Rollo’s Turkey-Still Trick — Every afternoon, Rollo padded into the harvest patch, sat beside the round pumpkin, and challenged himself to stay still until the toy turkey tipped over. Read the full story →
Every afternoon, Rollo padded into the harvest patch, sat beside the round pumpkin, and challenged himself to stay still until the toy turkey tipped over. The turkey always wobbled first, with a dry clack of wooden feet and a faint smell of straw from its painted feathers.
Until one day, the turkey did not wobble. Because of that, Rollo froze harder, ears twitching under his tall hat while oak leaves scratched skritch-skritch across the dirt. Because of that, the pumpkin’s hidden squeaker gave a tiny peep, and Rollo’s nose wrinkled with the terrible need to sniff. “Not yet,” he whispered.
Finally, after one berry dropped plip onto his paw, the turkey blinked. It was not a toy at all, but a very small turkey wearing a very serious hat. Rollo laughed so suddenly that leaves jumped. Next time you spot the turkey’s proud little face, can you tell who won the stay-still game beside the round pumpkin?
