his eyes, sudden fatigue taking over his will. “I… love you… Selky…”

***

We found Selky next to Buddy with the wasp squished next to them. We still cannot figure out how a wasp got into our screened-in porch, but Buddy definitely saved Selky and we will never forget him. Selky seems to be doing fine. She is depressed, but is still eating unlike when she lost Leo. We take her out and hold her every day.

Thank you, Buddy. You are a hero.