Tom the Turkey’s Great Adventure

By Cindy Eggleston

Tom lived on a farm in the country, and even though there were other turkeys around, they made fun of him because he was so little. They never included him in their games, like, Kick the Acorn, Find the Worm, and Tom’s favourite: Hide and Seek. This made Tom sad; he wished he had a friend.

One morning he decided it was time to leave the farm, he thought, “maybe I’ll find someone who will be my friend!” Tom had never been away from home but was excited to start his new adventure. He walked right out the front gate; nobody even tried to stop him, which did not surprise Tom; he was used to being ignored by the others.

Tom took a path that led into the forest beside a babbling brook filled with rainbow speckled trout. Suddenly he came upon a meadow; a slight breeze brought the sweet scent of violets and wild lilies. There were many new sights and smells that were different from the farm: The piney scent of fir trees, the mustiness of wild mushrooms, and the mossy dampness of the brook. But Tom’s most favourite of all was the sweet aroma of wild mint, and that made Tom hungry!

He saw all sorts of animals; squirrels leaping from branch to branch above him, chipmunks were scampering among fallen logs, and a bright yellow snake slithered between his feet and into the water, which startled Tom. Majestic turkeys were strutting about; their red, green, and gold feathers proudly displayed. A bushy-tailed grey fox stopped to look at him, then quickly scampered off. Butterflies and fat striped bumblebees were pollinating newly blossomed flowers, and brightly jewelled dragonflies were perched on stalks of delicate milkweed.

And although the forest had a peacefulness to it, there were sounds all around him. He heard grasshoppers chirping and tree frogs calling out, “Ribbit! Ribbit!”. The slap of a beavers tail as he slid into the water and a blue Jay was screaming, “jaay-jaay!” Tom looked around in wonder, and thought, “if I had stayed at the farm, I never would have experienced all of this.” He was so happy!

Suddenly, he came upon a rabbit nibbling on bright green clover, her velvety fur white as snow. “Hey, would you like to be my friend?” asked Tom. The rabbit regarded him cautiously, then with a slight look of amusement, twitched her pink nose and continued eating. Tom thought, “well, maybe rabbits don’t understand turkey talk.”

A few minutes later, he came across a spotted fawn and her mother; they were lying alongside the brook in the warm sunshine. “Hello there, would you like to be friends?” he asked. Startled, they jumped up, leapt over the water, and into the forest. “This isn’t starting very well,” thought Tom.

Tom wasn’t discouraged, though, and continued down the path until he noticed an Owl sitting on a branch. “Oh, hello there, Mr Owl, would you like to be my friend?” The owl stared down at him, tilted his head to the side, and in a deep voice said, “Son, don’t you know, turkeys and owls can’t be friends.” Then promptly closed his eyes, “Well, I don’t know about that,” Tom thought, “I would love to have an owl for a friend.”

Feeling a bit dismayed, but still hopeful, he decided to walk a little further, when he noticed a movement in a wild blueberry bush. Stepping closer, he saw a little face peeking out at him.

“Hey, there, don’t be afraid, would you like to come out and be my friend?”  he inquired. The bushes slowly parted, and there stood a little raccoon.

“Why, hello there little guy, my name is Tom, and I’m looking for a friend, what’s your name?” he continued.

“I’m Rocky,” said the racoon shyly, “and none of the other raccoons will play with me because I’m so small, they tease and call me names.”

“Oh!” said Tom, “I know just how you feel! Would you like to join me on my adventure?” So Tom the Turkey, and Rocky the Racoon became best friends and started out on a new adventure together. Along the way, they came across other animals who were also looking for friends. They met Timmy the Tortoise, Penney the Porcupine, a Bluebird named Bonnie, and Buddy the Bear. They became a big happy family and went on many adventures together.

It just goes to show you, no matter if you are big or small, have feathers or fur, quills, or a shell; anyone can be a friend!

- Total nr. of readings: 2,340 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.