" I thought this year we agreed NOT to go overboard with the decorations." Annie commented as she looked around at their vacation house.

Emma, who has finished putting the helium balloons up, gave Annie a look. " Oh, you have GOT to be serious. It isn't Thanksgiving without the decorations."

" Or chocolate cake!" Mia replied hungrily as she took the cake out of the oven. " Hey Annie are you gonna make the turkey?"

" Sure. Where is it?"

" In the fridge." Mia replied.

Annie walked to the fridge and opened it.

" Uh, Mia....?"

" Yeah?"

" About the turkey....."

" Mhm."

" Is it alive or dead?"

" Alive, of course! You wanted a turkey so I got you one!"

Annie stared at Mia, blinking in disbelief. "Mia, you can't just... get a live turkey for Thanksgiving. That's not how it works!"

Mia, who was still busy inspecting the chocolate cake, didn't seem to understand the issue. "Why not? It's fresh, it's authentic, and it'll be way more fun to cook!"

Annie ran a hand over her face. "Mia... where did you even get a live turkey?"

"I found it," Mia said casually, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "It was wandering around outside. I thought, 'Hey, it's Thanksgiving. Why not make it a true farm-to-table experience?'"

Emma, who had been arranging the balloons with an air of satisfaction, turned to glance at the fridge. She raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "So, let me get this straight. We have a live turkey in the fridge... and you're planning to cook it? How are we supposed to... handle this?"

Mia, unfazed, pulled the turkey out of the fridge. It flapped its wings once, sending Annie stumbling back in surprise. "Well, we're going to have to catch it first, obviously."

Annie held up her hands in exasperation. "This is a vacation house, Mia! Not a barnyard!"

Mia just grinned. "It'll be fun! A little chase, a little teamwork, and then, voila, Thanksgiving dinner! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Everything!" Annie screamed, throwing her arms up in frustration. "You're going to traumatize the turkey, and us, at the same time!"

The turkey squawked loudly and tried to hop out of Mia's hands, causing a scene of chaos as it flew straight toward the living room. Emma, completely unfazed, was already picking up the balloons, prepared to follow the bird's every move. "Okay, now this is getting interesting."

"Mia!" Annie yelled, chasing after the bird as it dashed around the house, "You are so not getting away with this!"

Mia laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Come on, Annie! It's just a turkey! You know, back in the day, they used to chase their food down on foot!"

Annie, nearly tripping over the couch, gave up for a second. "That was in, like, the 1800s! We're not chasing down turkeys anymore. I can't believe you've turned Thanksgiving into a wild goose chase!"

"Literally!" Mia said with a cheeky grin, still holding the turkey in her arms, but now her tone shifted to more of a triumphant one. "Gotcha!"

"Finally!" Annie sighed with relief. "Now please, tell me we're cooking it the normal way."

"Of course!" Mia said, holding the turkey in front of her like a prize. "Once we catch it, we can cook it the proper way... if you want."

Emma nodded, her smile widening. "It's definitely going to be an unforgettable Thanksgiving."

Annie, now sitting down and wiping sweat from her forehead, gave a resigned look. "I'm never going on vacation with you two again."

But even she couldn't hide the small grin that tugged at the corner of her lips.

The turkey, however, was completely unimpressed with the whole ordeal.

As the chaos over the turkey died down and Mia managed to corral the bird back into the fridge, the front door opened with a loud creak. Blackie, looking as smug as ever, strutted into the house, ice cream shake in one paw, a burger in the other, and fries balanced neatly in the crook of his tail.

"Well, well," Blackie said, taking a dramatic sip of his shake, his eyes scanning the room like a queen surveying her court. "What do we have here? A turkey chase? How... quaint."

Annie, still trying to catch her breath, gave Blackie an incredulous look. "Blackie, where did you even-why are you eating a burger with chicken on it while we're trying to... deal with a live turkey?"

"Mm," Blackie muttered with a knowing glance, taking another sip of his shake and nibbling on his fries. "I don't see why you're all freaking out. I mean, it's just a turkey, right? It's not like we're chasing a car or something ridiculous." He cocked his head to the side, clearly amused by their chaos. "And why is there so much noise? What's wrong with enjoying a perfectly good meal?"

Mia raised a brow. "You're eating a burger with chicken on it, and you're calling me ridiculous?"

Blackie rolled his eyes dramatically, slurping from his ice cream shake. "Oh, don't act all high and mighty, Mia. You're the one who turned Thanksgiving into a wild animal hunt. Really? A live turkey?"

Emma, who had been quietly watching the spectacle unfold, couldn't help but chuckle. "This... this is just insane."

Annie put her hands on her hips, her frustration mounting. "Do you know how hard it is to cook a normal turkey, let alone chase one around the house and then find that a sassy cat is sitting here sipping on an ice cream shake with fries?"

"Well," Blackie said, licking the chocolate off his lips with a smirk, "sometimes a cat just needs to enjoy life. You could take notes." He held up his burger with a mock toast. "To relaxation and good food, ladies. Now, I'm going to enjoy my meal while you two try to figure out how to not ruin Thanksgiving any more than you already have."

Mia, who had calmed down and was now starting to giggle at Blackie's audacity, turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You know, Blackie, you could help. You are, after all, a part of this dysfunctional holiday crew."

Blackie just shrugged and took another leisurely bite of his burger. "I'll help, sure, but only if you promise to give me more fries." He waved his paw in the air dismissively, as if he were granting them a great favor. "The turkey's not going anywhere. It'll probably be happier after a nap anyway."

"Blackie!" Annie cried out in exasperation. "You can't just... eat your way through Thanksgiving!"

"Watch me," Blackie purred with a sly grin, flicking his tail in an almost regal fashion. "What's a holiday without a little indulgence?" He took another sip of his shake and leaned back in satisfaction, looking around the room as if he were the king of the household.

Mia rolled her eyes, finally letting out a small laugh. "Well, I guess we're in it for the long haul, then."

Annie slumped down onto the couch, her frustration finally turning into reluctant amusement. "This is the weirdest Thanksgiving ever."

Blackie, unfazed, popped a fry into his mouth. "Isn't it always?" he said with a wink, the very picture of sass as he casually enjoyed his meal, leaving the others to figure out the turkey situation.