When I was a young man, my perception of what was real and possible within the universe was supported the premise that "facts" and "logic" were the cornerstones of what was widely acknowledged as "reality". I adhered to the present misconceived notion unquestionably, not realizing that there's indeed magic within the world, which we frequently only need to be within the right place, at the proper time to get it.
My concept of reality was close to change forever on the enchanting island of Rhodes, Greece. Rhodes is replete with mystery because it was once home to at least one of the Seven Wonders of the planet, the Colossus of Rhodes, an enormous bronze statue erected in 280 BC, which at over 30 meters tall, stood majestically guarding the harbor.
It was within this mythical setting that I found myself with my traveling buddy and good friend Wendell. Wendell and that I had been traversing throughout Europe for several months, and had ventured to Rhodes with the intention of viewing the spot where the famous statue had once stood. We were captivated by the sweetness and allure of the island and intrigued by the inexplicable feeling within the air that this was an area where anything could happen.
As we leisurely strolled through the old section of town one sunny afternoon, we suddenly heard a loud and powerful flapping of wings directly overhead. We glanced up and were astonished by the presence of the most important pelican we had ever seen. To our amazement, the pelican gracefully glided to a landing directly ahead folks.
We stood silently gazing at the bird, flabbergasted. The pelican then began walking down the sidewalk intently, as if it had a particular destination in mind. We quickly followed at a secure distance to make sure that we didn't deter it from its goal.
It was a hot summer day, and as was the custom on the island, shops lining the road had their doors hospitable welcome visitors, and to permit the refreshing breeze to enter the premises.
The pelican continued walking, then paused briefly before suddenly entering an area pharmacy. We eagerly followed it inside, where a couple of consumers were browsing casually.
Without hesitation, the pelican walked past the mystified patrons to an adjoining back room of the shop, where he began pacing back and forth ahead of shelves which stored an array of drugs as if checking out a specific item. We all stood transfixed, watching the bizarre behavior of this strange creature. After a couple of moments, he appeared to abandon his peculiar quest and reentered the inside of the shop.
We waited expectantly for what would happen next. To our surprise, he then stopped within the middle of our small group, and successively checked out each folk directly in our eyes, as if trying to convey some personal message.
I remember his eyes seemed eerily human, and a weird sensation came to visit me that he was really not a pelican, but rather an apparition which had temporarily taken form as this curious bird.
Without further ado, he then left the shop as abruptly as he had entered, took a couple of steps toward the road, and flew away. We gazed at one another in wide-eyed disbelief, seeking validation from each other that what we had witnessed really transpired. Though a couple of token suggestions were offered, nobody had a plausible explanation of what the pelican was doing there or why.
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