The littles...

Misty's Mama was unhappy.  Not being able to figure out why, or what it was she was holding, as tears slid down her cheek, Misty fussed and fumed ... that is until she found herself on the angel's lap. "What's THAT?" she asked, as Andrew's right hand held a tiny lizard.

"That, my love, is one of Mama's lizards.  They're not really HER lizards, but she loves them all."

"But it's so TINY".

"True, this one didn't get much of a start in life.  She found him withered and dried  up, along with a few others, when she cleaned up after the hurricanes.  She was most upset with how little he was."

"What do we DO with him?" Always practical, Misty couldn't figure an infant lizard holding his own with her crowd.

Andrew smiled, the one that always calmed even the most restless hearts ... "We'll take him down to the creek, where he will find others of his kind."

By now others had arrived.  They sat at Andrew's feet, always patiently waiting for the treats that would come from his amazing pockets.  He found some crumbs of things for the little one first.  

"OOOH!! A lizard! I'm real good at catching 'em!" Sophie's eyes widened, and she licked her chops.  She knew there would NOT be any lizard appetizers coming any time soon! Actually, none of them HAD to eat, but some of them still enjoyed foods they'd had on earth.  But they were SRICTLY commanded they may not catch and kill each OTHER!!

"There are many, many creatures you've never met, and this is but one of them.  The Florida scrub lizard is a gray or gray-brown lizard sometimes having a slight reddish hue with adults reaching 5 inches in length. A prominent characteristic of scrub lizards is a thick brown stripe that runs down each side of the body from the neck to the base of the tail."

"and ... their tails come off!!"  Sophie grinned impishly.

"EEW and how do you know THAT???"

"You had already gone to the bridge when Mama moved to Florida.  It's okay though, they grow new ones ..."

Andrew's sides were shaking with laughter.  "I think it's time to take this little fellow to more of his kind ... there are several boggy spots not far from here ..."

With that the angel rose. The assembled animals all pleaded to go along, so they all disappeared from sight, leaving only the leaves of the tree waving gently.

"This ought to do just nicely."  Bending down, he placed the tiny lizard on a sun warmed rock.  Before their eyes appeared several others of his kind.

"Hi Andrew! Another one, huh?  Not to worry, we'll take care of him!" And with that, all the lizards darted away faster that the animals could watch them.

"Where did they go?"

"Where do they live?"

"What do they do?"

"Will we see them again?"

And with that, they all found themselves back in their meadow, waking as from a pleasant nap, all chattering at once about the "dream" they'd just had!  Andrew smiled, thinking about how much he loved them all ...

"... we love  you too, Andrew" whispered Misty ...