The bottle

2. The stick

The city was as Ricky had heard of from the rangers; hot but clean from sands with high palm trees around in between the single stories to sky touching constructions. He froze with his eyes wide open inside the bottle, which still rested in the hand of Henry, as he looked through the windshield. The fear he had just a while ago to have been caught by humans just went away in that glee. He had not seen so many people before in his life.

The traffic slowed down their car, and with that Ricky noticed different types of sounds, the engines rasping, and the wind from the desert. But the smell was different, he wondered. Of course Ricky had never smelled the perfume of the car.

"Do you want to go for a swim, Henry?" Father asked, "That's the 'Mandalay Bay Beach' resort over there."

"Of course Dad!" he bounced with joy in his seat.

Henry's father was a Biologist, and an animal lover. He was a professor at the University of Nevada. And his work had developed curiosity in Henry about animals, and coincidentally, reptiles were one of this favorites.

They parked the car, and walked inside the 'Mandalay Bay' resort. And as his father got all the money things done after they entered the building, they climbed up from the elevator.

It was a huge Hotel plus casino. As they came out from the other end of it they saw swimming pools that had artificial waves, where children and adults were enjoying the summer. After that they decided to visit the large aquarium there, which had all kinds of tropical fishes including the terrifying sharks. In their way to the aquarium they also show other animals like 'komodo dragon'. Of all his tour, Ricky was delighted to be in Henry's hand inside the bottle.

"How lucky these animals are that they are already in Las Vegas?" Ricky thought.

Back at home of Henry's, which was located away from the downtown, he heard the first same sentence from his mom, "Not again." And after that, entering into the kitchen, she added, "Is this a home or animal zoo?"

"Let him keep it honey." His father went to her and got himself seated on a chair, "He's just a kid and he loves those reptiles."

"And I know, who the inspiration behind this is." She said.

His father sat silently, smiling.

Henry ran upstairs to his room from where if anyone would look outside wouldn't be able to say that they live in Las Vegas, it was very silent there. He put the bottle on his table near the window and went towards the bathroom to get his evening bath.

The climate was getting little colder than afternoon. But since the bottle's opening had gone irregular it was hard to come out of it in anyway. As Henry returned he took the bottle again in his hand and stood gazing at the lizard as he was still in towels.

"Hello little friend!!!" The lizard moved a little. And Henry kept looking at him, "Would you like to come out?"

He paused for a while. Then leaving to bottle back on the table, he searched for a knife inside the drawer, and as he found one he went back to the bottle and started cutting the opening slowly. He had only done the half when his mom yelled from below.

"Henry!! Get down for food right now, otherwise it won't be good for you."

Afraid of his angry mom, Henry rushed to get dressed, and in hurry he ran down but forgot what he was doing with the bottle's nose.

Ricky had been watching Henry the whole when he worked with the knife to cut the opening, and as Henry went away he decided to struggle with it again. With some stroke he made his way out. Without delay, he crawled towards the open window, and went outside. When Henry returned after he his dinner, he was shocked to see the bottle empty. He took it in his hand and looked around in the room. But to his dismay, he couldn't find the lizard. Then he looked to the open window and stood there for a while. "Where you gone my friend?" His face showed the sign that he had already started missing that lizard.