The Shock Value Legend

When I was around five years old, living on Ross Street in Halifax, my parents would constantly trick me.  Most times I would pick up on the trick after, but I remember this one specific trick they did repeatedly that I always believed to be true.  It wasn’t until I was in university that I remembered them doing this and clearly realized it was all a lie. 

My mother, or father, depending on who was feeling like a jokester that day, would both play this trick on my sister and I.  They would start by looking into my ear, in the kitchen.  They always did this trick in the kitchen, which makes sense in hindsight.  This is how it always went down. 

Mom: “Michelle, I think I see something in your ear?!”

Me: “What do you mean?!  What is in my ear?!” 

I would start to panic.

Mom: “I don’t quite know what it is.  Why don’t you close your eyes and I will try to get it out”

I would close my eyes, like she said.

She would act like it was a struggle.  Covering one hand on my ear and really sounding like she was pulling hard to get this ‘thing’ in my ear out.  I was so confused as to why I couldn’t feel anything in my ear.

Then all of a sudden she would get me to open my eyes.  To my amazement, in her hand would be a full egg.  I couldn’t get over the fact that an egg was inside of my ear.  I was very confused as to how it could have gotten deep into my ear.  So for the longest time I thought eggs came from human ears and not from birds.  A smart child I was. 

Whenever I requested that mom or dad pull an egg out of my ear they would refuse to do so.  It was always on their terms.  I thought they were magical wizards.  Clearly, it was because they had no eggs left in the fridge.

To this day my mother and father play this trick, or legend, on my nieces, their grandchildren.  It is so nostalgic to watch my nieces become mesmerized at the sight of an egg coming out of their ear.  It reminds me of the feelings of shock and awe I had when I believed it to be true.