As August bled into September, the white turkeys became more and more convinced they understood their own position on the farm and in the world.
The wild turkeys still skulked around the periphery of the turkey enclosure, but after Farmer Brown's shot gun blast, the wild turkeys did not attempt another incursion at the feeding pots.
The white turkeys, getting fatter and slower by the day, were careful to clear a path for Farmer Brown, as he had shown his temper when he kicked turkeys.
Some of the turkeys, especially the females, muttered that Farmer Brown might not be a very nice man, after all. But that would later be addressed by the troika turkeys, in good time.
Farmer Brown arrived every day and spoke to the turkeys, and told them how important they were, but more and more he spoke of himself.
He told them he was the best farmer to ever farm in the history of the whole world. He also said he was the best businessman ever to have lived and he said he was the richest farmer in the world, the richest farmer who ever lived. He had negotiated a great price for turkey feed and the turkeys would all be winners. He was the greatest negotiator who had ever lived.
Some of the birds, who had been partial to soybeans, noticed there were no more soybeans in the mix, but this was to be explained.
Three of the very fattest white turkeys,who the turkeys called "the troika," Rush, Sean and Rupert took it upon themselves to explain Farmer Brown to the other turkeys: the turkey Rush hopped up on the big hay bale and jumped up and down on his fat legs, sweat rolling down his beak. If you have ever seen a turkey sweat, you would know: a sweaty turkey is a sight most people will not forget and Rush was a very fat, very sweaty turkey.
He explained that the soybean farmers had tried to rip off Farmer Brown on the price of soybeans so Farmer Brown retaliated by charging the soybean farmers a toll. He had erected a large swinging gate at the entrance to the farm, and whenever a truck approached, one of the hired men was there to be sure the driver paid the toll or he would not be allowed to drive his truck into the farm.
Rush explained this was an example of what made Farmer Brown the most brilliant man, the best businessman, the most extraordinary negotiator the world had ever seen, since the dawn of creation.
Turkey Brooks recalled, as Rush declaimed, having seen a truck back up at the gate, the prior week and he thought that had probably been the soybean farmer's truck.
The feed, of late, had become somewhat tasteless and not at all filling. The protein in the soybeans, most of the more knowledgeable turkeys agreed, was filling and without it, the turkeys never felt really sated.
"I do miss the soybeans, " Turkey Will murmured to Brooks under his breath, so as not to be overheard by Turkey Rush, who had moved on to the subject of Farmer Brown's meeting with the fisher cats.
The fisher cats screeched eerily some nights and nobody could sleep. It sounded like the night Chrissie had been murdered. Some of the turkeys were so upset by these night howls they could not eat the next day and some even began to lose weight, and Farmer Brown became alarmed whenever the turkeys lost weight.
So Farmer Brown had cleverly arranged a meeting with the fisher cats and it had gone very well, Rush told them.
Turkey Sean now leaped up on the hay bale and shoved Rush aside and he said, "You should have seen those fisher cats: they just cowered in front of Farmer Brown. They promised they would stop screeching at night, anywhere within ear shot of the turkey enclosure."
He paused for effect:
"They said they would not attempt to dig under the fence and they would eat no more turkeys from Farmer Brown's farm, if only Farmer Brown would not aim his shotgun at them," Turkey Sean said.
"Any more turkeys?" asked turkey Chamberlain.
Sean said, "Well, you remember...Chrissie. That time we found Chrissie's head..."
"But I thought the wild turkeys killed Chrissie," said Will.
"What stupid turkey you are," shouted Sean. "What turkey could decapitate another turkey? No, that was the fisher cats. Don't you remember the screeching the night before we found Chrissie?"
Brooks raised his head above the crowd of turkeys: "Farmer Brown said the wild turkeys killed Chrissie. I remember."
That's when turkey Rupert jumped up on the hale bale, and he shoved Sean aside and he pushed Rush off the bale altogether.
"You remember?" Rupert taunted Brooks.
"Yes," said Brooks. "I thought it odd that a turkey could behead another turkey, so I remember."
"Memory!" Rupert sneered. "Is so last week."
"So last week?" Brooks repeated, not understanding.
"What is memory but a malleable, easily contaminated and distorted thing? You remember Farmer Brown saying it was wild turkeys. I remember him telling his hired men to dig a barrier under the fence. Turkeys, wild turkeys at least, can fly over any fence. Why you'd need a roof over this yard to keep out wild turkeys.
No, Farmer Brown knew it was the fisher cats who got Chrissie. That's why he had his men dig the barrier trench."
"It didn't make much sense," Brooks admitted.
"Because your memory is fake news," laughed Rupert. "Phony memories."
"But..." Brooks stammered.
"Memory is not to be trusted. All that matters is what we say now."
And all the white turkeys nodded. Yes, memory could not be trusted. Memory is past and the past does not matter."
"All that matters is what we say now," Brooks repeated.
Then Rupert looked over the flock and said, "Some of you have spoken to me about how frightened you were when Farmer Brown kicked you out of his way, as he was leaving. But that was a show of strength. Farmer Brown is a strong man. A man who gets his way. A man who can protect you. You don't want some candy ass, fearful man dealing with fisher cats, foxes or wild turkeys. You need a strong man."
"A strong man is good for turkeys," Brooks said to himself. "That sounds right."
The wild turkeys still skulked around the periphery of the turkey enclosure, but after Farmer Brown's shot gun blast, the wild turkeys did not attempt another incursion at the feeding pots.
The white turkeys, getting fatter and slower by the day, were careful to clear a path for Farmer Brown, as he had shown his temper when he kicked turkeys.
Farmer Brown arrived every day and spoke to the turkeys, and told them how important they were, but more and more he spoke of himself.
He told them he was the best farmer to ever farm in the history of the whole world. He also said he was the best businessman ever to have lived and he said he was the richest farmer in the world, the richest farmer who ever lived. He had negotiated a great price for turkey feed and the turkeys would all be winners. He was the greatest negotiator who had ever lived.
Some of the birds, who had been partial to soybeans, noticed there were no more soybeans in the mix, but this was to be explained.
Three of the very fattest white turkeys,who the turkeys called "the troika," Rush, Sean and Rupert took it upon themselves to explain Farmer Brown to the other turkeys: the turkey Rush hopped up on the big hay bale and jumped up and down on his fat legs, sweat rolling down his beak. If you have ever seen a turkey sweat, you would know: a sweaty turkey is a sight most people will not forget and Rush was a very fat, very sweaty turkey.
He explained that the soybean farmers had tried to rip off Farmer Brown on the price of soybeans so Farmer Brown retaliated by charging the soybean farmers a toll. He had erected a large swinging gate at the entrance to the farm, and whenever a truck approached, one of the hired men was there to be sure the driver paid the toll or he would not be allowed to drive his truck into the farm.
Rush explained this was an example of what made Farmer Brown the most brilliant man, the best businessman, the most extraordinary negotiator the world had ever seen, since the dawn of creation.
Turkey Brooks recalled, as Rush declaimed, having seen a truck back up at the gate, the prior week and he thought that had probably been the soybean farmer's truck.
The feed, of late, had become somewhat tasteless and not at all filling. The protein in the soybeans, most of the more knowledgeable turkeys agreed, was filling and without it, the turkeys never felt really sated.
"I do miss the soybeans, " Turkey Will murmured to Brooks under his breath, so as not to be overheard by Turkey Rush, who had moved on to the subject of Farmer Brown's meeting with the fisher cats.
The fisher cats screeched eerily some nights and nobody could sleep. It sounded like the night Chrissie had been murdered. Some of the turkeys were so upset by these night howls they could not eat the next day and some even began to lose weight, and Farmer Brown became alarmed whenever the turkeys lost weight.
So Farmer Brown had cleverly arranged a meeting with the fisher cats and it had gone very well, Rush told them.
Turkey Sean now leaped up on the hay bale and shoved Rush aside and he said, "You should have seen those fisher cats: they just cowered in front of Farmer Brown. They promised they would stop screeching at night, anywhere within ear shot of the turkey enclosure."
He paused for effect:
"They said they would not attempt to dig under the fence and they would eat no more turkeys from Farmer Brown's farm, if only Farmer Brown would not aim his shotgun at them," Turkey Sean said.
"Any more turkeys?" asked turkey Chamberlain.
Sean said, "Well, you remember...Chrissie. That time we found Chrissie's head..."
"But I thought the wild turkeys killed Chrissie," said Will.
"What stupid turkey you are," shouted Sean. "What turkey could decapitate another turkey? No, that was the fisher cats. Don't you remember the screeching the night before we found Chrissie?"
Brooks raised his head above the crowd of turkeys: "Farmer Brown said the wild turkeys killed Chrissie. I remember."
"You remember?" Rupert taunted Brooks.
"Yes," said Brooks. "I thought it odd that a turkey could behead another turkey, so I remember."
"Memory!" Rupert sneered. "Is so last week."
"So last week?" Brooks repeated, not understanding.
"What is memory but a malleable, easily contaminated and distorted thing? You remember Farmer Brown saying it was wild turkeys. I remember him telling his hired men to dig a barrier under the fence. Turkeys, wild turkeys at least, can fly over any fence. Why you'd need a roof over this yard to keep out wild turkeys.
No, Farmer Brown knew it was the fisher cats who got Chrissie. That's why he had his men dig the barrier trench."
"It didn't make much sense," Brooks admitted.
"Because your memory is fake news," laughed Rupert. "Phony memories."
"But..." Brooks stammered.
"Memory is not to be trusted. All that matters is what we say now."
And all the white turkeys nodded. Yes, memory could not be trusted. Memory is past and the past does not matter."
"All that matters is what we say now," Brooks repeated.
Then Rupert looked over the flock and said, "Some of you have spoken to me about how frightened you were when Farmer Brown kicked you out of his way, as he was leaving. But that was a show of strength. Farmer Brown is a strong man. A man who gets his way. A man who can protect you. You don't want some candy ass, fearful man dealing with fisher cats, foxes or wild turkeys. You need a strong man."
"A strong man is good for turkeys," Brooks said to himself. "That sounds right."
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