Car Talk

"Why are you a lizard? This is the craziest situation I have ever got myself caught up in!"

Claire seemed more stern and anxious than sympathetic at this point.

"It's even crazier for me!" the lizard assured her in James' voice "I dated a witch. Not seriously, but she took the break up pretty badly, it seems."

"So she turned you into a lizard?"

"She put a curse on me. Every time I talk to a certain kind of woman I transform. Not necessarily into a lizard, it could be any animal. And it only lasts for 48 hours."

"A certain kind of woman?" Claire seemed concerned at the part of that information she had seemed to seize onto the most "What kind of woman is that?"

"I'd rather not say" James answered sheepishly.

"You had better tell me if you want me to help you and I want you to be truthful!"

"Women I find sexually attractive" James sighed.

There was a very awkward silence as Claire took this in, her face reddening even further. But James noticed that she didn't seem unhappy at this revelation. Embarrassed, definitely, but not displeased.

"Well, I'm willing to help you for the next 48 hours, but once you turn back I'd advise you to find out more about this curse and how to get rid of it before you talk to any more women who you.." Claire's voice trailed off in embarrassment again "and once you turn back, you can never tell anyone about this. Especially Toby. Do you understand?"

But James was silent. Claire looked up and saw that Toby was back, holding a glass tank with three rectangular plastic boxes balanced on it. At least one of which was making a buzzing sound.

"I got it live locusts, dubia cockroaches and morio worms, so that should hopefully last it a while."

Claire winced as she imagined James' diet for the next couple of days.

"If it gets through them all, we can just let it run about in the garden for a bit and find it's own. How long have we got it for anyway?"

"Just the weekend"

"Good, I said I would get the tank back to my friend next week. Okay, I'm going to need you to put James back onto your lap."

Claire actually felt herself heating up as she reached across, picked the green reptile up and placed him a little higher up this time. Toby gave her a strange look.

"What's up Claire? Something about that reptile really gets you flustered."

"No it doesn't!" Claire answered bluntly and defensively "Just drive us home will you?"