The answer arrived on a wildlife page, written in the flat tone of people who see this often. Gecko eggs. Harmless. Laid in quiet indoor corners when a small animal decides a house is safer than a wall outside. I read the description twice. Then I looked at the carpet again and saw what had been there the whole time: not a threat, only a hiding place. The fear went out of me so fast it left me embarrassed. I had built an intruder out of something that wanted shelter.

I did not crush them. I lifted the cluster into a small box with a card and carried it to a sheltered spot in the yard, under cover, away from the walk. The bedroom looked ordinary again. That night I slept. The house did not feel broken into. It felt like part of the same ground the lizards already used. Not every strange shape on a floor is a warning. Sometimes it is only nature using a quiet corner and leaving before you ever see the animal that trusted your room.