Sometimes Practical Jokes Go Too Well
Back when I was in sixth or seventh grade my buddies and I used to got to a place we liked to call "The Tunnel." This was a large rain sewer that drained the streets of Burnsville, MN. It ran from the Burnsville Mall, underneath Interstate 35E, and into a small lake by our houses.
We liked the tunnel so much because it was a place for us to explore. Yes, believe it or not, we spent many a summer afternoons walking deep inside the long tunnel. We would mark our progress by how many ladders we had passed. At first we were too afraid to go beyond one ladder, but after a year or so we had mustered the courage to deep into the tunnel, but never to the end. We weren't that brave.
Once inside we would fool ourselves into seeing all sorts of different things. At the top of the second ladder was a bunch of graffiti of skulls and what we told ourselves were satanic symbols. It really scared the crap out of us. One day, when we were really deep in (10 mins. or so), we thought we saw a body. We had to run all the way back out in a crouched down position, or at least until we got back to the first ladder where the tunnel opens up enough to stand without hitting your head. Later we discovered that the body was nothing more than a bunch of plastic bags tangled up in some sticks.
Anyway, it was stuff like this that always kept up on our toes when in the tunnel. One day a couple of my friends and I decided to capitalize on the eerie feel of the tunnel, and bring to life the thoughts that were always running through our minds as we ventured inside of it. In about half an hour, we through together a practical joke that worked so well, that I regretted doing it.
Tony, Brandon, and I were sitting around trying to think of something to do. We decided that it would be hilarious to scare the crap out of our friend Matt who had never been in the tunnel. Our plan was this: We invite Matt over. Tony says that he is going home, but instead goes to the tunnel alone, equipped with a large butcher knife, a gorilla mask, and gorilla gloves. Tony goes into the tunnel alone and climbs up a ladder that leads to a manhole, where he is out of site to anyone in the main tunnel below. Brandon and I wait until 15 minutes after Tony leaves for the tunnel and then we take Matt there. When we scrape our flashlights on the wall, Tony jumps down comes at us. Brandon leads Matt out, but I fall behind and am attacked by the monster who drops into view from the ladder above.
Unfortunately Matt was not around so we had to use my younger brother, who is also named Matt, and Tyler, another one of our friends. Everything went perfectly.
We invited my brother and Tyler over to Brandon's house. Tony "went home" and 15 minutes later the rest of us headed for the tunnel. Tony could hear our foot-steps and started making some impromptu grunting noises. Being that we were now under the roads, I assured our two poor victims that it was only the traffic above. Soon after that I started scraping my flashlight against the wall, giving Tony the signal to make himself known.
It was absolutely perfect. I was scared. Tony jumped down, growling loudly. Even with the flashlights it was hard to make out his whole figure. All we could tell was that the thing ahead of us was not human, and that that thing was holding a large knife of of which our flashlights reflected.
I was in the front, and immediately turned around screaming for my friends to run. They were already on their way as I casually fell back to shake Tony's hand on a job well done. As they got farther and farther away I let my screams become muffled and then all together cease. Tony and I then leisurely made our way back out to the tunnel entrance. This is when I realize that maybe our prank went a little too well.
A few feet from the entrance I can hear my friend Tyler frantically repeating, "Oh my God, oh my God!" Worse yet I can hear my brother in crying hysterically, "Where is my brother?" Then Tony and I make our appearance with smiles on our faces. Those smiles quickly fade when we see the state of our prankees.
Tyler is pacing in circles saying that his hair is falling out of his head. Apparently he had scraped it on each of 3 or 4 cement plugs that stuck out from the ceiling of the smaller part of the tunnel above the first ladder. My brother had tears running down his cheeks and was soaking wet. Since Tyler was ahead of my brother when they approached the ladder, Tyler got first dibs. My brother was so scared that he decided to bypass the ladder and Tyler altogether . He just jumped down, right into the two feet of water below. It wasn't that high, but still, none of us ever jumped, even when we thought we had seen the dead body. Needless to say, no one was laughing anymore.
Later that night my brother and I were sitting at the kitchen counter talking about the joke. I was telling him that I was sorry that we had done it, and being the understanding kid he is, he congratulated me on a job well done. Then, as he was talking about how scared he was, his face just went blank and he was silent for about five seconds. As soon as he snapped out of it he looked at me, surprised, and said,"I just had a flashback."
We liked the tunnel so much because it was a place for us to explore. Yes, believe it or not, we spent many a summer afternoons walking deep inside the long tunnel. We would mark our progress by how many ladders we had passed. At first we were too afraid to go beyond one ladder, but after a year or so we had mustered the courage to deep into the tunnel, but never to the end. We weren't that brave.
Once inside we would fool ourselves into seeing all sorts of different things. At the top of the second ladder was a bunch of graffiti of skulls and what we told ourselves were satanic symbols. It really scared the crap out of us. One day, when we were really deep in (10 mins. or so), we thought we saw a body. We had to run all the way back out in a crouched down position, or at least until we got back to the first ladder where the tunnel opens up enough to stand without hitting your head. Later we discovered that the body was nothing more than a bunch of plastic bags tangled up in some sticks.
Anyway, it was stuff like this that always kept up on our toes when in the tunnel. One day a couple of my friends and I decided to capitalize on the eerie feel of the tunnel, and bring to life the thoughts that were always running through our minds as we ventured inside of it. In about half an hour, we through together a practical joke that worked so well, that I regretted doing it.
Tony, Brandon, and I were sitting around trying to think of something to do. We decided that it would be hilarious to scare the crap out of our friend Matt who had never been in the tunnel. Our plan was this: We invite Matt over. Tony says that he is going home, but instead goes to the tunnel alone, equipped with a large butcher knife, a gorilla mask, and gorilla gloves. Tony goes into the tunnel alone and climbs up a ladder that leads to a manhole, where he is out of site to anyone in the main tunnel below. Brandon and I wait until 15 minutes after Tony leaves for the tunnel and then we take Matt there. When we scrape our flashlights on the wall, Tony jumps down comes at us. Brandon leads Matt out, but I fall behind and am attacked by the monster who drops into view from the ladder above.
Unfortunately Matt was not around so we had to use my younger brother, who is also named Matt, and Tyler, another one of our friends. Everything went perfectly.
We invited my brother and Tyler over to Brandon's house. Tony "went home" and 15 minutes later the rest of us headed for the tunnel. Tony could hear our foot-steps and started making some impromptu grunting noises. Being that we were now under the roads, I assured our two poor victims that it was only the traffic above. Soon after that I started scraping my flashlight against the wall, giving Tony the signal to make himself known.
It was absolutely perfect. I was scared. Tony jumped down, growling loudly. Even with the flashlights it was hard to make out his whole figure. All we could tell was that the thing ahead of us was not human, and that that thing was holding a large knife of of which our flashlights reflected.
I was in the front, and immediately turned around screaming for my friends to run. They were already on their way as I casually fell back to shake Tony's hand on a job well done. As they got farther and farther away I let my screams become muffled and then all together cease. Tony and I then leisurely made our way back out to the tunnel entrance. This is when I realize that maybe our prank went a little too well.
A few feet from the entrance I can hear my friend Tyler frantically repeating, "Oh my God, oh my God!" Worse yet I can hear my brother in crying hysterically, "Where is my brother?" Then Tony and I make our appearance with smiles on our faces. Those smiles quickly fade when we see the state of our prankees.
Tyler is pacing in circles saying that his hair is falling out of his head. Apparently he had scraped it on each of 3 or 4 cement plugs that stuck out from the ceiling of the smaller part of the tunnel above the first ladder. My brother had tears running down his cheeks and was soaking wet. Since Tyler was ahead of my brother when they approached the ladder, Tyler got first dibs. My brother was so scared that he decided to bypass the ladder and Tyler altogether . He just jumped down, right into the two feet of water below. It wasn't that high, but still, none of us ever jumped, even when we thought we had seen the dead body. Needless to say, no one was laughing anymore.
Later that night my brother and I were sitting at the kitchen counter talking about the joke. I was telling him that I was sorry that we had done it, and being the understanding kid he is, he congratulated me on a job well done. Then, as he was talking about how scared he was, his face just went blank and he was silent for about five seconds. As soon as he snapped out of it he looked at me, surprised, and said,"I just had a flashback."
posted by Ben U'Ren at 10:05 PM
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