Wendy kept on the lookout over the following days out her window at night. The creature tended to come when there was trash out. They didn't have chickens or any pets for that matter.
When she mentioned she wanted a pet lizard, her family was dumbfounded. "A lizard won't help you in the show, Wendy." Her dad, Tim, said.
"Just try to think of getting a dog instead." Her mom, Heather, said.
"I don't want a dog. I want a lizard. And maybe I don't want to perform in the show. I hate it there. I'm just not a performer. I'm already treated like a freak at school, I don't need it here at home too." Wendy said.
"Honey, the right pet will come along. You're only just old enough now to where you could start to show more responsibility around here and look after a pet." Her mom said.
Wendy really wanted the lizard she saw out in the wild. She wanted to tame it. Do what no one else could do. She knew it was scared, but she had to find a way to find it.
She began to keep an eye out at night for it to wander around the property. Sometimes she would catch glimpses in the shadows of the woods, but it wouldn't take long for them to vanish. Something was out there. And on garbage days, that was when she saw it the most.
Wendy had a special dollhouse out a little ways from the house just for her to play in. Her parents had gotten it for her. She thought of maybe bringing the lizard there should she catch it.
On the next garbage day, she snuck out of the other side of the house late at night. She wanted to get a good look at the lizard without him knowing she was watching him outside. She stayed close to the house and waited. She hoped he would show tonight.
It wasn't long before there were movements from the woods. She saw it was a long, skinny lizard creature. It seemed to have more limbs than an average one. He even stood upright when he was going through the trash. He didn't just boldly tear into it right away like some average varmint would. He tried to untie a bag and when that didn't work, then he tore into the bag.
Randall found some good food scraps in the bag. He ate what he could find. Then he heard a snap of twig.
Wendy had wanted to venture closer and she stepped on a twig. She instantly froze.
Randall looked around and didn't see anything, but he wasn't taking a chance. He took off back to the woods.
"Drak!" Wendy said in a low voice. She went back inside, disappointed, but she was glad that she had seen him again.
The next morning, Tim came inside from looking around outside and he saw the garbage had once again been torn open.
"Varmints are getting bad again. I may have to catch them and get rid of them." He said. "We can't have this happening every day."
Heather agreed with him.
Wendy didn't like the sound of that. "But Daddy, the creature is only just trying to find food."
"It needs to learn to find its own food. I'm sorry, Wendy, but this getting into our trash is absolute nonsense. It has to be taken care of, now off to school with you." Tim said.
Wendy really hated the school excuse for everything. She hated school period. She had no friends and her teachers were no help either. She was just a very kind of different. She liked weird things, and her family was weird in a way. She was a very serious girl and she was ignored or picked on just because of a lot of these people knowing who her family was.
While his daughter was at school, Tim set some traps around the place. He had to catch this thing and get rid of it.
When Wendy and his sister both came home, Tim warned them to stay inside for the next few days. He had to catch the animal responsible for raiding their trash.
Jayden didn't have a problem with it. She began practicing with her dummy for next weekend's show. It was only Tuesday.
Wendy did have a problem with it though. She didn't want the creature caught, at least not with traps.
But both her parents snapped at her that she wasn't to go out to the backyard. Not even to go to her dollhouse. She grumpily went to her room. But after everyone went to bed that night, she was planning on going out and springing those evil traps.
Tim was sure to set some fresh trash out tonight to lure in the creature. He was sure one of the traps would catch it. But he was so sick of picking up trash every day.
That night, everyone went to bed but Wendy. She waited for an hour and then made her way downstairs quietly. She went out the back door to not make so much noise. She found a good stick and went looking around the edge of the woods for the traps. She soon found one and then two and three.
The trash was ripe for the taking. Randall was watching again. He didn't see the little girl wandering about. He began to come from the shadows of the woods, but he didn't know about it until it was too late.
A big steel trap clamped on his left front leg. It made him cry out and go down. He looked down and saw a trap on his leg. He tried to get it off, but the pain was unbearable and the muscles of the trap were too strong.
Wendy heard a sound and a scream over to her left. She went to go see who it was.
Randall heard some footsteps approaching. This was it. His life was over. He was in too much pain to vanish. And within seconds, a young girl appeared.
Wendy had a flashlight for an emergency. But here in the moonlight, she saw what she had been seeing for a while now, the lizard creature. She could see he was frightened. He tried to pull away, but the trap stopped him from going anywhere.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She said. "I was out here trying to get rid of these things. I'm sorry I didn't get to that one in time. My dad said you have been raiding our trash, and yes, I've seen you do it." She went forward. "But it's got to be hard trying to find enough food out there. I don't blame you for getting into our trash."
Randall couldn't believe this child was talking to him like he was a normal person. He stayed quiet. Was she going to alert her father? Or was she going to kill him or let him go?
"I'll try to get this off. I can give you some food if you stop raiding our trash. And with this leg hurt, I can take care of this." Wendy said. She had seen some medical shows before.
She brought out the flashlight and shown it on the trap. The leg was caught good in there. She sat down on her hands and knees and began to pull hard. The jaws were strong, but she had enough strength to where she just got it to open up enough to where the lizard could pull his leg free.
For Randall, it was a relief to have his leg free, but with this being a front leg, it would make it harder to walk or run on all fours. But he could walk on seven good limbs too. He began to move off.
"Wait. I can treat your leg." Wendy said.
This kid had to be kidding. She was too young to know what to do.
"Can you wait here? I'll go get the first aid kit." Wendy said.
Randall did need his leg to be in good shape. He didn't want to move anyway. Pain seared through his leg. The girl ran to the house. It wasn't long before she returned.
She had the first aid kit and something that smelled good in a bag.
"I have some food here for ya." She said. "Some sliced ham."
Wendy gave a slice to him. "Here. I've seen you use your front legs like hands."
This kid was somewhat getting under is skin, but he was hungry. He grabbed the meat from her despite his pain. He ate it real fast, and hoping nothing would happen.
"I can fix your leg, but we have to do it away from the house. This way." Wendy said. She held out another piece of ham and reluctantly, Randall got on all of his good limbs and limped after her. He followed the flashlight.
Soon, she led him into the woods just beyond the house to a smaller looking house.
"This is my playhouse. My parents don't come here. You'll be safe here."
Wendy led him inside.
He wouldn't normally let anyone do this for him, but he was alone out here and he needed help. He saw some blankets and he collapsed onto them.
"If you'll let me, I can treat your leg now." The girl said.
Randall grimaced. She began to touch the sore leg. He growled.
"It's okay. You gotta let me."
He bared his teeth and endured the kid to touching his hurt leg. It was broken.
"I know you can understand me. You have to understand, this is going to hurt."
Wendy began to gently manipulate the bones. Randall growled a lot, but also let out some moans of pain.
When she was done, she put a splint and bandages on the leg. It did seem to make it feel better if though it still felt like it was on fire. There was also some blood on her hands too from the wounds the trap had created.
"I'm sorry that it hurt, but here's some more ham to take your mind off the pain and to reward you for letting me do it." Wendy said and gave him another piece of ham.
Randall was still grumpy at her. But he felt nothing happening from the other piece and took the ham from her. He gobbled that down too.
"Here's the rest. You can stay here and I'll look after you. I'll bring you food so you don't have to raid the trash anymore. We can do things together when you get better, if you feel like it."
Randall didn't want to do anything with this kid. But he was grateful for the treatment and food. It would be nice not to have to raid trash anymore.
"I promise I won't tell anyone about you. Just stay out of sight and in here. You'll be safe. Goodnight. I have to go to bed now." Wendy said and left the dollhouse.
He thought it was a relief when she was gone. Despite his pain, he was glad for a place to be offered to him to get an adequate rest. He would stay at least until he recovered and that could be awhile.
It was nice of this little girl to offer her help to him, but she was no doctor. What if his leg didn't heal right? His leg was surely broken. She had tried, but there was no telling how the leg would heal without a real doctor.
Randall wanted to go back to his world for help, but if he did, he would be bound to be arrested sooner or later. He didn't need that. He would remain here and take his chances, at least, for now. A girl her age was still bound to have a monster to her room anyway. It would be the best course if he wanted to get back.
Wendy went back into the house and put the first aid kit away. She was so glad she had lured the strange lizard to her playhouse. He would be safe there. Now she had her pet lizard. But it would be awhile before she ever told anyone about him. She washed up and went to bed real happy.
At the playhouse, Randall planned on playing the quiet animal for awhile, but he would eventually reveal to the girl what he really was. For right now though, he had to play this part so he could get well enough. If she turned on him, it could be trouble. He could still vanish, but his bandages would give him away and he couldn't run on this leg.