Mojo

I was looking for a safe place.  Everything I knew was gone.  The people.  My home.  He was working in the yard.  He had a kind face.  So, I decided to take a chance.  I walked slowly up the driveway.  I puffed out my feathers–I wanted to make sure he saw me–but not too much.  I didn’t want to frighten him.  It’s not every day humans see a turkey walking toward them.  

He noticed me right away.  I think maybe I did scare him because he tried to chase me off.  He shooed me away and tried to get me to go but I knew he wasn’t trying to hurt me.  There was a woman there with him.  They were both confused by me but something told me this was a safe place to be.  

It was getting dark.  I knew they weren’t going to let me come inside–not yet anyway, so I looked for a safe place to sleep.  I flew up to the hood of their car.  A very handsome bird stared back at me–oh, wait–that’s just my reflection.  Still, it was something to look at.  And looking at my own reflection somehow made me feel like I wasn’t alone anymore.

The next day, they stopped trying to shoo me off.  They gave me some food, which was nice.  I stayed close to their house during the day but that second night, I felt scared.  The top of the car wasn’t high enough to keep coyotes or dogs away.  They had a nice fenced-in garden.  When no one was looking, I flew up over the high fence and rested comfortably in well-tended vegetables.  It felt much safer with the fence around me.  By the third night, though, I could hear the barks and howls getting closer.  I flew up to the rooftop and stayed there for a while.  Oh, how I wished to be inside!  I thought maybe in a few days, they’d see that I needed help and maybe–just maybe–these would be the people to help me.

“He’s definitely not a wild turkey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes–I sent some pictures and asked around.  He’s not wild.”

“What should we do?  He can’t stay here.”

“I called an animal sanctuary.  Maybe they can help.”

I heard them talking and knew it was about me.  Not long after that, they were leading me into the garage–inside where it was safe and warm.  There was soft cardboard down for me to walk on and fresh straw for a nice warm bed.  I had food and water and windows to look out from.  This felt better.  This felt safe.  

A few weeks later I was taken on a long car ride.  I was in the back where it was dark but I could hear voices telling me everything would be ok.  When the car stopped and the back opened, I squinted from the bright sun.  They picked up the crate and put me in the back of an open truck.  The truck drove down a gravel road and up to a barn filled with birds!  There were so many!  Chickens, geese, ducks, and even other turkeys!  

I saw him right away.  He was beautiful!  A big red turkey and his red waddle told me he was excited!  His feathers were more puffed out than mine and he strutted and gobbled and could hardly keep still.  Oh, it was exciting!  I puffed myself up and gobbled right back at him.  They carried my crate out to the fence and he came running along after.  I knew it would be a while before we’d be friends–maybe we’d never get along.  But I felt better knowing there were others here like me.  Others who’d found a safe home.