The Parrot
Peter and Mary loved the look of the house from the outside. It could just be the place for them, an old
Welsh stone cottage with a garden in Old Conwy North Wales . ‘Now just imagine an evening in the back
veranda looking out to the bay’ the estate agent enthused, he needn’t have
bothered, Peter and Mary had already made up their minds this would be the home
they dreamed of. Inside the house was in
real need of a bit of loving care and attention. The walls showed cream were old pictures had
hung, there was an old cast iron bed left behind without a mattress on it and
the ceiling’s showed yellow. It was a
bit cold and old ash showed in the black fireplaces in the three bedrooms. The kitchen had old green cup boards with
yellowing drips on them the floor was sticky and had old bits of food near the
joins to the floor. The net curtains were of previous good quality however they
looked yellow and moth eaten. It was
then they noticed a high pitched sound of a bird from inside a space in the corner. This was shut off by a dirty curtain tied
with string to old nails. ‘Oh I forgot
to mention the previous occupant left the bird in the cage. Don’t worry we will remove him before occupancy’
the Estate agent said. The couple looked
at the bird and said ‘we’ll take it but only if you leave the Parrot’ and
laughed. The man from the agents smiled
and said I assume you want it then?’ And details were discussed. Peter worked in the council with Mary they
had just married and the in laws where kind and let them stay at Mary’s for a
while.
Peter and Mary visited the cottage to decorate when the builders had
finished all the renovations, and soon had the cottage the way they had
envisaged it. They liked the big blue
parrot, it came out with some amusing phrases and seemed to warm to the couple.
Peter cleaned up the cage with metal
polish and wire wool. They decided to
move the bird to the front parlour just near the new gas fire surround. A few weeks passed and the house was bright
and fresh. Peter and Mary settled in and
loved looking out in the morning at the panoramic view of the blue sea through
the bedroom window. They just loved this
house and were happy together.
One late evening Peter and Mary retired to bed after a long day in the
council offices. They rested and hugged
each other close and chatted away about all sorts of things. It was then they heard a faint mumble from
downstairs like two deep old voices talking away to each other. Mary got scared ‘is, is that the Parrot
Peter? She said. ‘Can’t be sure sounds like two voices to me’ said Peter. ‘Will you check love? She said ‘All right
said Peter, but I’m sure it’s only him being his usual self.’ Peter crept down the stairs hoping to catch
the bird in full flow, Mary whispered ‘Be careful love’ Peter smiled to
himself. The stairs creaked and as Peter
got to the bottom the mumbling got a bit louder and he listened at the parlour
door. He could hear two deep male voices
talking, this sounded like a conversation between two persons or things, not of
a bird. What started next really scared
Peter and made his heart beat fast and hair on his neck prickle. One of the voices said ‘it’s Him’ and the
voices went quiet. ‘Peters hand grasped
the brass door knob and with fear he turned it and slowly pushed the door open
revealing the semi- darkened room, no one was there. He glanced over to the cage. There was a strange musty odour in the air
and a presence was felt just like he’d interrupted something. No cover was over the cage and He was sure he
remembered putting it on before going to bed.
He switched the lamp on and the parrot just blinked at him and moved
about the cage silently, then it squawked just a little. ‘Peter!’ shouted Mary’ everything alright?’
‘Yes’ shouted Peter. He switched off the
light and returned to bed. That night
they discussed the event until they were awoken by the spring sunshine bursting
through the sides of the curtains.
Things returned to normal, and then one warm midsummer night as Peter
and Mary rested in bed the just perceivable sound of the mumbling voices awoke
them both, only this time the voices were like no other, they were garbled and
evil sounding, they raised in pitch then, manic laughter and foreign sounding
murmurings rose then fell again. This
sounded a bit like an electric generator under the room. Peter was worried and so was Mary, Peter went
to investigate the terrible sound. A
ghastly smell crept up the stairs and a dim violet light was emitting from
under the parlour door. As he got nearer
the door the mumbling and half laughs got louder and louder and Peter heard a
voice say ‘I’ll kill them both.’ Who’s
that shouted Peter and he heard the parrots voice squawking ‘I hate you, you’ll
both be dead soon.’ Peter burst into the room and the parrot squawked at him
then began talking in a ghastly voice, the bird took on a terrible stance and
said ‘you are both going to die; this is my home, leave now.’ The cover was again over by the sofa. Mary arrived and stood motionless with her
hand over her mouth. ‘I heard it all’
she said in a frightened voice. ‘The
Parrot took on a stance and threatened Mary saying ‘you will die soon I’m going
to kill you.’ Peter threw the cover over
the cage and the threats and expletives continued well into the night. The young couple were very shaken by this and
never slept at all.
Next morning Mary and Peter came down to open the curtains and the
cover was again on the sofa, yet the parrot was silent save for a bit of mild
squawking. Mary was at home the next day
alone. Mary continued going about her
life and started to tidy up the house.
Mid afternoon she was in the kitchen she nearly choked on her toast,
from the parlour came a voice, not a nice tone, this was the voice of complete
and spine tingling evil. ‘Mary you there
enquired the voice? Are you there?’ Mary
couldn’t move, she kept still and quiet.
A terrible smell filled the air and a bump was heard and a slow
shuffling sound and manly garbled whispering.
Chanting sounds emitted through the hallway and hideous low talking
could be heard. Mary had to get out. The
kitchen exit door was locked and her handbag was in the parlour with the mobile
phone. From somewhere deep inside she
found courage and walked slowly from the new kitchen out into the semi-dark
hallway, she rushed to the parlour door and stood there. The door being ajar
made it all the worse, in she marched fast and grabbed the handbag off the
sofa. The room was cold and the evil
musty smell filled the air. The Parrot
swore and called Mary a bitch. Mary ran
to the front door and dragged it open then drove to her mother’s crying.
Peter stayed at his in laws that evening and Mary wanted the priest to
call to see the Parrot. Father O’Donovan
met the couple at the cottage the next afternoon. The priest came down the path
and rang the doorbell. Peter went to
answer the door and the Parrot went berserk!
As the priest splashed holy water near the bird it started to talk in
the most horrible gruff voice blaspheming his church and the Bible ‘get me a
Bishop for you are not strong enough for me’ it kept shouting. It would not shut up until Father O’Donovan
had gone to the front door. The priest
said it will require a visit from the Bishop.
Peter and Mary stayed at Mary’s parent’s house for a while.
A week later the Bishop called to see the couple at Mary’s mother’s
home. Peter drove Mary and the Bishop to
the cottage. They could hear the Parrot
talking excitedly here he is here he is.’
As soon as they all went into the parlour the parrot stared at the
Bishop and started talking in the most evil garbled voice that chilled
everyone’s spine in that room. ‘So you’re here at last you can’t stop me
killing them, you weakling, I hate you as well’ said the bird. The parrot went crazy jumping about the cage
losing its feathers and shouting the most evil hideous things you could ever
imagine. Blessing the cage made matters
worse the Parrot began foaming at the beak and repeated the threats to all in
sundry. The Bishop turned to Peter and
Mary and said I’m afraid you have just seen the Devil. He said you must leave with me now and don’t
let another person over the door of this house.
Peter and Mary have put the house up for sale and do you know I don’t
know who has that Parrot at this time.
Kevin John Humphreys
13 12 2004
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