My kids stared at me in absolute amazement.  I had just told them the most preposterous story, but it was 100 per cent true.  I had just gone through one of the most agonizing tortures of my life when I recounted the tragic death of my sister Gracie, but now I had to tell them about my brother, Mikey.  Their long departed uncle.

“Dad, that is so unbelievable.  You are seriously telling us that our Aunt Gracie died from eating too much celery?  How is that possible?  Are you sure?” Phoebe looked at me as if I were crazy.  I was certain the look would continue after I told her about her Uncle Mikey.

“Not only am I serious and sure about your Aunt Gracie, like I said, she wasn’t the only person in your family to have suffered and died because of food.  I also had a brother, your Uncle Mikey.  He was older than me and I loved him, but I wasn’t as close to him as I was your Aunt Gracie.  After Aunt Gracie died though, he let me tag along with him a lot.  Your grandfather gave us each an allowance and your Uncle Mikey usually spent all of it on junk food, especially after your Aunt Gracie died.  He became obsessed with eating unhealthy because he saw a so-called health food kill our sister.

“Everyday he would go to the local store and buy some kind of candy, cookie or soda – sometimes all of the above.  One day, the owner of the store told your Uncle Mikey about the coolest new candy that just hit the market.  He told us they were called Pop Rocks and they were all the rage.  He said the company described it as an explosion in your mouth.  He then cautioned my brother that he did not sell soda to anyone who purchased it because if you ate the Pop Rocks and drank the soda you would die.  He told us your stomach would explode if you tried it.

“Your Uncle Mikey agreed to just purchase the Pop Rocks.  He purchased six packages total and we left the store.  I was confused when he walked into a gas station a few blocks down the way and I got worried when he purchased a six-pack of Pepsi.  He told me he wanted to go home right away and test it.  I told him I didn’t think it would be a good idea, but he persisted.

“When we got home we went straight to his room.  He ripped open the bags of Pop Rocks and ate them all faster than I had seen anyone eat anything in my life.  Then he opened the first soda and drank it in what seemed like one gulp.  He drank the second, the third, and the fourth.  I thought he would be okay because nothing had happened.  He laughed and called all the people that believed such things superstitious idiots.  That was when it started.  He had just popped open the fifth can when he doubled over in severe pain.  He grabbed his stomach and started to sound like he would vomit.  He looked at me and I saw that he was foaming at the mouth like a dog.  He violently tore about the room in pain.  I tried to help him, but there was nothing I could do.  I called the police, but by the time the ambulance had reached us his entire stomach had exploded.  Pieces of his stomach and intestines were lying about the room.  The coroner said mixing the two caused too much carbon dioxide and his stomach simply exploded.

“Well, you can imagine I was devastated.  Not only had I just lost two of my siblings, I had literally watched as my brother’s stomach exploded.  My parents took the news and both deaths terribly.  They would also learn that man cannot eat by myth alone and become victims of the food fatalities that have plagued this family.”

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  The original version of this story started a long time ago when it was rumored that Mikey who was made famous through the Life commercials died this way.  Although studies have proven this type of death is not possible, I never tried it as a kid.  I always thought Mikey died because of it.  In this story, there wasn’t a plot per se, but I used the name Mikey to at least give credit to the person who started it all.  Obviously I really added every character, but used the name Mikey as I stated before.  I thought that this was a really interesting story and was a thing that I truly believed during my childhood.  Since I have grown up, I have heard the story repeated (but Mikey is no longer used because this new generation wouldn’t have a clue who he was) by younger kids.  I thought it would be fun to add this to the Storybook as if it could happen.  I also over exaggerated on the stomach explosion just for fun.  I hope you enjoyed it and remember: Man Cannot Eat by Myth Alone!

“Death of Little Mikey”
by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson, 2005
Weblink: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/poprocks.htm

Photo of Pop Rocks and Coke, 2005
Provided by Snopes.com

Home

Storybook

Intro

Celery: The Silent Killer

Killer Bull