The Iguana That chose Me

"I was at a friend's house, though I don't think I know anyone with a garden that big, and the whole stone wall was lined with iguanas. Dozens of them, green and a bit orange around the neck, just sunning themselves like they owned the place. I kept grinning and couldn't say why. Somebody had told me earlier that today was the day I'd get to pick one. I walked along the wall trying to decide, and one of them turned its head and looked right at me, super calm, with that prehistoric eye. I was sure it recognized me. I started telling it about my week, random stuff like a missed dentist appointment, and it kind of blinked like it understood. Then a jump, and I was carrying it through a grocery store in my arms like a baby, and nobody stopped me. The cashier only asked if I had a membership card. I was patting my pockets, buzzing with this giddy energy, convinced I'd forgotten something big. Woke up smiling, a little bummed I'd never chosen a name."