1st Place Winner
Turkey Talk Contest
Sebastian's Gift
By Benjamin
(Age 14)
Copyright © 2000
Once upon a time, there lived a turkey named Sebastian. Sebastian lived on a farm in the country. It was a typical farm, with a pond, fenced pastures, and a red barn.
Sebastian was a very sad turkey. Every day he sat in his pen and watched the other animals go by. He believed everyone else got to do many more exciting things than he did. Sebastian led what he believed to be a horribly dull life. The one thing Sebastian liked about himself was his feathers. They were beautiful, glossy feathers, and he preened them daily.
One day, Sebastian sat pondering his existence, and he saw Morf the duck. Morf was swimming in the pond, enjoying the sunny day. Sebastian started thinking, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be a duck and swim too!
He began digging around in his coop for appropriate swimming gear. He found goggles, a snorkel, and flippers. Sebastian donned his gear and made his way over to the pond.
He made it to the edge of the water, and he stuck one flippered foot into the cool, murky water. It was rather chilly, but the thought of blissfully bathing goaded him into the pond.
Sebastian flapped and kicked, but try as he might, he could not float! His feathers became quite waterlogged, and he began to snort and sputter because water was gushing into his snorkel. Sebastian found this most unpleasant. He struggled to the edge of the water, and he flopped onto the land.
Morf swam over to the edge of the pond to check on Sebastian. Sebastian told the duck that he was very lucky to be able to play in the water. Morf shook his head, and said he didn't always get to swim. Every fall he had to fly South, and then back again in the spring. Sebastian supposed it wasn't all fun and games to be a duck, and he went back to his pen.
Sebastian decided that swimming was not the activity for him to pursue. He returned to watching the other animals and preening his somewhat soggy feathers. He still wished he could do something exciting though.
As he groomed himself, he saw Hildegard, the barnyard cat. She was rolled over on her back, playing with a ball of yarn. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. The longer Sebastian watched, the more he wanted to do that too!
Sebastian found a ball of yarn in his coop, and he took it outside. He studied it for a while, looking at it first one way, then another. Sebastian glanced over at Hildegard, and she was batting it back and forth between her paws. He looked at the yarn once more, then he began to nose it around with his beak. The yarn began to unravel, and Sebastian became helplessly tangled.
Hildegard sauntered over to Sebastian. She asked him what he was doing, and he proceeded to tell her how fortunate she was to be able to play with yarn all the time. She then told Sebastian that she didn't always just play. It was just a break from catching mice in the barn. Sebastian was quite allergic to mice, and he thought that being a cat wasn't all it was cracked up to be either. He then went to his pen to untangle himself.
He concluded that he did not want to be a duck, and he certainly did not want to be a cat. He settled down and started picking fuzz out of his ruffled feathers. Sebastian's feathers were soon glossy and smooth once more, and he returned to watching the other animals go by.
Before long, Sebastian was feeling slightly useless again. He sighed and looked around. Off in the distance, a speck was quickly approaching from the pasture. As he watched, the speck grew larger to reveal Albert, the plow horse. Sebastian watched Albert gallop and whinny in sheer ecstasy. He grew slightly envious. Why shouldn't he kick up his heels and run across the pasture?
So into the coop he went, this time to emerge with running shoes. He ducked under the fence and began to jog. As he jogged, his feathers began to flutter to the ground. The longer and harder Sebastian ran, the more feathers fell off! He began to get very worried, for he was a very self-conscious turkey. After all, his feathers were his pride and joy, and it would be a travesty to be a bald turkey! Sebastian could not endure such misery, so he stopped running.
Albert trotted up, for it was not every day that he saw a turkey in running shoes. He asked Sebastian what the problem was, and Sebastian looked up at him pitifully. He explained how much fun galloping looked, and how he tried, but failed miserably. Albert took it all in, and then told Sebastian that being a horse wasn't all about galloping. He informed him that he had to plow the field every spring, and he had to give screaming children rides.
Sebastian contemplated this for a moment. He then headed toward his pen, feeling somewhat dejected. On his way, a brood of hens stopped him, and they all exclaimed about how beautiful Sebastian's feathers were. At this, Sebastian beamed proudly, and he strutted back to his pen.
He sat down once more, and he thought about all that had happened to him. Sebastian reached the conclusion that every animal has a purpose, and that hard work is rewarded with play. He decided that did not want to be a chicken, a cat, or a horse. Sebastian liked being a turkey. He was content to watch the animals, knowing that he had beautiful feathers that someone enjoyed.
To this day, Sebastian sits in his pen and preens his feathers. Sometimes, an animal will stop by and exclaim about his beautiful feathers, and Sebastian just smiles happily.
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