Mischief & Mayhem: Marian Speerless and Anne Wheeler

Summary

The Moth Podcast Episode: Mischief & Mayhem: Marian Speerless and Anne Wheeler
Release Date: August 24, 2018

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Overview

In this episode of The Moth Podcast, host Dan Kennedy presents two captivating true stories under the theme of "Mischief & Mayhem." The first narrative, shared by Marian Spirlis, recounts a childhood mishap on her family's farm. The second story, delivered by Anne Wheeler, delves into a rebellious act fueled by familial expectations. Both stories poignantly illustrate the unintended consequences of youthful actions and the enduring bonds of family.

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Story 1: Marian Spirlis – "Accidental Rooster Killer"

Timestamp: [02:12] – [08:58]

Marian Spirlis opens her tale by setting the scene of her childhood during the mid-1940s on a small dairy farm in southeastern Wisconsin. Unlike the stereotypical farmer's daughter, Marian was fond of dresses and preferred cleanliness, earning her the playful nickname "Princess Poo Poo" from her cousins. Despite limited responsibilities on the farm, she had a deep love for the animals, particularly the chickens and ducks she was tasked to care for.

Key Events:

• Imaginative Play: Marian often engaged in imaginative play, inspired by her favorite Western radio shows like The Lone Ranger and admired cowboy Gene Autry. This led her to perform impromptu singing sessions on her family's workhorses.

• The Incident: At seven years old, left alone as her parents attended to farm work with the help of her grandfather, Marian's boredom sparked a tragic accident. After watching a plane dropping bombs in a movie, she decided to emulate the scene by throwing corn cobs at the chickens, mimicking the "bombs away" command.

• Accidental Death: Her playful aggression culminated in the unintended death of her father's prized rooster, Charlie, when the bird was struck by a corn cob and fell lifeless.

Notable Quotes:

• Marian reflects, “So I ran down to him, and I remember shaking him and saying, Charlie, wake up. Wake up. Wake up.” ([04:15])
• She poignantly adds, “The lesson I learned was that everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has accidents, even children.” ([08:30])

Resolution: Marian confides in her grandfather, fearing her father's reaction. Demonstrating profound understanding and compassion, her grandfather helps her conceal the incident, convincing her that her father wouldn't blame her. When confronted by her father about Charlie's disappearance, her grandfather fabricates a story about a weasel, effectively shielding Marian from repercussions.

Insights: Marian's story highlights the innocence of childhood mistakes and the importance of supportive family relationships. Her grandfather's protective actions underscore themes of trust and unconditional love, providing Marian with a sense of security despite the gravity of her accidental wrongdoing.

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Story 2: Anne Wheeler – "Strict Diet and Vending Machines"

Timestamp: [09:46] – [14:04]

Anne Wheeler shares a humorous yet poignant experience from her high school years involving her elderly aunt, Honey. During her junior year, Honey suffered a hip fracture, necessitating a stay in a nursing home. Anne, newly licensed to drive, decided to visit her aunt and meet her cousin Terrell.

Key Events:

• Breaking Rules: Upon arrival, Anne wakes Honey, who is eager to "do something" despite the strict protocols of the nursing home. This initiates a series of rule-breaking actions prompted by Honey's craving for cinnamon rolls, which conflicted with her diabetic diet.

• The Cinnamon Roll Caper: Honey persuades Anne to help her retrieve a cinnamon roll from an employee-only vending machine. Ignoring regulations, they search for the machine, interact with unsuspecting nurses, and eventually access the restricted area to obtain the desired treat.

• The Fallout: Anne complies with Honey's request to place the cinnamon roll in her wheelchair bag. Their clandestine snack run is abruptly halted when Anne's cousin Terrell confronts them, leading to Anne's emotional breakdown.

Notable Quotes:

• Anne describes Honey's determination: “We gotta move quickly because Terrell's coming.” ([11:20])
• Reflecting on the aftermath, Anne shares, “I just. I don't feel good. I just want to go. Let's just go.” ([13:00])

Resolution: The incident culminates in a tense confrontation with Terrell, who questions the breach of nursing home protocols. Overwhelmed with guilt and embarrassment, Anne decides to leave, signaling the strained family dynamics resulting from Honey's actions.

Insights: Anne's story illustrates the lengths to which family members will go to seek comfort and normalcy amidst challenging circumstances. The narrative underscores the tension between adhering to strict rules and the human desire for indulgence and rebellion, especially within the constraints of caregiving environments.

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Host Commentary

Dan Kennedy provides empathetic reflections on both stories, acknowledging the accidental nature of Marian's actions and empathizing with Anne's predicament. He emphasizes the universal experience of making mistakes and the valuable lessons learned from them.

Notable Comments:

• On Marian's story: “We're very sad that Charlie met such an untimely demise, even if it was accidental. Not blaming Marion. We know it's just an innocent mistake we've all made.” ([08:58])
• On Anne's story: Kennedy shares a light-hearted moment wishing Aunt Honey a happy belated birthday and encourages listeners to engage with local Moth Story Slams.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Moth Podcast masterfully weaves two narratives that explore the themes of unintended consequences and familial bonds. Marian Spirlis's heartfelt recounting of her childhood accident and Anne Wheeler's relatable teenage rebellion offer listeners a deep dive into personal histories marked by innocence and the complexity of family relationships. Through these stories, The Moth continues to celebrate the power of storytelling to connect, heal, and impart wisdom.

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Connect with The Moth: For more stories and to attend live Story Slams in Milwaukee or New Orleans, visit themoth.org.

Transcript

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[Dan Kennedy]

Hey, this is the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy and summer is officially here. I mean, I'm saying that on the middle of August. In the middle of August, I guess. Yeah, I'm a little late to the party to say summer's officially here, but you know that it's a universal time to live a little easier. The days are longer, the nights seem just as long, and those two things combined are a perfect recipe for fun. But sometimes the fun goes a little too far. And that's where we're going to start our first story this week. It comes to us from a Milwaukee story slam where the theme of the night was unintended. This is Marian Spirlis telling her story live at the Moth.

[Marian Spirlis]

The summer that I was seven, I killed my father's prize rooster accidentally. I was raised on a small dairy farm in the southeastern part of Wisconsin in the mid-1940s. I wasn't a typical daughter of a farmer. I liked being feminine and wearing dresses all year, sundresses in the summer. I was very fastidious, didn't like getting dirty. Found out later that my cousins called me secretly Princess Poo Poo. But I was a typical farmer's daughter in that I loved all the animals that were on our farm. And because I was quite little, the only task I was assigned was to feed and water the chickens and the ducks, which I loved. Weren't very many children that were in the area. So I had to use my imagination, write plays in my head, stories in my head. And I did listen to radio. My favorites were westerns. Love the Lone Ranger and that Silver Steed and Gene Autorey. And when I finished listening to Gene Autry, I would go into the barn and slide on top of the broad backs of our two workhorses, lady and Whitey, and sang Home, Home on the Range. I'm Back in the Saddle Again. And that was kind of my life. The summer that I was seven when this incident happened. My parents were haying. They were bringing haying in from the field, and my grandfather was staying with us for the week to help him. To help them, rather. And so I was left in my own devices because I was such a good little girl. They knew I could safely stay there and not do anything that I shouldn't. But I was bored, and I decided to play the Lone Ranger. So our house was on a slight slope and the barn lowered and the chicken coop was down there. So I ran down the hill and ran through the flock of hens that was below, and they went. And I'm like, well, that was kind of fun, okay. But I remembered that earlier, a couple weeks earlier, my parents had taken myself with them to a movie. And it may have been a newsreel, I don't know, but I saw a plane dropping bombs, and I thought, that's what I need. I need more ammunition to get these chickens going. And so I went down around the corner of the chicken coop where the granary was, and we had shelled corn, so the cob was lightweight. We used them to start our stove as kindling. And so I picked up the front of my dress, my sundress, and loaded it with these corn cobs and went back up the hill and tore down the hill, throwing corn cobs amongst the chickens. And I remembered in the movie they said, bombs away, bombs away. So I did that, and the chickens went, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop. And I threw one last corn cob. And my father's prize rooster, Charlie, walked out of the hen house. I'm sure he was aghast at what was going on with his ladies. And he walked in front of the corn cob, and he fell on the ground, and I thought, oh, my Lord. And I ran down to him, and I remember shaking him and saying, charlie, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. But he wasn't going to wake up. And I remember seeing the wind blow the feathers on his chest, and he was quite still. And then I realized I had killed this rooster. And I started sobbing. I clutched him to me, and I started sobbing and crying. And my grandfather had come into the pump house to get water, and he ran down by me, and he said, marion, are you hurt? What's wrong? I said, I killed Charlie. And he said, you killed Charlie? And I explained to him what happened. And he engulfed me and Charlie, who I was now holding, and said, marian, it was an accident. It was an accident. You didn't do it on purpose. I said, no, but he's dead, and my father's going to kill me. He said, no, he isn't. And he stopped for a minute because he said, I'm not going to tell him, and you're not either. But at that time, you know, in the 1940s, that rooster would have provided a lot of meat. So this was a big decision on my grandfather's part to help me to do this. And so he said, let's get a shovel. We're going to bury him down by the mailbox. Your father never goes that way. He takes the other driver. And that's what we did. And several nights later, at suppertime, my father said casually, you know, I haven't seen Charlie around. Oh, dear God. My heart stopped. I knew on my forehead it said, rooster Killer. But my mouth was open. I was ready to spill my guts. I was going to just say what happened. And my grandfather quickly said to my father, you know, John, I remember seeing a weasel down at the chicken coop. And my father said, well, he swore. But he said, well, we'll have to keep an eye out for the hens to make sure that nothing happens to them. And my grandfather caught my eye and smiled at me. And it was one of those moments when an adult and a child bond together because you know that that person's got your back and everything's going to be okay. And the lesson I learned was that everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has accidents, even children. And also, if you're going to do a skit, don't ask innocent animals to be part of it.

[Dan Kennedy]

Oh, that po rooster. Charlie, let me just say that we here at the Moth don't condone any harming of animals. And we're very sad that Charlie met such an untimely demise, even if it was accidental. Not blaming Marion. I know it's just an innocent mistake we've all made little innocent Mistakes when we were kids. Thanks, Marian, for sharing your story. Marian Spearless is a retired remedial reading teacher and freelance writer with a passion for children, seniors, and all animals. Up next, the fun gets mischievous with a story from Ann Wheeler. Ann shared this at our New Orleans story slam a few years ago. The theme of the night was strict. Here's Anne, live from New Orleans.

[Ann Wheeler]

Hello. When I was a junior in high school, I had a much older aunt who was in her late 70s. And one day she fell and she broke her hip. And as part of the recovery, she had to live in a nursing home for a few months. And I had just started driving, and I decided that I was going to go visit her, and I was going to meet my cousin Terrell, who was her daughter there. But when I got there, I was a little early, and Terryl wasn't there yet, and my Aunt Honey was asleep. And so I woke her up and she just, like, popped up immediately, which was weird. And she was like, I'm glad you're here. We've got to do something. We gotta go. We gotta move quickly. And I'm like, honey, what are we doing? And she's like, help me into my wheelchair. And I was like, honey, you're not supposed to get up without, like, a skilled nurse here to help you. And, like, if you fall, I'm gonna get in trouble. And she was like, no, no, it's fine. It's fine. Just help me into the chair. So that was the first rule that we broke that day. And so I help her into the chair, and then she grabs this book out of her nightstand, and she pulls some money out that she'd been hiding. She go, much money do I have? And I. You have $3, honey. And she was like, ann, I might have to borrow some money from you. And I was like, okay, because she's my aunt and I'd do anything for her. But I was like, what are we doing? She's. I've heard that somewhere around here there's a vending machine, and in this vending machine, they have some cinnamon rolls. And now Honey was on a very strict diet at the nursing home. She was pre diabetic, and she's not supposed to eat things. And she hadn't been taking care of herself. Just part of the problem, why she's there. And I'm like, honey, are you allowed to have cinnamon rolls? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm allowed to have cinnamon rolls. And I was like, well, why don't we wait for Terryl to get here and she's no, no, no. We've got to go before Terryl gets here. I'm like, okay, honey, are you sure you're allowed to have cinnamon rolls? And she goes, yes, but we have to move quickly because Terryl's coming. And I'm like, okay. She goes, push my chair. And so we go. And we go downstairs, and we're looking for the vending machine, and we can't find it anywhere. And there's a group of nurses getting off their shift, and they pass by us, and as they're passing, one of them says, hi, honey. You know, like, just remember, no sugar. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, literally. And I'm like, honey, are you allowed to have sugar? And she goes, that's not my normal nurse. She doesn't know what, like, my routine is. And she just doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm like, okay. And she asked this man, and we end up going into this employees only room, which is our second rule that we broke. And she has me get the cinnamon roll out. And then she's like, what do you want? And I'm like, I don't want anything. I don't want any part of this. And she's like, we're not leaving until you get something out of this vending machine. And I was like, honey, I just. I don't feel good. I just want to go. Let's just go. And she's like. And I'm panicking, and she's like, okay, okay. All right, fine. Push my chair. And so we go. And we're about to get on the elevator, and she's like, there's a bag on the back of my wheelchair. I want you to put this cinnamon roll in it and zip it up. And I'm like, I put the cinnamon roll in, and I zip it up. And we get on the elevator with this nice family, and she's making conversation with them like nothing has happened. And I'm sweating. And we get off the elevator, and my cousin Terrell is waiting there, and she's like, where have you been? The nurse said you left. I called your cell phone five times. And I broke. Burst into tears. And I'm like, she made me buy.

[Marian Spirlis]

Her a Simon Roland. I don't know. It's in the bag. It's in the bag on her chair.

[Ann Wheeler]

And honey turns to me, and she's like, ann. And Terrell's like, mother, how could you? And I'm crying, and I'm like, I'm just gonna go home. And Terrell goes, I think that would be best.

[Dan Kennedy]

That's Ann Wheeler. Ann Wheeler lives and works in Louisiana with her two cats, CeCe and Tina Fey. She's currently finishing her Master's degree in Library Science. And let us know that Aunt Honey just celebrated her 83rd birthday last month. So from everyone here at the Moth in New York, we want to wish her a happy belated birthday. To see a few pictures of Ann and Aunt Honey, just Visit our site themoth.org thanks again to Marian and Ann for making their way out to their local slams and sharing a story. Remember, if you're in Milwaukee or New Orleans, you should join us at our Open Mic Story Slams. They happen every month in both cities so spread the word. Check out our website themoth.org you can get dates there, upcoming themes, all of that information and we hope to see you at one of our slams. That's it for this episode of the Moth Podcast and we hope you have a story worthy week.

[Ann Wheeler]

Dan Kennedy is the author of Loser.

[Marian Spirlis]

Goes First, Rock on and American Spirit.

[Ann Wheeler]

He's also a regular host and storyteller.

[Dan Kennedy]

With the Moth Podcast production by Timothy Luley. The Moth Podcast is presented by prx, the Public Radio Exchange, helping make public radio more public at prx. Org.