Small lizard — Our unexpected summer visitor

A little brown lizard appeared on our terrace in Valencia one summer.

My daughter named her Lola, although we had no idea whether she was female. She often appeared near the same flowerpot while we ate breakfast, and spotting her became part of our morning routine.

One afternoon, we found her trapped inside an empty bucket. We carefully laid it on its side and stepped away until she climbed out. After that, we stored the buckets upside down. We never kept Lola as a pet, but whenever that flowerpot rustled, somebody would whisper, “She’s back.”