Chameleons!

Gambians are terrified of chameleons. I forget the reason why. One afternoon Fatou Sowe, a neighbor, spots a chameleon crawling on a piece of clothing she's hung out to dry. She screams, runs away, flails her arms, and yells at Fatou Bobo to do something about it. Fatou Bobo grabs a long stick and gets the chameleon to climb on it. She wants to transfer it to the tree, but the chameleon is moving too quickly in the wrong direction, towards her arms, so she instead throws the stick and the chameleon into the field.

I related this amusing story to my neighbor Sini, complete with flailing arms. Then I attempted to learn the reason for this mysterious fear.

Me: I think Gambian people are scared of chameleons.

Sini: Yes!
Me: But American people are not scared. They will have them inside their houses.
Sini: Inside?!
Me: And feed them.
Sini: Inside houses and feeding them?!
Me: Yes, but inside the houses they are inside a…[I struggle to figure out how I can explain the word “cage” after forgetting even the word for “fence”]
I gesture a rectangular shape with my hands
Sini: A cardboard box?
Me: Yes.
Sini: Eelie, eelie! The American people are not scared.
Me: But Gambian people are scared. I do not understand. A chameleon will not chew you?
Sini: No, it will not chew you. But it will ngat.
Me: It will ngat?
Sini: Yes!
Me: I do not know what is ngat.
Sini: You do not know? This.
Sini bites her finger.
Me, remembering that "ngat" means “bite”: Yes! I understand! A chameleon will bite you?
Sini: Yes! It has four teeth!
Me: Only four teeth?
Sini: Only four teeth!

I laugh, and when Sini realizes I was emphasizing "only," she laughs too. This was the end of our chameleon conversation, so I am no closer to solving the mystery, but I'm still incredibly happy to be living in a place where the trees contain chameleons.