Bavaria, 1929
Pericles was an unhappy fledgling. Christmas was coming, but he had nothing to look forward to. He had been sold from a Munich pet shop, where he had been comfortable, to the home of two very naughty boys. They teased him and pulled his tail feathers. Protesting just encouraged them to do it more.
The night before Christmas, a creature was stirring in the house, much larger than a mouse. Pericles woke when he heard a rough voice saying, "You two have been naughty and must be punished. You have tormented your pet and now you will learn what it feels like."
Pericles realized what was happening; the children were getting a much-deserved visit from the Krampus. He was being avenged. He fell back asleep to the soothing sounds of their screams of fear and pain.
The Krampus came to the cage of the sleeping parrot. "Little one, I must do something for you, lest the children take revenge on you tomorrow. I will unlock the full potential of the Anunnaki heritage you carry."
The Krampus touched his head gently. Pericles didn't awaken, but stirred in his sleep.
Early in the morning, Pericles found that he was now so intelligent that it was child's play to escape from his cage.
"Perhaps I should pay the boys a little visit before I leave..."
Bavaria, 1932
Pericles had been living on the streets for two years, supporting himself by petty crimes. It wasn't an easy life, but his intelligence made it possible to earn enough to get by and to stay ahead of the police.
A gray-haired woman listening intently on the edge of a political rally looked like an easy target. He swooped in to snatch her purse, only to find himself netted by a mechanical trap and pulled inside the purse.
The woman walked briskly away from the crowd and into a nearby alley.
"Criminal parrot, I've been trying to track you down for days and now I've got you," said the woman.
"Why are you hunting me?" asked Pericles.
"I miss the old days when I helped solve unusual crimes all the time," said the woman. "I am Frau Gluck, former member of the Benevolent Lodge of Mystery."
"I am Pericles, the most intelligent parrot in the world."
"You are audacious to boast so. Now we go to the police," said Frau Gluck.
"A moment, Frau Gluck, and I will give you some pointers for your next trap. Your net has insufficient tension in its knots, and the purse spring mechanism is easily overridden, like this."
The purse sprang open and Pericles was free. He fluttered out of reach. "Goodbye, Frau Gluck."
Frau Gluck laughed. "You are indeed clever, Pericles. Please stay. I am lonely for intelligent conversation."
"As am I," said Pericles. "I will stay for a few minutes, as long as there is no more talk of the police."
Minutes turned to hours, then days, as the two discovered they were kindred spirits and became friends. She gave him rides on her motorcycle and told him of her days with the Lodge.
"Since that time I have continued my research and learned even more about the Planispheric Disk," Frau Gluck told him. "It was used to trap an Anunnaki, a powerful spirit."
"I believe I encountered an Anunnaki once," said Pericles. "My increased mental capability may have been his gift to me."
Frau Gluck said, "That is nothing compared to the potential of this trapped spirit. A time of planetary alignment is coming, called Nibiru, when that being will be at its most powerful. If all the pieces of the Planispheric Disk could be found and reassembled by then, it could be released. Whoever did that would share its power."
"Is that what you intend to do?" asked Pericles.
"No, it is not practical for me alone. One of the pieces was lost underwater when the old town of Crystal Cove fell into the sea. I will instead offer my services to the National Socialist party of Germany. Their great leader, Adolph Hitler, plans to restore Germany to greatness. I will make war robots for him. I already have the designs written up."
"You are setting your aims too low, Frau Gluck. Could your robots be modified to work under water?"
"Why yes, so they could," said Frau Gluck.
"Then use them to recover the lost piece. I will help you find the others. We can free the entity and rule the world together," said Pericles.
"I will do it, but for you to be my helper you will need more education. To be a street-smart escape artist will not be enough. I will use my influence to get you admitted to the University of Munich," said Frau Gluck. "I will move to America and get started on the search while you study."
"Will your husband be willing to relocate with you?" asked Pericles.
"I'm not married and never have been. I call myself 'Frau' rather than 'Fraulein' because it is easier. It seems unfair to me that woman must reveal their married status in their title and men do not have to," said Frau Gluck.
Pericles did well in the academic world, studying mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, languages, and ancient history. Soon he earned the title of Professor. He learned all he could of the occult sciences as well.
He kept in touch with Frau Gluck, but her search was going slowly and her health was failing. His own astronomical calculations showed him the Nibiru event would not occur in her lifetime. He needed a new plan. He must bring together a group like her Benevolent Lodge of Mystery. It seemed from what he had learned that only a member, or a former member, of such a group could actually free the entity.
Crystal Cove, 1969
Pericles watched the six-year-old boy playing in the yard by himself with a toy bulldozer. He was not playing with friends, so he was probably lonely. Judging by what Pericles could see from the window into the boy's room, he was interested in birds, flight, and space exploration. That was very promising. He would bond with this boy, and collect a group of suitable friends. By the time of Nibiru they would be a capable group of mystery-solving adults, ready to help him get to the entity and free it. Then he would have ultimate power.
Pericles launched himself headfirst into the tree in the boy's front yard, then lay half-stunned, but not as completely disabled as he appeared to be.
He gave one warning squawk when the boy picked him up, warning the boy to be gentle and to win his trust.
He was in.
