Read Write On Press Presents: The Ultimate Collection of Original Short Fiction, Volume II Page 23

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  I read the news reports for the next few days, somehow knowing that something would break sooner or later. And sure enough, it did – that Friday there was an item in an obscure blog about a strange attack that was attributed to a creature described as an “overgrown Gila monster.” I smirked knowingly when I read it, and when the national wires picked up the story in their various weird news categories, I continued to track Gizmo’s progress.

  It wasn’t pretty. Gizmo’s attacks continued to draw attention, to the point where one of the stories finally got covered by one of the network affiliates in San Diego. This was the first time anyone went for video footage, which featured some grainy, Blair Witch-style camera work that looked for all the world like an outtake from a Bigfoot expose’.

  Still, I was able to recognize Gizmo from the movements of the “mysterious creature,” even with the herky-jerky fits and starts in the low-quality video. After that there was a story about a hunt organized by the Mexican authorities, as well as a lizard bounty of $25 grand, in U.S. greenbacks that was supposedly being offered by the cartel. There were rumors about shots being fired and bullets bouncing off the little beast, all of which I took to be apocryphal.

  Or at least I hoped so.

  There was one final coda to the story. After I got back from Mexico, I did a more thorough cleaning of the apartment, which now seemed totally empty with Loretta gone. Once again I did a pretty good job, but there was one little thing I managed to miss.

  It was over in the corner of the enclosure, behind the terrarium part, where it was hidden by a couple of shrubs and a small cactus plant. It was round and tiny and white, and I gasped when I saw it, because I had no explanation for it, plausible or otherwise, and it was absolutely the last thing I expected to find.

  I had no idea if it was viable or not, but I went to the pet store and bought an incubator for it. I placed it inside, set the temperature to what they recommended at the store, and then started worrying over it like a mother hen. It’s been a few weeks now and there are times when I swear I can see movement in there, which simultaneously thrills me and scares the bejesus out of me.

  So far I haven’t decided if I’m going to go poached, fried, scrambled, lizard egg omelet, or wait for it to become Gizmo II. But as soon as I do, rest assured I’ll let you know.