Mookie Spitz reads Whacking Moki, a short story based on a true story that captures the brutal clarity of nature and the unexpected bonds forged in the face of death.
The tale follows Dieter Dunt, a former Alabama radical who reinvented himself as a diner owner in rural Wisconsin, and his friendship with Leo and Tess Tesla, a Jewish couple from Chicago who escape urban sprawl by immersing themselves in the rugged northern wilderness. Their bond is as unlikely as it is profound—an ex-Nazi sharing scotch and survivalist wisdom with city-dwelling Jews—highlighting the paradox of finding humanity in the most contradictory places.
When the Teslas’ beloved but ailing cockapoo, Moki, reaches the end of his life, the couple turns to Dieter for help. What follows is a stark, almost ritualistic confrontation with mortality: a hole in the cold earth, a rifle shot, and the visceral shock of witnessing death up close. In that moment, the roles invert—the supposed barbarian becomes the teacher, guiding the couple through an experience that strips away fear, ritualizes grief, and reveals a hard-earned respect for life’s final act.
Mookie weaves humor, darkness, and poignancy into this narrative, exploring how survival sometimes means embracing the primitive. It’s a story about unlikely kinship, about facing death without flinching, and about how the wild has a way of teaching lessons civilization forgets.
Blog Post with the Original Short Story
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.