Jeff's dad, Peter Kendrik, just finished carving the turkey and gave a blessing, thanking everyone for the bounty of the year and meal set before them. As customary when they ate Thanksgiving, either at the restaurant or at home, they all had a bite of turkey at the same time after the Patriarch of the family took his first bite so they could all enjoy hot and delicious turkey before eating all the sides at the feast.
As Mr. Kendrik lifted his fork, he joked about this being the juiciest turkey they’d ever had. His first bite was a revelation: succulent, with a hint of something almost mystical. Everyone waiting in anticipation, took their first bite soon thereafter. As Mr. Kendrik savored the flavor, a strange tingling sensation spread through his limbs.
He dismissed it at first, attributing it to the excitement of the holiday. But then, the tingling began to increase in intensity and all over! "What... what's happening to my hands?" he stammered, watching in horror as his fingers fused together. As his fingers began to twitch uncontrollably, the skin on his hands hardened and turned scaly, the sensation like thousands of tiny needles pricking his flesh. He tried to shake it off, but his fingers fused together, elongating into crude, feather-covered talons. "Clara, something's wrong!" he cried out, his voice already starting to waver. "My arms... they're changing!" His voice grew more strained, each word a struggle. "Feathers... I have feathers!"
He watched in horror as his arms stiffened, the joints popping and contorting painfully. Feathers sprouted from his arms, spreading like wildfire across his skin. He tried to cry out, but his voice came out as a strangled, hoarse gobble.
His family looked on in shock as his voice became more garbled. "Help... me... gobble... gobble..." His words were now a mix of human speech and turkey sounds. "Can't... stop... gobbling..."
His neck stretched and his face pushed forward into a beak. His eyes widened with panic, now a deep, soulless black. He looked around the table as he tried to speak one last time. "Love... you... all... gobble... gobble..." His eyes, now dark and beady, reflected his panic and confusion. He watched helplessly as the same horrific fate began to befall his wife and children.
With a final, agonizing twist, his legs buckled and reshaped into powerful turkey legs. He could feel his human consciousness slipping, being replaced by more primal, animalistic urges. He flapped his newly-formed wings in a futile attempt to regain control.