Twist-Mouth Family

An Appalachian Folktale

Once there was a family of people who lived in the back country far off from any town. The whole family had very funny mouths.
The father‘s lower lip and lower jaw stuck out, way out. The mother‘s upper lip was incredibly long and hung down over the lower.
The oldest girl ‘s mouth was twisted to the right, so that she had to talk, eat, and sing out the right side of her mouth.
The brother‘s mouth was twisted to the left, so that he had to eat, talk, and laugh out of the left side of his mouth.
The youngest boy had a mouth just like anyone, but in this family that, too, was different.
When the children grew up, and it came time for them to go to college, the two oldest said "No”, they‘d rather stay at home with their own kin than have to go out in the world with all those straight-faced people.
But the youngest boy said "Yes", he‘d like to go to college. So he went.
Time went by, and then the youngest boy came home for Christmas vacation.
Everybody looked forward to seeing him and hearing the news of the world. And the mother baked a big cake to celebrate.
That night the family sat around the table eating cake and listening to the adventures of the youngest brother who had been so far from home.
The cake was very good.
The father had to hold his piece way up and push it down into his mouth.
The mother had to shove her piece up under her upper lip to get it into her mouth.