An Unwelcome Visitor

It's not exactly like having a mouse scampering about the house.  There was no standing on furniture.  No screaming.  There was however, a lot of jumping and yelling.  There was a broom involved.  And we may (or may not) have run into each other a couple of times.  Yet it got away.  Twice.  And now it resides somewhere beneath the couch.

Internet friends, there is a gecko on the loose in paradise.

The chaos began when I decided to hose off the lanai.  Apparently I dislodged it from wherever it was calling home.  After finishing my work for the day I was kicked back in comfort enjoy what remained of the afternoon.  The doors were standing wide open allowing the gentle gulf breeze to drift through the house.  That's when I spotted him, standing just inside the pool doors.  "Oh no you don't," I commanded.  "Just turn around and head back outside; you're not welcome in here."  For some unknown reason Mr. Gecko refused to obey the command.  Does he not know who's in charge around here?  Not only did he not listen but he darted across the floor making it safely to the sun room carpet before I could jump into action.

I yelled for The Kid and grabbed the dog's bone (hey it was the closest thing) in an attempt to steer him back through the doorway from whence he came.  It was all working out just fine until he made a u-turn and scampered underneath The Kid's favorite chair.  I poked with the bone.  The Kid prodded with the broom.  We turned the chair upside down.  We shook the chair.  But that little rascal was holding on for dear life.  "Just let it go, he'll come out when he's ready," my dear husband advised.  And so I did.

I settled in once more and got back to the task at hand.  Eventually his little gecko face came out of hiding and the chase was on.  Off he ran, under the dining room table, his tiny little head turning this way and that searching for the next safe haven.  "There he goes," I yelled as it scampered across the floor and under the buffet.  The next thing we knew it was climbing up the wall.  The Kid grabbed a bucket from the garage and I manned the broom.  If I could steer him closer perhaps I could knock him into the bucket and The Kid could quickly get it outside.  At least that was the plan.  But you know what they say about plans.

Mr. Gecko had his own agenda.  He jumped over the bucket and disappeared beneath the chair cushions stacked at the doorway waiting for the newly cleaned lanai to dry.  "Can't you just sweep him out the door," The Kid demanded.  (And not in a polite and calm manner I might add.)

After a few more minutes of chaos and a little more shouting (okay, a lot), The Kid grabbed the broom from me.  "I'll get him," he stated.  I'm not certain exactly what ensued next.  All I know for sure is this.  There was a lot of scuffling, sweeping and jumping.  And then our little visitor darted past the door, evading both The Kid and his broom vanishing underneath the couch.

And that's where he remains.

I just hope he doesn't decide to come out of hiding while our dinner guests are here tonight.