by Nancy Quinn

Created on: November 17, 2009

"Eat more beef! Eat more beef!"A chorus rose into the sky and drifted over the flatlands.

"Louder, Gertrude. I want the cows on the back forty to hear us." Squawked Dotty.

The turkeys pushed toward the fence, everything feathers and knobby knees. Their voices were successful in reaching to the cows across the way. In answer to the rebellious neighbors, the cows taunted back with, "Just wait till next week. It's Thanksgiving and you're gonna be eaten!"

Farmer Joe looked out from the barn window at the growing ruckus and scratched his head. "Crazy turkeys. I wish they'd stop their squawking. It's not even close to their dinner time." He grumbled.

Gertrude backed out of the crowd and plopped down, breathing heavy. "Come on, get up. It's almost dinner time!" cried out Penny as she rushed past. Gertrude looked up as her friend Dotty was still leading the feathered picketers, and cackled. "Yes, my friend is a leader." she said to herself. "I don't know why we have to picket this thing called Thanksgiving Day, but we all trust Dotty to lead us in every barnyard adventure."

Dotty gave the final squawk at the indignant cows and waddled over to Gertrude. Hopping onto a rock, she raised her voice in alarm once more. "Now we must go on a hunger strike. Farmer Joe is only trying to make us fatter for Thanksgiving Day!"

A muttering of rebellion began to grow from the crowd as the turkeys began to doubt their fearless leader. It's ok to shout at the cows, but now you're messing with their dinner time and that wasn't going over well.

"She's crazy." Whispered one.

"I'm not going to stop eating just because she says so." Said another.

"I always knew Dotty was batty." Said a third.

With a turn and a flounce of tail feathers, the flock of indignant poultry waddled to the barn leaving Gertrude and Dorothy in the dust. Even the young poults scratched at the ground and stuck up their beaks as they raced by.

"What now, Dotty?" asked Gertrude.

"Well, I've heard enough about Thanksgiving from the goats to know it's an important day for every human. They commented that turkey is the favorite thing humans eat on Thanksgiving Day!"

Gertrude gasped. "Eat! What do you mean? Humans want to eat us?"

"Yes," hissed Dotty. "And that's why Farmer Joe is giving us extra grain so we'll be fat when he takes us to the market in his big truck."

Feeling close to swooning, it was almost too much for Gertrude to take in. But Dotty continued, "Listen, you remember that hole in the fence by the barn? Tonight we're going to make a run for it. We'll gather everyone tonight after Farmer Joe turns out the house light and we'll soon be free." Gertrude looked hopeful as the friends began to plot.

The sky soon turned dark and the moon was just a sliver, allowing limited light to the barnyard, but just enough to see their escape route. The house lights went dark and Dotty jumped onto Tabatha the Goat. "Hey!" grumbled Tabatha as the pointy feet dug into her back.

"Oh, I'll be just a minute, Tabatha. Sit still, would you?" retorted Dotty as she worked to regain her balance.

Dotty's squawking announcement of the great escape was only met with distrust and jeers. "Oh, nobody trusts the goats anyway." Scoffed Rudy. Murmurs of agreement floated around the barn walls.

"Well, we're going now. If you want to come, tonight's the night. I just heard a rumor that Farmer Joe is taking us to the market this weekend." Gertrude and Dotty waddled to the fence opening and looked back with hope. The three turkeys in the front of the group stepped forward to follow. But the rest remained behind, their lack of belief sealing their fate. The five turkeys waddled forward into the moonlight with hearts lightened at the thought of their new, exciting future.

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