Dead gecko

Heading out the back door this morning to send my husband off for the day, I noticed a gecko on the wall next to the door frame. Geckoes have that ability to defy gravity and run across ceilings and it wasn’t an unusual sight in our house. Facing head down, its back leg was extended and its tail was curled over to the side. It was fully grown, and a lightish grey colour without any other markings. It wasn’t moving a muscle. Since they are usually shy creatures, I surmised that it would scurry off as soon as we were out of sight. I pointed it out to my husband as we passed, he commented that it had probably been the cause of excitement for our dog, Rosie, the evening before.

Returning to the house a few minutes later, I looked for the gecko and noticed it hadn’t moved at all from its position near the door frame. I wondered at its ability to remain so still and attached to the wall. I nudged it lightly with a finger, expecting it to leap to life and dash away, but it continued to hang there. I surmised that it was a deceased gecko. Still I wondered at its ability to remain glued to the wall, and I couldn’t quite believe it wasn’t alive.

I gathered the gecko in my dustpan and broom and placed it outside, giving the gecko every opportunity to spring to life and escape. But it was definitely a dead gecko. A little while later I chose a spot in the garden underneath a bottlebrush sapling and gave the gecko a dignified burial.

ChatGPT rewrite:

Heading out the back door this morning to bid my husband farewell for the day, a curious sight caught my eye—a gecko perched on the wall beside the door frame. Geckoes, with their gravity-defying abilities, often grace our household, scampering effortlessly across ceilings. This one, with its head facing downward, back leg extended, and tail curled to the side, appeared fully grown, sporting a light grey hue devoid of any distinctive markings. Remarkably, it remained perfectly still, a behavior typical of these shy creatures. I remarked upon it to my husband as we passed, recalling how it likely stirred up excitement for our dog, Rosie, the previous evening.

Upon my return a few minutes later, I found the gecko unchanged in its position near the door frame. Intrigued by its unwavering stillness, I lightly nudged it with a finger, half expecting it to spring to life and scurry away. Yet, it remained unmoved. It dawned on me that the gecko may have met its end. Despite my disbelief, it was unmistakably lifeless.

With a sense of reverence, I carefully gathered the gecko in a dustpan and broom, placing it outside in the hopes that it might miraculously revive and flee. Alas, it was clear: the gecko had departed this world. Later, I selected a serene spot in the garden beneath a bottlebrush sapling, where I laid the gecko to rest, offering it a dignified farewell.