by Scott Scherr

Created on: November 16, 2009

Cold Turkey

Somewhere within a secret hillside country unknown to man, was a vast turkey refuge, hidden from the hunger driven cruelties of human kind. Turkeys were free to roam these parts, unmolested for many years. From small community to growing city, turkeys grew in numbers, evolving, learning how to communicate and think as their former captors did. Eventually, laws were instituted, banning all mentioning of man and their horrible customs, primarily that of man's sadistic Thanksgiving, which involved the mass slaying and torture of turkeys for many generations prior to the Great Turkey Exodus which brought them all to this point.

Eventually, Thanksgiving became a myth, the myth became legend, until at last, even the legend of Thanksgiving and mankind was lost in a dark history gladly forgotten.

Generations passed and all turkeys became complacent and fat, living in creature comforts and under a flimsy umbrella of false safety.

The trouble started when turkeys slowly began to disappear without a trace. The authorities said they simply relocated to other lands, but folks knew better. Rumors began to spread of a secret underground facility where half roasted turkeys (those not right in the head) were being kept imprisoned and away from the general public. It was believed that these turkeys were possessed by evil spirits that spoke to them in the night and drove them insane. So the government sought out these "Cold Turkeys", as they were called, and hid them away underground. Whatever the truth was, the turkey population was slowly dwindling away each year which just led to more suspicion fed rumors.

Word had gotten around that one of those crazy birds had escaped the facility, and was speaking to folks about things he ought not to be and breaking the sacred laws. Soon, dark talk about Thanksgiving slowly began to resurface.

It was Thomas Gobble who had the unfortunate opportunity of finding one of them hiding out in his yard.

"Who are you?" Thomas asked the strange bird.

From a shadow, the cold turkey crept into the half-light, revealing his featherless frame. His eyes spoke of madness as he stared into Thomas's soul.

My, God! He's plucked his own feathers out! Thomas thought.

"'Who am I?' is not the question, but, what am I?" The crazy bird said in a low raspy voice.

"What are you then?" Thomas asked, backing away.

The cold turkey laughed and said, "Dinner! As are you!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Thomas could feel the goose bumps beneath his

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