Karen's Runaway Turkey Read online

  “Why should they? It is not your fault,” said Nancy.

  “I know,” I said. “This is Merry’s fault.”

  You know what? Ricky did not seem mad at all. In fact, he already knew Archie was missing, because he had seen our fliers. He and his dad said they would start looking on Spring Street.

  Mommy, Hannie, Nancy, and I went to the Stoneybrook Community Center to look in their yard, which is huge. At the community center we ran into more kids from my class. Omar and Hank were playing basketball with Omar’s father. They stopped their game to help us look. So did Audrey, Terri, and Tammy, who were out on their in-line skates.

  “I am sooo mad at Merry,” I told Audrey. “I wish I had never written my essay about her. I do not know what I will do if she calls to thank me after she reads it in the paper.” Audrey just looked at me. “Unless we find Archie, our assembly will be ruined,” I added.

  “I bet we will find him,” said Audrey as she unbuckled her skates.

  I handed Audrey some fliers. She said she would go with Tammy and Terri and their mother to look for Archie on Rosedale Road.

  By now it was lunchtime, but I did not want to stop looking.

  “We could always eat some of Archie’s food,” joked Hannie.

  “Very funny,” I said.

  “How about getting some pizza slices to go from Pizza Express,” Mommy suggested.

  I usually love the pizza at Pizza Express. But today I was not in the mood. I also could not wait to get away from downtown Stoneybrook. It was embarrassing to run into so many kids from my class and have to tell them Archie was missing. I just hoped we would not see Pamela. I could only imagine what she would say.

  We did not have to wait long for our pizza slices. I looked around Pizza Express. No sign of Pamela. Or Leslie and Jannie. “I guess we could eat here,” I said. “Maybe at the counter.”

  “Maybe we could eat while we walk,” said Hannie. “We will not waste any time that way.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  I was very happy when Mommy suggested we look beyond Stoneybrook. “Your friends are taking care of the streets we were supposed to cover,” Mommy added.

  On our way home to get Mommy’s car, we did meet someone. Not Pamela, thank goodness. But a reporter from the Stoneybrook News. He had seen our fliers and talked to some of the kids in the other search parties. He wanted to write a story about the runaway turkey.

  Uh-oh. Now everyone in Stoneybrook would know that my family lost Archie.

  “The publicity will be good,” said Mommy. “Maybe someone who reads about Archie will give him a home. We are looking for a permanent home for the turkey,” Mommy told the reporter.

  “If we ever find him,” I said glumly.

  “This article should help you,” said the reporter. “People who see Archie will read this story and call the newspaper.”

  I had not thought of that.

  After we said good-bye to the reporter, we went home and put our box and our seeds in Mommy’s car. Then we drove until we reached the part of Stoneybrook that looks like the country.

  “Why don’t we look for Archie on some farms?” Mommy suggested.

  “Okay,” I said, even though I did not think we would find Archie anywhere.

  “Would Archie go this far?” Nancy wanted to know.

  “Turkeys can run fast,” I said. “Some can go about twenty miles an hour.”

  “Really?” said Hannie.

  Nancy looked very impressed.

  “So,” I said sadly, “Archie could be anywhere. This is hopeless.”

  “Oh, Karen, we will find him,” said Hannie. But she did not look too sure anymore.

  Mommy made a left turn and drove up a long dirt road.

  “This is the Stones’ farm,” I said as Mommy stopped the car by a shiny tractor, near the barn.

  “It is,” said Mommy.

  I like the Stones’ farm a lot. Hannie, Nancy, and I went to Farm Camp there once.

  We saw chickens in the yard, but no turkey. I walked around the chicken coop. And that is when I saw a turkey. A real, live turkey eating berries under a tree! It was the first turkey I had seen all day.

  “Archie!” I cried as I ran toward him.

  The turkey lifted his head and started running. I chased after him yelling, “Archie, Archie, come back!” But the turkey only ran faster.

  “I do not know if it really was Archie,” I told Hannie and Nancy when they caught up to me. “But it could have been.” Just seeing a turkey had made me feel better.

  “The Stones’ pickup truck is gone,” Mommy reported. “They must not be home.”

  “So we cannot ask them about Archie,” I said.

  “Not now,” Mommy answered.

  I did not want to go home, but Mommy said it was time to leave. When we returned home Seth, Kristy, Sam, Charlie, David Michael, and Andrew were waiting for us. No one had seen Archie. No one had talked to anyone who had even seen him.

  I sat down at the kitchen table and cried.

  Merry’s Surprise

  I was not hungry the next morning either. Especially not when I noticed the newspaper, open to the page about my class. I did not feel thankful that my class had won a turkey. And I was not at all thankful for Merry. I did not even want to see the article.

  The phone rang. I heard Mommy answer it in the study.

  “Karen, it is for you,” Mommy called after a few minutes.

  “Hello,” I said when I picked up the phone.

  “Hello, Karen.” Merry’s voice was loud and clear.

  I frowned and did not answer. Merry was the last person I wanted to talk to.

  “Karen?” said Merry.

  “Yes,” I said after a long pause.

  “I have a surprise for you,” said Merry.

  “Oh,” I said in a flat voice.

  “Your mother is going to drive you over to my house to see it.”

  “She is?” I did not want to go to Merry’s house.

  “I hope you will come,” Merry said.

  “Uh, maybe. I will talk to Mommy about it.” I figured Merry wanted to thank me for the essay I had written about her. The only problem was, I was not thankful for Merry anymore. And I did not want to see her. I was sure I would say something awful to her.

  “See you soon, then,” said Merry.

  “Good-bye,” I said.

  “Finish your breakfast before we go, Karen,” said Mommy.

  “I am not hungry. And I do not want to go to Merry’s house,” I said with my hands on my hips.

  “Karen, I think you are going to like Merry’s surprise,” said Mommy.

  “I will not.”

  Mommy took a deep breath. “Karen, we are going to Merry’s,” she said firmly. Then she gave me a look. I sighed and sat down to finish my breakfast.

  On the way to Merry’s I worried about what I would say to her. I decided maybe it would be better not to talk at all. (Even though that is very hard for me.)

  Merry lived in a small gray house with a red door. I had to admit that I was (a little) excited about seeing where she lived. I had never been to her house.

  Mommy rang the doorbell. Merry opened her door and smiled at us. Her house smelled like pancakes and flowers. “Come in,” she said, holding her door open wide.

  Mommy and I followed Merry through a sunny living room filled with plants. We stopped outside the kitchen. Merry’s kitchen was closed off with a wooden gate.

  “Do you have a pet?” I asked, looking at the gate. Then my mouth dropped opened.

  There, in the middle of Merry’s kitchen, was Archie.

  A Welcome Phone Call

  “Archie!” I shrieked.

  Archie gobbled. I really think he was happy to see me. And I was so relieved, I could have hugged him.

  “Where did you find him?” I asked Merry. (I forgot about not talking to her.)

  “Archie found me,” said Merry. “He was under one of my bird feeders this morning. I saw him when I b
rought in the newspaper. And speaking of the newspaper, Karen, I loved your essay. I was so touched that you wrote about me. Thank you.”

  “Oh, it was nothing,” I said modestly. But I was pleased Merry had liked my essay so much. And when Merry held out her arms to hug me, I ran to her. And I forgave her. After all, she had found Archie. And she really is a great nanny.

  “Was it hard to bring Archie indoors?” asked Mommy.

  “I lured him inside with more birdseed,” said Merry.

  “He does not seem too upset about being in a house,” I said.

  “No, he is pretty calm,” agreed Merry. “I was surprised.”

  “I hope he will not mind moving back to his pen in our backyard,” I said. “Do we have anything to carry him in?”

  “Yes, I brought his cage for the car trip home,” said Mommy, smiling. “It’s in the trunk.”

  “I am so glad you found Archie in time for our assembly tomorrow,” I said.

  “It was lucky he turned up,” Merry agreed.

  Before we left, Merry made Mommy and me blueberry pancakes to celebrate. And you know what? I was starving. We ate at a little round table in Merry’s kitchen, next to Archie.

  Archie complained when we put him in his cage to go home. “It will not be for long,” I promised him. “I have to take you home. And tomorrow you will come to school with me.”

  Archie kept gobbling. But at least the drive home was short. And he seemed to like being back in his pen. I gave him water, dried corn, and berries. I made sure his gate was latched when I left. I did not want to take any more chances.

  When I was in my house, I called Hannie, Nancy, and Kristy to tell them the good news. I even called Ms. Colman to tell her the assembly was saved. I was on the phone for a long time. I did not even notice there was a message for me by the phone until Andrew told me.

  The message said, Call Mrs. Stone.

  “Mrs. Stone?” I said out loud. I wondered why she wanted to talk to me.

  I dialed Mrs. Stone’s number. “Hello, Mrs. Stone?” I said when she picked up the phone. “This is Karen Brewer.”

  “Hello, Karen. I read about your missing turkey in the newspaper.”

  “Oh, we found Archie,” I interrupted her.

  “I am glad to hear that,” said Mrs. Stone. And then Mrs. Stone told me the most wonderful news. She said she and Mr. Stone would like to give Archie a home on their farm. I could visit him whenever I wanted. Hooray!

  I talked to Mrs. Stone for awhile. I told her all about Archie — what he likes to eat, what he sounds like, what he does when he is mad. Then Mommy talked to Mrs. Stone too. I heard her say that Merry and I would bring Archie to the Stones’ farm after the assembly.

  On Stage

  “Did you find Archie yet?” asked Pamela.

  It was Monday morning. I had just walked into my classroom. Archie was in a pen in the school courtyard. Mr. Fitzwater was outside with him. Mr. Fitzwater had said he would stay with Archie until I came out to take care of him.

  “What happened to Archie?” asked Ian. “Did you lose him?”

  “He ran away, but Karen found him!” shouted Hannie.

  “My nanny, Merry, found him,” I said. “Actually, he found her.”

  Just then Ms. Colman arrived. We rushed to our seats.

  “Karen, maybe you should tell the class about Archie’s adventure,” Ms. Colman suggested.

  I walked to the front of the classroom. “Merry, my nanny, left Archie’s cage partway open Friday afternoon. She did that by mistake,” I added. “Archie got out and ran away.”

  I talked for a long time. I told my class how we had looked all over Stoneybrook for Archie. And I named the people who had helped us. “Archie just turned up at Merry’s bird feeder yesterday morning. Merry used birdseed to lead him into her kitchen. Then she put up a gate so he could not get away again.”

  “Where is Archie now?” Ricky wanted to know.

  “Out in the yard,” I answered, “ in the pen Mr. Fitzwater set up for him.”

  “He is so quiet,” Ricky remarked.

  “The door to his pen is shut tight,” I added. Everyone laughed.

  “Oh, I have more news,” I said.

  “What?” asked Addie.

  “Archie will have a new home — at Mrs. Stone’s farm. We are taking him there after the assembly today.”

  “It was very nice of the Stones to offer Archie a home,” Ms. Colman added. “They already have a lot of animals.”

  “But Archie is special,” I said.

  Ms. Colman announced that we had to rehearse our act again — with Archie. I went outside with Mr. Fitzwater to get Archie.

  Soon it was time for the assembly. We changed into our costumes — jeans, flannel shirts, bandannas, and sneakers. Nancy, Hannie, and I stayed behind to wait with Archie. Everyone else went to the auditorium.

  I fastened a rope around Archie’s neck to lead him around. Then we waited. We could hear the other classes, but we could not see anything. One class sang “Over the River and Through the Wood.”

  “I wonder if they are doing a dance,” said Nancy.

  “If they are, I bet they do not have a live turkey dancing with them,” I said.

  It sounded like most of the classes were performing plays or reading stories aloud. Finally we heard Mr. Berger’s class starting their play. That was our signal to lead Archie backstage.

  Ms. Colman and the other kids were lined up, ready to go onstage.

  “Get ready. Now!” said a sixth-grader, who was the stage manager.

  My class walked out on the stage. I held Archie’s rope. Then Mrs. Noonan began playing “Turkey in the Straw” on the piano.

  My friends and I formed a circle around Archie and began singing and stomping to the music. I stomped to the front of the stage and Archie followed me. And then, the funniest thing happened: Archie started lifting up his feet and stomping around too!

  I could hear the audience laughing and clapping. When we finished, the audience clapped and cheered some more. They even stood up. Nancy told me they were giving us a standing ovation.

  I kept the rope around Archie’s neck and led him outside after the show. Merry and Andrew were waiting for us.

  As we drove away, I could see Ms. Colman and the kids from my class at the curb waving. “Good-bye, Archie,” they called. Nancy and Hannie were trying very hard not to cry.

  * * *

  Mrs. Stone met us in front of her barn. “Thank you for giving Archie a home,” I said as we set Archie’s cage down.

  “You are welcome, Karen. We will take good care of him, I promise,” said Mrs. Stone.

  When I said good-bye to Archie, I started to cry. I could not help it.

  “You may visit whenever you want,” said Mrs. Stone, patting me on the shoulder.

  “I know,” I said. I blew my nose with a pink tissue.

  “I know you will miss him,” said Merry. “But Archie will be happy here with the other animals.”

  I hoped he would be. I got in the car and turned in my seat. I waved and waved at Archie until he was out of sight.

  Pumpkin Pie

  When we arrived home, I looked at Archie’s empty pen in the backyard. I missed seeing him there, eating the seeds I gave him.

  Merry went into the kitchen to cut up apples for our snack. Suddenly I had an idea. “Do we still have the ingredients for a pumpkin pie?” I asked Merry.

  “Yes, we do.”

  “I want to make a pie for you,” I told Merry. “Just like I said I would in my essay.”

  “It’s been so long since we made our piecrust, Karen. Do you remember what I taught you?”

  “Of course I do,” I said.

  So Merry sat in the kitchen and gave me directions. But I did everything myself. I measured out the ingredients for the filling and mixed them together. I rolled out the dough we had kept in the freezer. I fit the crust into the pie plate and crimped the edges. Then I poured in the filling. All Merry had to do w
as turn on the oven and put the pie in it. The pie smelled delicious when it was cooking. And when it was done, it looked perfect. (If I do say so myself.)

  Andrew and I each had a little taste. We could not resist. But we gave the rest to Merry. She told us she would think of us when she ate it on Thanksgiving.

  “We will think of you too,” I said. “Especially when we are making our family’s pie — by ourselves.”

  It was going to be a very happy and yummy Thanksgiving.

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1999 by Ann M. Martin

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