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The iguana was born on a sunset. The leaves on the
trees bristled then. The air was slightly cool, but refreshing. Dim sunlight was pouring down the edges of the houses. It
was silent. A baby lizard woke up and saw the worried face of his mother. Even at his young age, he knew something was wrong.
He had no father, and he never would.
One spring
morning, the baby iguana and his mother both woke up at the same time. His mother cradled the dear baby in her arms and sang
softly to him, tears quietly making their way down her cheeks. She tasted salt water. She gently stroked him and then began
feeding her small, frail child. While she was feeding him, the baby iguana had a wonderful dream that turned into a nightmare.
At the
beginning of the dream, he was sliding down a rainbow, coming down from the darkness into the most beautiful light he’d
ever seen. He wasn’t scared though. He felt proud and happy in the beaming light. He heard voices then. Voices of happiness.
Voices of joy. Even laughter. At the end of the huge slide was his father.
His father
with his big, broad shoulders, that dazzling smile. It was all very pure and beautiful.
But as
he neared his father, his expression changed. It began to form a frown. The baby iguana heard his mother’s voice then.
It sounded scared and tiny compared to the grim expression on the man iguana’s face.
Suddenly,
he woke up drenched with sweat. Then he cried. Sometimes, the little iguana wondered about his father. Did he just leave them? Would he ever see him? But his mother never answered these questions.
“Hush,
dear child,” she almost always said. “Just leave these unanswered questions alone.”
Then one day, he met friends that would change his
life forever. The baby iguana was playing by the leaves with the sunlight making its way down his back. He heard voices—children’s
voices. He saw two boys out of the corner of his eye. They were twins. But, of course he didn’t know that yet.
He felt
like he was in a dream. He saw the smiles on their faces—the spirit of happiness and joy. He wanted to be their friend,
their best friend forever.
So, they
slowly got to know each other and soon it was as if they’d known each other for a lifetime.
One day
while he was playing in the leaves with his new best friends, he suddenly remembered that this spot, the very spot where he
was standing, was where he’d met his friends. And, it had also been the spot where he’d been born.
The baby
iguana stood there and thought about how his friends had truly helped him. Until then, he longed secretly to know his father. Now,
he realized that the aching part of his heart could be filled with the joys of friendship.
Staring
up at the beautiful, golden sunlight the baby iguana had changed. He had changed and he would never be the same ever again.
~The End~
Illustration Copyright:
Robbye Nicholson
Copyright © 2007 by Joshua Hollander
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