Hard Work

Jabo felt very thankful indeed. He was about to dig into a Thanksgiving dinner, and he had a brand new big screen TV and Playstation 5 waiting for him at home. Best of all, his new TV and console he received for free - thanks to his retail job and knowing how to get past cameras and security, he was going to enjoy his holiday.

Jabo led grace with his extended family, saying some things he didn’t believe about working hard and being thankful for the blessings that come from it. Jabo thought about how hard he worked to get what he wanted by taking things without being noticed, then he grabbed a plate and began putting some of his seasonal favorites on it. He grabbed some white and dark meat from the turkey, a big helping of mashed potatoes and gravy, and a delicious mix of chicken, herb and turkey stuffing. And that was when he stood before the cranberry sauce.

“Hard pass.” Jabo thought to himself, not being a fan of cranberry sauce. Before he could proceed to the desert section of the Thanksgiving spread, a hand made entirely of cranberry sauce came out of the bowl and grabbed his neck.

“No one else can see this, but this is very real.” A menacing voice echoed in his head. “I can read your thoughts, so think back your concerns if you don’t want to sound like an idiot by looking like you’re talking to yourself.”

“Who are you?” Jabo thought to his tormentor. The cranberry sauce hand held a firm grip on Jabo’s neck.

“Think of me as the Thanksgiving Ghost of the Present.” The voice thought back. “You have been a naughty boy Jabo, and if you want me to leave you alone you have some things to return that don’t belong to you. But first I have to punish you. Eat all the cranberry sauce right now!”

“I refuse!” Jabo thought angrily. “I already have to return the things I rightfully claimed, I will not eat this crap!”

“Very well then, I will choke the life out of you, and your family will find your corpse sprawled out on this table with your face planted in the cranberry sauce. You will eat this sauce no matter how this plays out.”

“Fine!” Jabo shot back in his head, and he took the bowl and quickly ate the cranberry sauce to get it over with, feeling sick to his stomach once he was done. So much for enjoying the rest of his food - he no longer had an appetite.

“Excellent!” The spirit jeered in Jabo’s head. “Guess you have some hard work returning stuff to get to. But first, that dog food over there in the corner looks yummy. Go eat that next.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jabo bellowed out loud, his family all staring at him. Jabo gave a nervous laugh and wave, then they all went back to their meals. Jabo noticed a knife made of dog food coming out of the bowl towards him.

“OK, OK!” Jabo thought to the spirit, proceeding to the dog food bowl. Jabo quickly ate the wet salmon dog food when no one was looking his way. Jabo felt like he was going to hurl, but he was afraid of what the spirit would do to him if he did. He thought about how no new, free electronics were worth this torture. He just wanted to be done with this and start living the honest life that was being forced on him. “Are we done now?”

“Let’s keep looking around, there might be more yummy things to eat. It is a holiday after all, and you are so good at sneaking these foods without being noticed.” The spirit replied. “How does it feel to be working hard to keep this food down, without your family noticing? Bet you will work hard the right way from now on. Happy Thanksgiving Jabo - here’s to a banner year coming up for you!”