I looked everywhere to see if I'd infringed someone's copyright but found no reference to a Pelican Comic/superhero/villain character.
So I thought I might even develop it a bit further.
INTRODUCING.....
The Pelican - the Professor's fears.
Derek Derringer a.k.a The Pelican was sitting in the lounge room enjoying the peace and quite of the cool November air as it gently blew through the open window. Professor Eintfold sat opposite him in an identical comfy chair.
The one Derek’s Mother loved to do needle craft in.
Derek missed his parents and decided to concentrate on the many Polaroid shots of them as well as himself neatly arranged on the crystal cabinet.
As he sat staring a large alligator slowly creeped under Derek’s feet settling down to rest as Derek stretched out his feet, using the creature as a foot rest. The alligator promptly fell asleep.
Opposite Professor Enfold pretended to be absorbed in a book of bio mechanics, but he was well aware that Derek was lost in the photographs.
This made him feel a great sense of guilt.
It had been a hard two years for Derek. As the Pelican he had shown bravery beyond his years and had been responsible for the capture of some nasty criminals, not just bootleggers but escaped convicts and murderers.
This of course was done anonymously, without as much as a thank you from the authorities. Alas that was the way it had to be.
Problems had arisen due to the activities and actions taken by the Pelican.
He had been sighted more than once, sometimes it was due to carelessness and inexperience in the early days, and sometimes it was unavoidable due to action to capture a crook.
Due to these sightings a mystique had grown up around the 150 square mile of deep swamp that the locals including Derek and the Professor called home.
Now there were another hazard to avoid. The Pelican Man had become as much a folk legend as the Giant black cat, Bigfoot and the Mothmen.
This brought great sadness to Eintfold as he was only too aware how hard his friends the Derringers had protected Derek so he wouldn’t become a side show attraction.
Strangers were invading the once peaceful haven in greater numbers all the time, bring with it more opportunities for bootleggers to either take advantage or take action if their stills were discovered.
They weren’t the only ones, with surveillance satellites, Google earth and other Agencies on the look out for anything to give them the edge in whatever battle they were fighting this week.
Then there was the Other thing.
The clever one out in the swamp that the Professor was sure to be causing more than it’s own type of mischief.
It was bad enough the Professor felt great guilt for the creation of the Pelican due to his experiments gone wrong but he knew he was also guilty for the death of Derek’s parents.
Derek never saw his parents bodies, he didn’t even get to go to the funeral, to the outside world Derek didn’t exist. Only a few trusted neighbours knew of Derek’s existence and they were proud people who would die before they gave that secret up.
The Professor knew that they were in danger.
Derek’s parents hadn’t been killed by Moon Shiners or robbed.
The had been flayed and their heads removed.
It was like nothing anyone wanted to recall but the Professor had seen it before and know what it was and what it was after.
It was after him, and it was patient and it knew how to stalk.
The Pelican was his only hope and to save himself he had to make Derek strong and aware.
All this crime fighting and revenge for his parents was secondary to the Professor’s self preservation.
As long as he had the Pelican and his army of wild animals he may be able to seek out the Other before it eventually got bored of stalking and hunted him down.
