Dreaming on a Toilet Seat

Remigius : The Lizard of the Oz

This is the story of Remigius,the lizard. When I came to my new home and set it up so fondly, I discovered that there is only one place where I could place my study table which will house my laptop for most of the time, my music system and the TV comfortable because of the ease of juggling between all the three whenever I wish to. And I placed a fluorescent light right on the window pelmet and arranged my table under. The idea was that whenever I get bored of studying and needed some air, all I need to do was to just open the window. Heights of laziness, nevertheless it was a good setup. So far so good. But a couple of days later, I discovered that I am not alone in my home and I have a co occupant. He was Remigius (as later I would name him), the Lizard. He lived inside the pelmet of the window on top my study table and he preyed on the small insects which occasionally fly around the florescent light. I didn’t like him in the first place. For the simple reason he used to drop shit on my laptop. Everyday. Day after day. I was more than annoyed. I tasked my helper to kill him or atleast drive him away. Efforts were in vain. A week passed and I was getting more and more disgusted. Finally, a friend of mine suggested that placing empty egg shells would drive away lizards. I tried but the empty egg shells brought in smell and ants. So the shell didn’t work. I actually googled out some more ideas to drive lizards away but nothing was workable. My helper suggested to me to get an airgun and kill the lizard. It was an insult to my capabilities and people who know me would surely understand. And all these days Remigius was religiously dropping shit on my laptop. I used to come back from office and the first thing I used to do is to clean Remigius’s shit. What a destiny!!

As days passed, I was getting helpless and I suddenly I realized that I have actually stopped trying to drive him away. And moreover, I was looking forward to meet Remiguis everyday. All in the hope that he would understand my friendly nature and go away himself. But why will he go now that I am not even trying to drive him away?!! Sometimes, when I am thinking aloud, I used to talk to Remiguis. If he is around, I said bye to him when I left home. If I was angry I shouted at him. And for every action of mine, the only response I received was two drops of shit on my table, once or twice a day. Suddenly Remigius started playing a cute role in my home. As soon as I walked in from office, I used to shout for Remigius and look at the pelmet. One fine day, when I came back, I didn’t find Remigius. He was gone. Probably dead. Probably a prey for someone else. But then the fact was, I had got emotionally attached to Remigius to some extent. He was a nuisance but even then his absence made my throat dry.

It wasn’t the first time it is happening with me. When I was in East Africa, I had a Russian colleague Andre who used to feed three cats. He called them the Pirates. Individually they were called the Jack, Queen and King. I didn’t like them initially and used to keep complaining to him to keep them out of the office dining hall atleast. But as days passed, my animosity reduced greatly and a day came when Andre went back to Russia, I just couldn’t eat before feeding the Pirates. It was totally baffling to me how I could be so emotional towards them when all along I never liked them. Then onwards, I never had lunch before I ensured that the Pirates had something. Am out of there now and someone is feeding the pirates.

This world is a small place and its wonderful to realize that if only we can strike chords of harmony with each other, this place can be really heaven. However different we are from each other, I feel we can really connect, if only we wish to.