Turkey Tom’s Terrifying Thanksgiving-November 2021 Writing Prompt

Turkey Tom’s Terrifying Thanksgiving

By: Lyla

Hi, I’m Tom the turkey and I lived outside on George’s farm for three horrible years. Every year, around this time, I lost a friend to the farmer’s Thanksgiving dinner. There used to be seven of us and now I’m the only turkey left. Let me tell you how I came to be trapped in this baby stroller.  

It was that time of year and I was on the run! George said I had two days left to live.  Unless I could find a way to save myself, I was on the menu that year.  George must not have realized how desperate I was to escape because after his daughter Sarah fed me breakfast, she left the gate cracked. It was enough to fit my beak through so that I could push the gate all the way open. I walked out carefully to make sure the dogs weren’t around. Once I was in the clear, I ran.

I ran through the town as fast as I could not realizing there was a rock in my way. I tripped over it and tumbled into the woods. I tried to stand, but exhausted, I collapsed on the ground and landed on my back. When I looked up, I saw a flock of pigeons flying over me. Then I thought, I could disguise myself as a pigeon!  But how?  

I rolled over, sat up and noticed a gray feather on the ground.  I could get grey feathers, the chickens in the coop at the farm have those!  I snuck back to the farm and collected as many as I could. When I walked back to the woods I put them in a pile. Now, how would I stick them on?  I looked around and found pine sap on a tree. I could use this to stick the feathers on me. I rubbed the sap all over my body, and then did a cannonball into my feather pile. 

Confident in my disguise, I left the woods and headed for town. A little girl walked by and said, “Look Mom, it’s Tom, the turkey!”

“That can’t be Tom, he’s in the pen at home Sarah.” said the mom.

 I found the nearest window and looked at my reflection.  Realizing I looked ridiculous, I ran back to the woods and took off my disguise. How did they recognize me? What was the difference between me and a pigeon? Then, I realized, it was my snood.

 I thought and thought about what I should do next. I snuck to the library after they closed and found the computers. But I couldn’t type! Finally I figured out that I could use my beak to push the buttons.  I looked up what I wanted to disguise myself as next. I searched, “large birds,” hoping there might be something better than a pigeon. A blue peacock showed up on the screen and I was sold.  Peacock it was.

I went back to my post in the woods. It was the middle of the night, so I found a hole in a tree to sleep in safely. The next morning I got up and looked around, not remembering where I was. Then I remembered I needed breakfast.  I looked around and found a wild blueberry bush. I ate some and realized my beak and snood were getting blue. I jumped in and rolled around. I was blue, just like a peacock! This disguise would have to work.

I headed to the zoo to test my new look. Sarah’s class was there too on a field trip. She spotted me again as a classmate was trying to pluck my feathers. He realized that I was not a peacock and started crying in disappointment. The zookeeper came over, recognized that I was a turkey and kicked me out on my behind.

Back to my post I traveled, and washed off the blueberry juice. I had one day left, I better find a disguise fast. I almost stepped on a mouse that was complaining  about the owl that tried to eat him last night.  That gave me an idea. To be an owl, what would I need to change?  Owls have brown feathers and large eyes. My feathers were already brown, but my eyes were small. How would I get large eyes?

As I snuck across the neighborhood yards I found a bunch of kids crafting.  One of them said, “Hey Sarah, why don’t we decorate this pinata?” as they grabbed me by my feet. They thought I was a pinata and started gluing every craft supply they had onto me. 

A mom said, “It’s cake time,” and with the kids distracted, I made my escape.  I ran out of the yard and back to where my hideout was. I started plucking all the craft supplies off of my body and noticed giant googly eyes. I wonder if these could be giant owl eyes.  I stuck them over my eyelids and headed to town to see if it would work. 

Sarah was on her bike, probably on her way home, and looked at me confused. “Why is an owl out in daylight?” she asked.  I didn’t know owls were nocturnal, so my over-confident strut through town again got me noticed for being a turkey. 

I ran through the nearest door to hide, and found myself in the movie theater. I decided to go see a movie and found Star Wars playing.  I found Darth Vader in the middle of a scene. I thought to myself, “I could be Darth Vader.” After the movie ended, I felt inspired. Through the lobby, I found a statue in a Darth Vader costume. I took the fabric and mask and ran away and put on the costume. I made sure to remember his lightsaber. I walked back out and somebody said, “Look Mom, it’s Darth Vader!” Yay, my disguise worked! 

I walked back to the farm and there was George, searching my pen. I stuck out my light saber, challenging him to a duel. Sarah came out and realized it was me and said, “We can’t kill him, he’s too smart! We have to keep him as a pet.” Sarah explained how she and her mom had seen me dressed as a pigeon in town.  Then as a peacock while on a field trip to the zoo. As an owl after she put craft supplies on me at a birthday party. And now as Darth Vader.  Her dad thought and agreed.  So now, I am Sarah’s pet forever.  Still getting dressed up, but now it’s for Sarah and not to save my life.  The humiliation of being pushed around in a baby stroller in whatever costume she puts on me is totally worth it.  And that’s how I escaped being Thanksgiving dinner and moved out of the pen.  This will be a long few days remembered.