Story-A-Day #333: Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING

He stared at the jagged protrusion of bone where the turkeys head had been severed, and the vulvic folds of flesh that drooped below the opening.  It was actually pretty disgusting looking, the mottled flesh pimpled from plucked feathers, discoloured patches of blood smearing the surface.

With a sigh, he grabbed a handful of stale bread that he had mixed with celery, raisins, and onion, and lightly seasoned.  he then slid his hand into the rear end of the turkey and packed in the deposit.  He continued doing so until the bird was fully stuffed.

It was a weird thing to do, stuffing a carcass with bread and vegetables, but he knew the result would be worth it.  Still, who would have thought to do something like this?  Who would have been possessed to use the inner shell of a bird as a slow cooker?

It wasn't the pilgrims.  He was sure of that.

He placed the turkey in a roasting pan and slid it into the oven.  In six hours time, it would be eating time.  he looked at the pot of potatoes, sliced and ready on the stove.  He looked at the beans, carrots, and asparagus, also ready to go.  then he looked at his watch.  The second hand ticked slowly around the face, tick, tick, tick.

With time to kill, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and stepped out into the unseasonably warm afternoon.  Sitting in a lounge chair, he decided to take inventory of all the things he was thankful for this year.  He was thankful for his job, a challenge at times, and a pain in the ass at others, but one that was truly rewarding.  He was thankful for his friends, and while he didn't see any of them nearly enough, he knew that they were some of the best friends a person could have.  He was thankful for his creativity, a small token, but one that kept him sane and grounded.  He was thankful for his family as well, his parents and brother and sister who were supportive and loving and fantastic.

He realized, as he sipped on his cold beer, in the warm sun, that he was thankful for his life.  It wasn't always perfect, but it was pretty damn close.