Surprise behind the curtains

Let's set the scene.  It's about 8:30pm, I just got back from my afternoon at IES P, so I grab something to eat from the kitchen.  I know Jacqui doesn't get back from work until closer to 10pm, and the rest of the apartment is dark, so I assume Alex is out somewhere too.

I bring the plate of food into my room, slide open the window for some fresh air, then see from an email that my friend Chad is callable at this moment.

So I sit down, call him from my computer, then begin talking as I'm munching on my dinner.

This is the standard view of the wall and window from my desk:

I start telling an animated story about my Sunday lunch with Gregorio.  Right now I can't remember why I did it, but halfway through the story I reach over to tuck the white curtains back behind my desk.

Pulling the curtains back, as I normally do

I completely forget about my story and jump back a foot when pulling back the curtain reveals this little guy:

A lizard in my room!

Chad asks what's going on, because I had stopped my story mid-sentence and gasped, followed by an "oh my gosh, oh my gosh"

"There's a lizard in my room!" I frantically let out.

I had been at the peak of all the action from my Sunday-story, so I try to finish telling it, as I stare intently at the little lizard, making sure he doesn't go anywhere.

Lizard staying very still

After my story is done, I realize that I need to get rid of this lizard asap.  I do not want him still running around my room when I'll be ready for bed in a few hours.  I wonder how long until Alex gets home.

Chad suggests I take a folder or something and move it towards the lizard from the bottom, and maybe he'd back out of the window.  After all, about an inch of his tail isn't yet in my room.

So I grab a newspaper, and just as I start to get up from my chair, the little guy goes running down the wall but to the left, behind my desk yet still behind the curtain (the curtain goes all the way to the floor).
He was a lot faster than I'd thought.

So at this point I don't know where he is, because he's behind the curtain.  I run into the kitchen and grab a square plastic blue tub thingy and another plastic bag.  Adding this to my newspaper and other bedroom items, I'm not yet sure how I'll use everything to get rid of this creature.

When the critter ran down towards the floor, I had hopped up on my chair, looking at all the places he might run to.  Please don't run under my bed. Please don't run into the closet.

Then out of nowhere there's movement, and he runs past the corner to the other wall, under my desk.

Fierce square bucket.  How do I get the lizard in?

Chad tells me I should get him in the bucket, or throw the bucket over him... but the bucket I found has a huge open area on top, so it would be hard to trap him inside.  Also, that little guy can clearly scale walls, so he'd climb out of the bucket in .2 seconds.  Finally, he was in an inconvenient location, with part of his tail between my desk and the wall.

So I decide to try to chase him back to the window.

I grab the newspaper and bring it towards him, and he scampers away.... to the ceiling.

Get down from there!

So he's up in the corner, and starts to turn himself facing my other wall, not facing the window.  So if I try to chase him again, it looks like he'll start moving towards my dresser/closet wall, and not towards the window.  Of course.

I move my computer off of the desk to my bed, as I'm freaked out he's going to fall and land right on my desk.

Then Chad asks again, "Are you sure none of your roommates are home?"

I said, "I don't think so," since there was no light on in their room and I hadn't heard any noise, and I knew Jacqui was gone working.  But I go over and quietly tap on their bedroom door, and to my surprise (and joy), Alex comes out!

I ask him if he'd help me get rid of this lizard, and show him where it is, up in the corner near the ceiling.  He goes to another part of the apartment, then returns to my room with a broom and a plastic bag.

I had thought he was going to sweep it down, then somehow catch it in the bag and toss it out the window.

He looks like he's ready to make a move, but keeps looking down at my desk, which is right below where the critter is.  Then he moves my desk back away from the wall a couple of feet.

Next thing I know, he throws the broom up to the corner and had trapped the guy underneath the broom.  He holds it there, pushing hard, then when he moves it a little something drops to the floor.

The lizard runs towards my dresser, but Alex sweeps it back with the broom.  Then he bangs it with the plastic part of the broom, yet the critter keeps running around my floor really quickly.  Alex pushes it back again with the broom bristles, then bangs it again (ask Chad if you want to know what all this commotion sounded like).

Finally he had hit it enough that it stops moving, and Alex scoops it into the blue bucket.  Then he turns around to show me, and notices that I had taken many steps backwards during the whole process, and was now out of my bedroom door into the hallway.

I slowly come forward and look at it, then he tosses it out the window.

He said that's the first time he's ever seen one come inside, but I won't be sleeping with the window open again any time soon.

I close my window, then proceeded to put my bedroom back in order.

You all know what I'll dream about tonight.