Thanksgiving On The Farm

Thomas and Timothy were best friends and had been since the day they were born. They grew up together on a huge stereotypical farm, filled with animals. There were cows, pigs, chickens, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, and, of course, turkeys. It was both a literal and figurative zoo most days, with so many things happening all the time and animals everywhere. Today was like any other day for Thomas and Timothy. They had just finished their morning meal and now they were out for a walk around the farm just to see if anything new was happening. They’d greet their friends as they passed by and catch up on any newsworthy stories if there were any. They were just approaching the cattle enclosure when they noticed Clarence leaning against the fence taking a break.

“Hey, Clarence, what’s up?” asked Thomas as they got a little closer.

“Not much. Just taking a little rest,” answered Clarence in his monotone voice.

“Isn’t that pretty much all you do all day long? You just stand there, eating,” teased Timothy.

“You’re lucky we’re on opposite sides of this fence,” said Clarence.

“Oh, come on, Clarence. You know I’m teasing,” said Timothy.

“So am I,” Clarence said flatly.

“You sure? It’s hard to tell when your voice never changes. At all. It’s always the same volume, pace, tone… Maybe try switching it up occasionally,” said Thomas.

“How about this? You two just carry on and stop annoying me. It’s almost milking time and I don’t want to be late,” Clarence said with zero inflection.

“Is he still teasing?” Thomas asked Timothy.

“No idea,” replied Timothy.

They looked expectantly at Clarence, waiting for any hint of his current mood. Clarence just stared back at them, silently, with his big droopy eyes.

“Alright, well, good talk, Clarence,” said Thomas.

Timothy and Thomas continued on with their walk, leaving Clarence behind to do whatever it was he did. The pair followed along a dirt road that would take them on a tour through the farm, and eventually lead them back to where they started. Farther up the road, Timothy noticed Peter was watching them approach.

“Tom, look up ahead,” Timothy said. “Looks like Peter’s waiting for us.”

“That can’t be good. I hate that guy,” said Thomas. “He’s always so mean to everyone.”

“Should we turn around?” questioned Timothy.

“No, let’s just keep going. We’ll ignore him,” answered Thomas.

Timothy and Thomas walked right past Peter without saying a word, or even acknowledging that he was there. They thought they were in the clear when Peter suddenly called after them.

“Hey!” Peter called out.

Thomas and Timothy stopped, looked at each other, then slowly turned around to face Peter.

“You guys know what day it is?” asked Peter.

Thomas looked at Timothy uncertainly. Neither one was sure if they should answer Peter’s question or just continue on with their walk. Thomas looked back towards Peter.

“It’s Thursday,” answered Thomas.

“Thursday. It is Thursday, isn’t it?” Peter said, though it was more of a statement to himself, rather than a question for Timothy and Thomas. “Unseasonably warm for November, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah, I guess,” replied Thomas.

“Yep. Nice weather,” said Peter. “Just a nice day. Lots to be thankful for. I hear there’s something big happening down in the old barn today. You two should go check it out.”

“We’ll be sure to do that. See you around, Peter,” said Timothy as he and Thomas both turned to leave.

“What was that all about?” whispered Thomas as they hurried away from Peter. “That guy’s weird.”

“Right? What else do you expect from a pig like him though? I have to admit that I’m a little curious now about the barn now,” said Timothy quietly.

Peter watched them as they slowly disappeared from view.

“I almost feel bad for them,” Peter said to himself. “Almost.”

The pair of friends continued their morning journey uneventfully until finally the old barn came into view. Peter hadn’t been lying when he said something was happening. There were strange new people that neither Timothy nor Thomas had seen around the farm before. They all appeared to be busy setting up for some sort of party. The old barn rarely saw much use anymore, but as Thomas and Timothy got closer, they could see it was filled with tables and chairs.

“Wow, Peter wasn’t exaggerating. What’s going on?” asked Timothy.

“No idea,” replied Thomas. “Some sort of party, I guess.”

Timothy and Thomas continued to watch, very slowly moving closer, but being careful to stay out of the way. One of the strangers noticed them and started to laugh.

“Hey, Fred!” yelled the stranger. “Check it out! The guests of honor showed up early!”

The friends looked at each other, puzzled. Fred was the owner of the farm, and they had no idea why he’d be having a party for them. Fred poked his head out from inside the barn.

“Well, I guess that saves me the trouble of going to find them. Make sure they don’t wander off. They can be a pain to catch,” Fred shouted. He thought for a moment before continuing. “Actually, bring them out back behind the barn.”

Timothy and Thomas were very confused now, bordering on nervous. Without saying it, they both knew the other was feeling the same way. There was an unsettling feeling in the air. The stranger, along with another unknown person, had now reached them.

“Hey there, little guys,” said the first stranger. “Let’s go meet Fred behind the barn. He’s got a big surprise for you two.”

“They don’t look so little to me,” said the second stranger. “Fred must have been dumping some extra grain in their pen.”

Timothy and Thomas were past nervous and approaching scared now. They weren’t sure what to say, and as the two strangers took hold of them, they realized this was going to happen, whether it was willingly or otherwise.

“Tim, I’m scared. What’s happening?” asked Thomas.

“I have no idea. I don’t like this,” replied Timothy.

The strangers ignored their noises and continued guiding them towards the barn. That’s when Timothy and Thomas noticed Daisy come running out of the barn and straight towards them. Finally, someone they recognized. She stopped when she reached them and began trotting alongside them.

“Daisy!” Thomas cried out. “What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry guys,” Daisy said remorsefully. “I wish I could, but I can’t help you.”

“What?” shouted Timothy. “What does that mean?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll really miss chasing you guys around,” said Daisy.

“Daisy! What’s going on? Who are these people?” Timothy yelled.

“Daisy, get out of here! You’re getting them all excited!” said one of the strangers.

Daisy slowed her pace and eventually stopped walking, leaving the group to carry on alone as she barked a final goodbye.

“DAISY!” screamed Thomas.

The strangers forced Timothy and Thomas into the barn. Other strangers were still busy setting chairs at the tables, and plates in front of the chairs. One group was unloading cases of wine from a truck, while another group was hanging colorful banners around the old barn, trying to hide its deterioration behind bright decorations. Timothy and Thomas were led right through the barn and out the other side, where Fred was waiting, axe in hand. Both friends struggled but could not break free of the strangers’ grip.

“Fred! What’s going on here?” asked Timothy.

There was no response from Fred.

“Fred, this isn’t funny!” yelled Thomas.

“Bring them over here to this stump,” Fred said to the strangers.

The strangers complied, and no amount of struggling made a difference. Two quick chops later and Timothy and Thomas were gone.

“Throw them in the wagon and take them back to the house,” said Fred. “Linda’s going to take care of plucking the feathers out of them. Oh, and if you see if you see Hank, ask him if he remembered to feed Peter. I figure if we’re having turkey for Thanksgiving, a nice big ham for Christmas would be nice.”