I’ll start by saying that I got bogged down and busy this time around. I’ll end there because excuses are like assholes and pretty much just stink. I do want to reiterate Harry’s comment though, come in contact with us if you wish to join in. As the school semester ends, we’ll be doing this more frequently with a new set of time to play with. Also, the next semester should be easier. Basically, things will pick up. Whether you’d like to judge or write or draw, let us know. Anyways, I’m posting this as incomplete. It didn’t get as far as I would have hoped but could suffice for the start of a novel perhaps? You tell me 
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“Kevin, hey Kevin. Where are you hiding,” came uncle Sam’s whispering words. It was that time of year again as they say and luckily for me, Uncle Sam was staying the week. Don’t get me wrong, I would never say a thing against my uncle. I mean, when you look over the years at the things we’ve done and places we’ve gone, he ranks up there with the top uncles to have ever lived. The guy knows kids like the back of his hand and could make you laugh harder than a sneezing panda on youtube. The only problem was his timing. Grabbing the X-Box controller tight, I found the save button and leaned back in my bean bag awaiting his entrance.
Like clockwork, he appeared through the crack in the door.
A grizzly beard was the first noticable feature. Thick and unkempt, it was his calling card. I could remember last Christmas when he came for a few nights. We had a big dinner; I’m talking huge. Mashed potatos, honey ham, sweet potatos, corn, everything you could think of lined the table. He challenged me to a race and after piling two full plates into my stomach I wound up winning by tecnicality. He still had corn stuck in his facial hair. Of course, he argued the point for hours stating claim that it slipped out.
He still gave me the victory though.
“Found ya’ little man!”
I took one last look at the Gears of War covered screen and sighed at the fact that I nearly finished the campaign. Eight hours had gone by and I was staring down the throat of the biggest worm I had ever seen. It was a holy quest that I’d argue topped the one for the grail. Don’t tell Graham Chapman that. “Uncle Sam, you’re here.” I stated with as much enthusiasm as possible.
He swooped in and did a semi-cannonball on the beanbag beside me. One glance at the screen and he knew what was going on. Still, he proceeded to grab my head and shake me in all directions before I found myself dizzy and slumped over backwards. “How you been squirt?”
He forgot I was twelve now, not as much of a squirt as I used to be. “Better that you’re here. How are you?”
“Hungry. I haven’t eaten since six this morning.”
“Well I heard mom has the Turkey cooking already and she’s starting on the other stuff,” I stated with a smile.
He shook his head and frowned slightly, “I’m not sure. Apparently there is no turkey or big meal this year. She told me that we’re going out for Chinese.”
“Chinese? No, you’re joking.”
“I wish,” he continued, “she said that they were all out of turkey at the grocery store and wouldn’t be getting anymore today.”
“Stop, c’mon uncle Sam.”
“I wish I was Joking Kev. We’re turkeyless little man.”
There was something odd about the situation. On one hand, I had run into many experiences where I was thrown for loops by uncle Sam. He was one of the biggest tricksters I’ve ever known and surely wouldn’t hold back if he had something big planned. On the other hand though, I did hear mom talking about not having Thanksgiving dinner here. Maybe she meant we were going out. Maybe we were going to get Chinese afterall. “Then what do I smell?”
“Safety,” he said with a wry grin.
I hit him for good measure and looked back at the screen. “This is just like that movie now where the dogs eat the turkey.”
“Let’s just not shoot your eye out with games like this, huh?”
I hit him again. I know that Thanksgiving isn’t supposed to be about the things we recieve but more about the time spent with those we love. I know why we celebrate. I just didn’t want to accept that we wouldn’t be eating the same food we’ve been eating for years. Crab legs are nothing compared to a fat turkey. “What restaurant?”
“I don’t know, I was going to talk to your mom now actually. I just wanted to say hi quick.”
“And deliver the news before I went searching, huh?”
“I know you’re habits, yeah. Next year you can go for your usual swoop through the kitchen. I promise.”
“Fine.” He stood and shook my head again. I grabbed up the controller and started to play again. My gun shot faster and my senses were more awear with the news at hand. I wasn’t furious, no. Only dissapointed. After crushing the worm and walking through his guts I paused and saved again. The break uncle Sam brought threw me off my game and I knew that if I was going to complete the campagin I’d need to take a break. Standing, I walked to the hallway where I took a long sniff in the air.
No turkey. Something else though, something meaty and tasty crawled up the stairs and to my nose. He was lying.
It was then that I knew my yearly quest would still be on. I would find that meal and steal some before everyone else could.
