A Thanksgiving Treat

It's Thanksgiving and this week I randomly remembered a story that we had to write in 6th grade for the creative writing and was even a top 3 finalist. After tearing my room apart, I finally tracked it down and thought it would be fun to post, word for word (with the exception of a few grammatical updates) and include my sweet cover art. Without further ado...

Hi, I'm here to tell you about my "Great Escape or I'll be an Entree" story. First let me start from the top. My name is Glenn, the Turkey. I am going to be eaten for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I can escape! I was born in a barn and I lived in a barn with my family. On every holiday, except Thanksgiving, the farmer goes to the corner store and buys a ham like normal people. But no, on Thanksgiving, they kill turkeys. My parents got killed, but this year the tradition stops--I'm going to escape!

So I made my plan; it goes as follows: get out of this barn as soon and as the door opens, I'm out of here. About an hour later, the door opens to feed us. Well, I have to make a choice, I can be free and starve or I can eat and then be free? I guess I'll take a few bites...then I'll be on my way to freedom. So I took a couple of bites, then I'll be on my way. I'm free!! Yeah Yeah Yeah! I'm free!! But I get as far as picket fence. The gate was closed. So I turned around and saw the farmer running so I ran behind the barn. What luck! An over-turned barrel saying, "Come in and hide." So I followed the talking barrel. The farmer looked around and said, "As soon as I find him, he is going to be my entree on the 26th!" and then he walked away.

My feathers were sticking up on the tips. Since I had so much time, I could use a good nap--to ease eagerness. For the next two hours, I napped. Let me remind you, it was the 24th, two days before the big feast, which was my date with death. As I am contemplating this awful thought, suddenly, a pig came into the barrel. I was so scared, I ran into the back of the barrel, shaking my white and dark meat away. "Oink, oink, oink," he said. "Get lost" I snapped, and he followed suit about 2 minutes later. My assertiveness took care of that pig! The clock is ticking, it is now, Wednesday the 25th, the day before Thanksgiving.

My last day of life! Let me tell you, it isn't easy. You have so much to do, in so little time; like plan your coffin in someone's stomach. I bet it isn't all that comfortable. As I was thinking about my friends and family who have been eaten before me, I spotted a hole in the wall. That was my ticket to the outside. So I ran as fast as my two webbed feet would take me. But just as I am tasting the sweet taste of freedom, my feathers get stuck. I was turned around and spotted the farmer, running towards me. I pushed as hard as I could. It was like God was telling me, "freedom has a price of losing feathers!" So I said to myself, "To be free with fewer feathers or not to be free? That is the question! I'll go...free!" What luck! I got out leaving just a few feathers behind.

"I'm free, I'm free! But my bottom hurts!" As I am waddling away as fast as I can, I hear a gun shot. Boom! "Yikes, he's shooting at me!" Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop! Boom! Then, like the angels were looking down on me, the farmer said, "Shoot, I'm out of bullets! I suppose I can use a hen and say it's a turkey."

Then and there I knew it wasn't my last day on earth. Not looking where I was going I ran into a tree log and did a flip in the air, and landed right on my face. Anyway, I now live with the wild turkeys. They al escaped like me and are all very nice indeed! Oh I am so happy now. Now, on every Thanksgiving, I remember the great escape from being the Thanksgiving feast!

Dated 11.22.98. Happy Thanksgiving!