后院的蜥蜴

夏日的夜晚7:40多分，暮色开始降临。我推开门，准备给后院的花草果树们浇浇水。跨出一只脚后马上很快停了下来，因为看见那只蜥蜴一动不动地躺在院子中间，四肢和肚皮紧紧地贴着地面， 像是要把这一日最后的余温全部吸入体内。我脱口而出对着它说，"这么晚了还不回家啊?"

某人在房间里听见了，讥笑道，"这么温柔，你这是在跟儿子说话啊:))

 

已经不记得是从什么时候开始后院有蜥蜴的，反正刚住进来的头几年，因为房子新，后院也没种什么东西，是没有蜥蜴的。随着后院的东西越种越多，一年四季的树叶铺在裸露的土壤上(因为这边的土壤是板结的，太阳太毒)，滋生了不少虫子，加上这些年自己沤肥，浇灌施肥的同时难免引来苍蝇飞蝇，而这些多多少少都引来了蜥蜴。

 

真正注意到蜥蜴经常在后院出没是最近两三年。疫情间在家上班，后院就是我的getaway。当冬天的阳光照进后院，当我想到后院活动一下，推开门，常常看见蜥蜴比我捷足先登，它抑或贴着墙，或是撑着前面两只爪子，大模大样地在晒太阳。它追逐着阳光，随着阳光的移动从小院的一边转到另一边，有时躲在不起眼的地方，有时则光明正大地趴在院中央的砖面上。当夏天来临，日照增长，气温升高，聪明的蜥蜴会从早晨的全身日光浴退而变为中午的半身日光浴，下午则彻底钻入阴凉处。

 

像其他动物一样，蜥蜴虽小也知道占地为王。所以一旦占领了地盘，就容不别的蜥蜴来侵犯，否则打一架见分晓。如果有两只蜥蜴同时出现，能和平相处，那大概率是一只公的一只母的。应该说，这两三年陆陆续续来过好几只蜥蜴，大的，小的，有一只还是断了尾巴，后来又慢慢长回来的。最有意思的是，好几次看见泛着蓝光的蜥蜴在地上或墙头做push-up。第一次看到时很好奇，当后来得知这是雄蜥蜴在练muscle, 等时机成熟遇见心仪的雌蜥蜴就可以一展雄姿时，就不禁想笑。后来果真在后院发现一对蜥蜴，并排躺着，一只蠢蠢欲动地要爬到另一只身上，估计就是在mating了。

 

 

 

 

 

不过这一对好几个月前就已经不再光顾小院了，取而代之的是一只小蜥蜴(并非baby lizard那么小，以前倒也在后院看见过很小的蜥蜴)。 有没有可能，这对蜥蜴夫妻把这块风水宝地传给了下一代，自己又去别处开疆拓土去了? 所谓的风水宝地，是因为我觉得，这没有猫狗等宠物的后院，不仅冬暖夏凉，一年四季都有阳光(当然冬天的阳光不多)，而且食物充足，环境安静，铺盖着树叶的地面有不少藏身之地。更重要的是，不仅宠物没有，连来后院子的人都好像只有一个，一个见了它会绕道而行的caring女主（自诩一下），和很少涉足后院的careless的男主,这就更让蜥蜴肆意行走，无所顾忌，仿佛它才是这家后院的主人。                   

   

 

说起这只小蜥蜴，它还真是在我眼皮底下长大的。我是看着它的肤色一点点变深，身体一点点长大长长，压在地面的肚子也渐渐圆了起来。它应该是每天会来小院，喜欢趴在有点小坡度的地方，如葡萄藤根部又短又粗的枝条上，想来，带点斜度的藤条一定比平卧舒服。有一次后院的一根大圆木柱的底部有点腐烂了，我把木柱子横倒曝晒，却不料成了蜥蜴的新玩具，只见乐此不疲地歇息于此，从圆木这头晒到那一头，头仰着，尾巴拖着，一副自得其乐的样子，好不惬意的。而我呢，为了不惊扰它，常常站着远处蹑手蹑脚地绕着它走，偶尔会去拿大相机给它拍拍照。它时而直着尾巴，翘着头，时而将尾巴卷起，做慵懒状。夏日黄昏时分，更是全身彻底放松，紧紧贴在地面，四个小爪子软绵绵地"躺平"，一动不动，不仔细看还以为它死翘翘了呢。

 

 

 

 

我生平最怕的动物是蛇，包括四脚蛇。小时候在老家见过壁虎，那种从玻璃窗户上爬过的小动物，都没有太好的印象。蜥蜴生就一副麟状的皮肤，背部花纹花花的，眼睛小小的，第一眼见它，绝非是什么赏心悦目之物。或许是在日积月累科普知识的学习中，知道它是吃害虫的动物，也或许是在那三年的爬山年月里见到过不少野外的蜥蜴，这些都在潜移默化中帮助自己渐渐消除了对它的偏见。

 

疫情两三年长时间的居家生活，让后院的一草一木，一鸟一石一步步走进了我的视线，其中也包括了这几只频繁出入的蜥蜴。我想，留住蜥蜴的是这个在世人眼里并不完美的后院--不够整洁，有时还飘过沤肥气味--而这些不完美在蜥蜴眼里却又是完美的，因着沤肥和落叶，才有它们的美味佳肴，才有它们躲藏的地方。而厌倦了需要每隔一天清洗爬满蚂蚁的蜂鸟糖罐的我，在摘下糖罐后，也把注意力集中到了蜥蜴身上，开始享受着另一个小生灵无声的陪伴。日复一日，它那静静的身影渐渐变得生动了起来，它爬过落叶时悉悉索索的声音也越来越熟悉。遂又想起澳洲记录片里的那只聪明的八爪鱼(octopus), 那只懂得人的情感、知道与人相处的深海八爪鱼。 或许，蜥蜴也很聪明，也有人把它当宠物养。但是于我，就这样远远地看着它，知道它今天来过就够了。如果有一天它带女朋友回家，要完成它的使命，我一样会远远地看着它们祝福它们，因为我知道大自然需要它们的健康繁殖，一代又一代，而我们只需学会爱护大自然，尊重生活于其中的生命便好。

 

My intrinsic dread of snakes luckily does not extend to the other reptile family, namely lizards. Neither does that translate to any fondness, at least not initially. The change however is gradual, after being exposed to the wilderness and nature, where reptiles as small as lizards live. As my knowledge about them accumulates over the time, so are my feelings towards them. My neutral stance started to tilt up when they appeared in my backyard a few years ago.

My backyard is small. When I first moved in the new home, the backyard was bare earth and the clay soil was as hard as rocks. As an enthusiastic grower, I tried all means to transform the soil, digging and composting and tilling. Leaves are purposely left over the surface, to protect the earth from being naked and baked by the sun.  Years of hard work brought hearteningly rich soil, where plants are grown sprawlingly, along with insects and lizards. This unkempt backyard may look imperfect to humans, it must be perfect in lizards’ eyes, and for years, it is home to them.

Lizards are territorial. Like lions fighting ferociously for their territory, lizards are just as brave chasing off the intruders. Hence it is more likely to see one lizard living reclusively in the area, but if it happens that two lizards co-exist peacefully, lying side by side, they must be mating. However muscular the male lizards are when practicing their pushups, they are interestingly gentle and timid at courtship, approaching a female one gingerly.

Since April, my backyard has been frequented by a smaller-sized lizard, who clocks in and out every day, expectedly basking in the sun or lurking in the bushes for food. Until summer comes, when it is too hot to stay in the scorching sun, the lizard knowingly retreats to the shade in the afternoon. But don’t ever be fooled by its lethargic outlook, the lizard is in fact a speedy running in face of danger.

I was gifted under the pandemic the opportunities to sit in front of the window and watch every living thing outside, including a reptile as common as lizards. Their presence is a boon to the garden, and to me, as I enjoy its quiet company in a place called home, to me and to the lizard.