Page 18 of Call it Fate

He swiveled toward me and glared. “Well then,” the man’s cheeks puffed out while he waved his arms about, “dosomething.”

“Are you Mayor Sterling?”

The man mumbled something as he threw his hands in the air before marching over to me. Bits of feathers and birdseed covered his graying hair and black suit. His eyes bulged from his face. “No, I’m Mayor Bowen.That,” he rasped, throwing his arm toward the caged parrot, “is Mayor Sterling.”

Squawk!“This council will now come to order,” Mayor Sterling announced as he hopped from a swing to the floor, where he plucked a small feather from his wing and fluttered back to his swing.

I’d officially landed in the Twilight Zone.

“Did he just say…” I looked around the room, seeking anyone who could make sense of the situation for me.

A gentle hand landed at the crook of my elbow. Emalee stretched up on her toes and whispered in my ear.

“It’s a long story. Of course, he’s not really the mayor, but Mayor Sterling is a beloved member of our community. He’s a phenomenal creature, and I’ve never seen him act so wild before. Can you help?”

Despite the tension between us and the situation we found ourselves in the middle of, I calmed at her touch. Her eyes were clouded with concern as she looked at me, causing me to have the strong desire to do anything she asked.

Nodding, I crossed the room towards the cage. Under other circumstances, I would have found the African Grey to be the most marvelous bird I’d ever seen. But currently, he was a wreck. His breast feathers were mottled, his wings were dirty and badly ruffled, and there were patches of skin showing in at least two places.

“Woof. Arf.”

I knew these parrots were remarkable impersonators, but I’d never heard one mimic a dog before. “What’s the barking about?”

The rumpled man blew out a breath and closed his eyes, shaking his head. “He lives with my family. We had a dog who passed away a couple of weeks ago. Sterling loved Homer and used to ride around on his back whenever he wasn’t in his cage. He used to like to make a doorbell sound, and Homer would always fall for it. It was annoying.” His sad smile implied that wasn’t his actual feeling.

Right on cue, I heard a garbled doorbell chime, followed by anotherwoof.

“Wow. That’s incredible.”

“What do you think is wrong with him?”

I frowned. “Let me see if he’ll let me check him out.” I slowly approached the cage. A blessed silence settled in the room. The “mayor” watched as I bent forward a bit while I crooned his name. “Shush now, there’s a good boy.”

Sterling ruffled his feathers. “Good boy,” he repeated.

I smiled. “That’s right. You’re a good boy. Were you friends with Homer? I’m a friend, too.” I kept my voice low and quiet while my eyes roamed all over the bird.

Sterling tilted his head as he peered at me, still quiet. “Homer.Woof.”

“I bet you miss him, don’t you? I’m Zach.” I slipped my hand slowly toward the cage door but didn’t open it. Sterling kept completely still. “There now. Nice and steady.” The bird held completely still, but I knew those sharp eyes were watching carefully. I was more worried about his sharp beak and talons.

I looked over my shoulder at the man I assumed to be the real mayor, who hovered just behind me. In a quiet voice, I ordered, “Get everyone out of the room, and make sure they shut the door. If you can locate a soft towel or anything like it, that would be great.”

With a snap of his fingers and a head nod toward the door, everyone started murmuring but obeyed the order. Slowly, humming some ditty that popped into my head, I opened the cage door once someone placed a soft T-shirt in my hands, never taking my eyes from the parrot. “There now. Would you like to come out?”

Sterling took a step backward, so I stilled my hand. After a few seconds, he wobbled a couple of steps, close enough I could stroke his head. Almost cat-like, he tilted his head and rubbed it under my fingers. After a couple of minutes of petting, I gently scooped him up and pulled him from the cage, never stopping my senseless murmurings as I wrapped the soft material around him so he couldn’t fly or scratch me.

The suited man breathed a sigh of relief as I checked out Sterling with gentle fingers. “What do you think is wrong with him?”

“I’m not an avian specialist, but if I had to guess, I’d say he’s depressed.”

His mouth dropped open. “Depressed? A bird?”

“Yep. Parrots are very intelligent and can experience emotions much like we do. Think about it. He knew how to tease the dog with a doorbell sound. If he had a close bond with Homer, he may be acting out as part of his grief.” I saw a piece of banana next to the cage and held it out to Sterling; I couldn’t bring myself to refer to him as “Mayor.” The parrot nibbled at it while the real mayor looked on.

“Homer used to share his treats with Sterling, and he allowed Sterling to take naps on his bed with him. I just thought it was cute. Homer was always a gentle and tolerant dog. It never occurred to me there was that much of a bond, though.”

I nodded. “Definitely. Parrots are usually monogamous once they mate, so it makes sense they can form close attachments with another animal if they don’t have a mate.”

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