At The Post Office

1213turkeyI went to the post office and got out of my car and walked around the back of a vehicle and this is what I saw.

Yes, outside the post office (United States postal service established by Benjamin Franklin) stood this noble bird, which Franklin wished had been chosen as the symbol of America. This, in case you’ve never seen one in real life, is a turkey. Not a domesticated turkey, bred to be so heavy it can’t fly and so stupid it can’t think. This is a wild turkey.

Of course, it wasn’t afraid of people, so I believe my pal Steve, who said, “That ain’t no wild wild turkey; that’s a tame wild turkey.”

I herded him out of the parking space somebody was waiting to use, persuaded him to move far enough along the sidewalk so I could go into the post office to do my business, and asked if it was the post office’s turkey.

“No,” they said, “he’s just been hanging around here.”

They said they were going to call animal control, because they were afraid he was going to get himself run over.

When I went back outside, he was still there, hanging around my car.

“Turkey,” I said, “get out from behind my car so I can get to the grocery.” He moved, but then he got in front of me. “Turkey,” I said, “get out from in front of my car, will you, please?” He did, but he looked like he was about to ask me for a lift.

If I hadn’t been going to the grocery; if I had been going straight home, I believe I would have opened the door for him, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had jumped in. He would have been my own personal pet turkey, and I would have named him Benjamin Franklin. Here’s another picture of him.1213turkey2Is this the best place in the world to live, or what?

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character encounters an unexpected animal in an unexpected place.

MA

About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “At The Post Office

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh

    December 12, 2013 at 7:31am

    We see those along the country roads here, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one in town.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      December 12, 2013 at 8:29am

      Exactly! We see whole flocks of them back around the house sometimes, which is why I wanted to bring him home with me. But, alas, I could not.

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  2. jane

    December 12, 2013 at 8:39am

    OKAY!
    Turkey jokes aside, what a great encounter! We have a lot of mallards and Canadian geese that spend time in Beargrass (?) Creek where it runs through a shopping center. They left a great swath of space on either side of the creek, and the water, itself, is undisturbed. The birds like to nest there, and you never really know what you’re going to see when you go look. Sometimes they wander up into the parking lot in quantity. I think it might be a landing zone. Plus, you know, there’s restaurants!

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      December 12, 2013 at 9:48am

      I love it! I seldom go along … what do they call that long and winding road behind the Greentree Mall … Veterans’ Parkway? Anyway, twice, a flock of geese decided to cross the road. It was amazing to see about six lanes of traffic at a dead halt while everybody waited for the geese to WALK across the road. heeee!

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