Episode 2

Welcome back to the Carnival of Calamities! In the last Show we introduced the Ringmaster, Daredevil, and Freakshow and shared some tidbits about them. This Show we would like to introduce their parents, Marvelous Màiri, who is performs Magic, Fire Acts, and other sideshow spectacles, and Klarholz Baraba, who is our Game Operator and Barker. They met when Màiri was performing in another show and a mere 15 years old, but that wasn’t a deterrent for the 18 year old Klarholz. Here’s their stories!

Màiri was born on a Thursday in mid-April of 1968. She came from a broken family full of unlearned lessons and unhealed wounds. There was a lot of hurt, pain, sadness in their hearts. She didn’t finish her formal education, but she never stopped learning in other ways. Màiri loved music, living life, meeting people, love, adventure, excitement.

She was the eldest child of three, and the only daughter. Her mother and father were only together for a couple years before divorcing, her mother subsequently marrying another man who would then adopt her and her little brother, subsequently changing their last names and the courses of their lives. The first year or two with her new stepdad wasn’t too bad, but home life fell apart rather quickly. There was a lot of abuse, secrets and chaos, and Màiri did what she could to cope.

She went to school with Klarholz, and initially had been dating his friend. Klarholz told the story of how he wasn’t a fan of Màiri at first, that she shot milk out her nose at him from across the table during a laughing fit, and he found her too bubbly. She must have grown on him though because it wasn’t long before they were  together and Màiri found herself pregnant. They decided to get married but ran into a hiccup. Màiri was only 17, which was below the age of consent. She made the choice to forge her mother’s signature to give permission for the marriage, and then it was official. Less than 6 months after Màiri and Klarholz were married they welcomed a beautiful baby boy they nicknamed Rat Tail. What should have been a happy occasion just added more stress to an already strained relationship, and what were cracks in the foundation became fissures. It wasn’t two years later that they were separated. Klarholz took custody of Rat Tail, and Màiri did what she felt she had to do in order to survive.

She loved getting gussied up and dressed to the nines, going to concerts and experiencing as much life as she could. She could make acquaintances everywhere she went, loved the night life, and had an infectious laugh that lit up the room. Màiri ended up pregnant by a prominent local horse racer fixer that she had been dating, and she was blessed with a sweet little girl, nicknamed Princess. Màiri and Klarholz reconciled a few months after Princess’s birth and Klarholz made the choice to adopt Princess as his own.

A year later Klarholz decided to join the military, leaving Màiri home with Rat Tail and Princess. Their first phone call since Klarholz had left for Basic Training had a couple surprises, she had wrecked the car, and she was also pregnant. It was a rough time, but they kept chugging along. He graduated from basic and moved the whole family across the country. The change from sunny beaches to rain and cloudy skies had a profound effect on Màiri. Her already fragile mental health became even more rocky and erratic, and her sedative use slowly increased over time.

Màiri tried to make friends, and was quite bubbly in most situations, but not a lot of folks could understand her struggles. Klarholz moved the family often when rents would change and Màiri would do what she could to capture memories for us kids to remember. She loved the Holiday season and would decorate for every occasion. She would make the kids their costumes for Halloween and would make ornaments with them for Christmas. She was thrifty, crafty, and creative in all the ways.

She loved her children, but struggled with her past traumas. She could be known to scream, throw things, break things, have full blown meltdowns that were hard for a lot of society to deal with. She was unable to hold steady employment before coming to the Carnival, but we could not be more pleased with her fiery spirit and unforgettable performances.

When Màiri and Klarholz split after 17 years together she handled it the best that she could. She was deeply hurt when Ringmaster decided to go with Klarholz and Rat Tail. She found a place in the next town over for her and Princess and went about trying to reestablish herself. It wasn’t long before there was an incident with Ringmaster and Rat Tail that made Màiri demand that Ringmaster live with her instead of Klarholz. Màiri fit both girls into one room and slept on the couch. She encouraged the girls to make friends and go outside to play which then gave her an opportunity to do the same.

Ringmaster always struggled to make friends so when she got along with Klarholz’s boss’s boys who lived just right down the road she was elated. Màiri felt that Ringmaster would be safe playing over there. Ringmaster would bring their Pokemon cards and they would play on the trampoline. Klarholz’s boss, Kenny Bill, was almost always home when Ringmaster was there and was cordial to Màiri despite his connection to Klarholz. She had no idea that Kenny Bill was a predator, and Ringmaster had never been safe there.

Màiri moved Princess and Ringmaster to the previous town they lived in and hoped they could start fresh once more. Klarholz responded poorly to the circumstances. Màiri tried so hard to try again and begin anew but addiction and trauma are heartless assholes. She shopped for doctors to give her Morphine, and sold the excess for extra cash. She was unable to work due to her limitations and disabilities so she worked on her people skills. She tried hard to find love again but her picker was too bent to work properly.

They were able to live there for a couple years before an explosion forced them to move across town. It was there that Màiri found a good friend who had a similar enough life story that they bonded quickly and lifted each other up when things got dark. Their daughters all got along well and celebrated many occasions together. There were fights, but their families would become intertwined for decades.

Màiri and the girls lived there for a few more years before chaos would descend and they would get evicted. Ringmaster put herself into foster care. Princess went to live with Klarholz. Màiri found an apartment in the capital city with a roommate and was thankful to not be on the streets. She wouldn’t keep that room for long though because after a fight with the roommate she found herself evicted once again.

Homelessness was really hard on Màiri. She eventually found a room at a sober living facility, and even met a kind man who adored her, but that pattern of chaos continued to follow her and she was once again homeless. She did everything she could to survive, but the continued changes and past traumas caused her to behave in unconventional ways. She lost many friends and became more and more isolated as the years dragged on.

She was resourceful enough to find a room in a group home with many other adults, sharing a bathroom with a few of them and a fridge with one other. It wasn’t what she had hoped for, but it was a stable roof over her head and a warm place to sleep at night. She would sometimes butt heads with her roommates but she tried hard to make it work. Her boyfriend spent as much time with her as he could but they had an up and down relationship. Màiri needed constant reassurance and had big reactions to perceived abandonment.

One fateful night they were fighting over texts and phone calls for several hours. Her boyfriend needed a break so he shut off his phone. She continued to call and message, desperate for him to save her but he wasn’t responding. Màiri, feeling hopeless, angry, and filled with despair, downed several handfuls of different medications assuming that her boyfriend was coming. Except that he had turned off his phone, just like he had told her, and had gone to sleep with the hope that he would be able to talk it over with her in the morning. When he woke up that morning and turned on his phone it was inundated with messages and missed calls. He raced to the city bus and prayed the whole trip that she hadn’t gone through with her threats. Sadly, his prayers were too late.

Màiri died by suicide two weeks after Princess’s birthday. She was 42 years young. However, her spirit continues to watch over the Carnival and we honor her memory when we sing no matter how we think we sound, dance however the music moves us, and never forget to turn our face towards that first warm sun after Winter and soak up the rays.

Klarholz was a Summer of ’65 surprise for his family. His parents were aging, and their older two children were close to being grown. He was potty trained by his older sister and always dreamed of being a cool army guy like his older brother and father. Klarholz struggled with learning in the public school system, and graduated by the skin of his teeth. He worked odd jobs and became a jack of all trades over time.

He joined the Army when he was 24 years old and was a dad to be of 3 after graduating from Basic Training. He switched jobs in the Army several times because juggling a psychiatrically struggling Màiri and three little ones made it difficult to do his work effectively. Klarholz often had to bring Rat Tail, Princess, and Ringmaster to the barracks because he had no sitter and Màiri was not well enough to care for them.

Despite his important career choice, he often made some not so wise choices. He stole a safe from a construction site as a young adult and his mother forced him to return it and its contents. He was once arrested the day after Màiri’s birthday and was charged with Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree. He was offered a deferred judgement, and it was pled down to just Patronizing a Prostitute. The “prostitute” was only 15 years old, but the laws failed to help her. Klarholz was known for not wearing his seatbelt, borrowing things from his jobs that he wasn’t technically allowed to take, and being loose with his own building codes.

Klarholz didn’t stay long in the Army, less than ten years, finding blue collar jobs more suitable. Not long after leaving the Army he and Màiri split after 17 years together. After the split, Klarholz lived alone for a while, first in a camper trailer on his boss, Ross Reichel’s, property, and then in a ramshackle house after he quit the job with Ross Reichel Logging to work for their rival, Kenneth Carver Logging. He even stayed working for Kenny Bill after Kenny Bill had gotten caught molesting Klarholz’s youngest daughter. When Kenny Bill’s company folded, Klarholz started dating his old neighbor, Wendy Go, whom he ended up marrying a few years later. This relationship caused issues between Klarholz and Ringmaster.

Klarholz was never really involved with his children. If they wanted to spend time with him they had to go find him and try to convince him to let them help with his project. He always had projects to do. His concentration on his different projects is what helped him be blind to Wendy Go’s son molesting and raping his daughters. Klarholz never put much thought into his children’s feelings or needs beyond what money could take care of. He chose to go to a war zone for 3 years rather than help raise his children. Princess had to start working at 16 because Klarholz’s new wife wouldn’t purchase hygiene products for her, despite Princess still being a minor.

Klarholz only came home from his civilian job during the illegal war after he discovered his wife was spending his money on ridiculous things like more native porcelain dolls. He split from her and filed for divorce after being gone their entire marriage because he didn’t like her attitude since she had quit smoking, or her excuses about the missing money. He moved out into a hotel with Princess and into the first house that would approve him, which happened to be in the foothills of the local volcano.

Ringmaster was kicked out of foster care two months after Klarholz moved and he was forced to take custody of them. It wasn’t long after they moved in that Klarholz brought home a bubbly blonde named Bernadette. This was his newest love. He believed his kids had reached the age where they no longer required his involvement so he should be free to live his life and do whatever he wants. Klarholz ignored his children stealing from him, their obvious drug and alcohol usage, and much more just to regain the youth he gave up when he had children.

Klarholz and Bernadette bought a home and blended their families together. They became motorcyclists and joined the Legion. They bought a boat and a camper, took the blended family on trips and vacations, and put on a great show that only one of them actually knew it was all an illusion.

The more successful Klarholz became the higher the expectations became for his family, which unfortunately led to quite a bit of bickering between everyone. The more everyone fought the bigger the divide became between them. It wasn’t long before Klarholz’s narcissistic tactics drove a wedge between everyone forever.

Klarholz cheated on Bernadette with his secretary, Elphaba, which caused the end of their 15 year relationship. Klarholz kicked out Ringmaster, stole from his grandson, was so insufferable he made Bernadette flee when he was at work, and then went on a campaign for the Legion. He married Elphaba and retired from work. He has not spoken to Princess since August 2017, Ringmaster since May 2020, and only keeps Rat Tail around to care for his pack of hounds. He continues to make poor choices and it will be interesting to see what Karma believes he deserves when he’s old and grey.