SOMEWHERE far in Australia, there lived a lizard; unique and different. He had crawled along several walls and had been to many places. He also had a name — a difficult, crazy and long one — South Africa Thailand Europe Russia Oman Lizard, in short ‘Sterol’.

Sterol was now tired of his life. He considered his destiny in being friends with human beings because he thought if he couldn’t be a human, he must befriend a human to at least feel a human.

After crawling along and travelling across the five places that formed a part of his name, he ended up in Jack’s house in Australia. Sterol was clinging to the wall of the house when suddenly rain started to pour down. Seeing the front door open, he quickly crawled inside. There was a mug of hot chocolate filled with six marshmallows on a table in the kitchen. He thought that it was mud with flies stuck to it. While he was looking at it, suddenly Jack came with a broom and shouted, “Lizard!” and started hitting poor Sterol with it. After running here and there to save his life, finally Sterol stopped and said, “Stop it, you strange boy!”

“You can talk?” Jack said in a scared voice.

“Yes, of course I can talk. What do you think of me? Am I an egg that can’t talk?” Sterol reacted.

Jack shouted, “You are a disgusting lizard!”

“Please call me Sterol — South Africa Thailand Europe Russia Oman Lizard — in short Sterol. Now be quiet. You are frightening my food,” saying he quickly licked the mud and ate the ‘flies’.

“By the way, would you be my friend?” Sterol inquired.

“No,” said Jack.

“Please be my friend. Only for five months,” Sterol insisted.

“Why should I be friends with you? Jack asked angrily.

“Because I am tired of my life! I want to live like a human does. Please be my friend,” Sterol told.

“Okay,” replied Jack, “but after five months you would have to leave.” Jack offered a deal that Sterol accepted.

“Okay!” Sterol gratefully thanked Jack and they both went to sleep. The next morning the sun shone brightly. It had stopped raining. Jack was still sleeping and Sterol wanted to go somewhere so he decided to go to the zoo without telling Jack. When Sterol reached there, he looked at all other animals and shouted, “You poor animals! You are trapped and I am free.”

While shouting, he mistakenly opened a bear’s cage. The bear, that was angry about what Sterol had said, jumped out of the cage and attacked him.

Back in the house Jack was angry as Sterol had gone somewhere without letting him know. He went out to look for him.

He was just near the zoo when he heard people shouting. When he went inside, he saw a bear chasing Sterol and Sterol frantically crawling away.

Jack shouted, “Sterol! I am coming to save you!”

“Hey bear, I am more delicious than him!” said Jack standing in front of the cage, trying to distract the bear from Sterol. As the bear came running towards him. Jack moved away from the cage and the bear went directly into its cage. Instantly Jack locked it up and saved Sterol from getting eaten up by the big bear.

Sterol felt really happy and said, “Thank you Jack for saving my life.”

“Well considering whatever happened right now,” said Jack raising his eyebrow, “I think my life would be a lot more fun being friends with you, so let’s be friends forever!”

Sterol grinned at Jack! Sterol was so happy! Finally he would be friends with a human and that also for a lifetime!

Jack said, “Hey, now that you are in Australia and exploring this place, I should call you Sterola.”

“No! That name is for girls!” Sterol replied angrily. Jack burst into laughter. And finally Sterol’s wish was fulfilled. He now had a human friend — for life!