{"id":472,"date":"2009-03-25T20:36:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-26T03:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/?p=472"},"modified":"2009-04-21T19:57:08","modified_gmt":"2009-04-22T02:57:08","slug":"story-the-turkey-and-the-pumpkin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/2009\/03\/25\/story-the-turkey-and-the-pumpkin\/","title":{"rendered":"Storybook: The Turkey and the Pumpkin"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA)
\nthe author has an excellent story site: Knapptime Stories<\/a>
\nillustration by Kevin Scott Collier<\/a><\/em><\/span> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

ONE CRISP AUTUMN MORNING a turkey named Oscar escaped from his farm. Thanksgiving was just weeks away and Oscar knew that his only hope for survival was to reach the petting zoo in Belvar.<\/p>\n

After crossing a large hill on his journey, Oscar came across a pumpkin patch that stretched as far as the eye could see. Suddenly a voice shouted out, \u201cThank goodness someone\u2019s finally come for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The voice startled Oscar, but he didn\u2019t see anyone. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d asked Oscar nervously.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown here,\u201d said a little pumpkin in the patch. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to scare you, it\u2019s just that Halloween is only two days away and I was starting to think nobody was ever going to come for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I am just passing through. Who are you waiting for?\u201d asked Oscar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not who I am waiting for, but what I am waiting for,\u201d said the little pumpkin in a sad voice.<\/p>\n

Oscar was puzzled by the little pumpkin\u2019s remark and asked, \u201cWhat exactly are you waiting for?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA home,\u201d replied the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut isn\u2019t the patch your home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is, but being picked as a jack-o-lantern for Halloween is every pumpkin\u2019s dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnbelievable, I\u2019m trying to reach the petting zoo in Belvar to avoid being carved and that\u2019s what you\u2019re wishing for,\u201d said Oscar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard of that place,\u201d said the little pumpkin. \u201cWait a second, will you take me there with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZoos are for animals,\u201d said Oscar. \u201cNot pumpkins!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat may be true, but think of all the kids that will get to see me glow. Please take me with you?\u201d pleaded the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

As Oscar shook his head no he looked down and saw a tear roll down the little pumpkin\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t cry,\u201d said Oscar. \u201cIf it means that much to you, I\u2019ll take you with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you,\u201d said the little pumpkin over and over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am happy to help you, but people are going to make fun of me for traveling with a pumpkin. They\u2019ll think I am too scared to travel by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all, you\u2019ll just be traveling with a friend. What\u2019s wrong with that?\u201d asked the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

Oscar smiled at the little pumpkin and said, \u201cYou\u2019re right. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that. Traveling with a friend is a good thing. By the way, since we\u2019re becoming friends we should know each other\u2019s names don\u2019t you think? Mine\u2019s Oscar. What\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea,\u201d said the little pumpkin. \u201cNobody\u2019s ever addressed me by a name before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s be on our way and we\u2019ll think of one for you,\u201d said Oscar.<\/p>\n

Oscar picked up the little pumpkin and placed her on his back. And off they went.<\/p>\n

The long journey had been a smooth one for Oscar and the little pumpkin until they arrived at the zoo. Even though it was still daytime, the sky had become very dark. It was hard to see, because a storm had knocked out all the electricity and power at the petting zoo. Oscar, with the little pumpkin still on his back, entered the petting zoo and they were both surprised by how quiet it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder where everyone is?\u201d asked the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably still hiding from the storm that blew through,\u201d said Oscar.<\/p>\n

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my goodness, a lion!\u201d yelled Oscar to the little pumpkin. \u201cLet\u2019s get out of here!\u201d<\/p>\n

But before Oscar and the little pumpkin had time to run away, a loud laugh echoed throughout the entire zoo. When they turned around a goat was pointing at them from inside his cage. The goat could hardly control himself. He was laughing hysterically.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy, did I get you two or what,\u201d said the goat. \u201cThis is a petting zoo. You should know there aren\u2019t any lions here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a mean trick to play on us,\u201d said the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you nearly scared us silly,\u201d said Oscar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just having a little fun,\u201d said the goat.<\/p>\n

Suddenly a loud-booming voice yelled out, \u201cI am the manager of this petting zoo! Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, I have to go,\u201d said the goat. The goat ran toward the back corner of his cage and hid behind a bale of hay.<\/p>\n

The zoo manager who now stood over Oscar and the little pumpkin said, \u201cWell, are you going to answer my question?\u201d<\/p>\n

Oscar shook as he stood up to answer the zoo manager. \u201cHello, my name is Oscar and we\u2019ve come to live here with your kind permission Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf by we you\u2019re referring to yourself and the pumpkin then the answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, she\u2019s my friend and, yes, she was hoping to live here as well. You see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The zoo manager interrupted Oscar and said, \u201cI don\u2019t have any need for a pumpkin. They\u2019re messy and don\u2019t serve any purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but we do,\u201d said the little pumpkin. \u201cI can be the jack-o-lantern children see when they visit the zoo on Halloween.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren come here to see animals, they don\u2019t come to see pumpkins,\u201d said the zoo manager. \u201cTurkey, you can stay if you want, but you\u2019ll have to leave if you can\u2019t part with your friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oscar stood still without saying a word, so the zoo manager just shook his head and walked away.<\/p>\n

After taking a deep breath Oscar shouted to the zoo manager, \u201cYou should be ashamed of yourself for treating my friend that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The zoo manager turned around and stuck out his tongue and just kept walking.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry,\u201d said Oscar to the little pumpkin. \u201cWe\u2019ll find a home somewhere and you\u2019ll still be a jack-o-lantern in time for Halloween.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOscar, Halloween is tomorrow; face it, I\u2019ll never be a jack-o-lantern now,\u201d cried the little pumpkin.<\/p>\n

It was hard for Oscar to see the little pumpkin so upset. He felt that he had let his friend down.<\/p>\n

As Oscar and the little pumpkin began to exit the petting zoo, they heard the zoo manager cry out, \u201cOh no, I forgot to buy batteries for the flashlights. Now what am I going to do!\u201d<\/p>\n

Oscar turned his head and smiled at the little pumpkin on his back. He set the little pumpkin to the side and said, \u201cI\u2019ll be right back. I have an idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

The little pumpkin watched as Oscar approached the zoo manager and then whispered something in his ear. The zoo manager smiled as Oscar spoke and then the two of them shook hands. Oscar ran back for the little pumpkin as fast as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d asked the little pumpkin. \u201cWhat did you say to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no time to explain,\u201d said Oscar. Oscar put the little pumpkin on his back and followed the zoo manager as best he could through the darkness.<\/p>\n

Even though the storm had passed, the zoo was still without power and it was hard to see.<\/p>\n

But suddenly the darkness in the zoo began to fade, as an incredibly bright light lit up the entire sky. It was the little pumpkin who was lighting the way as Oscar held her high above his head.<\/p>\n

The little pumpkin had become the jack-o-lantern she always dreamed of and her light made everyone in the zoo feel safe. The zoo manager was especially thankful to Oscar and the little pumpkin and apologized for how he had behaved. He promised to be kind to all the animals and to those who visited the zoo.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how it came to be that the favorite attraction at the Belvar petting zoo was a turkey with a jack-o-lantern by his side. After Oscar blew out the candle that lay inside the little pumpkin on Halloween night, he knew Thanksgiving had also come early that year. Oscar knew what a lucky turkey he was and felt very thankful indeed to have a friend named Hope.<\/p>\n

THE END<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

“The Turkey and the Pumpkin<\/span><\/em>“<\/span><\/em> Copyright \u00a9 2007 by Artie Knapp
\nAll Rights Reserved <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Artie Knapp (USA) the author has an excellent story site: Knapptime Stories illustration by Kevin Scott Collier ONE CRISP AUTUMN MORNING a turkey named Oscar escaped from his farm. Thanksgiving was just weeks away and Oscar knew that his only hope for survival was to reach the petting zoo in Belvar. After crossing a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-stories","tag-artie-knapp"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1399,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions\/1399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/candlelightstories.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}