Mystery at Parrot Island

By R J Devland

Archaeologists kidnapped by international crime organization, trapped on an obscure Indian Ocean island, struggle to decipher an ancient Egyptian warning to the world.  Their family races to find them after a clue accidently surfaces, pointing them to their exact location.  Espionage and the scientists of the ancient Egyptians bond together to create an exciting story of intrigue, family, and resolve to accomplish the right thing.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R J Devland
• Release date: Mar 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393219859

Book preview

Dedication

TO A DEAR FRIEND, WHOSE love for parrots inspired me to revisit and begin this adventure.  After meeting the parrot depicted in this book, during 2004, the idea for this book came vividly to my mind’s eye.

Our friend taught me how close a human can bond to their bird.  He demonstrated the tender relationship between bird and man.  Witnessing this friendship and closeness gave me the fresh input that allowed me to write about the greatest parrot who ever flew, the Professor.

Chapter 1

Nowhere is there a better start than the truth found at the end. RJ Devland

LIGHT BRINGS INTO LIFE a phenomenal mix of experiences.  Light consists of elements that when broken down into its basic components, dazzles everyone.  The scientific interests in the basic colors of light teach young and old alike all the wonderful, colorful riches of the vast components of this most widely available resource.  Light shining through raindrops or mist develop a rainbow that grows in intensity and fades again out of sight, yet the rainbow still exists.  It exists within the total component called light.  Each of those  base colors, seven of them, make the rainbow.  Each singular color, when added to, or mixed with, another base color, produces another color altogether.  Many base colors may combine to produce even more colors.  Millions of different colors and shades of colors make themselves available to a vast variety purposes.  Life, when expressed as a whole, also has the ability to expose its basic components.  As one views light as colors, one views life as experiences.  Light illuminates the individual life experiences which identify specific choices and their outcomes.  One can say that the more light one allows into their life, the more they experience and additionally the more they learn.  Life equates to the sum total of all experiences.  Each experience is a classroom all to itself with one student in residence.  Success appears when positive outcomes outweigh the negative ones.  Armed with these simple facts, one can assemble enough information to escape a frivolous life.  Life intends for each living, breathing, human being to develop a positive learning routine, which in turn produces the ultimate  experience.  The total sum of those experiences produce the whole of life, that which people see and judge.

Fathers teach their sons and grandsons as much from their library of successes and failures as their captive students  accept to absorb.  They don’t desire with too much good stuff at one time.  They take a bite or two, then fly off to their own domains, where they attempt to develop their own persona.  Most forget that experience gained trumps stupidity found.  Far better for the student to hear a few strong ideas than to fail and suffer.  Age difference maintains its own superiority.  Youth strives but falls short in its climb to attain it.  So, better to learn from those whose superiority finds substance in positive experience.  That said, life is just that, experiences. 

Adam Miller began his young adult life, loving and continuing to learn the teachings of his dad, who prepared a handwritten textbook of his own experiences in successes and failures.  His dad, nicknamed Einstein by his colleagues, an expert in Biblical archaeology and holding a doctorate in physics, possessed a great deal of knowledge for the young Adam to digest.  During the long sittings in the outdoor classroom his dad loved to create, Adam sealed his desire to pursue the same dream his dad held close to his heart.  That classroom became the sole extracurricular activity that young Adam experienced while growing up into a well disciplined young man. 

Young Adam enjoyed picking fun with his dad, calling him the Hermit, which seemed his favorite nickname.  Adam didn’t call him Einstein.  He respected that name too much.  He liked the characterization of the Hermit much better.  That nickname didn’t require the respect that Einstein garnered.  He felt by using the nickname Hermit, no one could complain.  Adam never called his dad, by the typical endearment, Dad.  He had always, since a very young boy of four, called him the Hermit.  His grandpa probably used that designation first, maybe an extension of his true feelings as to the extent that his dad poured himself into the field of work he lived and breathed. 

Grandpa Miller gave Adam’s dad the name Robert, maybe so he could call him Rob, for short.  Grandpa Miller didn’t like two syllable names, unless a nickname made itself available by accident.  That accident took place while Grandpa Miller prepared to take him home from the hospital.  One of the nurses needed help cleaning the room, so she called to the janitor to help her.  His name resonated with ol’ Grandpa.  He thought that name through with the care of a wordsmith.  It took him all of thirty seconds to conclude, forget the wordsmith deal, that Bob would be his nickname. 

One syllable suited him just fine.  He tried it out by telling the nurse all about it.  She went to tell Bob, the janitor, all about it.  He called his wife to tell her all about it.  Grandma Miller knew nothing about it until the candy striper asked her about Bob’s blankets.  Grandpa Miller perked up in the chair and asked her all about it.  She told her all about it.  Now, with everyone informed and told all about it, the discharge papers in hand, they left the hospital.  So the nickname remained.

Bob began showing a keen interest in physics from around his seventh birthday.  He received a science kit from his dad as a gift that birthday.  No one else in the family thought too much about his love for science, because most in their family were bankers, lawyers and one preacher, Jim.  That preacher loved Biblical archaeology.  He studied it as a passionate hobby.  All the family said his archaeological ability far outweighed his preaching ability.  By the time Bob reached fifteen, he and the preacher, called Uncle Jim, had jumped into a bit of research that seemed to be new ground.  They both  immersed themselves in the research, going often to the library for hours at a time.  Grandpa Miller began calling Bob by nickname Hermit about that time, stumbling on the nickname based on the seclusion the two Bible sleuths maintained.  Even though it had two syllables, he was happy with the choice as it fulfilled style and function.

Somewhere about Adam’s tenth birthday, Bob brought home a parrot.  A large, beautiful breed of bird, Bob and Adam took care of it as a member of the family.  They named him Professor.  Uncle Jim and Bob pretty much kept Professor with them.  Adam figured there was a pretty good reason for doing that, but made periodic complaints.  Bob allowed Adam time with Professor everyday for a few minutes.  Around a month after Professor took up residence in the Miller home, Adam discovered a neat ability in Professor.  He talked.  Some days he sounded as loud as a megaphone.  Adam simply stood back in amazement at this new discovery.

Dad, Dad!  Professor is talking!  Did you hear me?  Professor is talking to me!

Of course, I know, Adam!  Calm down.  Uncle Jim and I work everyday with him to build his vocabulary.  His breed is the African Grey Parrot.  They can really create a chatter.  They are very intelligent, also.  Uncle Jim and I are training to keep track of things for us, you know, as research.

Ok, Dad.  I just want to talk to him some.  That’s so neat.

You will, Adam.  Don’t worry, we will give you time everyday.

Bob’s theory to allow Adam time with Professor formed a safety net that placed another familiar face and voice for Professor in case something happened to Bob or Uncle Jim.  The two had made significant progress in their research.  In fact, their work discovered some aspects that warranted inclusion of a few more experts in order to guarantee their proofs accurate.  But fear of a document leak prevented their immediate search for an appropriate candidate.  Discoveries of this nature require secrecy and attention to their research habits.  They selected odd times to travel to a nearby college library.  Local and nearby public libraries provided lots of information, but that college gave them the advantage of a particular collection of books that an elderly donor provided.  That donor, in Bob’s opinion, stopped short of their current position, but provided material support of their original observations which led to their major discoveries.

Uncle Jim made the suggestion that they should never travel together when going to the college library, nor should they meet anywhere but at their homes.  He further decided that they never request any information for any of the library staff, especially when dealing with that particular collection.  Uncle Jim walked looking over his shoulder.  Bob stopped using the phone.  They never spoke above a whisper, anywhere.  They often spoke in a code to disguise their actual discussion.  They made a good team.  Total trust and expertise made them a perfect team.  They determined that one piece of the