Pranks

I'm not generally one to plan out elaborate pranks for the first of April. This year, I played a small joke on my kids and ended up pulling a more elaborate- and fun- prank on a co-worker friend.

With my kids, it was easy because they generally believe anything we say. School was closed on Friday so the kids were excited to spend a day with their grandparents. As I was about ready for work, I came out to the living room with my phone in my hand and said, "Ms. Lori sent a message and school is open today! I guess you can't go to Mimi and PopPop's house today... *pause* Just kidding! April Fool's!"

*~*~*~*~*

My friend at work has some little things around her office that are decorative and speak to her personality. So I thought it might be fun to kidnap something and leave a ransom note. And since I can't seem to do much of anything without some sort of flair... it went a little further than expected.

I started by kidnapping a horse statue that she's had in her office for about as long as I've known her (11 years). I waited until she stepped out of her office, swooped in, hid it under my sweater, and took off! I blindfolded the horse and tied it up with silly bands. I created a gmail account "helpmehorsey" and sent the following pictures and message:

I don't know where I am! They are threatening to send me to Loctite to make glue out of me! Help!


Then, I waited. I waited for her laugh. I waited for her to come directly to me to ask questions. I waited an hour and... nothing. I'd blind copied Christy on the e-mail so I knew spam filter hadn't grabbed it. I thought maybe she'd pay attention if I sent another message...

If you want to see your horsey again...

1. Deliver chocolate. At least 2 pieces. Leave it, unmarked, by the microwave near the board room. Tell no one and do not involve the police.

2. Drop the chocolate no later than 1:48 pm. You can reply to this e-mail to notify when the drop has been made.

Horsey is being well cared for... for now. But we might get cranky if our demands aren't met!


I was getting desperate. She wasn't noticing my joke! She hadn't noticed the horse was gone and didn't seem to be paying any attention to the e-mails. How could I up the ante?

I decided to take something else, something bigger. She and I work together on a product line and she has this dummy head with one of the products on it. So when she left for lunch, I took it and sent one more e-mail.

Just to show you how serious we are... notice anyone else missing? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!



When I got back from lunch, I fully expected that she would have seen everything, noticed the missing head and horse, and come and give me a hard time.

Nothing.

I went down the hall and was talking to a friend. Suddenly, my co-worker comes up to us, "Someone stole my head! With the headset! And the smashed nose! Who would take that?" At first, I thought she was on to the joke. But... no. She truly thought someone had just lifted the dummy head with headset. I tried asking leading questions... Did they leave a note or e-mail or anything? Did they take anything else? Nothing.
So I followed her down the hall to her office and, in true desperation, asked if she'd let me see her e-mail because I was having trouble with my spam filter and wanted to see how hers was set up. She gave me control. My e-mails weren't in the inbox. I saw a "junk" folder and clicked there. Ah ha! The 3 messages were there. Cathy says, "Oh those are some weird horsey spam something. I'm not opening those! Probably a virus!" As she's talking, I open the first e-mail and double click on the picture attachment while she starts freaking out about how I'm going to give her a virus. She finally catches on that it's a prank... but only after she sees the third picture with the head in it! I then have to point out that she needs to look at the other pictures... she is laughing and asking what else I took, looking all over her office, I'm cracking up because she's cracking up and flustered and I point to the spot where the horse normally resides and she spins around and exclaims "My horse!! You took my horse! That's my FAVORITE!"

That was the start of the full on, legs crossed, hunched over, leads to coughing and choking laugh fit. her favorite... and she never noticecd it was missing. *sigh*

So another April Fool's has come and gone. It's been requested that I get our boss next year... we'll see...