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The Hunt
Melanie slowed her
breathing, trying to blend in with her surroundings. She hoped
that the gentle breeze through the leaves of the nearby
bushes would hide any noises she was making. Standing as still
as possible, afraid to move, she stared at the lizard. This
time she was going to catch that prize specimen!
The lizard was frozen
at alert atop the rolled up garden hose. It knew she was there,
and it was listening and smelling for her.
She stepped gently on
the grass, trying to make as little noise as possible. But the
lizard heard her, and fled into the shadows. Melanie could
still see the lizard hiding there in the kinks of the hose. She
held her breath and watched the lizard. It stared back at her.
What to do? Melanie
was beginning to think she was crazy. This was an impossible
job. She had already scared off 3 other lizards in her attempt
to catch that elusive specimen, and she doubted that she would
succeed in catching this one. Besides, she couldn't imagine
holding a squirmy, slimy lizard in her hand. She had to pick up
a slug by dangling it over a toothpick. How was she going to
catch a lizard bare-handed if she couldn't stand touching it?
Just the thought of holding the thing sent shivers down her
spine.
Melanie closed her
eyes, inhaling deeply. Slowly she exhaled, releasing the
nervousness from her body. Mom and Dad were right. A lizard
would make a great specimen for her project. And she needed an
A in biology.
Just as she began to
reach out for the lizard, she heard her mother's footsteps
coming around the corner of the house.
"Stand still," she
hissed, and her mother immediately stopped.
But it was too late.
The lizard began to bury itself deep into the kinks of the
hose. There was not much time to think, and Melanie's huntress
instincts kicked into full gear. She took the stick that she
was holding and began poking at the hose until she saw the
lizard fall to the ground. Quickly she grabbed at it, but the
lizard was quick. It scurried away in the grass, trying to bury
itself in the ground. But Melanie grabbed for it again, and
again, and again.
"That's it! I'm going
to get it," she exclaimed.
She parted the grass,
saw the lizard's tail and grabbed.
She held her hand up
and looked at the tail of the lizard. Just the tail. She
shivered as it wiggled in her hand, but keeping her composure
she put the tail into a specimen bag and sealed it shut.
"I caught a lizard
specimen!"
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