VOL. XVII, NO. 5
NOVEMBER 26, 1975
Ivan the Terrible Turkey Eaten
for, Thanksgiving
for, Thanksgiving
By RON PASCENTE
This story takes place on a turkey-raising farm in Floorboard, Kansas. Its a gloomy, overcast day: the turkeys are getting edgy. There are only four more days until Thanksgiving.
They all know that the terrible tragedy of being torn mercilessly apart could happen to them. They had seen their good friends taken away in trucks. They knew what would happen then.
They would be taken to a butcher who would cut their heads off and then pluck their feathers. Then they would be frozen and sold to people who would stuff them and then eat every piece of the mouth‑watering, tantalizing, juicy‑tasting turkey.
During the past year they joked around with each other saying how bad the other was going to taste. "Ha! Ha!" they laughed, all knowing each was as scared as the other.
How foolish it was of them to try to joke themselves into believing it wasn't all that bad. They had one consolation, though. It would be a quick death.
One turkey named Ivan was a nine‑year veteran of this. People would come and pick the plump ones and take them home, but Ivan would always remain thin by not eating a lot. Ivan was still the meanest of the flock, and the other turkeys called him Ivan the Terrible.
This story takes place on a turkey-raising farm in Floorboard, Kansas. Its a gloomy, overcast day: the turkeys are getting edgy. There are only four more days until Thanksgiving.
They all know that the terrible tragedy of being torn mercilessly apart could happen to them. They had seen their good friends taken away in trucks. They knew what would happen then.
They would be taken to a butcher who would cut their heads off and then pluck their feathers. Then they would be frozen and sold to people who would stuff them and then eat every piece of the mouth‑watering, tantalizing, juicy‑tasting turkey.
During the past year they joked around with each other saying how bad the other was going to taste. "Ha! Ha!" they laughed, all knowing each was as scared as the other.
How foolish it was of them to try to joke themselves into believing it wasn't all that bad. They had one consolation, though. It would be a quick death.
One turkey named Ivan was a nine‑year veteran of this. People would come and pick the plump ones and take them home, but Ivan would always remain thin by not eating a lot. Ivan was still the meanest of the flock, and the other turkeys called him Ivan the Terrible.
The past year Ivan had put on a few pounds: and when somebody came, Ivan was very worried that they might pick him to be their feast. Ivan did not want to die because he had a family to support. Then a man about 45 years old came and said he wanted a fairly big turkey. The owner of the farm pointed directly at Ivan. Ivan knew this was it!
He looked for a place to run and saw a hole in the fence. Ivan said to himself that if he could get into that hole before his prospective captors he could escape. As soon as Ivan started toward the hole, the man and the owner started to run after him. All Ivan could think of was to get to that hole.
Now the chase was on! Who would get to the hole first? It looked like Ivan would: then the owner looked like he would. CRASH! BOOM! BANG! "Gobble! Gobble! cried Ivan. It was all over. Ivan had run right into the bag that the man had been holding.
That Thanksgiving night after the man had feasted on Ivan, he became sick. He had food poisoning. He knew then why they called Ivan 'the terrible."
He looked for a place to run and saw a hole in the fence. Ivan said to himself that if he could get into that hole before his prospective captors he could escape. As soon as Ivan started toward the hole, the man and the owner started to run after him. All Ivan could think of was to get to that hole.
Now the chase was on! Who would get to the hole first? It looked like Ivan would: then the owner looked like he would. CRASH! BOOM! BANG! "Gobble! Gobble! cried Ivan. It was all over. Ivan had run right into the bag that the man had been holding.
That Thanksgiving night after the man had feasted on Ivan, he became sick. He had food poisoning. He knew then why they called Ivan 'the terrible."