Not for the weak-hearted

I have one of those convenient dustbins with the lid that flips up once you step on a lever. They never fail to amaze me when I was young. I used to take out the contents and flip it around to figure out how it works. Figure out I did, but never could I imagine it to be a deadly weapon.

Since it is a bedroom dustbin that’s not filled quickly, it is not emptied as often. No one noticed it, until I opened the dustbin and discovered, to my horror, a dead creature completely infested by ants hanging at the edge of the bin. I found out later that it was a dead lizard, which unfortunately had pretty slow reflexes and was caught at the edge when someone on a fateful day released the lever to seal the dustbin and the terrible fate of the poor creature.

Then it occured to me that, the lizard couldn’t be dead at that time. My dustbin is a plastic one where the lid is too light and the edge too blunt to kill the lizard immediately. (I don’t think anyone could slam the lid down really hard especially since it is operated by a lever.) Moreover, the lizard was not cut into half, it was hanging at the edge when I found it and it didn’t look like it would break into 2 anytime.

So the lizard was alive and hurt, watching in agony as ants nibbled at its wound until it died a horrible painful death.

It reminded me of a scene in a movie, The Bone Collector, if I’m not wrong. The psychotic killer stabbed this man a few times, then tied him to a pole in this rat infested place. The hungry rats, attracted by the bloody man, bit and ate him to death. Indeed, the scene in the movie was disturbing. Disturbing enough to be remembered and now related to the lizard. Nevertheless, however disturbing, it was only a movie that felt too far fetched and detached from reality.

But how detached from reality is it really? Not too sure now. I was being a happy couch potato in the room watching television, when the lizard was going through the ordeal. So near, yet I was completely oblivious to the inaudible screams of the lizard.

Makes me wonder, how much have I missed? Being the blind eyes-grown-on-soles-of-feet Oiying.

Or perhaps, ignorance is bliss?
Or maybe, the lizard was killed immediately and I’m just making a mountain out of a molehill.

-PS removed. Realised non-sarcasm can sound too sarcastic.-