Italy Again

 Italy Again

I flung open the window of room 6 on the 6th floor of the 6th hotel and leaned over to look at the view.  Brick walls. No view. I looked down. Something moved. I stared harder. Something had definitely moved. Yes, there it was again.

"It's a blood lizard," I said.

I jumped back and my knees gave way. 

"Close the windows and the shutters. We don't want lizards in the bedroom."

" Oh, where, where?" said my companion, taking my place at the window and ignoring my shaking form.

"Oh there, oh look, there are two of them. Oh, aren't they beautiful? What lovely colours. They don't want to come in here. Don't be silly."

"She is going to leave the windows open all night," I thought. She thinks they are bloody pets. Well, we'll see about that."

"I am just going down to the bar. I need a stiff drink."

"OK, I'll unpack."

I ran downstairs to the souvenir shop. There was a whole case full of rubber animals, from spiders to dinosaurs. There was one that was exactly what I needed. A lizard. It was just like the one I had seen. I bought it quickly and rushed to the bar, bought a whiskey and ginger, downed it quickly and returned to the room.

She was in the shower. It was easy. I slide the reptile under the sheet in her bed and replaced the coverlet neatly.

"There," I thought, "See how you like it."

Later at bedtime when I was in the shower, I heard her scream.

I wrapped a towel around me and went into the bedroom.

" Now will you close the bloody window."